Victorian Women in Bed #VBWoW

The Manchester premiere of a series of short plays by Janet Goddard

Part of Weekend of Words at Victoria Baths 7th-9th June

So much goes on in bed and Charlotte Bell Nichols (née Bronte), Florence Nightingale, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Mrs Emma Lavinia Hardy are Victorian Women who are known to have taken to their beds, for a lengthy period, for one reason or another.

The bed is a permanent feature of the plays and the women, performed by actors carefully fitted to their roles, bring a new insight into the life and mind of Victorian bedbound woman. Each play is twenty minutes long and includes the women's associates and family members, who appear every now and again.

The four short plays open our eyes to these unique women and also allow us to review the position of women in a world largely dominated by and favouring men. Bed, as well as being a place for sleep, liaison and coupling, can become a place of sanctuary and solitude, where a woman could ironically imagine herself protected from the diminishing and imprisoning conventions imposed on her. And engineer ways to subtly – or in the case of Florence, blatantly – break the rules.

Q&A Researching for Historical Writing / Writing for the Stage

Please stay after the play and join Janet Goddard, the playwright, for a short talk plus question and answer session.

Victorian Women in Bed has previously been performed in London at the Calder Bookshop and Theatre

Writer Janet Goddard

Janet is best known for her plays Her Sister's Tongue (1997 The Lyric Hammersmith) and The Engineer's Corset (2015 The Redgrave Theatre, Bristol). She has worked as a theatre and youth theatre director, a TV script editor and writer (Brookside, Eldorado, Eastenders), casting director (Priest 1992, written by Jimmy McGovern) and film producer (Letter to Brezhnev 1985).

Tickets

£8, includes free entry to the Sunday's Talks, Tales & Tours event – just show your ticket at the door any time from 11am.

Victoria Baths Trust is a registered charity and relies on the support of the public to continue its efforts to fully restore the building

FAQs

How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

Ring the Victoria Baths office on +44 (0)161 224 2020 or email enquiries@victoriabaths.org.uk.

What's the refund policy?

Tickets can be refunded in full up to 7 days before the event.

Do I have to bring my printed ticket(s) to the event?

Yes please, either as a printout or on a mobile phone or tablet.

Do I have to buy an online ticket?

Tickets are also available on the day, and are subject to availability. Building Tour tickets are also available online for £5, are subject to availability and sell out fast.

Is it OK if the name on my ticket or registration doesn't match the person who attends?

Yes, this is fine.