The True History of the Tragic Life…

Time Out London listed it as “Critic’s Choice.” The Guardian gave it five stars. Now North Texans will experience the play that packed London houses before it transfers to New York this fall.

The True History of The Tragic Life and Triumphant Death of Julia Pastrana, the Ugliest Woman in the World by Shaun Prendergast relates the real-life story of a Mexican peasant exploited by an American showman as a circus freak. The play, performed almost completely in the dark, asks whom the ugly one truly is–the deformed woman or the profiteering showman? Audience members feel the performers move around them, smell the carnival of death, and hear the haunting sounds of this bizarre world. They have their imaginations stimulated in ways they have never experienced before. Do not confuse this with a staged reading or a radio play. You won’t believe your senses.

A talk back session with playwright Shaun Prendergast will follow the opening night performance.