Welcome to Auntie’s Roadshow, an interactive multi-media show that will take you on a journey through lost BBC archives to reflect on the progress of women’s rights from the 1960s to the present day.
Hosted by the enthusiastic Auntie, the show celebrates women who went against the grain of society’s expectations, exploring the experience of 1960s societal change using actual documentary footage, satirical dramatisations of archive material and personal reflections from women representing different generations, cultural backgrounds, and experiences.
Alongside Auntie you’ll meet a group of feisty women from the 1960s, a troupe of modern-day actors performing a host of humorous sketches, and a couple of researchers ready to bring some historical perspective and a touch of healthy cynicism to proceedings. There will also be opportunities for you to share your own experiences and responses to the material.
The performance builds on research and development initially undertaken in 2022, when the BBC celebrated its centenary year. Collective Encounters was invited to work with Dr Marcus Collins, AHRC BBC 100 History Fellow and Reader in Contemporary History at Loughborough University, and Dramaturg Dr Alda Terracciano, on a project entitled ‘The BBC and Cultural Change since the 1960s’. The project involved adapting transcripts from ‘lost’ BBC documentaries from the 1960s and transforming them into a new performance piece.
Following a successful work-in-progress performance, the team has developed this new full-length multimedia performance focusing on four key programmes from the BBC archives to explore themes surrounding gender roles and expectations within the home, in relationships, and in the workplace. The show incorporates archive material from:
• The BBC Homemaker Competition (1960-61), a televised contest open to married or widowed women that aimed to promote understanding about the qualities that make a good home-maker
• Woman’s Hour: Dropping in at a Meeting of the Family Planning Association (20.10.60), which covers topics such as the dangers of giving contraceptive advice to ‘unmarried girls’ and whether Doctors should encourage ‘less intelligent’ people to have fewer children.
• Man Alive: Living in Sin (2.3.66) interviews with couples who had decided not to have their relationship blessed or formalised by religion or state.
• 24 Hours: Equal Pay for Women (5.9.68) reporting on attitudes from men and women in industry towards proposed legislation that would bring women’s pay in line with men’s
AUNTIE is devised and performed by Collective Encounters’ intergenerational Women in Action group with creative support from theatre director Tessa Buddle, writer Mandy Redvers-Rowe, and digital creatives/designers Focal Studios.
Access
The performance includes integrated captioning and audio description.
BSL interpreted performance: Saturday 9 March, 5pm.
Bookable touch tour: Saturday 9 March, 12pm. Email admin@collective-encounters.org.uk to book.
The venue has step-free access.
If you require a ticket for a carer/ essential companion, please include a note on your order or email: admin@collective-encounters.org.uk
If you have any questions about access or any other requirements, please let them know when you book.
If you are unable to pay or you wish to arrange a group booking, please email admin@collective-encounters.org.uk or call 0151 345 6266.