Tribute to ballerina Lynn Seymour and Janie Dee one-woman show in Women's Voices festival

The Playground Theatre’s female-led festival has announced the line up for its second year, which features a tribute to the late ballerina Lynn Seymour. 

Women’s Voices: A Celebration is relaunching this year on International Women’s Day (8th March) with a documentary screening about Seymour’s life beyond the stage. The evening will also feature a performance from Ellie Young of Frederick Ashton’s Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan, paying homage to Seymour’s legacy. 

The festival aims to stand as a "clear counterpoint" against the "abuse carried out by the rich and powerful against women", said curator of the festival, Naomi Sorkin.

Among this year’s highlights are a one-woman show by Olivier award-winning actor Janie Dee called Moon Watch on 21st March, which will explore movement, words and song connected to the moon. 

Running throughout March, this year’s programme also features staged readings of 12 plays, including Janet Dulin Jones’ The Elizabeths performed by Caroline Goodall and Rachel Pickup. 

Later in the month, South African actor Janet Suzman will be hosting a theatrical masterclass and discussion focusing on redefining Cleopatra for the modern stage, and Royal Shakespeare Company chair Shriti Vadera will join a panel of "influential women" across a number of sectors. 

The Playground Theatre, which is in west London, launched Women’s Voices in 2025, aiming to showcase "brilliance, diversity, and multi-talent of women past and present".

“We are only able to present a small portion of the possibilities before us, which shows just how strong the desire is – and how broad the creativity of women – for their stories to be heard”, said Sorkin. 

Nicole Ansari-Cox, the festival’s co-producer and performer, added: “In a world where women’s voices are being silenced and marginalised, Women’s Voices is a vital and inspiring festival. Audiences have access to a female-led pool of playwrights, storytellers and new voices that yet has to find its precedent.”