About

We’ve come a long, long way
From the past to the present day
Independent women made their mark
They took brave steps on our behalf

Education a priority
Political reform, a vote for you and me
Birth control, freedom from the home
Joined in no-one’s image but their own

Manchester women
Got a voice of their own
Standing together, we’re never alone
Recognition they deserve
Their spirit we’ll preserve
And we’re here. To make them known

We’re women of a new century
And we’re here to be taken seriously
Women to be seen and heard
Hang on to our every word

The future moves on with dignity
Continuing to fight, for equality
There ain’t no mountain we can’t climb
This is the place and now is the time

"Strong Manchester Women" Lyrics

Heaven: Courage calls to courage everywhere and its voice cannot be denied. (Millicent Garret Fawcett)

Charli: Take courage, join hands, stand beside us, fight with us. (Christabel Pankhurst)

Esohe: Deeds not words!

Mariam: We don’t want to be lawbreakers, we want to be lawmakers.

Chelsea: What draws men and women together is stronger than the brutality and tyranny which drive them apart.

Chloe: Women’s will beats Asquith’s wont!

Hebe: Taxation without representation is a tyranny.

Zahra: Standing together, women shall take their lives in their own keeping.

Holly: First in the fight!

Selina: I do not wish women to have power over men, but over themselves

Catherine: Never give up, never surrender!

Shanena: Forward sister women, onward ever more
Bondage is behind you, freedom is before!

Call & response

Nicola: Political justice!

Heaven: Courage cannot be denied.

Charli: Fight with us.

Esohe: Deeds not words!

Mariam: We want to be lawmakers.

Turning Tides - Opening Sequence

Da da da…

We are in the darkness looking for a way to make it bright
Looking for a way to light up the night
We're no longer hidden, we're no longer hidden, we're no longer hidden

We want better, better than this
We won't lose or be dismissed
We can't be broken by an unjust fist
We're no longer hidden, we're no longer hidden, we're no longer hidden

We're shaking up a nation
With our grit and determination
We'll enjoy our liberation
When we're no longer hidden, we're no longer hidden, we're no longer hidden

Enough is enough
It's time to get tough
We won't tire
We're on fire
And the flames are getting higher and higher and higher
We're no longer hidden…

Turning Tides - Suffragette Rap

Long ago stories were told
Some lost in years gone by
Women forgotten all too often
Or their truth replaced by a lie

Now the time has come
And we've begun
To let the voiceless have their say
Let them speak up from yesterday
We're rolling with them on a tidal wave

Chorus:
You can try to take the wind out of our sails
But everybody in the past has failed
We won't fall or drown in stormy seas
We'll turn the tide and side by side
Reveal her hidden histories

One by one in a world long gone
Women stood tall together
Held their ground against the sound
Of those who damned them forever

Now the time has come and we've begun
To let the voiceless have their say
Let them speak up from yesterday
We're rolling with them on a tidal wave

Chorus x 4

Turning Tides - Final Song

Heaven: 1792 - Mary Wollstonecraft writes A Vindication of Rights
Of Women, a leaflet on women’s rights.

Writing pose

Hebe: 1832 - Mary Smith presents the first women’s suffrage petition to parliament.

Right hand out

Charli: 1866 - John Stuart Mill presents a women’s suffrage petition to the House of Commons.

Pass round the circle

Holly: 1880 - Demonstrations are held around the country in support of women’s suffrage.

‘Votes for women!’ – right hand up & stamp

Shanena: 1897 - The National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) is founded with Millicent Garret Fawcett as its leader.

Hands on hips

Esohe: 1903 - The Women’s Social & Political Union (WSPU) is formed in Emmeline Pankhurst’s Manchester home.

Cups of tea

Nicola: 1905 - Christabel Pankhurst and Annie Kenney, are thrown out of a Liberal Party meeting in Manchester.

Right hand pointing gesture

Extensive newspaper coverage of their arrest makes women’s suffrage the issue of the moment.

