The question of the identity of the Dark Lady is an unsolved, controversial issue because of the insufficiency of historical detail. Some believe that she might be of Mediterranean ancestry, with the dark hair and dark eyes common in Greece, Spain, Italy, and southern France. Other scholars have suggested, given Shakespeare's description of her dark, dun-colored skin and black wiry hair, that the Dark Lady might have been a woman of African ancestry. Ultimately, "none of the many attempts at identifying the dark lady…are finally convincing"

Holland, Peter (23 September 2004). "Shakespeare, William (1564–1616)". ODNB. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/25200. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

Jessica B. Hill is an actress, playwright and educator.

Originally from Montreal, Canada, Jessica is completely bilingual. She works in both English and French in theatre, voice, games, film and television. 2023 marked Jessica’s debut as a playwright. Her two first plays, Pandora and The Dark Lady had their world premiere productions in 2023.

Both plays have now been published with Scirocco Drama and are available in stores and online (Indigo, Amazon and more major bookstore).

Alexis Kulani Woodard (she/her) is a Director and Adaptor, proud Spelman College Alumna, former Spelman Leadership Fellow at the Alliance Theatre and current MFA Directing Candidate at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. She is a 2024 Princess Grace Award Winner in Theatre.

Alexis believes in theatremaking as an incubator to create the (seemingly) impossible — personal freedom, social liberation, and true community. She believes in theatre as a space to escape into — a playground to dream and conjure other worlds. Alexis believes in the artists’ responsibility to heal and transcend the divisions we were born into, create community and thereby destroy isolation.

She uses the transformative power of theatre to create empathy and challenge the social boundaries we place around others and ourselves. As an investigator of New Work and a partner to playwrights, Alexis uses her deep curiosity and process driven ethos to invite audiences into the rich complexity and diversity of our contemporary times.

She served as the Co-Artistic Director of The Alliance Theatre’s inaugural 2020-2021 Digital Season, where she programmed Laugh Track, BackStage Atlanta, Spotlight Studio, and From the Ashes.

Select Directing Credits include: Measure for Measure (School of Drama at Yale) Four Meddling Kids and One Dumb Dog, Every Brilliant Thing (Yale Cabaret), Hamlet (The Tiny Theater Company, Alliance Theatre: Guest Artist Series) Hands Up: 7 Playwrights, 7 Testaments, Do You Love The Dark?  (Alliance Theatre), From the Ashes (Alliance Theatre Anywhere).

Associate Directing Credits include: A Christmas Carol: The Live Radio Play, Working (Alliance Theatre) and the world premiere tri-production of Dream Hou$e (Alliance Theatre, Long Wharf Theater, Baltimore Center Stage). Hands Up: 7 Playwrights, 7 Testaments won a Suzi Bass award in 2022 for outstanding Social Justice production.

She has also assistant directed for the Suzi Award winning world premiere play, Hands of Color (Synchronicity Theater), A Christmas Carol (The Repertory Theater of St. Louis), Escaped Alone (Yale Repertory Theatre) and A Kids Play About Racism (Bay Area Children’s Theater).

Out of curiosity, I decided to read all of Shakespeare’s sonnets while preparing for rehearsals in 2020. When I reached the so-called “Dark Lady” ones, I felt like I was reading them for the first time. I was struck by how jealous, violent and cruel they were: a side to Shakespeare we never really talk about. How strange to spend that much time and energy writing rhyming hate-poetry! Who hurt you, Bill? What’s her side of the story?

I decided to go on an exoneration quest.

Enter Emilia Bassano, the closest contender for “the Dark Lady.” Emilia’s life story somehow encompasses the breadth of Shakespeare’s work. It is truly remarkable, and the more I learned, the more it gave me goosebumps. But it wasn’t until I read her poetry (because, yes, she wrote too) that the floor caved in underneath me. There was something about her strong and fervent female voice... It was shades of Kate, Beatrice, Rosalind, Juliet, Paulina and Cleopatra, all in one. Her infinite variety.

What if these two great minds did more than just cross paths?

Emilia Bassano was the first Englishwoman to publish her work as a professional poet. Her book of poems is filled with letters of appeal to powerful women. She wanted to create a community of female patrons, supporters and readers, at a time when such a concept didn’t even exist. 

I’ve spent the year falling in love with Bassano and what she was desperately trying to accomplish. This play is my attempt to bring her out of the dark, and give her the chance to reclaim her story.