Works by Bola Agbaje, Moira Buffini, Marie Jones, et al. Part of Tricycle Theatre’s Women, Power and Politics Series

Tricycle Theatre has announced a lineup of 12 short plays that will be presented under the umbrella of Women, Power and Politics, which will run June 4-July 17. Indhu Rubasingham will direct the pieces, which will feature design by Rosa Maggiora.

The series has two parts. Then, which examines the historical aspects of women and politics, and Now, which takes a more contemporary focus. The two parts will be performed on alternate evenings, with an opportunity to see parts 1 and 2 back-to-back on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Then will include Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s The Lioness about Queen Elizabeth I; Marie Jones’ The Milliner and the Weaver about two women in Dublin’s Suffragette movement; Moira Buffini’s Battle of the Bags, centering on frosty relations between Margaret Thatcher and the Queen; and Lucy Kirkwood’s musing on Greenham Common protesters, Bloody Wimmin.

The Now program will feature Joy Wilkinson’s Acting Leader, about Margaret Beckett’s attempt to lead Labour after John Smith’s death; Bola Agbaje’s Student Association-centered Playing the Game; Zinnie Harris’ The Panel, questioning how appointments are decided; Sam Holcroft’s drama about a self-made millionaire businesswoman, The Pink; and Sue Townsend’s You, Me and Wii, set in council house where a canvasser wants to encourage the women to vote.

The series will also feature shorts plays by young playwrights Lydia Adetunji, Abbie Spallen and David Watson. And there will be a series of verbatim monologues based on interviews conducted by Gillian Slovo with politicians, such as Oona King, Edwina Currie, Clare Short, Ann Widdecombe, and Chloe Smith, as well as Baronesses Pauline Neville-Jones and Shirley Williams.

For further information, visit: www.whatsonstage.com.