Josephine Balfour-Oatts turns the spotlight on three leading arts-based charities to support right now; kindness isn’t just for Christmas.
Inside Bitch at the Royal Court. Photo: Tristam Kenton
Clean Break
“Our vision is of a society where women can achieve their full potential, free from unjust criminalisation and imprisonment.”
Founded in 1979 by Jenny Hicks and Jackie Holborough, feminist theatre company Clean Break celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Its roots began whilst the pair were inmates of HMP Aksham Grange, with the organisation growing further still upon their release. Clean Break uses theatre in order to support and share stories of women with experience of the criminal justice system and its failings. Since its inception, Clean Break remains the only artistic body of its kind, connecting with vulnerable women through workshop and project-based efforts in prisons and the wider community. That their work identifies as female-centric is crucial – an expression of the inequalities faced by women offenders compared to their male counterparts. Recent examples of their ground-breaking productions include [BLANK]at the Donmar Warehouse and Inside Bitch at the Royal Court, with Yasmin Joseph’s Inside This Box bound for the Omnibus and Arcola Theatres in February.
For more information, please see here.
Arts Emergency
“Our mission is to help marginalised young people overcome barriers to participation and success in higher education and the creative and cultural industries.”
An award-winning mentoring charity and network, Arts Emergency began as a response to those young people most affected by rising tuition fees and cuts to arts education. Set up in 2013 by comedian Josie Long and campaigner Neil Griffiths, the company is now a 7,000-strong team of creative professionals supporting under-privileged and marginalised persons. Their work spans London, Greater Manchester and Kent, with the best part of their mentee’s going on to secure places in higher education, in addition to apprenticeships and employment across the cultural sector. In time, Arts Emergency hope to expand their reach across the whole of the UK.
For more information, please see here.
ERA 50:50
“ERA 50:50 wants to see women represented on screen, in television and theatre in equal numbers to men. Equal Representation for Actresses, for Audiences, for All. Equal means 50:50.”
Set up in 2015 by Lizzie Berrington and Polly Kemp, ERA (Equal Representation for Actresses) 50:50 began life as a reaction to Geena Davis’ Gender Bias Without Borders, an institute publication report revealing a devastating lack of female representation in the media. Their campaign aims to implement an equal gender balance in regards to representation and pay across Britain’s stages, big and small screens by 2020. Despite the UK comprising of 51% women and 49% men, the cultural sector disfigures this statistic through a reduced female presence, in addition to limiting women’s agency and sense of worth. Parity in this instance is key if a healthy social body is to be achieved – most worrying is the lack of upward trajectory in recent years, but that’s where you come in.
For more information, please see here.
This week, West End Editor Josephine Balfour-Oatts leafs through the National Theatre's My Brilliant Friend. Here's why this book-based adaptation is worth booking.