This summer we are celebrating the lives of lesser-known individuals from Hampton Court Palace’s history through a selection of performances. A team of talented writers, directors, and actors have given voice to these remarkable stories, lending their own lived experiences to the people presented. 

Don’t miss these entertaining and thought-provoking short scenes this summer. Pre-book your visit to Hampton Court Palace today, or become a member to see all our unmissable family events for free. 

Unheard Voices is produced by Debbie Hicks. Alexander Lass is Artistic Director and Jo Tyabji is Director.

a rose by any other name
Written by afshan d’souza-lodhi 
Directed by Jo Tyabji

Help Catalina of Motril as she is questioned by an envoy sent to her from the English royal court. Does she hold the key to one of Tudor history’s biggest secrets?

Born in the then Muslim Emirate of Granada, Catalina was enslaved and became a servant to Katherine of Aragon. Brought to England with Katherine for her marriage to the Tudor Prince, Arthur, and later Henry VIII, Catalina is one of history’s forgotten witnesses. 

Location: Great Watching Chamber
Times: 11.45 and 14.45
Duration: 15 minutes approximately

Read more from the writer, afshan d’souza lodhi
The history books have been rewriting the stories of women of colour throughout history. Their names have literally been wiped out, written over and any documentation about them has ‘mysteriously’ disappeared.

Catalina, the only name we know her by (and even that isn’t her real name), was the bedchamber maid to Queen Katherine of Aragon. Catalina, a former Muslim slave from Granada, was a woman who held so much power, because of the knowledge she had gained through being an invisible witness to the upper classes. We could even argue that she was integral to King Henry VIII’s renouncing of The Papal Authority and the creation of the Church of England as we know it today.

Catalina’s story is one of loyalty and kinship despite forced migration. It’s a story of women who have been displaced from their homelands, the only home they’ve known, to a strange often cold England. Mostly though, Catalina’s is a story of power – how she left Granada a slave seemingly with no power and how she returned with the power of Royal secrets.

more info: https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/whats-on/unheard-voices/#gs.3p8zjd