Who We Are
Women in Theatre and its sister organisation Women in the Arts are being founded as a result of the 5 year Women in Theatre research project, which was run in partnership with The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, Sphinx, the Women in Theatre Lab, Equity, WOW and others, and recently led to Arts Council England agreeing to launch a year long taskforce to investigate the under-representation of and discrimination against women in the arts.
The two organisations being founded will provide networking events for women working in the arts, advice sessions, and the Women in the Arts Awards and Women in Theatre Awards to highlight the achievements of emerging and mid-career women working across arts forms, in addition to continuing research on issues facing women such as caring responsibilities, the gender pay gap and unconscious bias.
The organisations are overseen by an advisory group made up of partners on the Women in Theatre research project and other leading women in the arts. The group includes Jude Kelly, founder of the WOW Foundation and the former Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre, Maureen Beattie, actress and former President of Equity, Lesley Gannon, Deputy General Secretary of the Writers Guild of Great Britain, Kelly Burke, former Chair of Equity’s Women’s Committee, producer Keira Malik, who will co-lead on screen and The Motherhood Penalty research project, and Jennifer Tuckett, lead on the 5 year Women in Theatre research project, co-Director of the Women in Theatre Lab and the new CEO of the new organisations.
A day to day team to manage the organisations will also be appointed, led by the new CEO of the organisations Jennifer Tuckett, in addition to additional advisory group members working across art forms.
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What We Do
Initial projects for Women in Theatre include a new Women in Theatre Survey to gather information on whether issues for women have improved in the arts, and advice sessions and networking events at Liverpool Everyman Theatre and Playhouse, Theatr Clwyd and with Tamasha and Hightide and the expansion of the Women in Theatre Lab with a new directors strand led by Artistic Director of Tamasha and co-Chair of Stage Directors UK Pooja Ghai whch will look after the showcase element in future.
To book for the first advice session and networking event in the North of England please go to the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse Theatre website from Monday 9th March or sign up to the Women in Theatre mailing list.
Further advice and networking events for theatre and across arts forms will take place at Theatr Clwyd in Wales, with HighTide in the East of England and with Tamasha Theatre Company in the South of England amongst other locations.