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.

Post-show talks

8 July: Join Bella Merlin and Jessica Regan (Big Speeches, The Guilty Feminist) after the show for a discussion of how theatre can empower women in their day-to-day lives. In a time when misogyny is still so prevalent, how can theatrical practise and techniques encourage women to feel heard in work conferences, meetings and even when standing before their mechanic?

22 July: Join Bella Merlin and Andy Lavender (Vice-Principal at Guildhall School of Drama) as they cover the difference between Stanislavskian and Brechtian acting styles, the predominant developments in theatrical technique during Frank and Tilly Wedekind’s lives, in a discussion moderated by Emma Lucia Hands (Director of Drama Studio London).

23 July: Frank Wedekind: Masochist or Feminist? Bella Merlin and Jonathan Holloway will discuss this controversial figure of theatrical history in what promises to be an entertaining and energised discussion.