The Butterfly

Eleanor Glanville has an unusual passion: butterflies. She’s happiest in woods and meadows tracking flickering wings. But some are set on
destroying her work – and anyone who stands in the way.

Based on the extraordinary real-life story of Eleanor Glanville (1654–1709) – one of the UK’s first female entomologists – The Butterfly reimagines her life in the present day. Declared ‘deprived of her senses’ for daring to pursue butterflies, Eleanor’s legacy was successfully
challenged in court. We meet her on the brink of a discovery – the butterfly we now know as the Glanville fritillary, one of only two British butterflies to be named after the scientists who found them – amid a brewing crisis.

Can Eleanor protect her butterfly – and her reputation?
Today, the Glanville fritillary is vulnerable, surviving in only a handful of colonies – mainly in Hampshire. Come and experience a story of obsession, resilience and wonder specially written for Phoenix Arts and witness a true butterfly effect.