Four new short plays inspired by the women’s fight for equality,
and a staged reading of “How the Vote Was Won” from 1909.
Coracle Productions
in partnership with Alphabetti Theatre,
supported by the Newcastle Culture Investment
Fund Presents
Suffragette
Short plays from today and 100 years ago
Newcastle
Alphabetti Theatre
Thursday
17 – Saturday 19 May 2018
1918: The first election in which women could vote in the UK.
But not all women. The journey towards equality continues 100
years later.
Coracle put a call out
for short plays inspired by any aspect of the Suffragette movement, and they
received 40 applications from as far afield as New Zealand and America. Three
of these plays have been selected to be performed alongside a staged reading of
an original ‘Suffrage play’ from 100 years ago, and a new piece by Arabella
Arnott.
 |
| Director: Rachael Walsh |
"How The Vote Was
Won" by Cicely
Hamilton and Christopher St John (1909)
Presented by special arrangement
with Samuel French Ltd.
A staged reading directed by Rachael Walsh
The Government says that women do not need votes
as they are all “looked after by their male relatives”….Horace Cole is about to
discover just how many female relatives he has…
Performed
as a staged reading by the full company.
Plus
4 new short plays directed by Matt Jamie
 |
| Lucy Curry and Daniel Watson |
"Banter" by Christopher
Moore (Ireland)
Cast
Lucy Curry and Daniel Watson
A brother and sister have different views about
whether "a bit of banter" on WhatsApp is harmless fun, or something
much darker.
"An Accident of
Birth" by Lizi Patch (North
Yorks)
Cast Jude
Nelson and Adam Jordan Donaldson
Two siblings try to understand human
relationships and gender roles through overheard conversations from inside the
womb.
 |
| Arabella Arnott and Brogan Gilbert |
"Women and Girls" by Allison Davies (North East)
Cast
Arabella Arnott and Brogan Gilbert
Enough is enough is enough is enough. Imagine a
change, an end, a shift. Imagine a mark... a cross in a box.
 |
| Zoe Lambert and Jackie Edwards |
"Someone Had To Do
Something" by Arabella Arnott (Newcastle)
Cast Zoe Lambert and Jackie Edwards
"In the true married
relationship, the independence of husband and wife will be equal, their
dependence mutual, and their obligations reciprocal" So said Lucretia Mott 100 years
ago. How's that playing out in 2018...?
 |
| Adam Jordan Donaldson, Arabella Arnott and Brogan Gilbert |
Director Matt Jamie explains: “We had a great response to our call out for short plays – from first time writers to seasoned pros – people we knew and people from as far afield as New Zealand and America. Themes ranged from historical pieces to works set in dystopian futures and everything in between. It was a difficult process choosing the final pieces, and although geography wasn’t part of our selection process we’ve ended up with pieces written by northern (and Northern Irish) writers. We’ve selected a collection which demonstrate different styles of writing, and cover some contemporary themes on the subject of equality. Banter by Chrispher Moore is set in Ireland and explores the subject of different attitudes to ‘casual sex’ and ‘banter’ and the issue of the forthcoming referendum on the Eighth Amendment; An Accident of Birth by Lizi Patch (writer of the recent Punching the Sky at Live Theatre) explores gender stereotypes and the complexities of adult relationships from the point of view of unborn sibling twins; Women and Girls by Allison Davies (writer of Trade in development with ARC Stockton) is a poetic exploration of memories and experiences told through two women’s voices and conversations; and Someone Had To Do Something by Arabella Arnott (writer of Coracle’s Life After and Overdue) looks at a woman’s role in the domestic duties of the home – just how much have things moved on from 100 years ago?
“As a new-writing company it might seem odd to present a play written 100 years ago, but we wanted to hear the voices of women writing at the time of the Suffrage movement and compare their approaches to new voices exploring the issues today. How The Vote Was Won by Cicely Hamilton and Christopher St John, is a comical look at one man’s experience of what happens when the government claims that all women are supported by men, and the women decide to take that literally.
“We hope you enjoy this eclectic, occasionally challenging, and often
funny collection of writing, and hope it sparks conversation and debate.”
“We’d recommend also catching
some of Alphabetti’s
“Women are Mint” evenings (Fridays
through June) – part gig, part conversation hosted by Martha Hill – see their
website for more details”
About Coracle
 |
| Arabella Arnott and Brogan Gilbert |
Coracle are company who produce new original works and collaborate with artists across all disciplines. Coracle’s debut in
the north east was Trajectory – a double bill of new plays at Alphabetti in March 2017,
followed by the critically acclaimed production of Overdue launching Alphabetti’s new venue
in September 2017 – winner of the
North East Theatre Guide’s “Best of Fringe 2017” and described as
“Beautifully written, sensitively directed, the performances are excellent” by
the British Theatre Guide.
Coracle are proud to be working alongside Alphabetti Theatre for the third
time, and are supported by Community Foundation Tyne and Wear and the Newcastle
Culture Investment Fund on this production Suffragette.
On The Web:
Twitter: @coracleNE @alphabetti
Tickets:
SUFFRAGETTE - Short plays from today and 100 years ago
When: Thursday 17 – Saturday 19 May 2018 at 7:30pm
Where: Alphabetti Theatre, St James’ Boulevard, Newcastle Upon
Tyne
Tickets PAY WHAT YOU FEEL
– to reserve tickets please go to: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/237366
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