Speak Woman Speak

Leeds-based female artist collective, Speak Woman Speak is to bring the stories of two women from different worlds to life in a one-off work in progress performance at The HUB, Holbeck on Sunday 5 July 2015.

Based on the true stories of an unnamed Republican activist caught up in baby trafficking during the Spanish Civil War and Betto Douglas, a slave who lead a revolt in St Kitts in the 1820s, Soledad & Betto imagines a meeting of these two characters, across space and time, fighting for their rights under oppressive regimes from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean.

Performed mostly in Spanish (with some English voiceover), Soledad is set against the background of the Spanish Civil War and the baby trafficking that took place during Franco’s dictatorship and for some years after. These ‘los niños robados’ (‘stolen babies‘) were taken from their mothers and rehomed with other families, a drastic attempt to restrain revolutionary thoughts through the generations.

Soledad is a Republican activist, charged with the need to fight for her rights and community. Following a love affair with Miguel, a fellow activist who is one of the Guerrilleros who fought against the Nationalist regime, she finds herself alone, pregnant and trapped in some of the most oppressive conditions Spanish history has seen. Soledad is performed by Carmen Martorell, who is from Mallorca. She has lived in Leeds since 2012 and worked with companies including Red Ladder (Promised Land) and Freedom Studios.

Betto is inspired by the true story of Betto Douglas, who is some what of a hidden national hero in St.Kitts. In the 1800's Caribbean it was unheard of that an enslaved female would be able to fight against slavery. Her tenacity defied the plantation structure and justice system and she was able to purchase her two sons freedom and fight for her own. The piece is performed by Leah Francis and investigates themes of migration, motherhood and identity.

Speak Woman Speak make devised work highlighting hidden stories about women of diverse backgrounds. Forming in March 2013, the company has taken part in West Yorkshire Playhouse’s Summer Sublets scheme and Furnace Festival. Its mission is to tell tales of its members’ heritage to explore how our past has had a ripple effect on future generations.