Women & Theatre celebrate its 40 year anniversary with an exciting autumn season!

Women & Theatre launch its autumn season, celebrating 40 years of making pioneering work about things that matter. The season will include a new theatre production, rehearsed readings from the company’s back catalogue, and exciting community projects.

The season will begin in September with Not the Last (14 -17 September), a new play co-produced with Midlands Arts Centre, written by Susie Sillett and performed by Janice Connolly and Adaya Henry. Marking 150 years of Cannon Hill Park, the play features two members of a fictional Birmingham-based historical society attempting to find out more about the park's mysterious benefactor, Louisa Ryland; but the harder they try to unearth facts about Louisa's life and legacy, the more they dig away at their own lives and what they might want to be remembered, or forgotten for, themselves. There will also be an accompanying exhibition entitled, Our Park, Our Lives, exploring local women’s memories and experiences of Cannon Hill Park, featuring photography, a BSL film, and an audio piece which will also be released as a podcast.

In October, W&T will bring Revival to Birmingham Rep (12 -14 October); a series of rehearsed readings of key productions from their archive. Developed from research and buzzing with the energy of real-life experiences, the readings will entertain, and provide snapshots of experiences, issues, and viewpoints at specific points over the last 4 decades. Each performance will be followed by a discussion led by W&T’s Artistic Director Janice Connolly.

As part of its Revive programme, there will also be a community tour of Touch Wood, W&T’s breast awareness show, and an event at The Heath Bookshop (Kings Heath) with readings from W&T’s Women & Work publication.

The autumn will also see several community projects and performances. W&T’s Community Performance Club, co-created with older adults and carers from Druids Heath, will present a Festival of Stories – the culminating of a storytelling course – at Druids Heath Library on 31 October, before developing a new community production for Christmas.

The season will be the company’s last with its current leadership team – Artistic Director, Janice Connolly, and Executive Director, Jess Pearson – who are stepping down from running the company after 40 and 20 years, respectfully.  

Janice Connolly, Artistic Director, said: “This season of work captures the many different elements of the company’s work, from new writing to community projects, working with many talented freelance theatre artists and community participants.  It’s great - book your tickets now!”

Tickets are now on sale for Revival and Not the Last and can be booked from MAC and Birmingham Rep’s websites or by calling the box office. www.macbirmingham.co.uk