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The Sweet Science of Bruising by Joy Wilkinson

A unique play about female boxing and inequality in a dark Victorian underground world.

Middlesbrough Theatre

18th February 2026 - 21st February 2026

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London, 1869. Four very different Victorian women are drawn into the dark underground world of female boxing by the eccentric Professor Sharp. Controlled by men and constrained by corsets, each finds an unexpected freedom in the boxing ring.

As their lives begin to intertwine, their journey takes us through grand drawing rooms, bustling theatres and rowdy Southwark pubs, where the women fight inequality as well as each other.

But with the final showdown approaching, only one can become the Lady Boxing Champion of the World…

Directed by Yvonne Cotton.
Presented by Middlesbrough Little Theatre Ltd.

The end time featured on this page is approximate and may change.

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