DESCRIPTION

A programme of short suffrage plays associated with Camden, presented as staged readings by performers from Clean Break theatre company, from Regent’s University London, and other actors.

Plays presented will include Margaret Wynne Nevinson’s In the Workhouse and Workhouse Characters, Cicely Hamilton & Chris St John’s The Pot and the Kettle, Beatrice Harraden’s Lady Geraldine’s Speech and Bessie Hatton’s Before Sunrise.

 

Nevinson lived in Belsize Park and was a co-founder of the Women’s Freedom League and active member of the Women Writers Suffrage League. She drew on her experience as a Poor Law Guardian in Kilburn ward for her controversial play In the Workhouse, which focuses on women in the maternity ward of a workhouse to question the legal entrapment of women within marriage, while her monologues in Workhouse Characters attempt to capture the verbatim voices of the poorest in Edwardian society. In the Workhouse was first revived by the company Mrs Worthington’s Daughters at Lauderdale House in 1979.

 

Hamilton’s and St John’s lively play The Pot and the Kettle satirises the logical contradictions of the anti-suffrage position and was originally performed by the Actresses Franchise League at the Scala Theatre, Tottenham St in 1909. Both Harraden, who lived in Hamsptead, and Hatton were students at Bedford College, the first higher education college for women. Originally sited in Bedford Square, it later moved to premises in Regent’s Park, which are now inhabited by Regent’s College. Both Harraden’s comedy and Hatton’s darker play are about the limited options and expectations, traditionally open to women and the alternatives offered by education.

 

The events are presented in partnership with Clean Break Theatre Company, who produce ground-breaking plays with women writers and actors at the heart of its work. Founded in 1979 by two women prisoners who believed that theatre could bring the hidden stories of imprisoned women to a wider audience, it is still the only theatre company of its kind remaining true to these roots; inspiring playwrights and captivating audiences with the company’s award winning plays on the complex theme of women and crime. Clean Break runs a Members Programme for women aged 17 and above who have lived experience of the criminal justice system or are at risk of offending due to drug alcohol or mental health issues. It offers Members a foundation of learning and skills in theatre performance, creativity and wellbeing, and opportunities to engage in professional, public facing performance projects. Our ambition is for our Members to participate fully in the company’s creative life and further their careers in the arts. This means being involved in our productions, contributing their ideas and helping to shape plans for the future.

 

As part of Clean Break’s celebrations to mark the centenary of some women’s right to vote, Suffrage Arts ran a theatre workshop for Clean Break’s Members. The workshop explored the original texts and the resonance of the plays for the women today. The Members found it both enlightening and empowering to have access to Suffrage women’s words and brought to the work a deep connection and profound commentary on the challenges which face us today.  

You can book on Eventbrite for Wednesday here or Thursday here.

Both events are free but we welcome donations.  SuffrageArts receives no funding for its events programmes.  On both nights you can give a donation on the night, which on Wednesday will be split between SuffrageArts and Clean Break to support future work.
By choosing Supporter Admission on Thursday via  Eventbrite you can give a donation online in advance. Donations will enable us to pay actors’, directors’ and producers expenses. If you would like to donate to the organisation directly or to Gift Aid your donation, please email suffragearts@gmail.com

For more on the history of Clean Break see Unfinished Histories   (SuffrageArts operates under the auspices of Unfinished Histories)