Bechdel Theatre Podcast

Chi Thai is a Vietnamese born, British raised filmmaker. She has been a Cannes Lions finalist three times and her work has competed at Academy accredited festivals. She is part of the Guiding Lights alumnus & listed in Creative England's Top 50 companies.  She is currently in production with Automat, a new film starring Sophie Wu.

 

Chi is one of the founders of BEATS: a not-for-profit organisation founded by British East Asians working in Theatre and across the Screen industry seeking to humanise British East Asians, increase the visibility of British East Asians on stage and screen, and advocate for the use of the term British East Asian.

 

Chi's #FeministFave is White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo. The New York Times best-selling book exploring the counterproductive reactions white people have when their assumptions about race are challenged, and how these reactions maintain racial inequality.

 

Recommendations...

 

The Ridiculous Darkness The Gate Theatre until Mar 23

 

Us Against Whatever Hull Truck Mar 27 - Apr 3

 

Homegrown Festival: Occupy Battersea Arts Centre Mar 19 - Apr 12

 

The Phlebotomist Hampstead Theatre Mar 19 - Apr 20

 

Pah-La The Royal Court Apr 3 - 27

 

Going Through The Bush Mar 28 - Apr 27

 

Small Island National Theatre Apr 17 - Aug 10

 

Waitress Adelphi Theatre until Oct 2019

 

 

 

 

Lauren Steele is a drag king, burlesque performer and activist. She is a founding member of Pecs drag king collective, and performs as Thrustin' Limbersnake.

Pecs latest show SEX SEX MEN MEN is on at The Yard until March 16. Watch the iconic trailer for the show now.

Lauren's #FeministFave is The LOL Word comedy, a collective made up of queer womxn and non-binary comics. They host regular nights at The Albany and have been performing a show at VAULT Festival with a 'prom night' theme.

Beth's #FeministFave is Generation Z, especially the teenagers taking part in the School Strike for Climate.

Pippa's  #FeministFave is Jeanette Winterson's book Written on the Body.

Be in our audience: Bechdel Theatre Podcast is recording LIVE at VAULT Festival on Sunday March 10 at 16:45.

More recommendations…

Becoming– Stratford Circus Arts Centre March 6 – 9

I'm A Phoenix, Bitch – Battersea Arts Centre until March 9

The Paper Man – Soho Theatre until March 9

Boots – The Bunker until March 16

And The Rest Of Me Floats – The Bush until March 16

The Trick – The Bush until March 23

Inside Bitch – The Royal Court until March 23

Richard II – The Globe until April 21

Emilia  – Vaudeville Theatre March 8 – June 15

A Hundred Words For Snow – Trafalgar Studios March 5 – 30

96 Festival – Clapham Omnibus until March 31

Smack That (A Conversation) – Ovalhouse until March 16 and touring to locations including Essex, London, Portsmouth, Oxford, Salford, Newcastle, and Salisbury throughout 2019.

Dr Naomi Paxton is a performer and feminist theatre historian who wrote her PhD on the work of the Actresses' Franchise League. She has published two books of Suffrage plays with Methuen Drama, and is currently Knowledge Exchange Fellow at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.    Naomi is the curator of Dramatic Progress, an exhibition at the National Theatre, which runs until January 26.   Naomi also performs at comedy, cabaret and variety nights as her character Ada Campe.    Naomi's #feministfaves were Vik Groskop's How to Own the Room, Cicely Hamilton's Marriage as a Trade Elizabeth Robin's Way Stations   Pippa's was Claude Cahun   Beth's was the She's All Fat podcast.    Shows to see at VAULT Festival...

Inside Voices (Jan 23 – 27)

Juniper and Jules (Jan 23 – 27)

Dangerous Lenses (Jan 23 – 27)

Lola (Jan 23 – 27) 

17 (Jan 23 – 27) 

Salaam (Jan 30 – Feb 3)

Fatty Fat Fat (Jan 30 – Feb 3)

Hear Me Howl (Jan 30 – Feb 3)

Succubus (Feb 1) 

The LOL Word (Jan 25, Feb 15, Mar 15) 

Pecs: King for a Night (Feb 2)

Elf Lyons: Love Songs To Guinea Pigs (Feb 13 -15) 

Shotgun Carousel: Eat Your Heart Out (Feb 16)

Smoke Weed Eat Pussy Every Day (Feb 22-23) 

i will still be whole (when you rip me in half) (Feb 27 – 28)

Woman! Pilot! Pirate? (Feb 27 - Mar 3)

Galvanise (Feb 27 - Mar 3)

Brazilian Wax XXL Mar 2

The Family Jewels (Mar 8).

