Bringing back to life theatre about things that have mattered, and matter still.
Celebrating our 40th anniversary, Women & Theatre presented Revival, a series of rehearsed readings of key productions from our archive. Developed from research and buzzing with the energy of real-life experiences, these readings will entertain and provide snapshots of issues, experiences, and viewpoints at specific points over the past 40 years.
Revival ran from Thursday 12 to Saturday 14 October 2023 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Each performance reflected work from a different decade and accompanied by a discussion facilitated our Artistic Director Janice Connolly.
Revive Programme
W&T Revive the 1980s – Putting It About
Set in an imagined high security NHS hotel, Putting It About explores the impact of HIV on women. Putting It About captures the apocalyptic horror of the 1980s’ perceptions of the pandemic. Written in the 80s and set in the 90s, a group of women find themselves quarantined by a faceless government.
W&T Revive the 1990s – Double Bill
A humorous and touching double bill of theatre about women’s health and the value of talking.
Christine Goes to the Doctor – This play and it’s in role discussion ran for years across women’s group in Birmingham and surrounding areas it looks at communication between women and GPs (you could see one in those days).
Touchwood – Sheila is 52, a factory worker, wife and mother who is overworked with no time for herself. She gets an appointment to attend the mobile breast screening unit…..Will she go? Brenda, Noreen, Pauline her hairdresser, and the girl in the Wonderbra advert help her make up her mind!
W&T Revive the 2000s – The Bad One
Combining fairytale and folklore and inspired by ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’, The Bad One is a chilling gothic fable that explores the impact of suppressing natural desires and extreme emotions. Presenting the intriguing story of Jackie – a poor, lonely orphan who lived with her grandmother on the edge of town, The Bad One promises to keep audiences gripped as it magically unfolds into a cautionary tale of unrequited life…
W&T Revive the 2010s – Phyllis
Phyllis is a thought-provoking theatre production that tells the story of one woman and her family’s attempt to navigate the complex system of older people’s care. Phyllis, 80, was managing at home with the help of her family. On one of her daily trips to the shops, she falls and ends up in hospital. We see Phyllis’ decline and her family’s struggle to navigate health and social care systems.
The plays will be released as podcasts in Spring 2024.
