Five great plays …that put female roles centre-stage

This Changes Everything

by Joel Horwood Cast: 20f (larger cast possible)

A group of disillusioned young women have disappeared. On a platform out at sea, they have formed the Community – a new type of society and a better way of living. But how can you change the world if you've taken yourself out of it?

Why it's great for female roles: This Lord of The Flies-type play offers an all-female cast parts that really push against stereotype as the girls build their new home with their own hands, and try to find a way to survive and self-govern away from the disillusionments of the world. Part of Platform, a series of new plays for young people commissioned by Tonic Theatre, all of which feature majority- or all-female casts.

Emilia

by Morgan Lloyd Malcom Cast: 13 – 29f, plus chorus

Four hundred years ago, Emilia Bassano wanted her voice to be heard. It wasn't. Could she have been the ‘Dark lady’ of Shakespeare's sonnets? What of her own poetry? Why was her story erased from history? In this riotous, witty reclaiming of the life of an exceptional woman, Emilia and her sisters reach out across the centuries with passion, fury, laughter and song.

Why it's great for female roles: With its diverse all-female cast (playing both female and male roles, including Shakespeare), jokes, inspiring speeches and rousing closing call-to-arms, this West End hit is one to fire up and embolden your performers.

Blue Stockings

by Jessica Swale Cast: 8 – 10f and 8 – 14m (plus two extras)

1896. Girton College, Cambridge, the first college in Britain to admit women. The Girton girls study ferociously and match their male peers grade for grade. Yet, when the men graduate, the women leave with no degrees and nothing but the stigma of being a ‘blue stocking’ – an unnatural, educated woman. Tess Moffat and her fellow first years are determined to win the right to graduate. But little do they anticipate the hurdles in their way: the distractions of love, the cruelty of the class divide or the strength of the opposition, who will do anything to stop them.

Why it's great for female roles: written by the author of Olivier Award-winning Nell Gwynn, this is such a great choice for any young woman in education today. It's eye-opening as to how recently the privilege of education has been extended to women, it has excellent parts for strong, funny and determined young women fighting for their education and to be recognised as equals to their male peers. A massive hit when it premiered at Shakespeare's Globe, it offers an equal number of male and female roles, but it's the women's story that is being told.

When They Go Low

by Natalie Mitchell Cast: 6 – 10f and 3f/4m (larger cast possible)

A punchy exploration of everyday sexism, consent and the changing face of teenage sexuality in an online world. When social media goes into a frenzy over pictures of a girl at a party, Louise's teacher lectures all the schoolgirls on taking more responsibility for their actions. Enraged that it's them getting reprimanded – and not the boys who took the pictures – Louise wages war on the school's systemic misogyny. But when she threatens popular boy Scott, risking his claim to the school captain title, things escalate horribly; a website appears, objectifying the girls and shaming them for their actions.

Why it's great for female roles: If you loved Evan Placey's Girls Like That, you'll want to experience When They Go Low. The debate about sexism, and different behavioural codes for young women and men is such a vital one to have, especially in schools, and this story will spark interest among all the students. Written for young people as part of the National Theatre Connections Festival, it's a great way to explore important issues.

Be My Baby

by Amanda Whittington Cast: 6f

A poignant drama about attitudes to teenage pregnancy in 1960s Britain. Mary Adams, aged 19, is unmarried and seven months pregnant. Forcibly sent to a Mother-and-Baby Home in the north of England by a mother intent on keeping up appearances, Mary – along with the other girls in the home – has to cope with both the shame and the dawning realisation that she will have to give the baby up for adoption whether she likes it or not.

Why it's great for female roles: A great way to engage young performers with the issues around teenage pregnancy in a historical context – a serious and poignant play which is nevertheless fun to perform and puts the friendship of the girls centre stage. The roles are equally weighted too, so everyone has their moment in the spotlight.