THE PLAYGROUND THEATRE presents
WOMEN'S VOICES: a Celebration
02 - 23 MAR
Creative Producer and Curator: Naomi Sorkin | Producer & GM: Helena Hipolito | Associate Producer: Myriam Cyr | Associated Producer: Raminder Kaur | Chloe Nelkin PR | Marketing Holly-Anne White
Guest Artists: Emily Mann | Stockard Channing | Harriet Walter | Maggie Cole | Brigitte Berman | Lisa Forrell | Tina Andrews | Anni Domingo | Myriam Cyr | Gail Louw | Emily Raymond | Carol Leeming | Nicole Ansari | Kristin Winters | Aimee Birnbaum | Alba Arikha | Arianna Branca | Alla Sirenko | Luba Kuchala | Jackie Oudney | PB Whistle | Nekisha da Costa | Csilla Toldy| Emmett Hughes | Eve Lamb | Julia Tarnoky | Maggie Razavi | Natalie Ava Nasr | Alice Haig | Talitha Wing | Sarah Kent | Gabrielle Moleta | Naomi Sorkin | Celia Imrie | Maryam D’Abo | Charlyne Francis | Katharine Dain | Imogen Stubbs | Kamini Banga | Lorraine Lisco | Jennifer Jackson
Celebrated Names in History: Lady Murasaki (X) | St Hildegard Von Bingen (XII) | Émilie du Châtelet (XVIII) | Jane Austen (1775-1817) | Colette (1873 -1954) | Sally Hemings (1773 -1835) | Loie Fuller (1862 - 1928) | Ida Rubinstein (1883 -1960) | Lynn Seymour (1938-2023) | Gloria Steinem (1934)
Women's Voices: A Celebration (WVAC) is a pioneering & inspiring festival to coincide with International Woman's Day. The event brings together a diverse & exceptional group of female artists from multiple art forms- theatre, music, dance, literature, exhibitions, talks, performances & workshops with communities.
The lineup features a host of remarkable women from various creative disciplines, each distinguished by their unique voices and powerful storytelling.
LINEUP:
2nd - 23th March | The Playground Theatre | Open Exhibition
The Divine Feminine an exhibition of paintings by Aimee Birnbaum
DISRUPTORS: An evening with Myriam Cyr and Kamini Banga | 3 MAR | 7.30PM - Play Reading
Critically acclaimed book Letters of a Portuguese Nun: Uncovering the Mystery Behind a 17th Century Forbidden Love eludes a literary mystery, where the greatest love letters ever written truly written by nun or as Rousseau said: "the letters are too beautiful to be written by a woman". Four centuries later a young Indian woman struggles to find her voice facing walls no different. Performed by Imogen Stubbs alongside Kristin Winters (artistic director of Bound by Theatre) and writers and memoirist Kamini Banga and Myriam Cyr bring two fascinating true stories to the stage.
THE LOST LOMBI | 04 & 14 MAR | 7.30PM - Theatre
A new play by RB8
Three women connected by blood, spanning over three generations. One running. One yearning. One with a calling. Each must go on a journey if they are to find peace and resolution within themselves.
To date, a significant number of children in the DRC are used as combatants, transports, spies, chefs or sexual slaves within the armed groups and militias. The LOST Lombi lifts the lid on the recruitment of child soldiers while exploring identity, the generational trauma of war, the necessity of belonging and the importance of forgiveness.
This is a The Muse Group Theatre Company Production.
Short Film Screening I: MADAME IDA & WHAT I AM | 6 MAR | 7.30PM - Short Films
Short Film Screening and Q&A with creators
“Madame Ida” A film by Lisa Forrell
Star of the Ballet Russes opposite Nijinsky, Ida Rubinstein epitomized the Belle Epoque.
Stars Naomi Sorkin as IDA, Celia Imrie, Maryam D'Abo and Angélique Rivoux
“What I Am” A Film by Jackie Oudney
A woman suffers amnesia after an accident at home, embarking on a journey of self-discovery that leads to the reclamation of her agency... but with a twist!
FAEVER DREAM | 7 MAR | 7.30 PM - Play Reading | Women's Voices Festival
Ample Aggression Productions present a staged reading of Faever Dream is a dramedy about Bipolar II, sapphic love, rave culture and the desperation to find childlike magic in your adult life; no matter the cost.
