Hear My Voice was a Shallal Dance Theatre project to celebrate the centenary of the first UK general election where some women could vote
We found lots of different ways to inspire work for the show, including the stories of one cast member's grandmother and great grandmother and The Great Suffragists Pilgrimage March from Land’s End to London 1913. We visited Hypatia Trust (center for women's research) in Penzance to learn about the role of women in Cornwall in the campaign for universal suffrage.
The show was performed at St Peter's Hall Newlyn on 14th December 2018 on the centenary day itself and then again at the Hypatia Trust and Falmouth Library early in 2019.
The project was funded by the Women's Vote Centenary Grant Scheme.
The show at St Peter's Hall included an invited audience of young people and people with support needs. The event was designed to raise awareness of the value of our voting rights in the UK and to encourage debate. A lively discussion with tea and cake followed the performance.
Our audience said:
Watching the performance, I felt very grateful and emotional that those women did that. How my life could be so very different if they had not!
An extraordinary beautiful and clear exposition about horrific disadvantage a century ago
It brought to life the struggles of the women in my family through the generations
Thank you very much for the amazing performance of dance and poetry to celebrate 100 years of women getting the vote
The performances were sincerely and movingly done and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The message came across loud and clear. Well done everyone!
Beautifully put together
Very moving, exhilarating and refreshing
Really enjoyed the connections verbally, physically and emotional
