Votes for Women performance KS3/4Information for teachers

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Votes for Women performance KS3/4 Information for teachers

Emmeline Pankhurst addressing crowds at Trafalgar Square, 1908.

Frequently asked questions

Listed below are frequently asked questions about the Votes for Women ‘at your school’ performance. If you have a question that isn’t answered below, you can email the Museum of London’s secondary schools team via learning@museumoflondon.org.uk

Can you tell me more about the performance?

To commemorate the centenary of the 1918 Representation of the People Act, we’ve created an assembly to be performed to whole year groups, showcasing the remarkable women and men who campaigned tirelessly for voting rights to be changed.

The assembly uses a ‘play within a play’ construct. Shelley is a school girl from London who plays a young Victorian servant, Maisie, in her school’s play on women’s suffrage. The play follows both Shelley (in the modern day) and her character Maisie (in Victorian London). As Shelley and the cast rehearse the play, we learn about the other characters.

In addition to her school play, Shelley has to deal with pressures from her friends and family many of which are issues facing young women today. Whilst rehearsing the play she learns to balance those relationships.

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Votes for Women performance KS3/4 Information for teachers

Is there anything else we should know?

The beginning of the play explores what life was like for poor women in Victorian London through the character of Maisie. This includes reference to the historical practice of baby farming – because of her social status Maisie’s only option is to give up her (illegitimate) baby.

In 1894 Emmeline Pankhurst was elected to the local position of Poor Law Guardian (in Manchester). Her first-hand experience witnessing how working class girls and women were treated convinced her that the women’s suffrage movement was the only option to change this situation.

We feel this section is important to help students understand the roots of the suffrage movement in Victorian London. We expect strong reactions from your students to the treatment of Maisie, as it reflects values and ideas very different from what they will understand and experience in modern London.

Which space should I book at school?

The performance is intended to be performed to whole year groups. You will need to book out your school hall.

What technical elements are there to the show?

The performers will bring a PowerPoint presentation. This needs to be displayed behind the actors whilst they are performing. The performers will supply their own sound system, but this will need to be plugged in close to where the slides for the PowerPoint can be changed.

How long does the performance last?

The performance is 50 minutes long. We suggest allocating an hour for each performance. This means there will be time for questions at the end, and time for your students to enter and leave the hall.

How many performances can there be in one day?

The actors are prepared to perform three times in one day, to three different year groups. We prioritise bookings from schools that can cater for more than 350 students in one day.

How many actors are part of the performance?

Three actors and one facilitator will need to arrive at your school at least an hour before the first performance is due to begin. They will need access to the school hall to set up prior to the first performance. They will require a parking space in your school car park so they can bring all their technical equipment.

Silver suffragette hunger strike medal, with green,

white and purple striped ribbon, 1912.

How many teachers need to be in the hall during the performance?

Teachers are responsible for the students’ behaviour during the whole performance. We suggest there is one teacher in the hall for every 30 students.

Are there any interactive elements to the performance?

Students are encouraged to interact with the performance through responding to its key messages ie clapping/cheering (sometimes booing!). Direct questions will be asked to the audience throughout the performance, mainly in the second half. There will also be opportunities for 5-8 individual students to become part of the play. They will be asked to take on the role of being a suffragette, campaigning for what they believe in.

Which individuals are highlighted throughout the performance?

Emmeline Pankhurst: founder and leader of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU)

Christabel Pankhurst: co-founder of the WSPU and militant suffragette

Annie Kenney: a key member of the WSPU, Annie was a militant suffragette from a working-class background in Yorkshire

Millicent Fawcett: president of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) from 1897-1919. Millicent was a pacifist who disagreed with the militant actions of the suffragettes

Elizabeth Wolstenholme Elmy: suffragist campaigner, she was a founding member of the Women’s Franchise League (WFL) in 1889

Annie Besant: British socialist and women’s rights activist

Susan B. Anthony: American social reformer and women’s rights activist

Kate Sheppard: New Zealand’s most famous suffragette

Sophia Duleep-Singh: a prominent suffragette and accredited nurse. Sophia was an Indian princess and goddaughter of Queen Victoria

H. H. Asquith: Prime minister of the UK and MP for the Liberal Party. He opposed the women’s suffrage bill

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Votes for Women performance KS3/4 Information for teachers

Princess Sophia Duleep Singh,

goddaughter of Queen Victoria, selling ‘Suffragette’ subscriptions, 1913.

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I loved the performance but have some feedback. Who can I tell?

Feedback forms are handed to the teachers at the start of each performance. We would be delighted to read any feedback you have. If you do not receive a form, you can email feedback to learning@museumoflondon.org.uk

We are hoping to rename the show for the 2019-2020 academic year. This is with the aim that the title will accurately reflect the content of the play including the modern day element. If you have any ideas please let us know.

I booked the Votes for Women performance last year. Can I book again?

There is a high demand for our Votes for Women performance and we only have a limited number of performances each year. We ask that you do not book the performance every year; instead we suggest you have a two to three year break in between booking the performances.

This performance was developed with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund as part of the Greater London Authority’s Courage and Communities project.

Votes for Women performance KS3/4 Information for teachers

All images are © Museum of London unless stated otherwise.