What does it mean to be a woman in theatre?

Who gets a seat at the table? Whose work do we see on our stages? How does gender shape our world?

Join us as we celebrate the strength and power of women working in the arts with CEO of Mermaids, Susie Green; actor and theatre-maker, Isobel Balchin; and performer and director, Cheryl Martin.

We also hear from Anna Holmes; co-founder of Northern Rascals, about being a woman in dance, learning your self-worth and what it takes to be a freelancer in theatre today.

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A new podcast by Northern Broadsides

Hosted by Shabina Aslam & Millie Gaston

Sound Editing by Alex Colley

Produced by Hallam Breen & Jess Rooney 

This series of eights podcasts, recorded in lockdown, embraces the Northern Voice in all its glory, whether we're exploring disability, migration, class, ethnicity, accent, gender or sexuality, The Northern Voice confounds expectations of what it means to be Northern in the world of arts and culture today.

Each episode has a panel discussion hosted by Shabina Aslam, our Creative Engagement Producer, and a one-to-one interview with a Northern artist, led by local actor Millie Gaston.

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Guest Biographies

Isobel Balchin

Isobel Balchin is an actor/performer, theatre-maker and facilitator originally from Rossendale, Lancashire and now based in Liverpool. She co-founded Mooncup Theatre in 2017. Movement and gender studies are a key part of her practice, with a keen interest in drag performance. Her artistic goal is to break open and shatter the conventions and structures that exist within theatre, arts and society - to take up space and make theatre an inclusive place of an expression for all.  

 Mooncup Theatre is a women led collective, founded in 2017. They met as independent artists sharing work within Liverpool, fuelled by the political climate following Brexit. They aim to provide a bold, political voice that theatrically engages through comedy, physicality, dance and song to promote open conversations, question world views and promote social change. They hope to encourage interconnectivity and understanding between communities by supporting the web of female identifying and queer artists within Liverpool. 

Mooncup: https://www.mooncuptheatre.org/

Susie Green

Susie first got in touch with Mermaids in 1999, when she needed support for herself and her daughter. She then became a trustee and Chair and has held the position of CEO since January 2016. Over the last 4 years, she has helped the charity to reach out to thousands of children, young people and their families. As someone who has worked in the third sector for twenty years, Susie is committed to ensuring that all children are respected and loved unconditionally.

Mermaids: https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/

Cheryl Martin

Cheryl started as a performance poet, became a playwright and radio drama writer, then and most fun, a director. She has been performing solo shows since 2015, based on her own experiences as a suicidal depressive with Borderline Personality Disorder. 

More on Cheryl: https://www.cherylmartin.net/

Anna Holmes

Anna is an experienced choreographer, performer and writer who has collaborated with a range of artists and organisations from renowned musicians, Snow Patrol, to organisations such as the English National Opera, Jasmin Vardimon and York Theatre Royal. Alongside Sam Ford, Anna proudly co-directs Northern Rascals: a multi-disciplinary performance company based in Yorkshire. With their unique blend of theatre and contemporary dance, the company crafts the abstract and absurd to lead the audience to narratives rooted in the current socio-political climate.

Northern Rascals: https://www.northernrascals.com/welcome

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