Banging the drum for all women everywhere
SHE BANGS THE DRUMS Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester
CONTACT Young Company working with the brilliant women of Sh!t Theatre and the People’s History Museum was always going to be an intriguing project.
She Bangs The Drums explores and celebrates the history of the suffragettes and Manchester’s rich heritage of radical politics. One hundred years since The Representation of the People Act gave women partial voting rights, this explosion of passion and energy would have been applauded by the Pankhursts.
The setting feels almost church-like with industrial beams and brick archways which are used to great effect with projections and bicycles adorned with twinkling lights flitting past.
A band called Powerful Women are tucked in an archway and are central to much of the performance providing great music and vocals. There is drama, poetry, spoken word, dance, comedy and so much more.
This is a show packed with all the elements that showcase the wide range of skills at CYC. With a sound creative team including Cheryl Martin and Keisha Thompson and inspired direction the result is cohesive and balanced.
Packed full of historical facts such as the brutal force-feeding of prisoners and current references to #MeToo and #BringBackOurGirls, this is a trip from the lethal hatpin in a suffragette’s hat to the rape alarm in my daughter’s schoolbag. Cheeky, charming and incredibly poignant, this is a celebration of women everywhere, past and present.
She Bangs the Drums runs until March 11 at the Museum of Science and Industry. Visit contactmcr.com