NHB Modern Plays Bird Grove

An historical drama for the stage, exploring the untold story of Mary Ann Evans (AKA George Eliot), in a poignant exploration of family ties and self-determination. Premiered at Hampstead Theatre in 2026. 'As long as you only have one sort of person telling the stories, well then our world will just end up looking very like that one sort of person. It makes sense, doesn't it?' 1841. Mary Ann Evans is of marriageable age. Her father has recently moved with her to Bird Grove House, with the sole purpose of finding her a suitable husband. But Mary Ann's remarkable intellect and growing self-confidence are forming progressive new ideas in her mind; ideas that challenge her father's most strongly held beliefs. If she is to become the writer she has always dreamt of being, Mary Ann will have to break every societal convention expected of her. A funny and poignant exploration of family ties and self-determination, Alexi Kaye Campbell's play Bird Grove tells the untold story of the woman who was to become one of England's greatest writers: George Eliot. It premiered at Hampstead Theatre, London, in 2026, directed by Anna Ledwich.