Sylvia Pankhurst. Activist. Rebel. Icon.

Full casting has been announced for Sylvia as it embarks on a UK tour this Autumn culminating in five performances only at the Royal Albert Hall this November. Sylvia comes to Birmingham Hippodrome from Tuesday 6 – Saturday 10 October.

Joining the previously announced renowned singer/song writer and performer Beverley Knight MBE (Sister Act, The Drifters Girl, Memphis The Musical) who is reprising her Olivier Award-winning role as Emmeline Pankhurst is Naomi Katiyo (Hamilton, Just For One Day: The Live Aid Musical) who will play the role of Sylvia Pankhurst, replacing Sharon Rose who has withdrawn from the production.

Cast returning to Sylvia from The Old Vic production include Kelly Agbowu (Mrs Flora ‘The General’ Drummond/Betty Savoy), Claudia-Rose Carlier (Swing), Jaye Marshall (Swing), Kirstie Skivington (Adela Pankhurst) and Ellena Vincent (Christabel Pankhurst). The rest of the cast includes: Lauren Azania (Swing), Zion Battles (Swing), Ebony Clarke (Emily Davison/Daisy Parsons), Eloise Davies (Annie Kenney/Norah Smyth) Solomon Davy (Prime Minister Asquith/Richard Pankhurst), Collette Guitart (Clementine Churchill/Jennie Scurr), Leah Hill (Edith Garrud/Mollie Bird), Nathan Louis-Fernand (Swing), Tachia Newall (Keir Hardie/Lord Curzon), Uzuazo O’David (Harry Pankhurst), Castell Parker (Winston Churchill/George Lansbury), Cleve September (Lloyd George/Lord Curzon), Kenedy Small (Jennie Churchill/Edna Payne/Sophia Singh) and Ivano Turco (Silvio Corio/Sir Almroth Wright).

Sylvia is supported by a grant from the Arts Council Incentivising Touring scheme.

Sylvia will host the UK’s largest ever education matinee on Friday 13 November. Delivered in partnership with Go Live Theatre and made possible through the essential support of The Garek Trust, the special performance will welcome almost 5,000 children and young people, with tickets priced at just £10, helping to make live theatre more accessible for young audiences.

The full creative team includes: Kate Prince (Book and Lyrics, Director and Choreographer), Priya Parmar (Book), Josh Cohen and DJ Walde (Music), Ben Stones (Set and Costume), Natasha Chivers & Hector Murray (Lighting), Tony Gayle (Sound), Andrzej Goulding (Video and Animation), Cynthia De La Rosa (Wigs, Hair and Make-up), Mark Dickman (Orchestrations), Sean Green (Music Supervisor), Stuart Burt CDG (Casting) and Lolita Chakrabarti (Dramaturgy).

Sylvia Pankhurst – fearless, flawed, and unforgettable. The untold story of the rebellious middle child of Emmeline Pankhurst takes centre stage in this irresistible hip hop, funk and soul musical that moves your feet and fires your spirit. Whilst her mother and sister battled for women’s suffrage, Sylvia ignited a revolution for the forgotten: working women, the impoverished, the silenced. Caught between her family and her beliefs, Sylvia risked it all to bring change to millions.

The Olivier Award-winning electrifying musical is fuelled by an irresistible soundtrack by Josh Cohen and DJ Walde that joyously unites hip hop, funk, and soul, and is brought to life by world-renowned choreographer and storyteller Kate Prince (ZooNation).

The Royal Albert Hall played a defining role in the campaign for women’s suffrage, serving as the backdrop for some of the most significant speeches and gatherings in the movement’s history. Between 1908 and 1913, the Hall hosted nearly thirty events linked to the fight for the vote, attracting both militant and pacifist suffrage groups — as well as the National League for Opposing Women’s Suffrage — who hired the venue for their meetings. The first meeting took place at the Hall in April 1908 and each event drew immense public interest; every seat was sold well in advance, with hundreds more turned away at the doors. According to accounts of the time, audiences were composed almost entirely of women, with 200 women stewards dressed in white overseeing proceedings.

Affectionately known by the Suffragettes as a “Temple of Liberty,” the Royal Albert Hall even appeared as their base in a popular board game of the era. However, following the intensification of militant tactics, the Hall’s trustees — like many London venues — banned Emmeline Pankhurst, her daughters, and the Women’s Social and Political Union from using the venue in April 1913. The Suffragettes thus became the first political group ever to be barred from the Hall. After the partial victory of 1918, when some women gained the right to vote, the Hall lifted its ban. On 16 March 1918, it hosted a special “Celebration of the Women’s Suffrage Victory” meeting, featuring addresses from Mrs. Pankhurst and her daughter Christabel — marking both a symbolic and literal return to the “Temple of Liberty.”

Sylvia plays at Birmingham Hippodrome from Tuesday 6 October until Saturday 10 October. Tickets can be booked at www.birminghamhippodrome.com or by calling 0121 689 3000.