Women's Voices: A Celebration (WVAC) is a pioneering & inspiring festival to coincide with International Women's Day. The event brings together a diverse & exceptional group of female artists from multiple art forms; theatre, music, dance, film, literature, exhibitions, talks, performances & community workshops.
The lineup features a host of remarkable women from various creative disciplines, each distinguished by their unique voices and powerful storytelling.
Here's some of our incredible artists and events:
Emily Mann an award-winning American director and playwright, will bring to the stage a provocative and important work never before seen in England - GLORIA: A LIFE, with Stockard Channing as Gloria Steinem. Mann, a Tony, Obie and multiple award winner, is celebrated for her three-decade leadership at the McCarter Theatre Center and her radical and thought-provoking theatrical productions.
Lisa Forrell is a British award-winning director and writer. She received the Euro Media award for her screenplay, The Journey Home, filmed in Iceland and England in 2023. Currently she is writing, with Myriam Cyr, the dramatic television series entitled Seven Days in Rome, acting in a film: 3Ws, and writing a book entitled David, based on her experiences with Michelangelo's 'David'.
We will be screening 'MADAME IDA' the short film, written and directed by Lisa Forell and starring Naomi Sorkin as IDA, Celia Imrie, Maryam D'Abo and Angélique Rivoux.
Tina Andrews: won the Writers Guild of America (WGA) Award for Outstanding Achievement in Long Form Television, and the NAACP Award for Outstanding Production of a Miniseries of Long Form for her work on this project, as well as the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Achievement in Nonfiction for the book upon which it was based. Tina will present her 4 part CBS Limited Series - Sally Hemings An American Scandal.
Anni Domingo, an established British actress and writer, will present excerpts from her debut novel Breaking the Maafa Chain. Her storytelling reflects her lifelong commitment to creating spaces where underrepresented voices can be heard.
Carol Leeming MBE an influential British writer, poet, and director, will present her highly evocative piece, 'The Dreadful Dance of Ms Iniquity'. Leeming's bold works push artistic boundaries while exploring identity and empowerment.
Aimee Birnbaum RI is inspired by mythic, mystical and historical themes, painting dancers and spirits in pagan settings, or tangoing in 1930's cafes. She collaborates with composers and musicians, and recently her work on the film “Music Shell” was screened at JW3 , Hampstead. An elected member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours she exhibits annually at the Mall Galleries, London.
Aimee has created The Divine Feminine as a special exhibition of paintings for this festival.
Gail Louw is a South African-born British playwright and is known for her intricate and human-centered dramas. Louw's powerful storytelling delves into flawed characters facing extraordinary circumstances.
Jackie Oudney: Award winning director honed her skills as a highly successful commercials director. Her micro-budget feature ‘French Film’ starring Hugh Bonneville and Anne-Marie Duff was recognised for its witty direction and ambition. Her two short films, ‘Station' and ‘Vagabond Shoes’ with its powerful performance by Iain Glen have won a clutch of awards including the Kodak /BAFTA Short Film Showcase and two Scottish BAFTA nominations.
“What I Am” a Film by Jackie Oudney & Q&A after with Artist.
RB8, set up in 2015 by friends Nekisha De Costa and PB Whistle, are a writing duo who tell human stories for both adults and children and will present their play 'The Lost Lombi', a Muse
Theatre Production.
It is RB8's mission to implement the importance of giving back.
Maggie Cole, Harriet Walter and Katherine Dain in a musical evening “Jane Austen & Colette: Writers and Musicians” featuring excerpts from the work of these two iconic female authors.
Maggie Razavi & Natalie Ava Nasr will host a live podcast featuring several esteemed special guests, including some of the talented artists participating in the Women’s Voices Festival. Among the guests is playwright Gail Louw, who will share her insights and experiences.
Kristin Winters is a critically acclaimed theatre maker and founder of Bound By Theatre.
She will present her new work on Hildegard Von Bingen’s life and discuss how she pushes the boundaries of theatre with her bold multidisciplinary work.
Emmett Hughes will debut the play 'Enough', starring Emmett as Toni, with Eve Lamb as director and Jane portrayed by Stephanie Christodoulidou.
Myriam Cyr directs a reading of her play Moving Bodies starring Nicole Ansari-Cox about the unsung life of French 18th century mathematician and physicist Émilie du Châtelet.
Csilla Toldy will screen two of her award winning short films:
Here I stand (2020) commissioned by the Executive Office of Northern Ireland as the public artwork to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi concentration camps.
To My Dear Idealist (2022) . A bi-lingual film based on a poem by Lithuanian prodigy Matilda Olkinaite, who was killed by Lithuanian nazis together with her family in 1941. The film won best cinematography at the European Film Union Gala in 2024.
And many more!
