Sylvia – The Play, A Zoo Nation production

Did you know that Sylvia Pankhurst was campaigner for the suffragette movement and an activist who spent much of her later life agitating on behalf of Ethiopia, where she eventually moved? This amazing woman’s life is reprised by the hugely popular singer and actress Beverley Knight (as Emmeline Pankhurst) in Zoo Nation’s latest production Sylvia.

100 years after the first women in Britain were granted the vote; ZooNation combine dance, hip hop, soul and funk to shed new light on a remarkable story at the heart of the Suffragette movement.

SYLVIA is a modern musical celebrating the life of Sylvia Pankhurst, her pivotal role in the campaign for women’s rights and the price of the passion and politics
that tore her family apart.

SYLVIA will be ZooNation’s third original musical (Some Like it Hip Hop, The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party) and writing its own music has become just as much a part of the company as creating dance narratives. The company was formed to give a platform for ground-breaking storytellers to use original music and dance to inspire the next generation of theatregoers and makers.

Beverly (pictured) has been busy on and off stage having recently released the widely acclaimed album Songs for the Stage, a collaboration between herself and Dreamgirls star Amber Riley and Cassidy Janson and who played Carole King in the hit stage show Beautiful.

Matthew Warchus, Artistic Director of The Old Vic said: “I am delighted to be welcoming the invigorating company, ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company onto the Old Vic stage. This exciting new production, SYLVIA, stands as the highlight in a range of projects celebrating the centenary of the first women in Britain getting the vote.”

The all-star cast includes Genesis Lynea (The Assassination of Katie Hopkins) as Sylvia Pankhurst, Izuka Hoyle (The Selfish Giant) as Emily Davison and Delroy Atkinson (Book of Mormon) as Winston Churchill.

Sylvia, 3-22 Sept, Old Vic, The Cut, Waterloo, SE1 8NB, For details and tickets visit: https://www.oldvictheatre.com/whats-on/2018/sylvia-2/cast