Episode 7: Waking the Feminists

Women were facing discrimination and under-representation in most publicly funded Irish theatres, especially the biggest and most well known ones. Women's stories and female artists were being given less space, continuing the myth that a male-dominated culture is both normal and acceptable.

WakingTheFeminists was a campaign by group of men and women, who together spoke out for equality for women working in all aspects of theatre in Ireland.

Only intended as a 12-month grassroots campaign, #WakingTheFeminists took on a life of its own, leading to a revolution for equality that garnered global attention, including Hollywood star Meryl Streep. Along with the #MeToo movement, it formed a vital piece of the jigsaw in the struggle for towards equality for women in the arts. In this episode we hear from Lian Bell, the woman who lit the spark under this fire.

Reading links:

www.wakingthefeminists.org

www.lianbell.org