Heroines of history
A new musical celebrates courageous women who inspired change.
“W ell-behaved women rarely make history,” says one of the characters in the musical called Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World, which is appearing in theatres across the UK. The world we live in has been shaped by some incredible, and not always well-behaved women, whether artists, campaigners, nurses, scientists or writers.
Some of the women are very famous but others’ stories have been almost forgotten. The musical brings these women to life, reminding the audience of their brilliant achievements in a musical filled with pop songs.
Jade, the main character, visits a museum with her class and discovers the Gallery of Greatness. In this magical place she meets inspiring women from history, including scientist Marie Curie and pilot Amelia
Earhart. The 18th century British writer, Jane Austen (see box), tells Jade “no one else sees the world like you do, and that is fantastic.”
The musical is based on a book by author Kate Pankhurst. She is actually related to one of the women featured in the musical, the famous political activist Emmeline Pankhurst. In the early 20th century, Emmeline campaigned for women in the UK to have the right to vote in elections. She died in 1928, soon after some women were finally granted equal voting rights to men.
Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World is suitable for people aged 7+, and is on at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff from 17 to 21 January. After that, it will travel around England and appear in six more towns and cities.