Trafford

In Trafford, Tandem Theatre worked with two youth organisations, the Trafford Youth Cabinet ran by Trafford Council and the Saturday Challenge group at Gorse Hill Studios.

The Youth Cabinet aims to enable the young people of Trafford to have a voice for their community and focus on youth related issues. Saturday Challenge provides inclusive sessions such as sport by Sport Works and creative activities by Gorse Hill Studios. The Game Changers project was split between the two groups where the Youth Council focused more on debating and women’s suffrage history, the Saturday Challenge group focused on more creative aspects such as poetry writing, T shirt printing and music. Through taking part in the project the young people grew in confidence and became better team players.

“It gave me more confidence to speak out in the group and I’m interesting it pursuing leadership opportunities in the future.” Trafford Youth Cabinet member.

LEARNING FROM THE PAST

The group received guided tours of Archives + at Manchester Central Library where they handled the women’s suffrage collection and The People’s History Museum to see the wider context of women’s suffrage.

RECREATING THE PAST

In the arts and crafts workshops the group recreated suffragist materials such as a protest banner, rosettes, sashes, leaflets, booklets and badges. For more information on how suffragists used these materials click here.

The group researched Lady Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence and the power of her innovative ideas to promote women’s suffrage e.g. a new young women’s group where dance was allowed and a publication. The Game Changers then decorated a giant jigsaw piece in the shape of the Trafford borough with an image of Pethick-Lawrence as well as newspaper clippings of women’s suffrage.

For more information about Lady Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence click here.

The group recreated the 1908 Manchester Women’s Suffrage Demonstration 1908 by marching down Lark Hill Place (a replica Victorian street at Salford Museum and Art Gallery) in costume wearing their sashes and displaying their banner.

For International Women’s Day the group displayed all their fantastic work at Sale Library and their lead artist ran suffragist themed making activities throughout the day.

APPLYING THE PAST TO TODAY

The group then applied what they had learnt about the suffragist campaign methods and applied it to today. Focusing on current issues the group felt most impacted them; they developed their own campaign through taking part in a series of workshops such as debating, marketing, music, spoken word, corporate sponsorship and T-shirt printing

For more information about these methods of campaigning click here.

These set of sessions also provided content for the groups to share at the recreation of the 1912 Women’s Suffrage Bazaar. The group really enjoyed the debate and discussion panel and made some insightful contributions and questions.

ASSOCIATE LEAD ARTIST - Helen Newman

Helen Marie Newman is an Artist making sculptural and wall based ceramic art. She predominantly uses porcelain and often combines small porcelain pieces with other materials such as textiles, to explore stories and human relationships with the handmade.