The Playground Theatre is hosting a three-week multi-media festival celebrating women in the arts for International Women’s Day, incorporating theatre, dance and music performances.
The festival boasts a collection of world-renowned writers, composers and performers in a series running from 2-23 March on Latimer Road, Shepherd’s Bush.
Main headliners of the event include Oscar-winning director Brigitte Berman, Tony-winning actor Emily Mann and Emmy-Winner star Stockard Channing.
The creative producer and curator of women’s voices, Naomi Sorkin, said: “We wanted to include as many of the arts and women in the arts as possible.
“To my knowledge it hasn’t been done. I know that many things happen around International Women’s Day itself, but not with this kind of reach.
“There was a wealth of talent to approach and in years to come it is very possible that we would put out requests for people to submit.”
The event will close with Mann’s play Gloria: A Life, detailing the work and career of Gloria Steinem, a key figure in the second-wave feminism movement.
The play will star Stockard Channing, in a rendition never seen before in the UK.
Berman’s remastered documentary, Artie Shaw: Time is all you’ve got, is a European premiere, and will be followed by a Q&A with the director on 11 March.
Tina Andrews, the first African-American to win the Writers Guild of America Award, will have her CBS drama Sally Hemings An American Tragedy screened two days prior.
The premieres continue with a UK debut from soprano Lubov Kachala, who will perform with Alla Sirenko, the first Ukrainian composer to have work featured at the Royal Opera House.
The pair will sing an evening of arias, Ukranian folk songs and original music on 15 March.
The Playground Theatre has gained recognition among the performing community since its inception in 2017. Notable patrons include Brian Cox (Succession), Celia Imrie (The Diplomat), Ben Miles (The Crown) and Cherie Lunghi (Excalibur).
Previously, the space had been used as a bus depot and has since welcomed acclaimed performers such as Rufus Norris and Damon Albarn.
Peter Tate, founder and artistic director of The Playground Theatre, said: “When I walked in, it just got me in my stomach, and I thought ‘this is it’.”
Tate has always wanted to use The Playground Theatre to give a voice to those unheard by the industry.
He added: “I wanted to show people other ways of working.”
Tickets can be bought online via the official website.
Image credit: The Playground Theatre.
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