Words by Smiley Team
While the world still strives to achieve gender equality, Shakespeare’s Globe theatre in London is using the stage as a platform to discuss how we can move towards this goal.
From 6 to 12 December, the charity and theatre will host a festival called Women and Power, featuring live panel discussions, workshops, and an educational symposium all around the topic of gender equality.
Their last Women and Power festival in 2019 spotlighted some of the most remarkable women throughout history, including female authors, Black women activists and female politicians. This year’s empowering event will use theatre to explore solutions to the issues facing women today.
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The theatre’s co-director of education, Professor Farah Karim-Cooper, explained: “Our second Women and Power festival uses Shakespeare's works to ask questions about our moment and its resonances with the past.”
“Issues that women face today - inequality, sexual harassment, diminished access to power - will be discussed through the lens of Shakespeare, performance and social justice.”
Audiences can learn on 6 December, from a panel including the TV series, Shameless star Maxine Peake. She will speak in a feminist discussion of the role of Hamlet, who she played in 2014.
Another Hamlet actor, Michelle Terry, will join Maxine along with Professor Karim-Cooper, to talk about what Hamlet means for women.
Offering some light-hearted relief, the festival will also feature a satirical feminist podcast, The Guilty Feminist, on 12 December. Host Deborah Frances-White will perform the podcast live, speaking to special guests who are yet to be announced.
An online symposium titled ‘Empowerment to Disempowerment: Intersectional Voices’ also makes the festival lineup. Experts, activists and theatre practitioners will participate in this day-long event on 10 December. They will cover topics such as intersectionality, women, and power.
As a registered charity, the Globe depends heavily on donations. To help ensure its future donate on its website.
