‘Listen to us. Listen to every woman who came before you. Listen to every woman with you now. And listen when I say to you to take the fire as your own. That anger that you feel it is yours and you can use it. We want you to. We need you to. The house that has been built around you is not made of stone. The stakes we have been tied to will not survive if our flames burn bright. If they try to burn you, may your fire be stronger than theirs so you can burn the whole fucking house down. Look how far we’ve come already. Don’t stop now.’

The fire of Emilia won’t stop burning, as we’re absolutely delighted to share that Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s sensational play, originally staged in our Globe Theatre as part of Michelle Terry’s inaugural 2018 summer season, will premiere online in a cast watch-along event this November.

Emilia took our wooden ‘O’ by storm in late 2018, celebrating women’s voices the world over through the story of a trailblazing, forgotten woman, Emilia Bassano. 400 years ago, Emilia wanted her voice to be heard. In 1611 she penned the words to her ‘Vertuous Reader’ as part of a volume of radical, feminist and subversive poetry. Yet the little we know now of Emilia is restricted to the possibility that she may have been the ‘Dark Lady’ of Shakespeare’s Sonnets – and the rest of her story has been erased by history. Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s acclaimed play revealed the life of Emilia: writer, wife, lover, mother, muse.

After a phenomenal limited run in the Globe Theatre, Emilia transferred to the Vaudeville Theatre in 2019, produced for the West End by Eleanor Lloyd Productions, Kate Pakenham Productions, Nica Burns, Eilene Davidson in association with Access Entertainment and Kim De Morgan. The production received a wonderful three Oliver Award nominations in 2020, including Best Sound Design for Emma Laxton, Best Costume Design for Joanna Scotcher, and the Noel Coward Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play, as well as making West End history for holding the first ever performance specifically for parents and babies, dubbed Let Them Roar.

Now, Eves – and everyone the world over – will be able to experience the fire as Emilia is released online from 10 – 24 November. Filmed on 29 May 2019 for archival purposes, rather than for public viewing, the footage has been edited to improve sound and picture quality as much as possible. Recordings will also be available with captions and embedded audio description commentary. What’s more, tickets will be available on a Pay What You Can basis, starting at just £1. In an unprecedented time for the arts and theatre industry, proceeds will be shared amongst the brilliant, hard-working team of people who made the show, including actors, designers, backstage crew and an all-female creative team, whose jobs have disappeared as theatres across the country have closed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

  How do I watch Emilia?

Emilia will be streamed on emilialive.com from 7.30pm on 10 November 2020. The film will be available on demand from the date of its release (10 November 2020) until 24 November 2020, 7.30pm. Mark the date in your diaries now so you don’t miss out!

  Join the Emilia watch-along party

From 7.30pm on Tuesday 10 November, you can join Morgan Lloyd Macolm plus members of the cast and creative team for an exclusive watch-along event. Follow us @The_Globe on Twitter & Instagram, and @EmiliaPlay on Twitter & Instagram to join in the conversation with #EmiliaWatchParty.