Founded in 2018, Voices of Women (VOW) is an award-winning writing, live performance and digital program for women, and by women. It was created to engage diverse and First Nations women writers, actors and musicians to celebrate and share their stories to change lives, connect women across all walks of life across Australia, and challenge prejudice and stereotypes.
Powered by a company of diverse female actors, musicians, writers, producers, filmmakers and artists, VOW has was founded in 2018 to allow women to speak and imagine. It has encouraged over 1,500 First Nations and diverse women in Australia and internationally to create and share their unique story and have engaged with nearly 200 women in workshops across Sydney and regional NSW. It has presented 100 stories in 46 live shows in Wagga Wagga, Dubbo, Newcastle, Goulburn, Ryde, Ultimo, and Leichhardt.
It has been funded by local governments in Ryde, Dubbo and Wagga Wagga; the NSW Government departments Create NSW and Multicultural NSW and the Australian Government Departments of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Creative Australia and Home Affairs and private donors and Foundations including the Carla Zampatti Foundation. It has worked collaboratively with over 50 local arts and cultural organisations across Sydney and NSW and since 2020 has produced the Voices of Women Podcast streamed on Apple Podcasts.
It has produced 10 short and 2 feature films screened all over the world including at the United Nations Women Conference in Rwanda, London and New York and presents the annual Voices of Women International Short Film and Script Festival. Artistic Director Lliane Clarke was awarded the Multicultural NSW Arts and Culture Medal NSW in 2022 and is a Member of Institute of Community Directors Australia (ICDA) and Compact Alliance Multicultural NSW.
The program impacts young and mature women, many of who include first-time writers or workshop attendees, by building their:
- self esteem and resilience
- problem solving
- team work and sharing, community building
- personal empowerment and courage
- mental health and wellbeing
WHAT WOMEN SAY :
“I felt nobody was listening to me! I feel so much better that I’ve shared that story – that I’ve got it out! I feel stronger now.” Emily O’Brien, workshop attendee
“Knowing that my story was accepted into this program was a turning point for me as a writer.” Susan Francis, author of The Love That Remains, Allen and Unwin, 2019.
“Being accepted into this program was a life changing event for me in many ways. It gave me such confidence and since then my writing work has developed in a way I couldn’t have imagined.” Edilia Ford, Sydney, corporate escapee, pursuing a life as a writer.
It is distinguished by FIVE PILLARS:
1. DIVERSITY: Voices of Women is committed to diverse stories and diverse actors from all women in Australia, with First Nations women at the heart, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, from women living with disability, women from LGBTQI+ communities, and women living in regional, remote and metropolitan areas.
2. WRITING COMPETITION IN FIRST PERSON VOICE: All women writers are invited to submit short pieces in the first person present – narrative, monologues, soliloquy. All writing organisations and writers collectives are encouraged and welcome to take part. The project can be tailored to specific communities. Stories can be fiction or non-fiction and are curated by the editorial team lead by Artistic Director Lliane Clarke.
3. SPOKEN WORD: The pieces are performed in public by trained actors in Rehearsed Readings from the tradition of Reader’s Theatre. Why rehearsed readings? Read about the inspiration behind this form here.
4. AUDIENCE IMMERSION IN SURPRISING VENUES: All performances are in intimate spaces, unusual, unexpected with audience immersed amongst the storytellers. The audience experiences the stories in an acoustic environment which can also involve elements of music. Voices of Women also encourages women visual artists and has collaborated with several visual arts organisations.
5. WORKS RELEASED ON FILM: the stories are performed in filmed outcomes, or podcasted. A selection of works may be published by online by our publishing collaborators.
Voices of Women acknowledges the Gadigal and Wangal people of the Eora nation as the traditional custodians of the land on which we produce and share stories. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present.