In a much-awaited return to live performances, Mockingbird Youth Theatre – the performing arts academy at Doha College – and Doha Players – the oldest English-speaking amateur theatre club in Qatar – are putting on six performances over five days, of Blue Stockings (by Jessica Swale).
A bold and entertaining historical drama, Blue Stockings follows the story of a group of pioneering young women and their struggle for recognition in the academic world of Victorian Cambridge, England. The play is the moving, comical and inspiring tale of Tess Moffat and her fellow first-year student friends who face daunting obstacles in their struggle to graduate.
The play is the first theatre production to be staged at the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ), which is a fitting choice as it brings to light the challenges women in many parts of the world still face today to gain educational equality.
Challenging preparations
It has taken 18 challenging months to bring the production to the stage, with the cast auditioning and rehearsing via Zoom at the height of the pandemic. Director Jane Williams, the Senior Drama Coordinator at Doha College and Director of Mockingbird Academy, has successfully nurtured the young performers and through collaboration with the well-established Doha Players, has assembled a cast that combines the zestfulness of youth with more experienced performers, many of whom will be well known to Doha theatre-goers.
Blue Stockings was first performed at The Globe Theatre in London and has become a very popular choice for theatre companies in the UK and around the world.
Doha College Principal Dr Steffen Sommer shared his excitement at this rekindling of dramatic arts, combined with the powerful message about women’s education. He said he is elated at the opportunity of attending the performance of Blue Stockings and it is an enormous privilege for Doha College and Mockingbird, as well as for the Doha Players, to put on the fantastic show.
Thank you to our friends in the National Museum of Qatar and HE Sheikha Al-Mayassa for her support of the initiative. It is quite extraordinary to be using that space, particularly for a play like Blue Stockings, which is all about women’s rights, and also uses as an example Malala, who has been fighting for the rights of girls and women to education around the globe. It’s an amazing show, do come and join us!
Tickets to the performances are available through this link.
Check out Marhaba’s FREE e-Guides to know more about Qatar.