The second season of Maiden Speech took place between 27 November - 8 December 2020 at Tristan Bates Theatre in Covent Garden. The season consisted of 15 main bill productions, alongside a variety of panel discussions and a scratch night.

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2018 LINE UP

A Sticky Season

By Jack Donald
Drawing on the stories of British playwright Joe Orton and Canadian flight attendant Gaetan Dugas, A Sticky Season explores the intricacies of two controversial queer lives through a queer language of Jazz music and poetry inspired by the Beat Generation.

 

Becoming The Invisible Woman

By Sarah Wanendeya
A woman ‘awakens’ to find herself middle aged, stuck in a rut and confused.  Unsure of where she fits in within a youth-centric society, a chorus of middle aged women urge her to explore her past, reconsider her present and dare to leap open-hearted into an unknown future.

Crystal Bollix presents The Bitch Ball

By Alexandra Christle (as Crystal Bollix)
Welcome to The Bitch Ball. Join drag artist  Crystal Bollix as they discover their ‘Bitch Realness’ in a wildly entertaining fusion of lip-sync, dance, and a lot of audience interaction.

Dirty Laundry

By Wallis Hamilton Felton
'Surely all sins are forgivable? Even the vilest? Even the most unimaginable of sins?' Dirty Laundry weaves together Irish folk music and storytelling to explore hidden stories of the Magdalene Laundries. How far will one woman go to get the one thing she's ever wanted: freedom.

Hear Me Out

By Kayla Feldman
A spoken-word show inspired by pornography, Disney princesses, Hollywood stereotypes, the Leeds club scene, and a conversation about objectification, Hear Me Out explores concepts of womanhood from the broadly political to the deeply personal.

Hero Win

By Anna North
Anna's problem is that she puns. A lot. And it needs to stop. It's just not punny anymore. Hero Win is a solo show about addiction in which Anna battles com-pun-sions, navigating the stress of fighting a habit and 'keeping your mouth shut' when all you want to do is talk.

Lover, Whore or Handmaiden?

By Georgina Armfield
Lover, Whore or Handmaiden? is a vibrant reimagining of the classical canon. Forget the cliches of the femme fatale, the hysterical woman, the love interest. By placing female characters centre stage, we'll show you that damsels can do so much more than be distressed.

Me, Mum & The Patriarchy

By Keeley Lane
Me, Mum & The Patriarchy is a moving and hilarious one-woman show about three generations of Northern women and the irony of choice. With wit and poignancy, it tackles issues of childhood and gender, and explores the question ever-present in the headlines: ‘Can women really have it all?’

Minor Disruptions

By Katie Paterson
Close your eyes. Open your eyes. Listen to me. Play with me. Childhood’s just a big game, right? A simpler time, where the rules are clear and the pressures of adult life don’t exist. Combining comedy, performance art and storytelling, this show offers a fresh perspective on childhood and the power of the audience.

Sincerely, Jodie

By Roxane Bourges

Jodie loves him, sincerely. He doesn’t know she exists. Set in New York, Sincerely, Jodie recounts the downfall of an aimless young woman, stuck in a sexist work environment, whose admiration for a male celebrity turns dangerous. Written in verse and narrated in parts by Robyn, Jodie’s lesbian roommate, the play explores questions of privilege, sexuality, female friendship, pop culture, and love.

The Bitch Manifesto

By Emma Hough
Set in the Legatabitch Jazz Club, where self expression is highly encouraged and the refinement of the proper feminine manner is strictly prohibited, The Bitch Manifesto is a neo-burlesque cabaret queering and subverting the bitch.

The List

By Lucy Park
The List is a solo show based on the true story of a Korean actress who committed suicide after being sexually assaulted by over 30 industry predators. Incorporating traditional Korean music and dance, it is a beautiful and fascinating performance that offers a non-Western perspective on the #MeToo movement.

The Revelation Of A Sad Christian Boy

By Rachel Causer
“Hi. I’m Alex and I’m... and I’m…” What shall I be today? Who should I be? Please, Feel Free to Share is a dark comedy about the growing need to share our entire lives, even if it what we're sharing isn’t always the truth.

 

Tumours

By Ashleigh Laurence
Sheffield, 2018. Jay is about to turn 28. And she reckons she's about to die. She's got it all worked out; when she'll die, how she'll die and why she'll die. It's not all rational but who ever let that get in the way of a premature death fantasy?

When It Happens

By Rachel Causer
It started off as an average day, filled with the usual micro-aggressions and general self-doubt. But at 2.16pm, a strange phenomenon occurred and everything changed. When It Happens is a surreal comedy about three women and standing up to oppression.

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ADDITIONAL EVENTS

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Panel Discussion: Exploring Sexual Assault On Stage
Following performances of Lucy Park’s The List and Kayla Feldman’s Hear Me Out, Maiden Speech will facilitate an open discussion about the ways in which sexual assault can be explored on stage. The event will take the form of an informal discussion led by special guests Emma Hall, Alissa Anne Jeun Yi and Abi Zakarian, as well as Maiden Speech theatre-makers, Kayla Feldman and Lucy Park.

Panel Discussion: Reimagining The Classical Canon
Following a performance of Georgina Armfield’s Lover, Whore or Handmaiden?, Maiden Speech will facilitate an open discussion about the role of the classical canon in today’s theatrical landscape. The event will take the form of an informal discussion led by special guests Emily Aboud, Sherrill Gow, Justin Murray and Hannah Hauer-King, as well as Maiden Speech theatre-maker Georgina Armfield.

Panel Discussion: The Actor As Creator
Theatre-makers from Maiden Speech will facilitate an open discussion on the necessity of performers developing theatre-making skills. They will share insight into the process of creating and developing their shows and audience questions are warmly welcomed. Discussion topics may include the value of working with a theoretical lens, the role of dramaturgy and the value of autonomy as an artist.

Panel Discussion: Playwriting And The Regions
Following performances of Ashleigh Laurence’s Tumours and Keeley Lane’s Me, Mum & The Patriarchy, Maiden Speech will facilitate an open discussion on the industry outside of London. The event will take the form of an informal discussion led by special guests Laura Wyatt O'Keefe and Samantha Robinson, as well as Maiden Speech theatre-makers Ashleigh Laurence and Keeley Lane.

Scratch Night: Coalition
An evening of scratch performances in partnership with three exciting theatre companies championing under-represented voices: Unshaded Arts, Airlock Theatre and Full Disclosure.

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