Last night, in the cosy environment of the Barron theatre, was the Women in the Arts show – a spellbinding festival – organised by an inspired collaboration between the St Andrews Women for Women International Society and all-girl a cappella group, The Accidentals. This intimate event was not only an unbelievable showcase of female talent, but also highlighted the enormous capacity of St Andrews students in such a variety of disciplines; the audience were treated to slam poetry, a cappella, monologues, Bollywood dancing and singing. The whole evening was – for myself at least – was an emotional roller-coaster, due to the diversity and enthralling nature of the different acts. In a single performance, with eyes shining, I swung between laughter and tears – and back again. Here is a glimpse into of some the acts to look out for:
The Accidentals
The Accidentals faced the challenging prospect of opening the event and capturing the audience’s attention. Happily, with their characteristic energy and uplifting opening number, to indulge in athletic clichés: the ball was rolling and the bar set high; the audience were enraptured for the rest of the night. Their set included a haunting rendition of my favourite songs, Go Your Own Way, by Fleetwood Mac, and ended with their renowned Black Eyed Peas medley. This final song energetically captured the sexualisation of women, fitting neatly into the women for women narrative of the evening. Despite the lack of synchronised golf trousers, The Accidentals killed it, with their amazing dancing, melodies and vocals that we have come to expect from the Spice Girls of the A Cappella scene.
Carla McGaharan
Carla started by announcing that she was new to the slam poetry world. I, for one, do not believe her. Her performance was so much more than a poetry recital; instead, an incredibly moving discourse about the problems of womanhood. It proved both incredibly personal and incredibly relatable at the same time. A touching and moving performance that left me wanting more…
Emma Taylor
Emma treated us to two performances, each of which was widely contrasting on the emotional spectrum. Having announced her intention to apply for drama school, the audience enjoyed an exclusive pre-view of her planned monologue – stunningly acted – of a vulnerable and abused girl finally letting out the difficulties of her life to an old women whom she had befriended. (Break a Leg). In complete contrast, her second act was a light-hearted comic song, which again tied into female stereotypes, particularly of St Andrews. The audience basked in the narrative and story-telling nature of this number.
Emma Seckel
Outstanding. Mesmerising. What can I say? I felt like I had the best seats in the house for a sell out West End Show. Why isn’t this girl on Broadway? Her voice was incredible. I have been listening to her set, songs from the musical If/Then, staring Idina Menzel of Frozen fame, on repeat. What impressed me most however, was the drama, passion, and acting of the song which was convincingly conveyed throughout the performance.
The Blue Angels
The Blue Angles rounded off the evening of extreme talent and particularly awed me with their grace and poise, in combination with impressive balletic feats that were interspersed throughout their stunning performance. Being spatially challenged and clumsy to the extreme, I was awed by their coordination and delicate movements, which were visually impressive and greatly appreciated by the audience. Next stop, Britain’s got talent!
Women for Women International
Despite my gushing, indulgence in superlatives, and extreme jealousy over the talent that was exhibited, the charitable motivations for the event shouldn’t be forgotten! The money raised was for Women for Women International, which attempts to educate and train women who are faced with conflict throughout the world, including war torn zones such as Afghanistan, Iraq and South Sudan. The charity supports women by teaching them about basic business skills, health and hygiene as well the importance of civic participation. The society are attempting to raise enough money to ‘sponsor a sister’, so if you can, please support their efforts!