Kate Prince on the suffragettes

Posted on October 24, 2017

London’s Old Vic theatre has announced Sylvia, a new work by Kate Prince and ZooNation, exploring the life suffragette leader Sylvia Pankhurst.

Co-written by Prince and Priya Parmar, with original music by Josh Cohen and DJ Walde, Sylvia will be a modern musical about Pankhurst’s pivotal role in the campaign for women’s rights in the UK. It will combine dance, hip hop, soul and funk, with Prince both directing and choreographing.

Co-commissioned by 14–18 Now, the UK’s arts programme for the World War I centenary, Sylvia is a production by the Old Vic, Sadler’s Wells and ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company.

Sylvia will run at the Old Vic from September 1 to 22, 2018. Priority booking opens from October 24, with tickets on general sale on November 15. Visit oldvictheatre.com for details.

Picture: Kate Prince. Photography courtesy of Sadler’s Wells

Zoe Anderson

Zoë was born in Edinburgh, and saw her first dance performances at the Festival there. She is the dance critic of The Independent, and has also written for The Independent on Sunday, The Scotsman and Dancing Times. In 2002, she received her doctorate from the University of York for a thesis on “Nationhood and epic romance: Ariosto, Sidney, Spenser”. She is the author of The Royal Ballet: 75 Years and The Ballet Lover’s Companion.