Women Of The World Returns To Southbank Centre

Rachel Holdsworth
By Rachel Holdsworth Last edited 120 months ago
Women Of The World Returns To Southbank Centre

nirbhaya_webIt's International Women's Day on 8 March and the Southbank Centre's annual celebration of women returns this week*.

Passes to get into events on Saturday and Sunday are sold out so move quickly to get a pass for Friday (£12) which gets you into discussions about austerity, women in politics, bringing up boys, diversity, rape and sexual assault, comedy, domestic responsibilities, plus a talk on women and power with Jude Kelly, Sarah Brown and Shirley Williams. Also on hand to talk about their experiences are actress Maxine Peake and Vicky Pryce, an economist who's better known for going to jail after taking former partner Chris Huhne's speeding points.

There are other events that are ticketed separately. NIRBHAYA, a new work from playwright Yael Farber, takes the horrific gang rape and death of a student in Delhi in 2012 as a starting point for examining the change it set in motion and the personal experiences of the company. It runs 5-12 March, tickets £22.50, and each performance will be followed by a conversation with some of the performers. The production has won awards from Amnesty and the Edinburgh Fringe, as well as being acclaimed by critics.

During the rest of the festival: Malala Yousafzai talks about the relationship between Pakistani and British societies (8 March, £10-£20, 10am), there's a night of comedy on 8 March hosted by the incomparable Sandi Toksvig with Sue Perkins, Jeremy Hardy, Sharon D Clarke, Voicelab and the WOW Orchestra (£15-£40, 7.30pm), catch a screening of Jennifer Siebel Newsom's film Miss Representation showing how mainstream media in the US contributes to a lack of women in high office (3 March, £12, 7pm), Grayson Perry repeats his sell-out lecture on men's rights on 9 March (£15/£10, 7pm) and Ronnie Spector gives a multi-media performance chronicling her 50 year career (9 March, £25/£20, 8pm).

Women of the World Festival runs 5-9 March at the Southbank Centre, SE1. Prices vary, see the Southbank Centre website for details and to buy.

*For anyone thinking of engaging in a spot of whataboutery, the Southbank Centre's Being a Man festival was held at the end of January.

Last Updated 03 March 2014