Take Up Space

On International Women’s Day 2018, nine of the Royal Court Theatre’s female employees announced a new series of free workshops and discussions starting in April as part of the #TakeUpSpace movement.

The workshops are created with the aim to further empower women in the arts, to champion the growth of female leadership and to interrogate the current state of creative industries.

All events are free and are open to anyone who identifies as a woman. We have a small capacity for each event so we have limited booking to one ticket per person. Once sold out, you can join the waiting list for each event by emailing the team at takeupspace@royalcourttheatre.com to register your interest. Spaces are likely to become available so please supply your full name, contact email/phone number and which event(s) you would like to be on the waiting list for. We will ask all ticket holders to reconfirm their attendance closer to the time.

Find out more about the workshops below or read our full statement here.

To hear about future work, please sign up to the Royal Court mailing list.

#TAKEUPSPACE SCRIPT CLUB
The last Wednesday of every month
May – September, 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Facilitated by Monica Siyanga, Casting Trainee; Ellie Horne, Literary Assistant; and Romina Ahearne, Assistant to the Executives.

The Script Club meets once a month to discuss a play written by a female playwright. The idea of the sessions is to empower participants with the confidence to express their opinions about the script they’ve read and develop some of the analytical skills used in rehearsal rooms and in programming.

The recurring event will be discussion-based and participants are encouraged to bring their own knowledge of female-led work to the discussion. Participants sign up to each session separately; the play assigned to each session will be advertised in advance. If you have any difficulty acquiring your copy of the play text please e-mail: takeupspace@royalcourttheatre.com

May: Liberian Girl by Diana Nneka Atuona
June: Portia Coughlan by Marina Carr
July: Girl in the Machine by Stef Smith
August: Sweat by Lynn Nottage
September: Yard Gal by Rebecca Prichard

* Day tickets are not available for the #TakeUpSpace Script Club as the event is discussion-based and participants are encouraged to read the plays in advance.

Previous events:

100 YEARS
Mon 16 & Thu 19 April, 6.30pm – 8pm
Facilitated by Ellie Fulcher, Young Court Workshop Leader

This year we celebrate the centenary of the Representation of the People Act in 1918, which gave some women the right to vote – but how do we envision the next 100 years for women?

This workshop invites women of all ages to imagine an ideal future and to propose ways in which we can challenge inequality.

Alongside the workshops, we will also invite women to share their ideas through a series of questions posted on the Royal Court website. The responses will be collated and transformed into a series of stimuli for female writers who will then be invited to create a piece of writing later in the year.

Read facilitator Ellie’s blog here.

WOMEN OFFSTAGE
Sat 26 May, 10am – 12.30pm
Facilitated by Alysha Laviniere, Production Trainee and Alex Constantin, Stage Manager

A workshop showcasing offstage roles for women looking to start a career in theatre. The event will include a brief guided backstage tour following a workshop with members of the Production Department and Stage Management team. It will explore the opportunities available in these departments in order to encourage more women to take up space backstage. Aged 16+

Read facilitators Alysha & Alex’s blog here.

EMPOWERMENT AND TAKING UP SPACE
Sat 23 June, 2pm – 4pm
Facilitated by Jasmyn Fisher-Ryner, Young Court Trainee and Ellie Fulcher, Young Court Workshop Leader

Too often young women are being silenced, patronised or ignored. This workshop creates a space for women aged 14-18 to voice their opinion and ask questions through a series of games, exercises and discussions, so they can be empowered to take up space and be the activists of their own future. Ages 14-18.

PLAY IN A DAY
Sat 7 July, 10am – 5pm
Facilitated by Ellie Horne, Literary Assistant and Milli Bhatia, Trainee Director

A workshop for those who’ve never written a play before, but have a story that they want to tell. No previous writing experience necessary. This aim of this session is that by the end of the day, everyone will have written a short play (20-30 mins) that they will take away with them. Aged 14+.

WOMEN OF COLOUR NETWORKING EVENT
Thu 2 August, 7pm – 9pm
The Site, Royal Court Theatre
Facilitated by Alysha Laviniere, Production Trainee; Monica Siyanga, Casting Trainee; Milli Bhatia, Trainee Director; Jasmyn Fisher-Ryner, Young Court Trainee; and Geraldine Vaughan, Admin & Producing Trainee.

Are you a producer, writer, director or designer seeking collaborators or to simply wish to broaden your network? We invite women of colour to come and talk with each other about their experiences and interests within the arts. This workshop aims to actively look towards, discuss and promote a future where women of colour are taking up more space offstage. It will involve a ‘speed dating’ networking session. For anyone wishing to continue the discussion after the session, we invite you to join us in the Royal Court Bar & Kitchen.

DISCUSSION: ARE QUOTAS HELPFUL OR HARMFUL?
Sat 15 September, 11am – 1.15pm
Facilitated by Milli Bhatia, Trainee Director; Alysha Laviniere, Production Trainee and Ellie Fulcher, Young Court Workshop Leader.

Examining current models and structures that strive for diversity, inclusion and integration, and looking to a possible future. What are the next active steps we need to take in order to diversify our industry? A workshop culminating in break out groups and discussion. Ages 16+