Bechdel Theatre Podcast

Jennifer Tang is the director of Mountains: The Dreams of Lily Kwok, which is currently touring and can be seen this month in Derby, Watford, Sheffield, Hexham, and Coventry.  Jennifer's #FeministFave is performer and theatre-maker Lucy Ellinson, who was most recently seen on stage in Jubilee.        Ariane Barnes is an actor, singer, comedian, writer and founder of the Different Women Project, which is dedicated to celebrating diversity and difference in the performing arts. Ariane's #FeministFave is Gina Torres, best known for her TV roles in Angel and Suits.      Beth's #FeministFave this month is Star Trek: Discovery.  Pippa's #FeministFave this month is Janelle Monae.     More recommendations...   The Year of The Rooster Monk The Pleasance May 22 - Jun 3  Use the code BECHDEL10 to get £10 tickets for any performance, if you book before May 22nd (we're going to see it on the 23rd!)   Tara Arts presents: I'll Say It Again! May 2 - June 2 A season of women's work at Wandsworth Fringe   Gracie The Finborough until May 15   Masterpieces The Finborough until May 19   RashDash's Three Sisters touring until June 15   Grotty The Bunker 1 - 26 May   Yvette on tour until May 23   Nightclubbing  Camden People's Theatre, London 8 – 12 May
Watch Out Festival, Cambridge Junction 26 May
Latitude Festival 13 July   Split Britches: UXO  15 - 19 May Barbican, London 
26 May Take Me Somewhere Festival, Glasgow
Confidence Southwark Playhouse 23 May - 16 Jun   Othello Liverpool Everyman April 28 - 10 Jun   Shadows In Different Shades Sheffield May 24 - 25   Brighton Festival Joan Brownton Abbey   Brighton Fringe My Feminist Boner Runny For Money S/he/it Happens  A Robot In Human Skin Love Songs Efemera Boxes

Lisa Francesca Nand is a journalist, travel writer and broadcaster. She was the first female presenter on TalkSPORT, and hosts her own podcast The Big Travel Podcast.   We went with Lisa to see Good Girl by Naomi Sheldon at VAULT Festival. The show has since transferred to Trafalgar Studios, where it is running until March 31st.   Lisa's #FeministFave is the book A Good Time To Be A Girl and its author Helena Morrissey: a City CEO, mother of nine, and founder of the influential 30% Club which campaigns for gender-balanced UK company boards.   More recommendations...   Coconut Ovalhouse 11 - 28 April, and touring until June 30.   Scene Camden People's Theatre 10 - 14 April.   Half-Breed Soho Theatre 16 - 21 Apr.   Chisholm 72 Barbican Cinema 18 Apr   Nine Night National Theatre 21 April to 26 May.   Mountains: Dreams of Lily Kwok UK tour until 2 June.   Our Country's Good Touring to Leeds, London, Sheffield and Birmingham, until 2 June.

Giselle Gant is an Emmy-winning actor, theatre-maker, and presenter (known for her 'Black To Life' series on BET Her). Giselle was born and raised in Manhatten.   Nathalie Adlam is Artistic Director of theatre company Les Foules, who won the VAULT Festival Origins Award for Outstanding New Work in 2015.   Giselle and Nathalie are the creators of The Year of The Rooster Monk, running at VAULT Festival March 7 - 11.   Giselle's #FeministFave is Shirley Chisholm, who was the United States first black congresswoman, and the first woman to run for President in 1972.   More recommendations...   So Many Reasons Ovalhouse Mar 6 - 10 Use the code BECHDEL12 to book for our special International Women's Day celebration on March 8th for a discounted ticket and free espresso martini!   Good Girl Trafalgar Studios throughout March.
Leftover Women Cockpit Theatre 11 Mar     

Yvette WOW Festival Southbank Centre 10 & 11 Mar | UK Tour 16 April to 23 May

 

Electra The Bunker 27 Feb - 24 Mar

 

The Great Wave National Theatre 10 March to 14 April

 
Frankenstein The Space until March 10

 

Juniper and Jules Theatre503 Mar 18 - 19

 

Dollywould Soho Theatre Mar 19 - Apr 14

 

Tina The Musical Aldwych Theatre from March 21st

 

The Party Somewhere Else Nottingham Playhouse Mar 20 - 24

 

Strike A Light Festival Gloucester City 21 - 27 Mar

  Boots VAULT Mar 7 - 11   Timothy VAULT Mar 14 - 18   Things That Do Not Count VAULT Mar 14 - 18

Rakhee Thakrar is best known for her long-running role on Eastenders playing Shabnam Masood. Her theatre credits include: Astronauts of Hartlepool (Vaults Festival); Lalita's Big Fat Asian Wedding (Curve Leicester); Pyaar Hai (Rich Mix); Free Booze (Edinburgh Fringe)

 

Rakhee is currently starring in There or Here at the Park Theatre until Feb 17. 

Bechdel Theatre are hosting a post-show after the evening performance of There or Here on Thu Feb 1st. 

Rakhee's #FeministFaves: 

Denise Gough

Amy Agnew and Caroline Dollman of Global Citizen.

