Emilia, the West End hit commissioned by The Globe, brings the story of Emilia Bassano, William Shakespeare's Dark Lady, to the Canberra Theatre

The triple Olivier Award-winning West End play Emilia is making its way to Canberra Theatre later this year, immediately following its Australian debut in Melbourne.

This powerful historical drama was originally commissioned by The Globe and is inspired by 17th-century poet and revolutionist Emilia Bassano - the speculated Dark Lady of Shakespeare's sonnets.

Written by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, and produced in Australia by Essential Theatre, Emilia is described as the perfect mix of comedy and fury, that at its heart asks why Bassano's story was erased from history while questioning how much has changed in the more than 400 years since.

"Apart from being Shakespeare's muse, she also was a poet in her own right, but couldn't get her works published because she was a woman in the 16th century, and also a woman of colour," Essential Theatre producer Amanda LaBronté says.

"It's just exciting to be learning about this woman in our history that her battles are still very prevalent now, unfortunately.

"Having her voice heard, standing her ground, not taking no for an answer - there are all things that a lot of women are still battling with."

It's been four centuries since Bassano was alive, and women across the world are still faced with sexism, inequality and harassment. In recent times where the #MeToo movement and Roe vs Wade has made issues more prevalent, the theatre piece aims to show that all women, in a sense, are Emilia.

And to help champion women everywhere, the production has three women - Manali Datar, Cessalee Stoval and Lisa Maza - playing Emilia at different stages of her life.

But having the mantra of all women are Emilia has also given Australian producers more control over this version of the production.

While other international shows will be quite strict with Australian versions - everything down to lighting and choreography is already set in stone - Emilia gives Essential Theatre creative freedom to do what they want with the piece.

MUST READS:

There is one caveat, however, and that was to ensure that everyone working both on stage - a nice inverse take on the all-male performances that would have been seen during the time - and behind the scenes were women of diverse ages, ethnicities and abilities.

"Morgan gave us the production and said, make it your own. Find out why this belongs on Australian stages, make sure that it is your story, because there is an Emilia in all of us," LaBronté says.

"Therefore we've been able to explore having an Indigenous woman as part of our Emilias as well, which was important to us.

"Once we started saying, Well, while we are talking about a woman of colour on our stages, let's acknowledge everyone's story. So that's certainly informed our casting and the creative parameters that we're taking as well."

Emilia is at the Canberra Theatre Centre from December 1 to 4. Tickets from $69 from canberratheatrecentre.com.au.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: