Tea With Mrs Pankhurst
A statue of Emmeline Pankhurst, the mother of the suffragette movement, which can be found in St Peter’s Square, Manchester.
Emmeline Pankhurst was the obvious woman of activism to select as a starting point for the podcast ‘Tea With Mrs Pankhurst’ which takes a gander at women of activism from the point of view of a pair of arts comrades. Without tea.
At the turn of the twentieth century, alongside her three daughters, Mrs Pankhurst led the suffragette crusade to gain “Votes for Women” - she was co-founder of the Women’s Social & Political Union (along with her beloved daughter, Christabel).
Mrs Pankhurst is manhandled by police at a suffragette demonstration.
One of the most satisfying aspects of the time we spent finding our way into this podcast, was the comparing of research notes, as well as the making of new discoveries.
Having both done a good bit of work around the women’s suffrage movement, we were able to recall inspiring moments from plays and workshops we’d worked on.
The main one being Ruth’s play, ‘Tea With Mrs Pankhurst’ which focusses on the contribution of suffragettes and suffragists alike in the battle to get women the vote.
Tea With Mrs Pankhurst had been a decade-long community touring project of Ruth’s - she wanted to spread the word about both the suffragettes and the suffragists as widely as possible. We fondly recalled the cast and just how much dedicated effort they’d brought to the creation of these characters, truly getting under their skin. Scottish actor, Lori Mclean was pitch-perfect as Mrs Pankhurst and Yorkshire actor Nicki Vincent inhabited the role of suffragist, Selina Cooper. London actor, Colleen Daley was also impressive, playing multiple characters and giving the art of the quick change a run for its money!
We discussed many aspects of the story of Mrs Pankhurst; the things we admired about her; the things we found difficult to swallow. But we finally concluded, just as Ruth’s play does, that whatever else, they each did their bit.
And then some.
“I intend to come to London to put an end to an intolerable situation and resume my position as an ordinary human being in this country”
ALWAYS WITH THE CAPERS
Over the years, Ruth and I have managed, on multiple occasions, to get ourselves into a bit of a pickle.
One such occasion was a ‘Tea With Mrs Pankhurst’ rehearsal in the cheapest building which could be located - a scout hut on a Yorkshire moor top in the dead of winter. I still have nightmares about carrying that sack of coal for two miles uphill, because the road was impassable, only to discover there was no fireplace in the hut.
But there was a massive electric tea-urn which Mrs Pankhurst (Lori Mclean) managed to turn on (filled up to the brim with water) as we rehearsed. So immersed in the 1900’s was she that the tea-urn was forgotten about. It was only during a scene in a cafe when the scout hut filled up like a steam-room, she remembered she’d planned to make us all a brew. After a very steamy women’s suffrage meeting was adjourned.
Capers have been a bit of a theme.
During one caper at ‘Ormesby Hall’, near Middlesborough in 2013, we realised we might need a bit of kit to make the magic happen. Nevertheless, we attempted to give off a veneer of professionalism. We think we got away with it.
And so, last week we were pleasantly surprised that the worst fate to befall us during our podcast, was an attack of hysteria each time we tried to make a “serious and professional” intro and outro reel.
You just can’t get the staff.
However, when it came time to share our thoughts and feelings surrounding the contribution of Emmeline Pankhurst to the campaign to achieve the vote for women, we were on it like a Shakespeare sonnet. It was a complete pleasure to have a natter about the mother of the suffragette movement.
The “Tea With Mrs Pankhurst’ podcast will be released in early 2025, by which time we hope to have an entire series of women to share with YOU, our beloved listener.
We appreciate you Maureen.
