Event Description

Written by Sarah Hutton and shortlisted for the Malvern Theatres’ Three Counties Talent Hub Stage Writing Competition 2026

When an unknown woman’s body is found inside a wych-elm tree in Hagley Woods during the Second World War, a real-life mystery begins which remains unsolved to this day. A romantic assignation gone horribly wrong? A spy caught and executed? A victim of local witchcraft? Or just an ordinary woman in the wrong place at the wrong time? What really happened to ‘Bella’?

A retiring police sergeant hands the case over to a young constable. Together they sift through the evidence and attempt to make sense of the multiple voices which weave through the witness statements, correspondence and police reports, which, from the very start, merge fact with fiction.

Drawing on original historical documents, this play gives ‘Bella’ back her own voice. What might life might have been like for a woman arriving as an outsider in a close-knit rural community in fearful, paranoid times?

Show times

Friday 28 August 2026, 7.30pm
Saturday 29 August 2026, 2.30pm
Saturday 29 August 2026, 7.30pm

Tickets

£16 including booking fee – available via the Malvern Theatres website and from the box office on 01684 892277

Friday 28 August 2026

7:30pm

Coach House Theatre

Website

Location

Coach House Theatre

WR14 3HA

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