Women Debate Their Place in the Theatre???

There are three times as many male roles in theatre than female roles, and the majority of producers, directors and playwrights are male. Small wonder then if women may feel at a disadvantage in the theatre industry. But women are coming into the spotlight at the Theatre Museum in Covent Garden as historian Susan Croft interviews Michele Frankel, the founder of women’s theatre company Beryl and the Perils, and chairs a panel of successful arts professionals to discuss the role of women in the theatre. The late Seventies and Eighties was an exciting and important time for women's theatre. The first women’s theatre festival in 1977 was described by Time Out as “breaking down the barriers between so-called feminists and so-called non-feminists”. There was an upsurge of new women’s companies and women directors and playwrights, but since then, the momentum has faded. The panel - which includes Jude Kelly, Susie Orbach, Sheryl Crown, Gillian Hanna and Jenny Harris - will discuss issues such as: “What happened to all that energy, creativity, activism and debate? Where are we today? How has that history been recorded and how does it influence women's careers today?” The event takes place at 7.30pm on Thursday 6 April 2006. Call 020 7943 4750 for further information.

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