- Playwrights (A Necessary Woman) – Deborah Clair and Philippa Urquhart.
- Playwrights (How the Vote Was Won) – Cicely Hamilton and Christopher St John
- Location – Harrogate Studio Theatre
- Director – Sue Rawson
Cast of A Necessary Woman
- Emily Wilding Davison – Shona Lang
- Mary Tatton – Jenny Antram
Cast of How The Vote Was Won
- Winifred/Maudie Spark (Horace’s first cousin) – Carole Carpenter
- Ethel Cole – Emma Towning
- Horace Cole – Bob Mallow
- Agatha Cole (Horace’s sister) – Alissa Rielly
- Lily (the maid)/Molly (Horace’s neice) – Natasha Davidson
- Madame Christine (Horace’s distant relation) – Lesley Wheal
- Miss Elizabeth Wilkins (Horace’s Aunt) – Anna Hammond
- Gerald Williams – Richard Naylor
A Necessary Woman was presented by special arrangement with Deborah Clair and Philippa Urquhart.
It is Sunday 2nd April 1911 – the night of the Census. Emily Davison, a Suffragette, is hiding in a cupboard in the crypt of the Palace of Westminster. Security is tight. There is a heavy police presence, but she is planning a daring act on Monday morning. Will she achieve her ambition or will Mary, a cleaner, give away her hiding place?
This brand new play is based on a true event and was written by Deborah Clair and Philippa Urquhart to celebrate the 2018 suffrage centenary.
How The Vote Was Won – In the days before radio, one effective way to get a message out and to have it discussed was to produce short plays that could be performed around the country, and so suffrage plays were born!
The Government has said that women do not need the vote, as they are all looked after by men! Horace Cole does not believe in Women’s suffrage……but who knows how a man’s mind may be changed! This suffragette comedy was first performed on 13th April 1909 at the Royalty Theatre in London.