Can I Touch Your Hair? (Mar 8 – 9)

10 (Mar 13 – 17).

Aaand we have even MORE recommendations for 2019, including touring shows, and productions running throughout the year, which can all be found on our New Year Blog!

Rubyyy Jones is is a Canadian-born London-based burlesque dancer, cabaret performer and theatre-maker best known as the Queen of Queerlesque. You can find out more about her upcoming appearances, and how to get involved with her courses and classes on her Facebook and Instagram pages.

 

Rubyyy is currently performing as part of an ensemble cast of 6 in Hole at The Royal Court. Hole is written by Ellie Kendrick, and directed by (previous podcast guests) Helen and Abi from RashDash. It's on until January 12th.

 

Rubyyy's #FeministFave is the Anti Diet Riot Club which hosts events and meet-ups, in London and the UK, that connect people struggling with diet-cycling, poor body image, and disordered eating. They spread the message of body acceptance, radical self-love and fatpositivity.

 

Beth's #FeministFave this month is Afua Hirsch's book Brit(ish).

Pippa's #FeministFave is Ariana Grande.

 

More recommendations...

 

Divine Proportions The Vaults until Jan 12

 

The Convert Young Vic until Jan 26

 

Nine Night Trafalgar Studios 1 Dec - 23 Feb

 

Head-Rot Holiday The Hope until Dec 22

 

Robin Hood The Watermill Theatre Newbury until Jan 5

 

Sleeping Beauty Theatre Royal Stratford East until Jan 12

 

Aladdin Hackney Empire until Jan 6

 

Rudolf MAC Birmingham Until December 31

 

Snow White and the Happy Ever After Beauty Salon Ovalhouse until Dec 30 & Theatre Royal Plymouth Jan 22 - 26

Isley Lynn is an American-born, London-based playwright and poet. Her play Skin A Cat opened at VAULT Festival in 2016, where it won Pick of the Year, and was nominated for four Off West End Awards for its transfer as inaugural production at The Bunker.

Skin A Cat's upcoming tour dates are The Other Room Cardiff Oct 8 - 13, Stephen Joseph Theatre Scarborough Oct 19-20, and Isley's adaptation of The War Of The Worlds (created in collaboration with Rhum and Clay) is at New Diorama London January 8-9.

 

Isley's #FeministFave is the singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco.

 

More recommendations...

 

Kingdom Camden People's Theatre Oct 9 - 11

 

Come As You Are Festival touring Derby, Peterborough, Exeter, and Poole until Dec 1

 

Divine Proportions The Vaults until Jan 12

 

Medusa Nuffield Theatre Southampton Oct 11 - 13

 

I'm a Phoenix Bitch Battersea Arts Centre Oct 3 - 20

 

Skate Hard Turn Left Battersea Arts Centre Oct 9 - 13

 

Britney Battersea Arts Centre Oct 16 - 17

 

Silence Mercury Theatre Colchester  Oct 12 - 20

 

Burgerz Oct 23 - Nov 3

 

White Teeth Kiln Oct 26 - Dec 22

 

Blacktress season Tristan Bates Theatre Oct 4 - Dec 22

 

It's True, It's True, It's True New Diorama Theatre Oct 16 - Nov 10.

 

Pickle Jar Soho Theatre Oct 23 - Nov 10

 

Ear For Eye Royal Court Oct 25 - Nov 24

 

Still No Idea Royal Court Oct 31 - Nov 17

Katie Leung began her career playing Cho Chang in the Harry Potter films, and has had screen and stage roles in Run on Channel 4, One Child on BBC, The World Of Extreme Happiness at The National Theatre, and Snow in Midsummer at The RSC.   Kae Alexander was most recently seen on stage in The Great Wave at The National Theatre. Her screen acting has included roles in Collateral, Fleabag, Game of Thrones, Bad Education and Ready Player One.   Katie and Kae are currently starring in the drama series Strangers which airs on Monday nights at 9pm on ITV.   Katie's #FeministFave is the My Body Back Project, which runs specialist services, including a cervical screening clinics in London and Glasgow designed especially for women who have experienced sexual violence so they feel safe, relaxed, and their individual needs are met.   Kae's #FeministFave and hero is her Mum, Kim.      More recommendations...   Hear Me Howl Old Red Lion until Sept 29th   Dance Nation Almeida until Oct 6   Queen Margaret Royal Exchange Manchester until Oct 6   Six The Arts Theatre until Oct 14   Skin A Cat is on tour until Oct 20   The Sweet Science of Bruising at Southwark Playhouse Oct 3 - 27
Twelfth Night Young Vic 2 Oct - Nov 17   Heathers Theatre Royal Haymarket until Nov 24
  Everything I Am Camden People's Theatre 2-5 Oct Natasha Simone. 

