This week, the York Theatre Royal is holding the third annual ‘TAKEOVER’ festival, allowing York St John University students to host their own events.
According to the York Theatre Royal, Takeover exists to give young people the opportunity to gain valuable real life work experience along with support and mentoring from professionals, while having the freedom to produce a large-scale arts festival.
Many of the students’ performances this year have strong themes surrounding women’s experiences throughout history and highlight the struggles of female adolescence.
The importance of these messages are further emphasised on the 15th of May, ‘Women’s Day’. The York Theatre Royal states that ‘This day is to empower women and to show that all women are powerful and celebrate all for who they are’.
After contacting some students involved in Takeover this year, it is apparent what a rewarding experience it is: “In the production management group, we have been able to have a hands-on experience in how to manage different backstage and technical aspects of a show and festival”
Furthermore, students have also described the importance of theatre as conversation starters: “… you are able to highlight important factors and sometimes sensitive topics and make an audience member think and talk about the performance, leading to more conversations about said themes.”
Three specific performances during Takeover that focus on these themes are:
–Misery Loves:The Women of Whitechapel- Wednesday 15 May 11am– A musical exploring the lives of Jack the Ripper’s five victims, allowing audiences to discover who they were and what their lives were like, outside of being a victim.
–Blushed: Our Fault, Never Their Fault- Wednesday 15 May 12pm– A journey following Zoe and Kara as they become women, showing a genuine and authentic outlook on the struggles of being a woman. However, the musical shows the funny side of these experiences, giving a sense of unity and strength.
-Verbal Theatre: Foundations- Friday 17 May- An interactive audience experience that utilises audio recordings, spoken word and live performance to advocate for women and girls voices to be heard as stories are shared.
