The secret woman : $b A play in five acts

In the opening act a bustling farm kitchen becomes the stage for a slice of rural life in the Dartmoor hills. The room is alive with the scent of burning fire, hanging herbs, and the clatter of pots, while a motley crew of farmhands and the Redvers children chatter about chores, trout, and the imminent return of the matriarch. Their banter hints at a community bound by duty but threaded with restless gossip and quiet rivalries.

Against this domestic backdrop, Anthony Redvers tries to keep order as his sister Sarah delivers sharp observations about the men’s hard‑hearted ways. The arrival of the mysterious “secret woman” looms in their conversation, raising questions about loyalty, hidden pasts, and the fragile stability of the household. Listeners are drawn into a world where ordinary tasks mask deeper, unspoken tensions, setting the stage for a drama that will test the bonds of family and the secrets they keep.