Taking the Stage 2024 - Opening & Keynote
This was our third festival celebrating women playwrights and directors. Our first took place in September 2019 and the second in March 2022. Feedback told us you wanted more. We were encouraged to build on the great successes of the previous festivals and expand with more plays, discussions, talks and workshops. This festival is therefore longer than the others – four days of plays instead of three with an incredible line up of nine new plays, a newly devised piece by students from Milton Keynes Youth Theatre Company and the usual exciting line up of discussion panels, workshops and keynote speeches. Like the previous festivals our aim was to tell hidden stories. This third festival was opened with a keynote speech by Winsome Pinnock, followed by a performance of “ In A Key Of Her Own” by Suzette Coon and “ Fifty Cups Of Tea” By Rosemary Hill. A panel Q & A chaired by Lynda Rooke, President Of Equity closed the evening.
Winsome Pinnock
Winsome Pinnock is an award winning playwright for stage, radio, film and television. Her writing is daring, often mystical and keenly observant. She is also particularly skilled at dramatizing previously unseen angles of events and characters based in fact and history. Winsome is currently under commission to The Royal Court, The National Theatre. Headlong and to New York Theatre Workshop as winner of the inaugural Golden and Ruth Harriis commission.
Rosemary Hill - Curator, Producer and Director
Rosemary first worked as an English and Drama teacher and then trained as an actor at the Drama Studio, London. She worked briefly on the London fringe before accepting a job at the BBC as a director and producer where she worked for twelve wonderful years in radio and TV and in both drama and documentary. Her work took her all over the world, often working in challenging environments making programmes about controversial issues such as FGM, HIV and motherhood, maternal health, women’s rights and girls’ education in developing countries. She went freelance in 1999 and continues to work in the media where she has produced award winning programmes for BBC World Service and BBC Education. She has also made several short films. Her first love though is the theatre and she founded The Play’s The Thing Theatre Company in 2008. Rosemary has wide experience in directing ranging from Shakespeare, Ibsen and Chekhov to more modern classics such as Abigail’s Party by Mike Leigh and of course plays by remarkable women playwrights such as Shelagh Delaney Bryony Lavery, Caryl Churchill and Timberlake Wertenbaker. She has also directed new work and is passionate about creating more opportunities for women playwrights, directors and actors. Rosemary is also very interested in mental health and in 2018 she qualified as a psychotherapeutic counsellor after three years of training. She has worked for Mind and YiS (Youth Counselling). She now works for Bodhi Space and has a private practice. Rosemary is a member of Stage Directors UK and Equity.
Excellent. Please do more! It’s a voice representing the views of many, but which rarely get expressed in the mainstream.
Ground breaking, innovative, diverse and inclusive. Well done!
Wonderful and inspirational to hear from so many great women.
Excellent and so thought provoking.
A great opportunity to listen to women who are passionate about women having recognition and a voice. Learnt a lot about the inequalities of prejudice faced by women in the arts and the struggles of people who have disabilities.
Very encouraging to see the creative work of so many women “backstage” and “front”. Nationally the commercial theatre needs to take up the baton from events like these. Great to have a festival like this locally.
Amazing diverse festival. Talented performers and great scripts.
Beautiful acting and writing, tackling difficult subject matter. So engaging and informative.
Very interesting and informative. Helps one understand and challenge one’s own ideas and attitudes. There should be more of this!
I shall now go away and research the characters in the plays that were real events!
Really enjoyed all the plays!
Made to feel so welcome. Great Stuff!
First night – great two plays and a very strong panel.
This is such a wonderful event. So valuable to the community.
Please keep this up! Keep it going!
Keynote speech by Winsome Pinnock was so interesting.
This was so good. It should be shown in schools across the city.
Absolutely loved “ Change Of Engagement.” Funny, witty, poignant and brilliantly performed.
“The V Word” – so beautifully written. Stylish and poetic and tied in so well with MK Gallery’s new exhibition on Vanessa Bell. I was lucky to fit in both!
“In A Key Of Her Own” So enjoyed this play, just perfectly put together and brilliant cast!
Carly Halse
“In A Key Of Her Own” - well written and acted, thought provoking and very true. So good to promote female artists.
“In A Key Of Her Own” – the skill of the playwright and actors in relaying the two story lines using minimal props was impressive and powerful as well as extremely enjoyable!
“Fifty Cups of Tea”. Great scratch piece. I now want to know more. What a good idea for powerful women today!
“Two Weigh Ins And A Funeral” - Brilliant play. I go to a Slimmers’ World Club and this was so realistic. I just wanted to keep clapping!
“Two Weighs Ins And A Funeral” So funny and enjoyable!
“Two Weigh Ins And A Funeral – Full of emotions. I was laughing one minute and crying the next and then laughing again.
Taking the Stage 2024 - a festival of women in theatre back for its third outing. At the MK Gallery until and including Saturday. What a wonderful opportunity to chat with amazing industry professionals including Equity President Lynda Rooke, Polly Kemp from ERA 50:50, playwrights Winsome Pinnock and Suzette Coon plus Jenny Sealey OBE of Graeae Theatre Company. Two plays were showcased tonight "In a Key of Her Own" and "Fifty Cups of Tea" - both short but thought-provoking and there are further chances to see them on the final day. Anyone with any connection to theatre, professional or amateur, on-stage or off, within travel distance of central MK should really find time to attend at least one evening of this amazing festival - good content and wonderful networking.
Shirley Jones
"Spectacular. Ground breaking. Innovative. Engaging. Entertaining. Thought provoking. With a stimulating and enlightening discussion. Clearly right high up in the top ten of the most effective and successful events you’ve produced.”
Neil Beardmore
Opening
