- Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Friday, 22nd June 2012
The world premiere of this new play by Chicago playwright Reina Hardy will be produced by the Babes With Blades theatre company in August 2012.
It’s 1888 in London, and the Society of Lady Detectives meets discreetly to indulge its members’ tastes for swordplay and sleuthing. As the genteel club considers a disturbing series of murders in the Whitechapel district, a frantic heiress turns up with a startling accusation towards one of their own. Society member Susan Swayne takes the case, defying societal norms and pursuing the truth through the Victorian streets. Combat sequences from violence designer/BWBTC ensemble member Libby Beyreis will feature smallsword and bartitsu (a Victorian mixed martial art influenced by jujitsu and savate).