Director Eve Lamb | Assistant Director Rachel Sweeney | Dramaturg Mia Dangerfield & Elizabeth Green | Producer Emmett Hughes
OBSESSED with Light | 8 MAR | 4PM - Documentary Screening
What does Taylor Swift have in common with Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec? What about Auguste Rodinand and Bill T. Jones? They were each inspired by Loïe Fuller, the American inventor and pioneer of modern dance who revolutionized the visual culture of the early 20th century.
LYNN SEYMOUR Trailblazing Ballerina | 8 MAR | 7.30PM - Special Event
Celebrate the legacy of the great Lynn Seymour with film of her iconic performances and a panel discussion featuring collaborators who reflect on her indelible impact.
Sally Hemings An American Scandal | 9 MAR | 2PM - Limited Series
A 4 part CBS Limited Series by Tina Andrews
Starring Sam Neil, Carmen Ejogo, Diahann Carroll, Mario Van Peebles
Paris, 1784. Thomas Jefferson was appointed U.S. Ambassador to France. Sally Hemings was his beautiful slave at Monticello. What happens when she escorts his young daughter to Paris where there is no slavery? And what happens when he returns with her to become the third President of the United States?
MOVING BODIES | 9 MAR | 7.30PM - Play Reading
Written by Myriam Cyr & Lorraine Liscio | Directed by Myriam Cyr | Composed by Darren Berry
Performed by Nicole Ansari-Cox, Lisa Forrell, Maryam D'Abo & Peter Tate
When Voltaire and Emilie du Chatelet fall in love, sparks fly, a revolution is born and Einstein quantum theory of light is born. A play about Sex, love, and Science.
ARTIE SHAW: Time is all you've got | 11 MAR | 7PM - Feature Documentary
1986 Academy Award Best Feature Documentary | New 4K Restoration
Unseen for decades, Brigitte Berman’s Oscar-winning documentary about the mercurial bandleader returns to the screen for ite European premiere in a pristine new restoration. An entertaining documentary that is much more than a jazz film - it’s the insightful story of a brilliant and complex individual.
SPANISH ORANGES | 12 MAR | 4PM - Play Reading
Written by Alba Arikha | Directed by Myriam Cyr
Set in North London, Alba Arikha's searing new play, 'Spanish Oranges,' is about the unraveling of a marriage. When a journalist comes to interview Fiona about the publication of her long awaited novel, Ivo will attempt to sabotage her career. A play about art, trust, and the fragility of love.
An Evening of Words & Music: Alba Arikha & Arianna Branca | 12 MAR | 7.30PM - Music & Words
How to meld words and music. Alba Arikha will read from her acclaimed novel, Two Hours, set in 1980's Paris, London and New York, and will intersperse it with piano improvisation and songs from her latest album, Et Tout Ça. Joining her will be her daughter, Arianna Branca.
Short Film Screening II | 13 MAR | 7PM - Short Films
'The Nightmare'
a film by Clare Davidson & Will Thomas Freeman | Original Music Score by Darren Berry | with by Naomi Sorkin, Adam Clayton-Smith & Emily Benucci
Csilla Toldy's
'Here I stand'
Commissioned by the Executive Office of Northern Ireland as the public artwork to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi concentration camps.
'To My Dear Idealist'
A bi-lingual film based on a poem by Lithuanian prodigy Matilda Olkinaite, who was killed by Lithuanian nazis together with her family in 1941. The film won best cinematography at the European Film Union Gala in 2024.
'Dual'
Written & Directed by Maggie Razavi | Produced by Tallula White | Cinematographer & Editor Jonas Lesk
Performed by Natalie Ava Nasr & Eve Newton-Koubeh
Dual is a story of two sisters wrestling with their identity in the face of a complicated history - and doing their best to make sure this story ends with them.
With a Q&A after each screening.
An Enchanting Evening of Beautiful Music | 15 MAR | 7:30PM - Music
Operatic arias by Verdi, Puccini, Ukrainian songs and original compositions by Alla Sirenko and soprano Lubov Kachala.
