Emilia, the play about the feminist female poet who inspired Shakespeare, takes to Canberra Theatre Centre's stage

Born in London in 1569, Bassano was the daughter of Venetian immigrants - court musicians and instrument makers who were thought to be Jewish at a time when you had to renounce your religion if it wasn't Christianity.

She would go on to be one of the first women in England to publish a book of poetry under her own name and is credited as being the first woman to publish a book of poetry with the intent of it attracting patronage - aka, making money from it. What's more, the book, titled Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum, while heavily religious, was also feminist. Through her poems, Bassano argues that if man is the superior gender, then why was Adam seduced by Eve, when it took the devil himself - disguised as a snake - to corrupt her?

While this book of poetry is a feat in itself - a rarity in a world where women had few rights, particularly women of colour - which it has been suggested that Bassano was - it is not the only reason to know her name. Some believe she was responsible for some of the most well-known literary works in history. Or was at the very least the muse who inspired them.

In recent years, it has been suggested Bassano was the inspiration for the Dark Lady in William Shakespeare's sonnets. Some even say Shakespeare plagiarised some of Bassano's work in his plays.

And it's in this world of possibilities that Emilia, the play that hits the Canberra Theatre Centre this week, lives.

The triple Olivier Award-winning West End play, originally commissioned by The Globe, had its Australian debut in Melbourne earlier this month, bringing the story of Bassano to life through actresses Manali Datar, Cessalee Stovall and Lisa Maza - each portray the poet at different stages of her life.

"So much about her life [is] speculative so we're operating in a fictional space where we're suggesting that perhaps she had a relationship with Shakespeare, not just a romantic relationship, but a creative relationship," says Datar, who plays Emilia Bassano in her younger years.

"We're not quite sure if all of it is exactly true but it's our version and it's a bit of fun ... this idea of the only female published writer at the time being plagiarised by the most famous playwright of all time, it's pretty interesting. But it's also an exaggeration of what happens to people who are marginalised every day. So I feel like it's interesting in that sense too."

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So how much can we link Bassano to Shakespeare?

What we do know is that in her teenage years Bassano became the mistress of Henry Carey, Lord Hunsdon, who was the cousin to Queen Elizabeth I, the master of court entertainment and - more importantly - he was the patron of Shakespeare's acting company, Lord Chamberlain's Men.

Although, of course, it's not as clear-cut as that. Lord Chamberlain's Men was officially formed in 1594 - almost two years after Bassano was expelled from the court for falling pregnant with Lord Hunsdon's baby. Lord Hunsdon gave her a pension and, for appearance's sake, married her off to Alphonso Lanier, a court musician and Bassano's cousin.

However, in the early years of Bassano's marriage, she lived just up the road from the Curtain Theatre - where Shakespeare was based with Lord Chamberlain's Men - and since her husband was a musician, there is every chance they were running in the same circles as other performers.

The evidence of Shakespeare and Bassano's relationship lies mainly in their works. Clues, potentially, left as calling cards for each other.

"Sometimes we have to remember that they didn't have social media, they weren't tweeting, there are no match.com profiles to look [at] to see if they were hooking up, but we can use what we know," says Stovall, who plays the second iteration of Emilia Bassano.

"The name Emilia was not a popular name in the 1600s and yet Shakespeare used a version of Emilia or Bassano in six of his plays. They weren't leaving diaries ... they weren't necessarily making it as out in the open as they would now, but we can clearly see the influence and the impact she had on him."

At its heart, Emilia is a story of what it means to be a woman, to be persecuted and silenced, and what happens when you decide to take that no more.

Even if it's a work of fiction, with its roots in history, the dynamic between Shakespeare and Emilia Bassano is a contrast between what it means to be a man who has it all, and a woman who wants it all - despite the obstacles.

But it goes beyond a story about one woman. When Emilia's Canberra run was first announced, producer Amanda LaBronté from Essential Theatre said Bassano's character is a representation of every person who knows what it's like to work harder to get less.

And that's why it's not so farfetched to believe that Emilia is presenting the truth.

"We know the conditions for women at that time and it's not like we're reaching that far," Maza says.

"Women had no rights. Women weren't allowed to vote. There's lots of evidence to see how women were treated.

"And now, even if we've denied ourselves so much, we can certainly see it for other women, and the women who are fighting for other women. We all need to be fighting.

"The men aren't going to roll over. We have to take it - that's what's happening. No one gives over power, we have to just keep on chipping away, whatever way that is in our own life, or at a much bigger scale. Every bit counts."

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