Hope is Waking

Opening at the end of the record breaking reign of Queen Victoria, ‘Hope is Waking’ begins on the date of the late monarch’s death. We are introduced to eight residents, dwelling both up and down stairs, of a large London house at the turn of the twentieth century. Over the next couple of years we watch as the older residents struggle with the changes to their way of life brought about by the new Edwardian age. The younger members embrace these exciting new times, but one by one they realise there is a price to pay for these dramatic changes. The residents struggle to cope with unwanted pregnancy, dangerous liaisons and the increasingly militant Suffragette movement, whilst trying to maintain the order and responsibilities, that must prevail, of life below stairs.