Photograph: Beckis Cooper by Marc Gascoigne Written and performed by Beckis Cooper
Directed by Rachel Fowler
a superbly original and magical hour of Shakespeare – Chawton House
utterly spell binding – Lamport Hall
a unique and remarkable talent – Shakespeare’s Birthplace
London, 1623. Shakespeare’s First Folio has just been printed – and an ambitious young woman has got her hands on a copy.
Antonia Carrington has one burning ambition: to perform on the stage. There’s just one problem. In 17th-century England, women were forbidden from appearing in public theatres, and the extraordinary female roles Shakespeare created can only be played by men and boys.
But Antonia refuses to let that stop her.
Armed with a newly printed copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio – the hottest publication in London – she steals into the playhouse and begins a forbidden rehearsal of her own. For once, no role is beyond her reach.
What follows is Unversed: a witty, exhilarating and fast-paced one-woman journey through Shakespeare’s extraordinary theatrical world. Moving between thirteen characters, Antonia encounters some of his most memorable women, from the quick-witted Beatrice and passionate Juliet to the formidable Lady Macbeth. As she discovers the thrill of speaking their words aloud, Shakespeare’s heroines become a way of exploring her own ambitions, frustrations and place in a world determined to keep women offstage.
Performed with infectious energy by Beckis Cooper, Unversed combines humour, storytelling and Shakespeare’s timeless verse in an intimate encounter between actor and audience. The result is at once playful and thought-provoking: a celebration of performance, possibility and the irresistible urge to be heard.
Originally commissioned to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio, Unversed gives the stage back to the women who were once denied it – and invites audiences to join Antonia as she discovers just how powerful Shakespeare’s words can become when she finally gets to speak to them.
THE VENUE
Hidden within the monumental walls of St Paul’s Cathedral in Mdina, the Aula Capitulare is one of the Cathedral’s lesser-known artistic treasures. The room served as the formal meeting place of the Cathedral Chapter, the body of canons responsible for the governance and liturgical life of Malta’s principal cathedral.
The Aula forms part of the great Baroque cathedral complex that emerged following the earthquake of 1693. Designed by the celebrated Maltese architect Lorenzo Gafà, the new Cathedral was substantially completed by 1702 and consecrated the following year. Its imposing façade, Corinthian and Composite orders, and magnificent dome established it as one of the defining monuments of Maltese Baroque architecture.
Within this setting, the Aula Capitulare is remarkable above all for its exuberant 18th-century painted decoration by Francesco Zahra (1710–1773), one of Malta’s foremost Baroque painters. Dominating the decorative scheme is the dramatic Apotheosis of St Paul, portraying Malta’s patron saint ascending into heaven – the saint whose shipwreck and mission became inseparable from Malta’s Christian identity. Surrounding the central scene, illusionistic architecture and richly conceived allegorical figures represent the Seven Virtues and the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Zahra’s masterful use of trompe-l’œil, illusionistic perspective and luminous colour seemingly dissolves the physical boundaries of the room, transforming the ceiling into a celestial vision. The result is a spectacular statement of faith and authority.
The Aula belongs to an important complex of historic Chapter rooms associated with the administration and collective memory of the Cathedral, including the library and archives, historically for the preservation of the Chapter’s books, manuscripts and archival heritage. This complex shows the Cathedral not only as a place of worship and artistic patronage, but also as a centuries-old centre of scholarship, record-keeping and ecclesiastical government.
Together with the Cathedral’s paintings by Mattia Preti and its richly decorated Baroque interior, the Aula Capitulare reflects the extraordinary artistic patronage that made 18th-century Mdina an important centre of Maltese religious and cultural life. The Aula Capitulare and its adjoining historic rooms thus reveal a more intimate side of Mdina Cathedral, where spectacular Baroque artistry meets the intellectual and institutional life of one of Malta’s most important religious foundations.
Beckis Cooper
Beckis Cooper is an actress and writer from Lincolnshire who trained at The
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and The Drama Studio, following a degree in Literature from The University of Oxford. A lifelong Shakespeare obsessive, she first created Unversed... for the anniversary of Shakespeare's First Folio and it premiered in 2023 at Keats' House in Hampstead. Since then, it has toured nationally and internationally, including special commissions for Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford and Keats’ home in Rome.
Her Jane Austen show From Chawton played at Austen's house in Chawton before playing in Oxford and Lincolnshire and the latest show, Spirit, will premiere on Halloween at Dickens' Kent house, Gad's Hill. Beckis is very excited and honoured to be performing at The Three Palace Festival in Malta and hopes very much that you enjoy the show.