Stage rights The Actresses' Franchise League, activism and politics 190858 Women, Theatre and Performance

Drawing upon previously unseen archival material, this book brings to life the story of the Actresses' Franchise League from 1908-1958, building a picture of this diverse, exciting and innovative organisation that opens up and extends previous scholarship of the suffrage movement, and of political and feminist networks in twentieth century theatre.

Stage rights! explores the work and legacy of the first feminist political theatre group of the twentieth century, the Actresses' Franchise League. The volume is formulated as a historiographically innovative critical biography of the organisation over the fifty years of its activities, and invites a total reassessment of the League within the accepted narratives of the development of political theatre in the UK. It makes a unique contribution to the history of twentieth century theatre, feminist theatre and the suffrage movement by telling the story of the League, its members, and the creative interventions it made into national and international suffrage movements.

From within the contexts of both theatre and suffrage histories, Stage rights! looks in detail at the performative propaganda and strategies of the suffrage movement, the theatrical events that emerged directly in response to them, and the role of feminist actresses as activists within and beyond the campaign.

The book considers the role of the League in exhibitions, marches, demonstrations and events, the visibility of suffragist women in public space, and suffrage militancy, on stage and off. The contribution of the League in the First and the Second World Wars, and the many satellite projects the League established after 1914 is detailed through research that introduces new archival material to the field and moves the story of the organisation further into the twentieth century than ever before.

Stage rights! explores the work and legacy of the first feminist political theatre group of the twentieth century, the Actresses' Franchise League. Formed in 1908 to support the suffrage movement through theatre, the League and its membership opened up new roles for women on stage and off, challenged stereotypes of suffragists and actresses, created new work inspired by the movement and was an integral part of the performative propaganda of the campaign. Introducing new archival material to both suffrage and theatre histories, this book is the first to focus in detail on the Actresses' Franchise League, its membership and its work. The volume is formulated as a historiographically innovative critical biography of the organisation over the fifty years of its activities, and invites a total reassessment of the League within the accepted narratives of the development of political theatre in the UK.