Veronica, in Bed

Veronica, in Bed takes place inside a single dying instant, the last breath of 16th-century Venetian poet-courtesan Veronica Franco, stretched to ninety minutes. A performer lies in bed (dying, or remembering, or performing death itself), moving fluidly between past and present, between herself and Veronica. Through multimedia projections, operatic interludes sung with a live Renaissance band, audience participation, and electronic sound design, the production collapses 500 years into a single fevered consciousness.

Renaissance beauty rituals dissolve into TikTok tutorials. Sexting poetry from the 1500s appears alongside projected text messages. Venice itself becomes a character, an opera singer embodying the city. The audience is invited to use their phones to comment and react…until that participation is cut off first by a light-cue, later by the 1575 plague.

To be seen was her whole life's work. But is it the same as being known? And beneath all the performance, is there a self to author, or only a collage to rearrange?

Work-in-Progress Showing

In December 2024, we presented a work-in-progress showing at Shaking the Tree Theatre, merging writer Briana Ratterman Trevithick's fresh script with historical texts by Veronica Franco herself. Directed by Štěpán Šimek, the performance featured Renaissance music and opera performed by Musica Universalis (Laura Kuhlman, Esther Saulle, Paul Martin Beck, and Jeffrey Reynolds), the captivating vocals of Madeline Ross, multiple roles performed by Duffy Epstein, and cutting-edge media elements by Trevor Sargent, including live video feeds, projections, social media, and AI manipulation.

Full Production - June 2027

We are currently raising funding for a full production of Veronica, in Bed in 2027. Your donation will help bring this ambitious work to life.

Donations can be made via Venmo to Musica Universalis (501c3) here.