Suffrage and the Stage is a series of readings of plays written in the 1910s by theatre professionals who campaigned for Votes for Women.

Each evening will include two short one act plays, and one full length play, followed by a discussion.  For the 24^th April the theme is sex, sex education, and the commodification of women’s bodies. The plays are:

• Criminals by George Middleton, first performed at the Fine Arts Theatre in Chicago in 1915
• The Smack by Rose Mathews, first performed at The Royal Court, London, in 1910
• Where Are You Going To? by Cicely Hamilton, intended for the second season of the Woman’s Theatre in London in 1914 but refused a license by the censor.

The plays will be performed by Central’s MA acting students and alumni, directed by Sarah Davey-Hull, and introduced by suffrage theatre historian Dr Naomi Paxton.  Naomi recently curated the Dramatic Progress: Votes for Women and the Edwardian Stage exhibition at the National Theatre, and has edited two volumes of suffrage plays with Methuen Drama.