Why we celebrate women in theatre

On 8th March we will be celebrating International Women’s Day. A day to highlight and celebrate women’s achievements across every sector and recognise the barriers that still exist in stopping women reach their full potential.

As we always say, focussing on women and our superpowers shouldn’t be limited to just one day. It should be happening every day. The conversation is too important.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme, ‘Give to Gain’ -  ‘encourages a mindset of generosity and collaboration’. This campaign theme is one we uphold in our work.

At The Play’s The Thing, we are proud to actively support women in the theatre sector and our work. From performers and creatives to production teams and backstage roles, we are committed to ensuring women are represented.

We champion female talent of all ages, support working parents, and create opportunities and environments to help women grow and feel empowered.

From our Taking the Stage festivals and professional and community productions to our workshops with young people and partnership projects, we give women of all ages the opportunity to take the stage to share their stories and have their voices heard. We do it, not for recognition, but because it is the right thing to do for women and for our industry.

For us, gender parity is about fairness, recognising talent and giving opportunities to the people best suited for the job. We ensure we have gender parity in all our productions.

Men have outweighed women in certain roles within theatre for too long, especially the more senior and technical positions. With the archaic assumptions that men are a better fit for most roles and more reliable, and women with families are seen as less committed or lack ambition - these ridiculous ideas restrict opportunity for women and risk their talent. 

The idea behind ‘Give to Gain’ is powerful. When we give women access to opportunities, fair pay, and supportive working conditions, we gain skilled professionals with diverse creative voices and important stories to tell. 

Theatre is unique. It shapes how audiences see the world, it educates, it highlights real lives and real experiences, and it allows us to see ourselves and our peers. When women are visible, heard, valued, and supported, it shows us and the future generation of theatre makers that our voices matter. 

To celebrate International Women’s Day this year, The Play’s The Thing is performing a short drama sketch at Stantonbury Theatre on Saturday 7th March with Alina Orchestra’s “I Am Woman”.  

Over the last year, we have produced several ‘Talking Head’ monologues by Alan Bennett and have worked with local female actors and costume makers to bring these pieces to life. Very recently our Artistic Director performed “ An Evening With Queen Victoria”. We are proud to have now raised £4,000 for the restoration of York House in Stony Stratford from show ticket sales. 

In May 2025 we performed ‘A Taste of Honey’ by Shelagh Delaney at Stantonbury Theatre and worked with a professional cast and production team. 

By working in collaboration with young people through a variety of workshops and projects, we have given them the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in the industry. 

We also take the time to show our support for other artists and theatre companies in the community to publicise their shows. If we work together to shout about each other’s work, then the entire community and industry benefits. 

This International Women’s Day, we will reaffirm our commitment to giving opportunities to invest in the future of our industry. 

By continuing to give, we continue to gain.

How will you be celebrating this International Women’s Day?