Make More Noise: Production Pack
Feb 2018 marked 100 years since the Representation of the People Act was passed in Britain, giving some women the right to vote. In honour of this historic milestone, Bristol Old Vic Young Company presented their love letter to the women and girls who fought and campaigned to get us to where we are today.
Exploring stories of women’s suffrage, alongside experiences of being female in the modern world, in 2018 Bristol Old Vic Young Company and Adult Company presented Make More Noise, a play which celebrated just how far women have come, whilst protesting what still needs to be done.
Here we've collected together some of the supporting material from that show for you to explore, including production images, the original script and more.
Image from the Set Design of Make More Noise, 2018.
You have to make more noise than anybody else, you have to make yourself more obtrusive than anybody else.
Emmeline Pankhurst
A note from the cast, Kira McGuinness
I think the show is something amazing, the way that the influence of women from so many different eras contributed to it makes it feel like we’re honouring them in our own little way. Working with people from the Young Company and Adult Company was extremely fun because we got to see so many different views on the subjects covered due to the diversity of age groups. This meant that I could learn from everyone and help others to learn as well. Coming in not knowing a majority of the cast was interesting, I was quite nervous at the start but we have grown so much as a group and we definitely have built such a strong bond over the process of creating this show together. To me, Make More Noise is a tribute to all the struggles and successes of women all around the world and a way of explaining to people what feminism is.
A note from the Director, Lisa Gregan
We are standing on the shoulders of giants. It has been very humbling to realise how many incredible women have come before us and given us the right to choose. This creative process has been a joy; we have danced, laughed, cried and gotten very angry. We have been part of our very own theatrical girl gang.
In the rehearsal room there was a real sense of empowerment and a determination to change the world, because the world still needs to change. The stories we shared are testament to this. Stories of sexual aggression, being treated differently to male counterparts, being told we could not do something because of our gender. The power of seeing these strong, wonderful, creative women on stage together is awe-inspiring and I am grateful to have played a small part in that. If you are in ever in doubt about ‘what a feminist looks like’ then look no further. The future of equality is in safe hands.
Photography: Jana Rumley
Some provocations
The following are some provocations inspired by Make More Noise. If you do create a response to this show, we'd love to see what you make. You can email them to us here, or tag us on Twitter (@BristolOldVic) or Instagram (@bristololdvic1766). Or, feel free not to share and to just be creative for yourself.
- Pick an incredible woman (or man) from the past, and, using anything you can find in your vicinity, transform yourself into them and film yourself telling us why you think they are great. Alternatively, you could recreate a famous image of them.
- Inspired by the Pulp Fiction dance recreated in Make More Noise, find a famous dance or song from a film, and learn the dance routine or lip sync. You could do this on your own or with your lockdown crew.