Theatre: I’ll Say It Again – Tara Theatre SW18
An off-West End theatre in London is to commemorate 100 years of women’s right to vote by putting on a female-led season.
Tara theatre in Earlsfield is set to host a season that is centred around women and their role in society.
The series called I’ll Say It Again not only celebrates women’s liberation but it also gives a voice to the minorities who are so often overlooked.
Creative director of Tara, Jatinder Verma, said: “From the beginning Tara gave a voice to underrepresented people in our society.
“Women gained the right to vote only a century ago, which is not that long if you think about it, and last year’s celebration felt like the right time for taking a step towards making the theatre more inclusive.”
About 20 plays are scheduled for this year’s season and, unlike traditional theatre, they represent a widest spectrum of diversity.
Tara was founded in 1977 and its inaugural production was Sacrifice, an anti-war play.
The founders had a clear mission to “make imaginative connections across cultures through theatre”.
Tara has always been known for its cultural diversity and promoting multiculturalism and its new season is no exception.
Mr Verma said: “Theatre is often considered to be very liberal in its ideology, and to an extent it is, but it is not representative of our society as a whole but that is starting to change.”
Mr Verma said his goal was to see how far he could push the boundaries of traditional theatre and he insists that inclusivity is just one of the many hurdles theatre professionals face.
He said: “For us funding is a very big issue. The Government started cutting funding the arts not 60 years ago and in times of financial crisis, it is the first grant to be cut without thought.
“This needs to change, the theatre gives a chance for people to escape even if it’s just for a little while and it brings people together.”
I’ll Say It Again Tara Theatre, 356 Garratt Lane, Earlsfield SW18 4E until June 1. Call 020 8333 4457 for tickets.