A heroic Northumberland campaigner is being celebrated with a new musical developed with the county's women this International Women's Day.
Josey, The Indignant Daughter, celebrates the life of a once national heroine, Josephine Butler who came from Milfield in Northumberland. Josephine lived from 1828 - 1906 and was an English feminist and social reformer with a particular concern for women's rights in British law.
In 1886, she successfully repealed the Contagious Diseases Act legislation, which had an impact on the dignity of women and external examinations. Now, her story will be at the centre of a new audio musical which has been put together following a series of workshops with women of all ages across Northumberland.
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Singer-songwriter Katie Doherty wrote the play to discuss women's rights and activism today, aiming to create a dramatic piece which explores how prominent women like Josephine Butler have been written out of history and how the campaigns they led are still relevant. Exploring gender equality and female activism, the audio production features a community choir of women from across Northumberland as well as young women from local schools Cramlington Learning Village and Duke's Academy in Ashington.
Josephine Butler's campaigning work against underage prostitution, for women's rights and to promote education for women, took her across the UK, over Europe and on to India. In attacking the Contagious Diseases Acts, Butler honed in on an area of serious inequality, in which female sex workers were subjected to intrusive examinations which were not required of their male clients.
Katie Doherty said: "We couldn’t not tell the story of Josephine Butler. When I began talking to other women about her, it became apparent that her incredible story has been forgotten in its detail and impact.
"Discussing the weight of her achievements, given the time that she was living when it was highly unusual to see a woman speaking in public as she did. Josephine Butler is utterly inspiring as a woman.
"The causes she fought for are still being fought for today. The adversity female activists face in today's world is different, but it is in many ways harder to speak out, to carry on, to raise your voice as a woman in a culture where everything is instantly amplified through the media.
"I'd like listeners to come away with questions, I'd like them to feel something, to be moved, to look at their own lives, to think about the future and to think about how we as a culture support Female Activism and the importance of it. I'd like them to take away the hope too, in effect Josey's story is about us too."
Sandra Whitton, who participated in the project said: "It’s been fascinating being involved in a project from such an early stage - from exchanging thoughts and ideas to seeing how these have been developed by Katie and turned into something so powerful and yet so beautiful. Josephine Butler‘s place in history needs to be acknowledged and celebrated.
"Reflecting on her life encourages us to review how much has changed, and more importantly in some ways not changed, for women today. Her story needs to be told and I feel proud to be a very small part of this incredible project."
Josey: The Indignant Daughter has been produced by November Club, a performing arts company based in Northumberland; and The Space. The piece is available on podcast streaming sites including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Anchor FM for free from March 8, ahead of a full touring version of the musical in 2024.
How are you planning to mark International Women's Day 2023? Let us know!
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