An innovative new play about the women’s suffrage movement and how the struggle for ‘Votes for Women’ and ‘Equal Pay for Equal Jobs’ extended to Pembrokeshire is being premièred by the Torch Theatre Summer School this month.
Most people associate the struggle for women’s suffrage with the militant activities of the Pankhursts, but Wales was the scene of some of the most dramatic and serious campaigning outside London. It was local historian and author Simon Hancock, who pointed the theatre’s Youth and Education Officer, Dave Ainsworth, to a lively debate that took place in Haverfordwest between two teachers. This surge of debate prompted by the imminent arrival of Suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst to the town, and the entrenched views of the Head of Prendergast Girls School in particular, captured Dave’s imagination and so the idea for the play was borne.
My Militant Sisters is written as seen through the eyes of Annie Kenny, co-founder of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) and Emily Davison, who was famously killed at Derby in 1913 when she attempted to grab the bridle of the king’s horse at the Epsom Derby. These two ‘characters’ become the narrators of what is in fact a play within a play which links the history of the suffragette movement to modern day Haverfordwest where we can compare how things have progressed.
Following a series of demanding auditions at the Torch Theatre in April where candidates took part in a variety of group improvisations over a period of three hours, eighteen students aged between 15 and 18 were chosen to take part in the production, representing all but one of Pembrokeshire’s senior schools. [see editors notes below for complete cast list]
“Our aim is to help young people who are already really keen on acting, onto the first step of that professional ladder… explained Dave …The Summer School is a big opportunity for students to demonstrate not only their dedication but their acting ability.” The Torch Theatre Summer School is perhaps a fine example of how ‘Deeds Not Words’ can produce results, and the commitment of the students to the production is put to the test this month as rehearsal time is stepped up and a call made for availability every day, including weekends.
Extending links as far as University of Wales Trinity St David in Carmarthen, the Summer School also makes a point of appointing one of their undergraduates to stage manage these annual productions. “For all those involved, the experience of working within a professional environment is awe inspiring. With a professional production team behind them, and with all the latest theatre technology at their disposal, these young people,, who have never worked together before, will learn to come together as a company. It opens their eyes to another level.”
My Militant Sisters opens at the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire on Tuesday 26 July and plays until the 29. For further details or tickets, go to www.torchtheatre.co.uk or call the Theatre Box Office team on 01646 695267.
