‘BY THE HAIR OF HER CHIN’

A theatre show using live music and song, about bearded ladies in the late 1800s.

Lady Greta and Madame Galina are a bearded lady double act: the ‘Sisters of Sin’. Suitably hairy, your bewhiskered hostesses for the evening are stunning yet grotesque, intriguing yet frightful, and most certainly equipped to cause a furry frenzy. Through their uncouth nature, wicked charm and seductive methods of persuasion, they will rapture even the most reserved guest. ‘By the Hair of Her Chin’ explores femininity through the masculine veil of a beard, and questions notions of beauty and difference, as well as the expectations placed on women both at the turn of the 20th century and in our own times. A beard encapsulates and represents masculinity and therefore has always been seen as a marvel when donned or naturally grown by women. Our bearded heroines, like many hairy women before them, find a degree of power, freedom and emancipation through their bushy chins. The piece explores the place of hairy women in society, their objectification and de-humanisation, and examines the thin line between the celebrity we idolise and pour over, and the freak we stare at and mock.

The Research and Development phase was funded by Arts Council England and the Sir Barry Jackson Trust, with support from mac birmingham. We will be touring the show nationally from Autumn 2018 onwards and are looking for support and expressions of interest from venues, funders and partners.