Taking The Stage at MK Gallery - Day 3

Name: Taking The Stage at MK Gallery - Day 3
Start: 2024-10-18T19:00:00+01:00
Location: MK Gallery

Schedule

Fri Oct 18 2024 at 07:00 pm

UTC+01:00

Location

MK Gallery | Milton Keynes, EN

Taking the Stage is back at MK Gallery supporting and celebrating women playwrights. This is our third festival and like our previous two festivals, we have an exciting line up of new plays, discussions and talks.
7pm: Change of Engagement by Carly Halse
Julie D’Aubigny; master of swords, opera diva, bisexual badass…
In 17th Century France Madame D’Aubigny is infamous, known throughout the country for her conquests on both the duelling grounds, and in the boudoir. From cross-dressing, to clashing steel, Julie’s life was as dramatic in reality as her characters on stage. Exploring ideas of “liberté, égalité and sexualité,” the piece questions ideas of gender and sexual identity, whilst it attempts to uncover the truth of Julie’s tumultuous life.
7.30pm: The V-Word by Lisa Stenhouse
Vita Sackville-West was a prolific writer, self-taught gardener, and devoted wife – despite her many affairs with women. Tormented by a vague mood of depression, Vita is alone in her writing room. As she conjures up moments with her beloved husband, the woman who almost destroyed her marriage, and her most famous female friendship, Vita struggles to make sense of her life. Drawing on a plethora of works, from poetry and dream diaries to lectures and novels, The V Word blurs fact with fiction to explore the elusive pursuit of happiness and need for purpose.
8.30pm: Persuasion by Chloe Wade
This brand-new, female-driven production of Jane Austen’s perennial classic text will explore gender roles, class and feminism from a distinctively northern perspective. This work in progress extract will highlight the ‘gig theatre’ grounding of this production, with its strong focus on both narrative and music – with live folk music playing an integral part.
Q&A ‘Do we tell enough LGBTQ stories in theatre?’
Panel: Chloe Todd Fordham (Playwright and Chair), Carly Halse (Actor, Director and Playwright), Lisa Stenhouse (Actor and Playwright), Rosemary Hill (Actor, Director and Playwright)