22/10/2026
Join us for the screening of a special dramatic reading of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s ‘The Cenci’ (1819) in partnership with Red Bull Theater and The Keats-Shelley Association of America.
Based on a notorious case from Renaissance Rome, ‘The Cenci’ tells the story of Beatrice Cenci and her struggle against the brutal authority of her father. At once a family tragedy, a political drama, and a meditation on justice, the play remains one of the most powerful and unsettling works of the Romantic period. Although Shelley regarded ‘The Cenci’ as his greatest dramatic achievement and envisioned it performed on the finest stages of his day, the play has appeared only rarely over the past two centuries. This reading offers audiences a rare opportunity to experience the work as it was meant to be encountered: spoken aloud, shared in community, and brought to life through performance.
Organised by Dr Natalie Harries, Research Fellow at the University of Aberdeen.
Book free tickets via the link in the comments!
