Projects

Description:

A thirty -minute interactive performance about the early life and times of Lady Hamilton.

 Over the course of a year, I have been researching the life of Lady Hamilton, after being inspired by her portraits. While visiting the Kenwood house museum, I overheard one of the volunteers talking about how Emma Hamilton was a “common prostitute” Nelson’s “bit on the side”. After extensive research, I became very keen to rewrite and communicate the untold history of Emma Hamilton as ‘Herstory’. Emma’s significant political actions and achievements were covered up by the male historians and journalists of the time. Her incredible rise from a life of dire poverty as an orphan born in a Cheshire mining town, to the educated, tri-lingual, wife of the Ambassador of Naples and Sicily, and spy for the British government, is a fascinating. It’s an important, exciting story that must be told, so history can be redressed.   

An actress, closely resembling Emma Hamilton will be frozen in a portrait frame as people enter and are seated while a cellist, in Georgian period costume will play. Emma comes to life and begins to tell her story to the audience. The script contains several comic asides where the actress talks directly to the audience (Fleabag style).  Half way through the story, the actress will perform a version of ‘Les Attitudes’, dancing, transforming herself and posing as other iconic heroines depicted in her famous portraits. At the end of her story, the actress will re-freeze into her portrait frame and the cellist will play as the audience leaves. The whole performance will last around 30 minutes. The performance will be suitable for the general public and children aged 14 upwards.