Women Say Something looks set to take over Slide
Women Say Something, the sell-out event from the 2011 and 2012 Mardi Gras seasons, today announced its full line-up for their next event on June 28th at Slide, entitled Women Say Something: Iron Ladies.
The evening will commence at 6pm with acoustic live music from performer Sam Buckingham before feminist icon EVA COX provides the Keynote address on the juxtaposition between hope and power from a feminist perspective.
Steph Sands, Chair of the Mardi Gras Women’s Committee and executive producer of Women Say Something, said of the event’s incredible appeal:
“Tickets for this event went on sale 11 weeks ago and sold out in a record 36 hours. An additional package of tickets for the panel went on sale on Monday and sold out in 8 minutes. This is a testament to the demand for such events which give women a voice in our communities and address key issues in an entertaining way. It takes the concept of successful TV shows such as Q & A and Insight and provides an interactive, social and entertaining alternative to tackle grassroots issues closer to home.“
While all our panelists are headliners we are incredibly excited that the recent Biggest Loser winner, Margie Cummins, proudly brought to us with the sponsorship of Athena Financial Management, will be joining us on the panel. She will be joined by proud lesbian Uniting Church Minister, Nicole Fleming, ACON’s Annaliese Constable, Aria award winner and classical composer Sally Whitwell, and Emily Miller from the International Women’s Development Agency in Melbourne, for the first panel of the evening “Women and Hope”.
The second panel, “Women and Power” features returning panelist Gretel Killeen speaking of her experiences of “power” in the entertainment industry with regard to women, former BGF CEO and Mardi Gras President Bev Lange, Chief Superintendent Donna Adney from NSW Police, Melbourne blogger and journalist Clementine Ford, and Labour MLC The Hon. Penny Sharpe.
The evening will also feature live entertainment from the women behind Ladies Sing it Better on the eve of their Edinburgh tour.
“Our biggest challenge with Women Say Something now is not only meeting the demand for the event, but also harnessing the inspired and motivated energy which is generated from the evening. We plan to address this through our sister initiative “Women Do Something” to be announced on the night “ Steph said.
All our events are recorded and available on our YouTube channel in the weeks following. We will be investing more energy and promotion towards this medium in the months to come to ensure that the content remains accessible to women all around Australia. The issues that are discussed cannot remain behind closed doors and the team at Mardi Gras and Women Say Something are determined to use this as a voice for all women in our very diverse communities.
Pete Urmson, Chair of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, is fully supportive of the voice this event gives to female-identifying members of our community and has committed to ensuring the event continues to grow and develop.
Pete said: “The success of Women Say Something speaks for itself – women from all walks of life have clearly embraced the opportunity to connect and engage in dialogue on issues that are important to them. The continued calibre of the panellists and speakers so far has been exceptional. SGLMG are proud to present Women Say Something as a way to provide a platform for women in our community and beyond, both during Sydney Mardi Gras and throughout the year. We are committed to and excited to see it grow and develop even further in the future.”
Women Say Something: Iron Ladies has sold out for June 28th. The next events are scheduled during November 2012. Details on upcoming events, the YouTube channel and the associated Women Do
