Text (c) my friends the Scary Little Girls
Did you know that the West End was alive with theatrical suffrage activity in the Edwardian era? Actresses weren't just in the theatres, but out on on the streets protesting, marching and smashing windows. In 1911 over 40,000 women marched from Embankment to the Albert Hall - a five mile long procession that captivated London. Covent Garden was teeming with possibilities - you could learn jujitsu on Shaftesbury Avenue, buy Suffrage tea on Charing Cross Road, attend a meeting run by famous West End actresses and then hear Suffragettes being tried at Bow Street Magistrates Court. During the 1911 Census boycott, over a thousand Suffragettes stayed out all night roller skating at the Aldwych Rinkeries.
Suffrage theatre emerged in the early twentieth century as a means of protesting for women’s rights. Now, 100 years later, a special interactive performance walk will be held in Covent Garden to celebrate the publication of The Methuen Drama Book of Suffrage Plays. The walks will happen on 20th and 27th April.
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| (c) Scary Little Girls |
Interactive literary walk veterans Scary Little Girls (image for their Full Bronte event, left) will be joined by the book’s editor and fellow actress, Naomi Paxton, in an entertaining and enlightening event exploring the suffragette movement’s theatrical revolution. Scary Little Girls Productions is an innovative production company based in London and Cornwall but tour nationwide. Its first show was produced in collaboration with the Bristol Old Vic and recent partnerships include art, drama and film projects with the South London Gallery, Glastonbury Festival and the Curzon Cinema Group. SLGP has attracted national attention for its sell-out shows, which include The Kisses, Maria Stuart and, more recently, Ladies Cage. By popular demand, they recently performed at the Brighton Fringe Festival for a second year.
Guests will set off from the historic Theatre Royal Drury Lane, in groups of ten to fifteen, along a specially prepared route around the back lanes of Covent Garden. At intervals along the way actors begin their performances as the groups draw near, engaging audience members in comic and moving moments from the struggle for Votes for Women – with pieces both inspired by and directly from the plays and experiences of the Actresses’ Franchise League.
Guests will set off from the historic Theatre Royal Drury Lane, in groups of ten to fifteen, along a specially prepared route around the back lanes of Covent Garden. At intervals along the way actors begin their performances as the groups draw near, engaging audience members in comic and moving moments from the struggle for Votes for Women – with pieces both inspired by and directly from the plays and experiences of the Actresses’ Franchise League.
Scary Little Girls have built up an enviable reputation for their immersive, enlightening, and highly entertaining Living Literature Walks. Covering such subjects as the Mitford family, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Daphne du Maurier, their walks entertain and inform in equal measure.
Creative producer and performer, Rebecca Mordan, said,
Creative producer and performer, Rebecca Mordan, said,
Interactive performances are always great fun for performers and audience members alike. There is a particular poignancy to this one, however. Suffrage Theatre not only made waves in the stage world, but also contributed to a massive reform in gender rights.
Of course, just because the subject matter is serious, it doesn’t mean to say we will be! This walk will feature a rich vein of humour and originality for which we are renowned. Guests can expect to learn a lot about the forgotten world of Suffragette theatre, but also have a brilliant time along the way!
- Stage Rights will take place on Saturday the 20th and 27th of April 2013.
- Walks will depart from The Theatre Royal Drury Lane Foyer every 20 minutes between 2pm and 3.20pm. Walks last roughly 90 minutes.
- To book tickets visit www.ticketsource.co.uk/stagerights