Tilly No-Body

About the Show

A true story of love, survival and transformation.

In a deserted circus, the true story of actress Tilly Wedekind unfolds in a heartrending performance of virtuosic storytelling.

When Tilly’s controlling husband, the playwright Frank Wedekind – writer of Spring Awakening, which became a hit Broadway musical – takes away Tilly’s acting roles, he reduces her to a nobody and she has a breakdown. Determined to recover, she escapes the relationship and reclaims her career. By writing her story, she asserts her own identity and transforms herself into a somebody, in a journey of personal triumph.

Tilly No-Body confronts vital questions around toxic relationships, co-dependency and the silencing of women’s voices. Informed by writer-performer Bella Merlin’s own experience of surviving coercive domestic violence, the result is a powerful reflection on identity, love, and the transformative power of self-discovery.

It was showcased at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and received rave reviews and an EFFTA Award at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe. It now makes its London premiere.

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