Empowerment and Togetherness Win at Second Annual Tonic Awards

"There is magic that can happen when you bring people together": Lucy Kerbel welcomes the audience to the Second Annual Tonic Awards at the May Fair Hotel on a chilly March evening. Among bubbly and heartfelt acceptance speeches, the shared sentiments of empowerment and togetherness were the real winners of the night.

Kerbel started off telling the story of the Awards, not shying away from disclosing that when Sita Macintosh (Chair of the Board of Trustees of Tonic) mentioned the budding idea behind them, she was left baffled. She simply didn't see the point of hosting an event of the like: as Tonic works mainly behind the scenes, a situation such as a competitive award ceremony almost goes against the organisation's ethics, she believed.

Then McIntosh brought the proposal at a board meeting and everything made sense: they didn't have to duplicate an actual award show, it didn't need to be cutthroat, it could easily be an acknowledgement and celebration of women in the theatre trade.

As she went on to leave the stage to Dame Jenni Murray, she urged the crowd to try to put their troubles to the side for the evening and join together to honour those women who are changing the face of theatre and those companies that are unafraid to break the boundaries of the business.

Murray met everyone with encouraging words, praising the younger generations for standing up for themselves. "Young women are proud to call themselves feminists!" she rejoiced in a succinct opening speech where she expressed her delight at seeing the massive changes we've gone through.

First recipient of the Awards was Emma De Souza, introduced by the Vice President of the Society of London Theatres Caro Newling. The presenter emphasised De Souza's role in making theatre affordable: through Kids Week, families can enjoy West End shows at relatively inexpensive prices.

"She had to change the mindset on an entire industry," Newling mused as she praised her attitude at building camaraderie inside the Society itself. "I never win anything, I always look after the winners," De Suza chimed in, fighting back tears. She thanked her family profusely and stressed once more the importance of having a support network around her.

Jennifer Joseph presented the second award to Clean Break Theatre Company. The actress and member herself applauded Clean Break's work in making sure that women in the criminal justice system are given a voice. Chief Executive Lucy Perman paid tribute to all the members of the group, commending professionals to embrace intersectionality in a more thorough way.

Waking the Feminist was rewarded for their creative campaign concerning the representation of women in Irish theatre. Born in 2016 in protest at the male-dominated programme of Abbey Theatre in Dublin, the movement was able not only to take over the space, but to have major effects throughout the whole Irish theatre scene and beyond.

Lian Bell received the accolade, presented by playwright Ursula Rani Sarma. She underlined how the reduced size of Irish theatre meant that by going against the Abbey could have resulted in never working again; but women all across the industry decided to take the risk anyway, leading to the incredible outcomes.

The Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester was recognised for their engaging programming and display of the diverse experience of women. Artistic Director Sarah Frankcom was introduced by Maxine Peake, who has worked extensively with the theatre. "The Royal Exchange is a theatre who knows it needs to be representative," the actress said.

She was echoed later by Frankcom in her own speech as she said how important it was to her, once it was clear that the audiences were comprised of mostly women, to flip the point of view of the productions. "It's what you do and not what you say, so we've been quietly getting on with it," she said, chuffed for her work to be appreciated.

Vicky Featherstone set up the stage for Steffi Holtz and Gina Abolins, who were "brave enough to take up space" and who "have changed this moment for us". She praised their courage, underlining that they denounced Max Stafford-Clark for inappropriate behaviour before the Weinstein scandal.

"We all have one thing in common: the power of being a woman." Holtz and Abolins delivered an empowering and fearless speech, which culminated with a request that all women in the room stood up and shouted "Hear me roar" to their "I am a woman".

Tonic acknowledged Artistic Director of National Theatre Wales Kully Thierai for her dedication to creating experiences that involve the community. Soho Theatre Associate Charlotte Bennett described her as "a real rare find in theatre [...] a woman who values community over ego".

Kwame Kwei-Armah lauded Lyn Gardner for her mission to showcase emerging talent and new voices, endorsing her contributions as a journalist. "You shouldn't be a gatekeeper but a midwife," she passionately said, hailing the "embedded willingness to change" of the theatre business.

Caryl Churchill's defiance of form as a playwright was honoured too, with Moira Buffini spending warm words for a "trailblazer" who tore down walls in the theatre business. Churchill wasn't in attendance, so Katie Mitchell collected on her behalf, saying: "Being Caryl, she didn't write a speech."

Kerbel herself presented the last award of the ceremony to Mitchell. After Murray described the Director as "stylish, fearless, occasionally controversial", it was Kerbel who praised her for her incessantly hard work. The feeling was mutual, as Mitchell cheered on Kerbel's work during her heartfelt speech.

A certainly successful second edition, Tonic Theatre succeeded in showcasing how far women have come. However, by conveying how underrepresented women's achievements are, they inadvertently showed how mainly white the top of the ladder still is.

Nonetheless, the occasion was still a positive and all-encompassing celebration of womanhood and art. In the words of Kully Thierai: "Here's to more, thank you very much!"