In the weekend leading up to International Women’s Day on Sunday 8 March, Lancaster Arts City will be hosting its first Hear Me Roar! weekender as part of March 2015’s First Friday programme and in collaboration with the Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies at Lancaster University.
The festival will celebrate the achievements of women past, present and future. It will also seek to inspire change and strive to spark positive conversations on achieving equality.
Share your experiences with the hashtag #hearmeroar.
Here’s the full Hear Me Roar! programme for the 3 days. Please follow the title links for more details. Events are free unless prices stated.
FRIDAY 6 MARCH
11am – 5pm – Politics of Popular Culture 1 day workshop
Organised by the Centre for Gender & Women’s Studies. On feminism, bodies and cultural politics – The Storey Lecture Theatre. Includes lunch. Free but advance registration required. Register here.
5.30pm – Bush Rush flashmob – Market Square
Not that kind of bush but a Kate Bush flashmob performing the epic dance routine to the song Wuthering Heights will be gathering in Market Square on Friday 6 March from 5pm and the dance will take place at 5.30pm followed by some delightful songs from local ladies choir Dot Crotchet and the Raging Harmonies
To take part, you can turn up on the day, or attend rehearsals in advance at the Gregson Centre on 24 February between 7:30 & 8:30pm and 4 March at the same time.
6.15pm – The Secret Life of You and Me by Lowri Evans – A heartwarming show about life, love, meanings and memory in The Dukes Gallery £8/£6
7.15pm – Hear Me Roar! Triple Bill – Storey Auditorium
The Frolicks: The Rose Company, Lancaster’s all-female classical theatre company, present a rehearsed reading of extracts from The Frolicks by Elizabeth Polewheele. Written in 1671, this is a hugely entertaining Restoration comedy with a feminist edge.
Jack Heaton – No woman, no cry: This funny new short play by Jack Heaton takes a sideways look at a big question.
Eggs Collective Get A Round (10mn extract): explores friendship, kindness and belonging against the backdrop of a big night out. Then follow the Manchester trio into the the night as they take you to the next event: Drunken Nights
Entry is on a first come, first serve basis on the night and £Pay What You Decide
8.30pm – Drunken Chorus: Drunken Nights III – Wagon and Horses
Performances inspired by the Great British Pub; from standup comedy and karaoke, to pub quizzes, live music and dance floor shenanigans. Free
SATURDAY 7 MARCH
8pm – Amy & Rosanna Cade present Sister – Storey Auditorium
Amy and Rosana are sisters. They are both feminists. In Sister they present a bold and unflinching examination of themselves: their family bonds, shared experiences, and the differing paths their lives have taken, weaving together their autobiographical stories of growing up. Free. Book here. 18+
8pm – This Is The Kit + Rozi Plain – More Music, Morecambe
Featuring the Kate Staples band ‘This is the Kit’ and solo artist Rozi Plain.
Advance tickets £10 (£7 concs). Door tickets £12 (£9 concs).
9pm – Mother’s Ruin – Juke Joint (formerly the Lord Ashton)
Mother’s throwing an unpredictable party in a Lancaster pub with pop-up performances showcasing female artists working in music, comedy, drag and cabaret. With DJs performing throughout the night, it’s the perfect way to let your hair down and toast a truly magnificent festival.
Tickets: £6 / £5
SUNDAY 8 MARCH
8pm – Ovid’s Heroines by Clare Pollard – The Gregson
Poet Clare Pollard’s new free verse translation (just published by Bloodaxe Books) rediscovers Ovid’s Heroines for the 21st Century, bringing to life a cast of women who are brave, bitchy, sexy, horrifying, heartbreaking and surprisingly modern.
Tickets £10 / £8 from www.litfest.org or Lancaster Visitor Information Centre.
9 – 23 MARCH
Hear Me Roar! Significant Sentences – Lancaster city centre
a project by artist Sue Flowers, with local businesswomen, creating visual representations of what it means to be a woman for shop windows…
Meanwhile, back at the Castle
All this may come as disturbing news to the Duchy of Lancaster who celebrated their own take on gender equality at Lancaster Castle this week by advertising two special fantasy sexism sessions for children aged 4-11 years as follows:
PRINCESS WORKSHOP
http://www.lancastercastle.com/event/Princess-Workshops
16th February 2015
Join us for a magical Princess workshop! Create your very own Princess wand, tiara and mirror. We invite you to come along in your best Princess dress to make the accessories that match!
PRINCE WORKSHOP
http://www.lancastercastle.com/event/Prince-Work-shop
20th February 2015
Join us to design your very own coat of Armour, sword, helmet or shield at Lancaster Castle . We invite you to come along in your best Prince or Knights costume and we will help you create your very own personalised Armour.
At this rate and in the same vein, it shouldn’t be too long before children will be able to enjoy colour-coded ‘Trader’ & ‘Slave’ fantasy workshops at the Castle, celebrating ethnic diversity the old-school way. ‘Heretics’ & ‘Hangmen’ could also teach some interesting lessons on proactively tackling religious differences.
If you have any other suggestions for children’s workshops at the Castle, we have no doubt they’d be delighted to hear them.