Our #FeministFaves:

Reni Eddo-Lodge's book Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race.

Mary Beard's book Women in Power.

More recommendations...   Bechdel Theatre Actors Workshop at The Mono Box with guest director: Madelaine Moore of The Thelmas The Old Vic Workroom Jan 30   96 Festival Clapham Omnibus Feb 2 - 28
  How The Vote Was Won The Bunker Feb 5   Jubilee Lyric Hammersmith 15 Feb ‐ Mar 10   Rejoicing At Her Wondrous Vulva The Young Woman Applauded Herself Ovalhouse Feb 21-23   Breaking Loose Festival Bread & Roses Theatre Feb 18 - 25   VAULT Festival Fuck You Pay Me 24 - 28 Jan
The Breaks In You & I Jan 31 - Feb 4 (Post-show on Sat Feb 3)  50-50 1-4 Feb
Mary's Babies Jan 31 - Feb 1
Madonna Or Whore Jan 31 - Feb 4
Double Infemnity Jan 31 - 4 Feb
White Feb 4 The Cat's Mother Feb 7 - 8
The Internet Was Made for Adults Feb 7 - 11  Bicycles and Fish Feb 7 - 11
Joy 10 - 11
Finding Fassbender Feb 14 - 15
Surprise! Feb 14 - 15
The Vagina Dialogues Feb 14-18
I Have A Mouth And I Will Scream Feb 14-18
Elsa Feb 14 - 18
Egg: Static Feb 16
Frances Farmer: Zombie Movie Star Feb 17 - 18 Cooking With Juniper Feb 17
The Quantum Physics Of My Heart Feb 21 - 25
Conquest Feb 21 - 25 Borderline Feb 24

Comfort Moye is an Anthropology student and her University's POC officer. We watched Apologia at Trafalgar Studios and Racheal Ofori's Portrait at Rich Mix.

 

Comfort's #FeministFaves are Plantation Memories book by Grada Kilomba, and the TV series Girlfriends.

   More recommendations...   Six at The Arts 18 December, 8 January, 15 January and 22 January   Calm Down Dear at CPT 16th January – 4th February Led by Racheal Ofori and Heather Agyepong's So Many Reasons.   There or Here The Park 23 Jan - 17 Feb   Collective Rage 24 Jan - 17 Feb   Rita, Sue and Bob Too Royal Court Jan 9 - 27 & The Andrea Project Sat 20 Jan    My Mum's A Twat Royal Court Jan 8 - 20   Bechdel Theatre Workshop at The Mono Box Jan 30th   VAULT Festival begins Jan 24th, including The Breaks In You & I 31 Jan — 04 Feb

The Famous Lauren Barri Holstein also known as 'The Famous,' is a New York-raised, London-based feminist performance maker who holds a PhD on 'The Agency of the Displayed Female Body: The Political Potential of Negative Affects in Contemporary Feminism and Performance'   Lauren's #FeministFaves are Sara Ahmed's book 'The Promise of Happiness, Lauren Berlant, Nao Bustamante, Ann Liv Young, Julia Bardsley, Kira O'Reilly, Lois Weaver and Split Britches.   Michelle Barwood is an actor, writer, shit feminist, bad vegan, witch. Michelle watched Queens of Sheba, produced by Nouveau Riche at Camden People's Theatre, and In Event of Moone Disaster at Theatre503.   Michelle's #FeministFave is Eve Ensler's One Billion Rising project.   More recommendations...   Jubilee   Manchester Royal Exchange until Nov 18. & Lyric Hammersmith in Feb. 
Damsel Develops  The Bunker Nov 13 - 19.
  The Butch Monologues  Soho Theatre Nov 21 - 24th    We Are The Lions, Mr Manager!  TARA Theatre Nov 21 - 25
and touring until May.   Pecs  Soho Theatre 4 - 9 December   Bad Roads  Royal Court Wed 15 Nov - Sat 23 Dec

Tutku Barbaros is an actor, writer, and member of Plunge Theatre. Tutku's review of Angel at The Arcola was published in The Tung and Sister-hood.    Tutku's #FeministFaves are Mona Eltahawy, Deeya Khan, Leyla Hussain (Three #FeministFaves who also featured in Epsiode 3!), the essay collection Nasty Women, and the sitcom My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.   Other recommendations...   A Dangerous Woman & Elsa  Soho Theatre Nov 4   Wings Young Vic til Nov 4   Portrait by Racheal Ofori

UK Tour Nov 1 - 12

Apologia Trafalgar Studios until Nov 18   Notorious created and performed by The Famous Lauren Barri Holstein

UK tour Oct 20 - Nov 23

White by Koko Brown Ovalhouse Nov 15 - 25   No Place Like Hope The Old Red Lion Nov 7 - 26   Muvvahood by Libby Liburd London Tour 3 Nov to 1 Dec   Contractions produced by Deafinitely Theatre New Diorama Nov 1 - 29