THE SHROUD MAKER | 16 MAR | 4PM - Theatre
What's the best business you can establish in Gaza? Hajja Souad knows about business: she has survived decades of war, displacement and oppression through making shrouds for the dead. Compelling, moving, inspired by a real-life character in Gaza, delving deep into the lives of ordinary Palestinians.
THE DREADFUL DANCE OF MS INIQUITY | 17 MAR | 7:30PM - Theatre
A solo performance, an exploration, using word, sound, music, physical theatre and still digital visuals, to create a liminal space, to explore a little known in reality, a single act of egregious immensity. Will the Cycle Be Unbroken? This choreopoem play, The Dreadful Dance of Ms. Iniquity, inspired by the violent death of George Floyd, #BLM Black Lives Global Movement and written during the Covid 19 Lockdown. It is presented on the 5th year anniversary in 2025 of these tragic and momentous events.
Girls & Boys | 19 MAR | 7:30PM - Staged Reading
“I don’t remember exactly when things with us started to go properly wrong – I just remember suddenly finding myself in it.” The Playground Theatre offers a unique, unmissable opportunity to see this seminal, necessary play by Dennis Kelly and directed by Emily Raymond
Not Saint Hildegard | 20 & 21 MAR | 7.30PM - Theatre
Produced by Bound By Theatre | Q&A with Artists
Created and Directed by Kristin Winters, Devised and Performed by Sarah Kent, Gabrielle Moleta, and Kristin Winters, Sound by Florence Hand, Musical Director Gemma Storr, Additional Music by David Cieri, Lighting by Alex Forey, Chronic Pain and Voice Specialist Imogen Roux
A multi-generational female ensemble combine physical performance, soundscapes, and visceral imagery in a contemporary exploration of St Hildegard of Bingen, 12th century visionary, composer, and poet.
JANE AUSTEN & COLETTE: Writers and Musicians | 22 MAR | 7.30PM - Music & Words
Maggie Cole, Harriet Walter and Katharine Dain perform in a musical evening featuring excerpts from the work of these two iconic female authors.
Composers: Haydn, Cramer, Gluck, Storace, Ravel, Debussy, Poulenc and Lerner/Loewe.
GLORIA: A Life | 23 MAR | 4PM - Staged Reading
Emily Mann an award-winning American director and playwright, will bring to the stage a provocative and important work never before seen in England - GLORIA: A LIFE
With Stockard Channing as Gloria
MORE EVENTS COMING SOON
BOOKING INFORMATION
WVAC FESTIVAL DATES
3 - 23 MARCH
DIAMOND PASS: £250
DOUBLE PASS to access the whole season (15 + events for 2 people)
PLATINUM PASS: £150
Access pass to the whole season (15 + events)
GOLD PASS: £100
Access pass for 10 events
SILVER PASS: £50
Access pass for 4 events
SINGLE Tickets from £8 to £25
Note this passes gives you access to shows at The Playground Theatre only as part of the Women's Voices Festival.
Each pass gives you access to a number of shows. Passes will be stamped by our team at the doors.
For any further questions or queries, please contact boxoffice@theplaygroundtheatre.org.uk
“The Women's Voices: A Celebration is just that. A time to reflect and embrace the many wonderful women artists across the various creative realms and hear what they have to say. From young playwrights and filmmakers to highly recognised artists; we are presenting a rich tapestry of work that spans music, theatre, dance, film, literature and art. Stories by women, in a world where we are still far from equal, even in the so-called evolved western societies. Women's rights are being overturned as we speak and it is distressing that practically every headline that involves a woman today is an attack on her (ie Jess Phillips the politician,) or about extreme violence and abuse, as in the case of Gisele Pelicot. Shockingly, women still make up a tiny proportion of the work that is produced across the arts, with perhaps books and painting being an exception.
Centered around International Woman's Day, this is first of its kind, a unique event to showcase brilliant, diverse and multitalented women that there are and have been throughout the ages.We will be looking at women and stories that span from 10th century Japan, 12th century Germany, French 18th century, American 19th century, early and later 20th century, through to today's immediate race and gender politics. Culminating with a play about one of the world's most prominent feminists, Gloria Steinem.”
NAOMI SORKIN, Curator and Creative Producer for The Playground Theatre