It’s 2080 and the world is still no place for two women on their own. Mother Courage and Her Children is a story of unrelenting action, omnipresent political undertones, and a woman who adapts to survive - whatever the cost.
All in Arts & Culture
#PodcastPick – Getting Curious: Jameela Jamil
When I saw that Jonathan Van Ness had interviewed Jameela Jamil for his podcast Getting Curious this week, I knew it was going to be glorious. Queer Eye’s resident hair guru and all-round wholesome shiny star, Jonathan is an effervescent interviewer, but he doesn’t shy away from the serious. He met with the actress and activist to talk body image, self-love, and her role as the loveably snobbish and extraordinarily elegant Tahani, on NBC’s The Good Place.
BINGE! with Mighty Heart Theatre: Feel-Good Feminist Fun
Mighty Heart’s last hurrah pays tribute to a troubled past, swims in happy memories, sharply comments on today’s society and speaks to future generations with hope and guidance. That’s no mean feat for two women in just an hour on stage.
#PodcastPick – Fearne Cotton's 'Happy Place': Natalie Dormer
Happy Place is comforting, reassuring and informative; it’s a breath of fresh air. Fearne has had a spectacular selection of guests (all of whom are public figures), including Matt Haig, Poorna Bell, Russell Brand, Kirsty Young and most recently, Natalie Dormer.
6 Bedside Table Books for 2019
Betwixtmas is over, New Year has come and gone and we’re all finally running out of Christmas chocolate. As we muddle our way through the first week back at work, it’s comforting to know that there’s a pile of delicious books waiting for us by the bed, to sink into the moment we get home. So, if you need a little reading list inspiration for 2019, here are some of our favourites to get you started…
#PodcastPick – How to Fail: Episode 1
Hosted by author, broadcaster and journalist Elizabeth Day, How to Fail is dedicated to discussing exactly that. Day asks her guests to bring a few of their most significant failures to the table, and in return, she helps them to explore how these failures have led to success. In this first episode, Day meets with actress, writer and director (not to mention, superhero of feminist comedy) Phoebe Waller-Bridge…
7 Binge-worthy Shows to Watch this Winter
Hibernation period is upon us! If the darker evenings don’t coincide with a significant increase in sofa time, are you really doing winter? SO, instead of feeling guilty that you missed the gym again or fretting about your extortionate heating bill, put the kettle on, grab a blanket and settle down with one of our least problematic faves…
#PodcastPick – Griefcast: Episode 63
This week’s #PodcastPick is episode 63 of Cariad Lloyd’s Griefcast! For a little context about the show, it’s not as sad as it sounds. A comedian herself, Cariad presents the podcast with her usual quick and whimsical wit. She approaches these discussions of grief with both kindness and curiosity; her interest in the emotion stemming from the death of her father when she was 15.
Peter Jackson gets Socially Conscious with 'Mortal Engines'
Rather than cast ‘colourblind’, for better or worse Jackson and director Christian Rivers have done something more deliberate with the inclusion of non-white actors in this film. It’s pointed diversity, and it’s not the only attempt this movie makes to be socially conscious.
The Harpy
It’s our one year anniversary! To celebrate, we wrote a little piece about why we decided to choose a female monster as inspiration for our magazine…
#PodcastPick - The Adam Buxton Podcast: Episode 85
Ever since podcasts burst onto the popular culture scene, we’ve been avid audio consumers. To help our fellow podcats stay in the loop, we’ll be recommending a specific episode that we’ve loved every fortnight. This week, we returned to an old favourite, The Adam Buxton Podcast, for a slightly surprising episode with author and journalist, Michael Scott Moore…
Ear Hustle's Nigel Poor on Empowered Women and the Secret Life of Men
This November, Harpy met with Nigel Poor, the co-host of popular prison podcast, Ear Hustle. Nigel gets talking about her work as a visual artist, her changed attitude towards men, and the creative art of listening.
Women in Food: Celebrate, Inspire and Bring Change
Vicky North, chef and founder of ‘Women in Food’, talks about finding her way in a male-dominated industry and bringing change for the next generation of female chefs.
The Maids at HOME: Deconstructing Gender Roles on Stage
Maids playing masters, maids playing murderers; men playing maids. This production of Jean Genet’s The Maids at once addresses gender roles head-on and never mentions gender at all.
God or Stripper? Little Mix, Ariana Grande, and Pop Music Subterfuge
Music videos are perhaps as important as the song itself. But is it possible for modern female musicians to make successful videos without pandering (even just a smidge) to the male gaze? And, even as women who love a Sexy Getting Ready Song, are we satisfied with the media we’re consuming?
Future Bodies: "Stop Being Normal"
The latest explosive collaboration from Unlimited theatre and, feminist favourites, RashDash, brings us into the realm of artistic sci-fi. A montage of two-person sketches explores the human relationship with the machine from a scattergun of different angles. Ultimately, Future Bodies becomes a question of the human relationship with our own corporeal being.
Chicago: The Female Lament behind the Vaudeville
There’s something alluring about the irreverent way female jazz performances reclaim feminine sexuality and play a part in the subversive culture of jazz and metropolitan life. Chicago is a musical that tells women’s stories predominantly through performances by female characters, so it should feel like an empowering romp from one of the raciest decades of American history.
'OthelloMacbeth': a bold attempt at realigning gender focus
OthelloMacbeth brings together two of Shakespeare’s great tragedies. Promising to bring ‘the voices of some of Shakespeare’s most iconic female characters [...] to the fore’, this combination of plays reeks of ambition.
Queen Margaret: Putting the SHE in Shakespearean Drama
The eponymous Queen is interestingly mute for the first few scenes of this feminist re-framing of history. We are firmly grounded in the patriarchal realm of Renaissance drama (indeed, all drama), ready to be sprung into a new orbit.
Championing Untold Stories: Three Feminist Productions breaking the silence at the Royal Exchange
The recent series at Manchester’s Royal Exchange theatre has taken on the important role of platforming the unheard. Real women are taking to the stage to sing some home truths and to celebrate the hard-won fight to have a voice.