Besse

Besse is an operatic triptych (presented as three acts) that fights the patriarchy with fermentation. It takes the audience on a musical journey through the rich and forgotten history of women and beer from the comfort of a seat in a local craft brewery taproom. The production centres around the fictional brewster Besse who is living through the Black Death and battling the changing trade of brewing from domestic to commercial, alongside the growing fear of witchcraft. The characters behave as personifications of the beer ingredients (yeast, water, rye and hops), the fate of each mirroring the reactions and outcomes that lead to the brew.This performance takes place at Signature Brew, Unit 15, Uplands Business Park, Blackhorse Lane, London E17 5QJ