A ONE-WOMAN show telling the remarkable story of a woman who rose to greatness after escaping domestic drudgery is touring to rural Dorset.

The Hard Way: The Story of Hannah Mitchell can be seen at Broadoak Village Hall near Bridport on Friday, September 27.

In association with Artsreach Dorset, composer and singer Louise Jordan will perform The Hard

Way, based upon the life of Hannah Mitchell.

Born in 1872 into rural poverty in the Derbyshire Peak District, Hannah Mitchell escapes domestic drudgery to become a campaigner, speaker, writer, suffragette, councillor and finally a Manchester City magistrate.

Following on from the success of her previous one-woman show No Petticoats Here (2016-2018) Louise Jordan was granted Arts Council England funding to write a new solo performance piece around the theme of gender equality

Whilst writing a song about the Votes for Women campaign for UK Parliament’s Vote 100 project in 2018 Louise found out about Hannah Mitchell’s remarkable story and became keen to share Hannah’s story more widely.

She said: “History often confines working class women to the home as unremarkable figures destined to a life of domestic drudgery. I want to celebrate Hannah Mitchell as a woman who spoke out about the need for equality amongst people, who became a public figure in addition to managing the workload expected of a woman born into her position. Hannah took action, took responsibility and realised that not all change is revolutionary. The Hard Way brings Hannah’s story to life – she was witty with a dry sense of humour, intelligent, honest and compassionate and this offered me wide scope as a songwriter to write varied songs dealing with a wide range of human emotion and experience.”

A self-taught, self-made woman, Hannah leaves home aged 14 years, exchanging one exploitative situation for another. In 1906 she finds herself face to face with Winston Churchill at a public meeting and goes on to campaign on public platforms across Lancashire and in London. This show celebrates one woman’s determination to take power in the face of insurmountable barriers, motivated by a desire to improve life for those around her.

n The Hard Way: The Story of Hannah Mitchell , Broadoak Village Hall, near Bridport, Friday, September 27, 7.30pm. Call 0798 0374971 for tickets or go to artsreach.co.uk