  Lucy J Skilbeck (aka Leo) is one of the founders of award-winning theatre company Milk Presents, and writer and director of BULLISH: a new mythical play with songs, negotiating ancient and new territories in trans-masculine gender and identity. BULLISH is headlining Camden People's Theatre's Come As You Are festival of performance that interrogates and celebrates gender from cis to trans, from binary to beyond.   Lucy Parkinson is one of the four performers in BULLISH and stars in JOAN, also written by Skilbeck, which won critical acclaim (and a Bechdel Theatre sticker) at Edinburgh Fringe last year, and has been touring for the past year.   Leo's #FeministFave is performance artist David Hoyle, whose legendary anti-drag persona The Divine David became an alternative LGBTQ cult icon in the 90s, and who continues to make performances and films which address class and social issues, mainstream gay culture, and his own mental health.   Lucy Parkinson's #FeministFave is their Mum, who's not on Wikipedia or social media (as far as we know), but apparently goes to see all their shows, so if you want to maximise chances of crossing paths with said Mother, we recommend you book to see Parkinson in JOAN on tour, or performing as Drag King LoUis CYfer, as well as catching BULLISH at CPT.   Amie Taylor is the founder of LGBTQ Arts, a review website which has recently launched Raising Our Voices, an initiative to support and showcase up-and-coming LBT+ writers. Read her article on Huffington Post about why LGBTQ+ representation can't mean just cis gay men.   Amie's #FeministFave is actor and comedian Jessica Williams, who is the star of Netflix original romantic comedy film The Incredible Jessica James. Jessica is also one half of the brilliant 2 Dope Queens podcast.   Bullish is at Camden People's Theatre until Sat 30 Sept
  Raising Our Voices is at Camden People's Theatre on the 20th & 27th Sept    (You can buy tickets to see both of these in one night with CPT's 2 shows for £16 deal!)   Also recommended:   Half-Breed at Soho Theatre until Sept 30th.
  Boudica at The Globe on until Oct 1st.   Turkey at The Hope Theatre 26th Sept - 14th Oct

For more Fringe tips, our blog has a long list of Edinburgh shows we recommend seeing, and a shorter but more detailed list of our Fringe #FeministFaves.   If you're not in Edinburgh, never fear! The majority of the shows that do well at the Fringe will tour across the country, so make sure you get them on your radar ahead of their inevitable future success.   Tanya Loretta Dee is starring in Offside by Sabrina Mahfouz and Hollie McNish @ Pleasance Courtyard 15:40 Tanya's #FeministFave is The Color Purple, originally a book by Alice Walker, adapted into a film in 1985 starring Whoopi Goldberg, and a Broadway musical, which is touring the US later this year.   Comedy duo 'Britney', aka Charly Clive and Ellen Robertson, are starring in Britney in: John @ Bedlam Theatre 18:30 We talked about Britney's previous show on Episode 2: Live from Vault Festival.   Rebecca Humphries is the writer of Prom Kween @ Underbelly Cowgate 20:35 Rebecca's #FeministFave is Julia Davis: comedian, actress, writer, director and producer, most famously creator and star of the comedy series Nighty Night.   This episode was recorded far from home (and our usual recording equipment) so please forgive the variable sound quality.   Thanks to Funny Women, The Gilded Balloon and Apex Hotel for our locations.  

Interview with Yolanda Mercy and Jade Lewis: writer/performer and director of 'Quarter Life Crisis', plus our recommendations for Underbelly Cowgate at Edinburgh Fringe, and shows opening in London and touring this summer.

Yolanda Mercy is a London based Actor and Playwright. She trained at the renowned Brit school, Laban and Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Yolanda is a winner of the Rich Mix Small Story Big City Award and Associate Artist at OvalHouse Theatre. 

Jade Lewis is a director who has worked at Southwark Playhouse, The Bush Theatre and The Royal Court (where she assisted debbie tucker green). Jade is a Creative Associate at The Gate Theatre and Emerging Artist at Ovalhouse Theatre, and also runs workshops in schools and youth groups.

Yolanda's #FeministFaves: The Secret book by Rhonda Byrne, Lilly Singh Youtuber.

Jade's #FeministFaves: Nina Simone and Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce

We also talked about...

The Scar Test by Hannah Khalil - The Place Theatre, Bedford June 21st, The Bohemian Balcony Swindon June 26-27th, and Soho Theatre July 5-22nd. 

Anatomy of a Suicide at the Royal Court June 3 - July 8th Alice Birch and Katie Mitchell collaborate again after last year's production of Ophelia's Zimmer, with a play about 3 generations of women.

Rotterdam at The Arts Theatre June 21 - July 15th

The Globe's Summer of Love, including Emma Rice's Twelfth Night, until August 5th 

Herstory Feminist Theatre Festival at Balham N16, including Lekhani Chirwa peforming 'Can I Touch Your Hair?' June 18-19th

Bechdel Testing Life at The Bunker. Four short plays based on real conversations by Isley Lynn, Guleraana Mir, Rabiah Hussain and Lizzie Milton. July 22-23rd.

Underbelly Cowgate at Edinburgh Fringe recommendations...

Quarter Life Crisis 14:40

Joan (August 21-27th) 19:20

Prom Kween 20:35