NEWCASTLE’S FIRST FEMINIST BROUGHT TO LIFE (AND DEATH) IN NEW SHELAGH STEPHENSON PLAY AT LIVE THEATRE
Live Theatre kicks off their Radical North East season with a surreal new comedy giving voice to Mary Astell, largely considered one of the English-speaking world’s first published feminists. Written by the prolific Shelagh Stephenson (Memory Of Water, Harriet Martineau Dreams of Dancing) Astell & Woolf imagines an encounter between the forgotten feminist and her more celebrated counterpart, Virginia Woolf, in a waiting room in the afterlife.
Playing from Thursday 14 May to Saturday 6 June 2026, the fast-paced two-hander, packed with dark comedy and electrifying language, offers an unexpected look at major feminist issues, using comedy to delve into a much darker reality.
The production will be directed by Scottish born North East-based director Karen Traynor, who enjoyed critical acclaim for her production of Tiny Fragments of Light at Alphabetti.
Karen Traynor commented: “Feminism can feel like a challenging word these days. So perhaps this is the perfect moment to examine the idea of it, what it means to us and where it began. Mary Astell is our very own North East pioneer, and like many other great women from history is relegated to its furthest ranks. Shelagh’s clever and brilliant play allows us to see her at last: imagine her wit, her intelligence and finally, perhaps, claim her as our own. The conversation between Astell and Woolf is provocative and hilarious, and I can’t wait to get in the rehearsal room with both of them!”
Writer Shelagh Stephenson said: 'Art, god, the patriarchy, two bottles of sherry and wave particle duality. Something for everyone. Plus jokes!”
Live Theatre’s Artistic Director Jack McNamara said: “Sometimes writers approach biographic material with a degree of reverence or objectivity. Not so with Astell and Woolf! Shelagh has taken the overlooked figure of Mary Astell as a jumping off point to create something hilarious, truly original and packed with ideas. Its whip smart and unashamedly entertaining, but also goes headlong into the darkness of its subject .I’d never read quite anything like it. A kind of Endgame with feminists. The North East has a lot of hidden radical roots, and this play marks our first foray into them, bringing them to the surface to shed light on where we are today.”
Astell and Woolf runs from Thursday 14 May to Saturday 6 June 2026 with tickets from £11 to £36. To find out more about this must see premiere production and to book, go to www.live.org.uk
