‘This is the story of a painting
capturing a landmark moment in history
Or is it the story of the subjects of the painting?
Maybe it’s the story of the painter?
Or those who are missing from the composition’

Set in Mysore, Southern India, in 1805 the story begins when princess Devajammani arrives at the royal court of Mysore to marry Krishnaraja Wadiyar III. They were both 12 years old and he was the newly anointed ruler of the Southern Indian kingdom.

But Devajammani soon found herself recruited for a more momentous cause – to publicise and promote the smallpox vaccine. What followed was a concerted mix of politics, power, and persuasion by the East India Company to introduce the world’s first ever vaccine to India, their biggest colonial enterprise.

This new play was specially commissioned by Nigel Townsend for Theatre of Debate and has been written by award-winning playwright Sudha Bhuchar. It was inspired by Irish painter Thomas Hickey’s portrait ‘The Three Queens of Mysore’, which itself has been called “one of the most important scientific paintings in the history of medicine in India.”

“The play…is absolutely spectacular. It spoke eloquently to the difficult history of colonialism and medicine in India and felt so relevant… connecting the Three Queens to the COVID vaccination programme. Insightful, thoughtful sensitive and profoundly human, it’s beautifully written.” Sheldon Paquin, Project Delivery Manager, The Science Museum Group

From the award-winning Theatre of Debate, this exciting new production directed by founder, Nigel Townsend, poses some challenging historical questions, raises issues about colonialism, the role of art in recording events, how medical research is conducted, and the development of new vaccines, and the role of women in society.

Please note this performance will be followed by a 45 min post-show discussion.