Women Lead The Way at The Dukes Our Voice GRT Event
Karen O’Neill
Celebrating the creative, passionate, amazing women of the creative arts sector.
Lou Sanders
T
he Dukes’ very own director Karen O’Neill spoke recently with Creative Lancashire on the strides the creative sector in the North has taken and the work that is still to be done. “I think women in the North are made of good stuff and our creative sector does offer opportunities for women to engage and develop creative careers. I think the northern cultural sector is working hard to recognise the achievements of women and there are many female arts leaders in the north. However, there is still more to be done – there are still issues with regards to pay gaps and the work of women being sidelined which needs to be addressed across the industry.” Karen spoke about her own experiences within the arts sector and how she is implementing change within her organisation.
“The creative industries are uniquely placed to be a powerhouse for change in creating a more inclusive world. As a theatre director, my role is to open space up to a range of voices and experiences and encourage audiences to come and listen, learn, absorb, and reflect on the lives and encounters from all parts of our community. Theatre is an incredibly powerful tool to bring people together and challenge opinions in a safe and supportive way. Through creativity, we can express who we are to the world. The other side of my role is to create opportunities for others to develop either through training 112
Christine Mackie
and skills, mentoring or leadership within the sector. As a woman from a working-class background who had an untraditional journey to where I am now, I can share that story and encourage others to take untraditional journeys too.” The Dukes strives to present more diverse and inclusive theatre and film and are constantly finding ways to connect with audiences and communities to share stories. Their spring season has seen artists from all communities represented on stage with a large proportion of those stories being female-focused -
with audiences showing their support with sell-out shows of Black Is The Colour Of My Voice and Josephine. There is a real sense from The Dukes of incredible pride to be able to bring wonderful female-focused stories such as Josephine, Black Is The Colour Of My Voice, Kin, Bloody Chamber and Beryl to their audiences, whilst supporting the artists of the future. KIN is a continuation of The Dukes ambition of ensuring incredibly talented women are held-high & given the opportunity to shine as this all-female production (both cast and creative team) shows.
M The Dukes, Moor Lane, Lancaster LA1 1QE D Website: www.dukeslancaster.org E Booking Enquiries: tickets@dukeslancaster.org E General Enquiries: ask@dukeslancaster.org N Box Office: 01524 598500 OPENING TIMES: Sunday: Closed | Monday - Saturday: 10:30am – 4pm
LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE
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