Typewriters

Selina: 1907 - Hannah Mitchell is arrested for heckling politicians during a public meeting at the Free Trade Hall.

Turn to right, handcuffs behind back

Mariam: 1908 - More than 50,000 people attend a Suffragette Rally held in Heaton Park, Manchester.

Begin marching

Emmeline Pankhurst obstructs a tram.

Right hand in front

Zahra: 1909 - Suffragettes go on hunger strike whilst in prison. They are subjected to force-feeding.

Hands on throat, looking up

Catherine: 1912 - The ‘wild period’ begins. Arson attacks, broken windows and other militant acts are used by the WSPU in their campaign for the vote.

Strike and throw match ‘pow!’

Chelsea: 1913 (April) - Annie Briggs, Lillian Forrester and Evelyn Manesta, shatter the glass on 14 expensive paintings at Manchester Art Gallery.

Two handed hammer ‘smash!’

Chloe: 1913 (June) - Emily Davison is fatally injured when she steps in front of the King’s horse at the Epsom Derby.

Step back off platform, heads down.

SONG

Turning Tides - Timeline Sequence

1919: On 1st December, Lady Astor becomes the first woman to take her seat in the House of Commons.

1920: Women at Oxford University are allowed to receive degrees for the first time.

1926: The Young Suffragists deliver a petition to the Prime Minister’s house.

They follow this up with a break-in at Buckingham Palace, in an attempt to present a letter to the King.

1928: The Equal Franchise Act gives women over the age of 21 the right to vote, meaning they finally achieve the same voting rights as men.

This act increases the number of women eligible to vote to 15 million.

The 1930s: Working women are being paid half as much as men in the same jobs and many women are forced to give up work when they marry. It is impossible to continue working once you have children.

1948: The National Health Service is introduced, creating many job opportunities for women but wages are still much lower than men’s.

1958: Women can now become members of the House of Lords.

1965: Barbara Castle is appointed Minister of Transport, becoming the first female minister of state. She is later responsible for the introduction of breathalysers, compulsory seatbelts and national speed limits.

1970: The Equal Pay Act makes it illegal to pay women lower rates than men for the same work.

1980: Women can apply for a loan or credit card in their own name for the first time.

1995: Pauline Clare becomes Britain’s first female chief constable in Lancashire.

Holly: In 2002, I was born.

Charli: In 2003, I was born.

Esohe: Me too.

Mariam: So was I.

Shanena: Moi aussi!

Catherine: Me too.

Nicola: In 2004, I was born

Zahra: And me.

Selina: Same, yay!

Chloe & Heaven: We were born in 2005!

All push back.

Esohe: Now it’s 2018.

Selina: British women earn nearly a fifth less than their male colleagues…

Charli: Effectively working for free for 67 days of the year.

Catherine: Women are 4 times more likely than men to give up paid work…

Nicola: To do unpaid care work.

Chloe: The value of the unpaid care provided by women in the UK is estimated to be…

All: £77 billion a year.

Shanena: And that is why the fight goes on.

All fold arms

Turning Tides - Closing Sequence

“Storms, surging floods, wind-swept moors, lightning and terrific thunder…

…sweep me away in surging streams…”

Annie Kenney, ‘Memories of a Militant.’

In 1918, the Representation of the People act is passed, giving women the vote for the first time.

Women aged over 30.

Who are householders.

Or the wives of householders.

Or graduates of British universities.

On entry to Holloway in 1908, for example, the women were immediately called to silence by the wardresses, locked in reception cells, and then sent to the doctor before they were ordered to undress. Once they had been searched to make sure they concealed nothing, their own clothes were stored by the authorities and details requested about name, address, age, religion and profession and whether she could read, write and sew.

On the way to her cell, the prisoner was given sheets for the bed, a toothbrush (if she asked for it), a Bible, prayer book and hymn book, a small book on ‘Fresh Air and Cleanliness’ and a tract entitled ‘The Narrow Way’. Once in the cell, which might be about 9 feet high and either about 13 feet by 7 feet or 10 feet by 6 she was given a yellow badge bearing the number of her cell and the letter and number of its block in the prison. From now until her release, the inmate would be known only by her cell’s number.

