Women of the World festival comes to the Northwest
An instalment of the Women of the World festival will be held in Chester, at the city's new multi-arts venue Storyhouse, in May 2017.
Launched at London's Southbank Centre in 2011, Women of the World is now a global festival, with 15 WOWs having taken place across five continents involving more than 1 million people.
Organised by the team behind Storyhouse, WOW Chester (20-21 May 2017) will offer a programme of inspirational talks, panels, performance, comedy, music, a marketplace, networking and workshops. It aims to provide a platform to celebrate women and girls, to examine the obstacles that prevent them from achieving their full potential, and to bring women and men together to discuss how they are helping make the world a fairer place.
The festival is to be programmed collaboratively, in consultation with individuals and organisations from across the country. Storyhouse will be holding ‘Thinkin’ sessions over the coming weeks, bringing together local people to share ideas, propose speakers and influence the shape of topics, issues and debates at WOW Chester. Details of the Thinkin sessions are below.
Kate Carpenter, Head of Programming for Storyhouse, said: “WOW will celebrate and challenge what it means to be a woman today. It will be a mixture of debates and discussions, performance and exchange. It’s for women and girls as well as men and boys – we want as many as possible to feel part of the festival.”
Founder of WOW, Jude Kelly CBE, said: “Based on the premise that an equal world is better for all of us, WOW is a celebration not only of women and girls but of equality in all its forms. The festival is a celebration of the lives that women of all ages live, not just locally, but right across the world, the challenges they face, the gender issues that affect them, the indomitable spirit they have and the hope they give for the future."
Keep an eye on theskinny.co.uk/news for more details of the line-up as they are announced.
WOW Chester
20-21 May 2017
Storyhouse, Chester
Thinkin sessions:
Thu 24 Nov, 7pm-9pm, Fri 25 Nov, 10am-12pm at the Unity Centre, Cuppin St, Chester; Sat 26 Nov, 10.30am-12.30pm, at Whitby Hall, Ellesmere Port
The sessions are open to women and men, girls and boys. To take part and find out more visit storyhouse.com/event/wow-thinkin