A groundbreaking adaptation of Tess of the D'Urbervilles

An ensemble of performers weave together Thomas Hardy’s words and the extreme physicality of circus to tell this tale of power, loss and endurance.

Against a backdrop of projections the cast wield wooden planks, climb shifting walls and move through ropes and swathes of linen to evoke the vast landscapes and interior worlds of Hardy’s Wessex.

It is a story which still has extraordinary relevance for our times in its incredibly nuanced evocation of female relationships, sexual desire, consent, privilege and poverty.

This retelling captures the beauty, heartbreak and yearning of the novel and draws upon the incredible strength of the circus body to create a Tess as heroic as Hardy intended.

image by Kie Cummings