Theatre News

Southbank Centre announces Women of the World festival line-up

The festival will also be held in Hull as part of UK City of Culture

Gemma Cairney, Gemma Cairney, Lauren Laverne, Sandi Toksvig
Gemma Cairney, Gillian Anderson, Lauren Laverne, Sandi Toksvig
© Dan Wooller for WhatsOnStage

Southbank Centre have the line-up for this year's Women of the World festival, which will be held in London from 7 to 12 March, and Hull form 10 to 12 March.

The festival will feature director Phyllida Lloyd discussing her all-female Shakespeare trilogy with actor Harriet Walter, company members Jade Anouka and Jennifer Joseph, and producer Kate Pakenham.

There will be performances from grime-poet Debris Stevenson, Mercury Prize nominees Eska and Lisa Hannigan, and the world premiere of Foreign Body, a solo show by Imogen Butler-Cole exploring healing after sexual assault.

Sandi Toksvig will give a keynote lecture which will look at the last 12 months in 20 minutes, as well as hosting Mirth Control, the festival's annual night of comedy and music. This year, it will feature mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and comedian Holly Walsh.

Politician Harriet Harman will talk about her memoir A Woman's Work, while Gillian Anderson and Jennifer Nadel will discuss their new book WE: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere.

Southbank Centre artist in residence and journalist Gemma Cairney will discuss her publishing debut OPEN: A Toolkit for How Magic and Messed Up Life Can Be with broadcaster Lauren Laverne.

President of WOW, the Duchess of Cornwall, will hold a reception at Buckingham Palace where details will be announced for the first three-day WOW festival celebrating women across the Commonwealth, to coincide with the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

For more information and the full line-up, click here.

Later in the year, WOW festivals will be held in Chester (20 to 21 May), Exeter (13 to 15 October), Perth (27 to 29 October) and Bradford (17 to 19 October).