In October 2024, we produced our first ever Reclaim Festival at the Barnfield Theatre, a week of work by women, for women.
Local producers Katy Danbury and Naomi Turner curated the festival, which featured 14 different events including performances, panel discussions, networking opportunities, and workshops.
Highlights included: Rosalie, a one-woman play about Rosalie Chichester, an enigmatic woman in local history, from Devon-based Pleasure Dome Theatre Company; Leadership and Legacy – Women Shaping Theatre, in which four local cultural leaders discussed their careers, including Northcott Development & Marketing Director and Joint Chief Executive Kelly Johnson; Story Blaze, a cabaret-style spoken word show hosted by Katy Cawkwell; and Carbon Theatre’s Bright Places, an autobiographical play about multiple sclerosis.
Photo by Lillie Sherry
Reclaim Festival was full of joy and connection, and we’re really grateful to have had the opportunity to produce it. In particular, we were blown away by the quality of the work being shared, whether it was the work-in-progress performances or one of the headline slots – it is a testament to how the South West is a hotbed for talent, creativity and experimentation.
Reclaim Festival also allowed us to meet and have conversations with so many artists that we might not otherwise have met! The creative gatherings and socials were an incredibly valuable part of the programme, alongside all the brilliant shows on offer.
This platform was clearly needed, and it has shone a light on a lot of ways that women are missing out on opportunities, while allowing us space to discuss how we might be able to help resolve some of these issues as a collective.
Huge thanks to everyone who contributed to this inaugural festival – we couldn’t have done it without you!
Katy Danbury and Naomi Turner, Reclaim Festival Producers
Photo by Lillie Sherry
Eight emerging companies and artists from the South West were selected from open call-outs to perform across two double bills and one scratch night.
As well the Leadership and Legacy panel, local artists had the opportunity to learn from industry professionals in Ruth Bell’s Costume Design for Performance workshop and Dreadnought South West & Theatre West in Conversation, shedding light on producing new writing.
Artists also had the opportunity to meet fellow creatives at the LGBTQIA+ Gathering, Wall of W’Inspiration & Playwright’s Café (a lunchtime opportunity to network and create a mural of inspirational women with Crafting Cowboy), not to mention the Afterparty hosted by In Bed With My Brother.
What a great evening! I was knocked out by the variety and quality of what everyone did, and they were all such nice people too… I got so much positive feedback, I was really overwhelmed by it. So thanks again so much for giving me the opportunity to put my work up on its feet.
Scratch Night participant
Reclaim Festival featured Wimmin’s Hour, an all-women stand-up line-up produced by Locally Sourced. Audience members who wouldn’t otherwise be able to enjoy live comedy were also invited to Daylight Comedy Club, a gig designed for sleep-deprived parents with babes in arms.
Reclaim Festival will return in Spring 2025.
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