Mary Beard: More Secret Histories of Ancient Rome

Mary Beard is back on stage at Butterworth Hall on Thursday 5 November, her first time returning to the spotlight since her sold-out 2025 tour. The show is called More Secret Histories of Ancient Rome, and it does exactly what the title suggests: it takes you back into the world of Ancient Rome, but from a different angle than the one we usually get.

Most of us know the Rome of the schoolbooks — the great emperors, the massive battles, the names that stick. Beard spends the evening moving beyond those well-worn paths to look at the lives that usually get left out of the history books. She focuses on the people who didn't make the headlines, the ones who lived in the gaps between the big events, and in doing so, she rewrites the popular narratives we've all grown up with. It's less about the dates and the dynasties and more about the actual people who were there.

She also draws connections between Roman politics and the modern world, and she leaves room for the audience to ask their own questions, so it's not just a lecture you sit through — it's a conversation. It's recommended for ages 12 and over, with under-16s needing to be accompanied by a responsible adult. If you're bringing a group, parties of ten or more get one free ticket.

It starts at 7.30pm and runs for an hour and fifty minutes, including an interval. Tickets are £55.50, £50.50, £45.50, or £40.50, depending on where you sit. The venue is Butterworth Hall, part of the Warwick Arts Centre at the University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL.