As we hurtle towards 2016 numerous bodies are unveiling their plans for the centenary. Most of the plans try to be paragons of inclusiveness and embracing true republicanism. Cherishing everybody. Adult and Child. Black and white. Man and woman. Then came the Abbey Theatre’s plans.
Ah, the theatre. The smell of greasepaint. The frisson of danger. Home of great actors and actresses. Strong personalities abound. In the past 30 years women like Garry Hynes, Lyn Parker and Annie Ryan have dominated their field of direction while writers like Carmel Winders, Rosaleen McDonagh and Sonya Kelly have given us some amazing scripts.
The Irish theatre scene is not faceless. Everybody knows everybody. God, they’re luvies. What do you expect?
Back to the Abbey.
For some unfathomable reason, our national theatre decided that their all-singing, all-dancing 1916 programme would forget all these great women writers and producers and went for an all-male programme on its main stage. There is a small play written by Ali White. It takes a minor character from The Plough and the Stars and has her explore what was Dublin really like in 1916 as a sick child. Even then there is a strong argument that Mollser was disabled but I might be splitting hairs here. Both the topic and the female writer were sent to the education strand rather than the main stage.
Was it a brain fart by the Abbey management? There has been an attempt to spin it that way. The ‘we genuinely forgot’ argument was put out there almost immediately by management. This only happened because the #wakingthefeminists gained traction and a massive backlash against the Abbey began. The social media campaign gained global recognition with renowned actor Meryl Streep being pictured with the hashtag written on a piece of paper.
@andygreenwald NICE JOB BARANSKI! (And Streep) supporting equality for Irish women writers. RT? #WakingTheFeminists pic.twitter.com/tjgjEeO6gk
— Lisa Tierney-Keogh (@lisatk) November 12, 2015
That reached a crescendo this afternoon when the Abbey threw its doors open to female theatre practitioners. It was quite a sight as those attending gathered outside for a group photo. At short notice, they filled up the premises on Marlborough St. Then the group moved into the auditorium and we heard voices telling stories of producing great work.
Board member of @AbbeyTheatre Dee Kinahan says she always felt she labored under a gender bias #WakingTheFeminists pic.twitter.com/RtjT0NJtMd
— Orla Barry (@orla_barry) November 12, 2015
One contributor observed that if they "were great scientists, we would have been given laptops on the way in". Another, like Carmel Winders, said she still felt isolated even when they were 'in the tent'. These were stories which needed telling. Actors, producers, choreographers all shared pride in their work yet all their testimonies were tinged with sadness because they felt that often they were not listened to. Until today. It was a game-changer. As a man, should I even describe it? Go search out those voices. Allow them wash over you. Let them wake you up.
And then Fiach MacChonaile spoke. He was truly sorry. He promised to LISTEN. That's all any of us can ask for. Listen to us. When you do, things change. Today things changed. Women awoke but when women wake, we all become more alive.
Thank you, sisters.
