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An Equal Future: Voices Off panel event with The Old Vic

Posted on 22 October 2018

"We need to work for equality every day and with enormous urgency" – Catherine Mayer, co-founder of Women's Equality Party

At our most recent Voices Off panel event Mishcon de Reya and the Old Vic discussed An Equal Future. The Voices Off Programme, conceived in September 2015 at the start of Matthew Warchus’ inaugural season as Artistic Director, is a series of talks, conversations, debates and workshops examining the themes raised by the productions on the main stage. An Equal Future, hosted at the Old Vic, addressed the themes raised in SYLVIA, which celebrates the life of Sylvia Pankhurst, her pivotal role in the campaign for women’s rights and the price of the passion and politics that tore her family apart.

The panel, chaired by Mishcon de Reya's Immigration Partner Maria Pastalos, comprised Nimco Ali, co-founder and Director of Daughters of Eve; Catherine Mayer, co-founder of Women's Equality Party and author; Priya Parmar, novelist, freelance writer and co-writer of SYLVIA; and Dr Faiza Shaheen, Director of the Centre for Labour and Social Studies (CLASS) and author. The debate celebrated the past 100 years since the partial vote was given to women, whilst expanding on what we need to do to secure equality for the future. 

SYLVIA, co-written by Kate Prince and Priya Parmar with original music by Josh Cohen and DJ Walde, ran from 3-22 September at The Old Vic

Mishcon de Reya

An Equal Future: Voices Off panel event with The Old Vic

Maria Patsalos

Partner, Mishcon de Reya

We are at The Old Vic and we are hosting a panel event in relation to An Equal Future just before a showing of Silvia, the musical.  We are celebrating a hundred years since the partial vote was given to women.  It’s really hard to kind of focus on one specific issue because equality is so wide, we are talking about women’s rights, we are talking about socioeconomic equality, race, all sorts. 

 

Nimco Ali

Co-Founder and Director, Daughters of Eve

It’s a diverse conversation and we all have the commitment to a gender equal world.  Ultimately, education and conversation is how we can achieve that. 

 

Catherine Mayer

Author and Co-Founder, Women’s Equality Party

I think we need to work for equality every day and with enormous urgency because we aren’t just looking at a world that isn’t equal yet, we are looking at a world that is risking hurtling backwards, losing some of the vital rights and protections we thought secure. 

 

Priya Parmar

Co-Writer of Sylvia

Right now we are just at a huge crossroads moment in the world and the decisions we make right now are critical and everything from voting, to education, to reproductive rights, these are all subjects that we are determining the future of them right now.

 

Dr Faiza Shaheen

Director of Centre for Labour and Social Studies

In our own lives we’ll experience different types of prejudice, or we’ll see different types of injustice.  We need to first start out by calling that out and then we need to put pressure on policy makers to do something about it and we have to demand equality and that means that we have to vote for the people that say they are going to deliver that.  Join trade unions, protests, go out and talk to as many people as possible and show them that they can’t get away with doing nothing on the issues we care about. 

 

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