Crypthand is a play inspired by the 19th century diaries of Anne Lister which documented her life and relationships with women. The play explores Lister’s relationship to her first girlfriend, Eliza in her early teen years. A cast of three takes on an ensemble feel playing the nuns, schoolgirls, local politicians, and characters from Greek mythology. What does it mean to live a life in code?

Developed at the 2019 PARC Retreat, Crypthand won the Best Original Script award at the 2019 Halifax Fringe Festival. In 2022 Gale Force Theatre mounted a full production of Crypthand at the Bus Stop Theatre in Halifax, NS where it was nominated for 8 awards at the Theatre Nova Scotia Merritt Awards and won Outstanding Emerging Production. In 2023 it was remounted as a part of The Ship’s Theatre Company’s season in Parrsboro, NS. Lily Falk’s Crypthand is the winner of the Playwright Guild of Canada’s RBC Emerging Playwright Award of 2022.

Production Team