The hierarchy between different categories of prisoner was also evident in the practice of Third Division women cleaning the cells of those who, for various reasons, were exempted from doing so. Sylvia Pankhurst, placed in a hospital cell in 1913, exhausted and ill after being forcibly fed, remembered how Third Division prisoners scrubbed her cell floor – “old women: pale women: a bright young girl who smiled at me whenever she raised her eyes from the floor; a poor, ugly creature without a nose, awful to look up”.[41] Such contacts often highlighted for the suffragettes the common bond between all womankind and how they had to work not just for the vote but for a wider range of issues, including prison reform. The “sweet and innocent-looking face” of one prison cleaner, just over 20 years of age, made an impression on the young Greta Cameron, condemned to a punishment cell for “desiring fresh air”. When Greta quietly asked the cleaner what crime she had committed, the reply of “attempted suicide!”

Wardress Account

To show that we women are strong and powerful — Heaven

Memories of IWD — Charli

This speech by Nina Boyle is my favourite — Chloe

These notes from the People's History Museum trip show a lot of information about suffragettes — Miriam

These two go together - it makes women aware that they have to do men's jobs — Heaven

This is because we were practicing the song that we were going to sing and making some lyrics for the song — Shanena

I chose this because it shows we wrote the song instead of using a normal song — Heaven

This photo shows we made the song ourselves and that we worked on it together — Catherine

No one knows there was a secret script on the judge's table — Zahra

This shows how fun the project was — Nicola

This shows us that women were treated horrible by force feeding — Heaven

"I didn’t know how much I didn’t know!"

"You can tell it's very empowering for the cast. It was an absolute joy to watch, I was so impressed by the quality of the performance and I learnt a bit too! Very moving powerful and funny."

"Great way for young people to learn about their heritage and engage audiences"

"A passionate and engaging use of history and heritage told by and with the people who have inherited it, very relevant."

"Such a lovely way to explore some suffrage stories and such a clever use of space, music and movement"

"The battle isn’t over – this is a marvellous way of bringing history to life and drawing attention to how much is still to be done to give the word equality real meaning."

"It’s great to see the communities in Manchester joining together and being informed of women’s history. Brilliant opportunity for people to gain invaluable insight"

"I thought the intergenerational element of the show was wonderful, seeing two generations of women together was lovely."

My feather duster, a personal prop to me — Charli

A very useful tool for the judge to quieten down unlawful prisoners — Esohe

From all of us it's an important message, it sticks in your head — Newall Green

Big part of the performance, inspirational! — Charli

I just love these dangly things — Miriam

There should be pictures of rosettes, banners, sashes and flags because it represents votes for women — Heaven

Because women wore these kind of shoes because they were comfy and smart and also because I lost them — Chloe

This because it is a recreation of an original poster and it gives a lot of info about a rally — Chloe

It shows how women were treated badly — Nicola

Shows inequality and unfairness that fell upon women of that time — Zahra

I really love this picture and that it shows the power of women — Mariam

I chose this because it shows how strong powerful women actually are and they will do anything to get what they deserve — Zahra

Being forcefed feels very tiring and hurts your throat. I now know how women felt and it allowed me to step into their shoes and see how they were hurt — Zahra

No words, I just love this — Charli

I like this picture, I feel like it shows my personality, I had so much fun doing this piece and people loved it — Shanena

Love this place and love that everyone is in the role — Mariam

The pool was slippery but fun, the outfit was fun to be in, I also had fun doing stretches and splits with the Wythenshawe girls — Shanena

Shows the different dilemmas the suffragettes were in, and how their thoughts changed their views and decisions - this was changed by a metaphorical push from the more aspirational suffragettes — Zahra

I like this because it is so inspiring, showing the power of women and inviting everyone to take part in this — Mariam

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