Embellishment - Voices of Women

Voices of Women spent a year talking, listening, workshopping, mentoring, and gathering women’s stories from across Australia and the world. They were shown live at the KXT theatre Broadway in Sydney from August 9 to August 12, 2023.

An immersive collage of stories, performance, and live music was developed through engagement with women on Wiradjuri country in Wagga Wagga, the lands of the Tubba-Gah people of the Wiradjuri nation in Dubbo and Yuin country in Nowra and on Gumbaynggir Country in Macksville plus a national and international call out for new work.

Embellishment – voices of women’s artistic directors were Lliane Clarke and Cheryl Penrith OAM. The actors included in the show were – Aunty Cheryl OAM, writer, singer actor Lucy Heffernan, Ahumin Adebe, Hasitha Adhikariarachchi, whose performances captivated the hearts of drama fans. Sussanah Lawergren, Alice Morgen, and Di Bird performed live music throughout the event, which gave the stories an extra significance. These stories were strengthened by the gorgeous music that

Ten female writers with a passion for storytelling, wrote ten powerful monologuesstories of tradition and mythology, memories and fears, the comedy of dating, the power of love and the perils of climate change, childhood, and motherhood. Advice was written by Cheryl Penrith OAM, Once I saw her Dance by Anne Casey, Special Performance by Kalina Davis, Down the Beach by Yaara Straede, Stuck in my Head by Kirsty Jagger, The Date by Sarah Strong, Observance by Suzi Mezie, Jinn in a Well by Madhvi Ashok, Sweetie by Louise Hopewell, The Soul Care Motel by Jeanine DeHoney.

Light was done effectively by Tyler Patrick,

Performances that honoured First Nations women at their core and modern writers from Australian, South Asian, Indian, African American, and Irish cultures were pleasant to see because they linked with storytelling traditions in a meaningful way.

It’s vital to share the experiences of women with everyone so that we can all relate to them, feel less alone, and realise that it’s okay to feel certain feelings, such as rage, upset, and perplexity. And to consider other people’s experiences in order to understand their viewpoints, be inspired by them, and become stronger as a consequence.