Bess: The Commoner Queen

A farmer's daughter who became one of Elizabethan England's most powerful women, Bess of Hardwick tells her story through Michelle Todd's solo performance. Kevin Fegan's play moves between family, ambition and the politics of a life lived between two queens.

Although a one-woman show, Bess was never alone on stage. Michelle Todd remained in dialogue with filmed actors projected around her, their exchanges moving between live performance and screen throughout the show. The film and projection were made to work as her scene partners, with the timing of each reply and reaction built into the performance. Filmed at Hardwick Hall, the production premiered at Derby's Guildhall Theatre in 2017 and toured nationally in 2019.