Alissa Anne Jeun Yi has written and is performing in Love Songs at Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Underbelly Cowgate, 14:40, everyday until August 26th)

  Alissa studied law at university before realising her true passion for creative writing. She has been performing spoken-word for a year, and Love Songs is her first full-length show: an autobiographical story told with poetry, music, and audience volunteers.     Alissa's #FeministFave shows at Edinburgh Fringe:   WHITE Pleasance Courtyard 11:30    WEIRD Pleasance Courtyard 13:45   Awakening Underbelly Bristo Square 14:35   Lost In Thought Underbelly Cowgate 18:40        More shows we recommended…  

Sparks Pleasance Courtyard 11:30

Sticks & Stones, and Island Town Summerhall (times & dates vary)

Sarah Keyworth Pleasance Courtyard 17:30

Evelyn Mok Pleasance Courtyard 18:00

Yana Alana Assembly Checkpoint 20:00

Joana Nastari has written and is performing in Fuck You Pay Me at Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Assembly Rooms, 15:25, every day except 14 & 21).    Fuck You Pay Me is a poetic, surreal, and no-holds-barred REAL love-letter to strippers. It follows a day in the life of Bea, a stripper whose Brazilian Catholic mother has just found out what she does for a living.   Other shows Joana recommended: Illicit Thrill The Voodoo Rooms 23:35  (even) HOTTER Bedlam 21:30

Miss Venezuela Just The Tonic at The Mash House 22:10

  Shows we recommended:
Baby Daddy Assembly Rooms 18:20 (until August 13)  Dangerous Giant Animals Underbelly Cowgate 12:00 Zoo Assembly George Square 11:00 Dominoes Assembly George Square 12:00   For Londoners not in Edinburgh: Emilia at The Globe Aug 10 - Sept 1

 

Lisa Fa'alafi and Yami 'Rowdy' Lofvenberg are the Director and Assistant Director of Hive City Legacy: a riotous new show by a league of extraordinary Femmes Of Colour, created in association with legendary Australian performance collective Hot Brown Honey.

Hive City Legacy is at The Roundhouse until July 21.  

Hot Brown Honey are performing their own show at London's Southbank Centre on July 24 - 28 and throughout August at Edinburgh Fringe.

 

Lisa's #FeministFave was Cocoa Butter Club, a queer cabaret collective of colour, who hold regular showcases at Her Upstairs, and are performing a show at Roundhouse after Hive City Legacy on July 20th.

 

Yami's #FeministFave was OSHUN, an independent Hip-Hop / Soul duo and the sonic manifestation of Afrofuturism. Their debut studio album, bittersweet vol 1, is out now.

 

Cherrelle Skeete is currently playing Joan in Fun Home at the Young Vic - the musical adaptation of Alison Bechdel's graphic memoir of the same name. Cherrelle previously played Char in Ella Road's The Phlebotomist at Hampstead Theatre, and originated the role of Rose Granger-Weasley in Harry Potter and The Cursed Child in the West End.

 

Cherrelle is a founder of Blacktress UK, an organisation which supports Black Womxn actors in the UK through regular meet ups, workshops and events. You can keep up with Blacktress on Instagram (Black Womxn only), Twitter and Facebook.

 

Cherrelle's #FeministFaves were poet and activist Staceyann Chin; the writing of Audre Lorde (in particular Sister Outsider and The Cancer Journals); Sista! an anthology of writing about Same Gender Loving Black Women; and All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks.

 

All of our recommendations for August are listed on our pre-Edinburgh blog post.

RashDash Theatre Company are Abbi Greenland, Becky Wilkie and Helen Goalen. They have been making shows together since 2009, and have been called "The punk princesses of late night theatre". Their new show Three Sisters (after Chekhov) is at The Yard London until June 9 and Tobacco Factory Bristol June 12 - 16   Helen's #FeministFave was playwright and RashDash collaborator Alice Birch.   Becky's #FeministFave was singer/songwriter Regina Spektor.   Abbi's #FeministFave was her follow members of RashDash (see above!).   Beth and Pippa's #FeministFaves this month were Reni Eddo-Lodge's podcast About Race, and the KOC (Kings of Colour) Initiative, founded by drag king Zayn Phallic.   More recommendations...   The Yellow Wallpaper Clapham Omnibus 5 - 24 June   Leave Taking Bush Theatre until June 30
  Spun Arcola Theatre 27 June–28 July

As You Like It & Hamlet Shakespeare's Globe until August 26   Fun Home The Young Vic June 18 - Sept 1