Lady Connie’s hitting the road - suffragette play which premiered at Knebworth reaches out to new audiences

A play which had its world premiere in Knebworth a year ago is heading out on the road this week.

Lady Connie and the Suffragettes was commissioned by Stevenage Arts Guild and former Stevenage mayor Sherma Batson to mark International Women’s Day.

The play is based on the life of Lady Constance Lytton, a leading light in the battle for women’s suffrage 100 years ago and a noted ancestor of the Lytton Cobbold family which still lives at Knebworth today.

The one-woman play, first staged at Knebworth House with further performances for Stevenage school pupils, was written by Ros Connelly with Emma Spearing taking the demanding role of the aristocrat who rejected a life of luxury to take part in the struggle for equality.

The tour begins at the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne, Dorset, tonight and then sets off around the country with dates in Bath, Croydon, Macclesfield and Solihull all on the schedule in the weeks ahead.

There are also performances closer to home in Cambridge (Tuesday, March 8, at Newnham College and Sunday, March 20, at The Junction) and in the church of St Nicholas in Great Munden (Saturday, March 19).

Author Ros said: “Emma Spearing’s very moving performance is still at the heart of the play but we have incorporated music much more fully to help tell the story and to give a flavour of the contemporary background.

“Musician Julia Stone joins the production, playing both the piano and violin and also singing.

“We hope this makes the play an even more rounded experience.”

You can find out more details about the tour online at www.cambridgedevisedtheatre.co.uk.