Founded in New York City by a Sydney-sider, Generation Women combines the energy of live performance with the ancient tradition of oratory storytelling.
Urban Village spoke to Gen Women founder and New York-based novelist Georgia Clark and Sydney show producer Liv Gorman about the upcoming event, and the transcendental power of inter-generational storytelling.
The idea for Gen Women originated from a conversation Georgia had with her mother, in which she revealed that as an older woman she often felt invisible. In a society that fetishises youth and chronically fears aging, this feeling is far from uncommon. Georgia felt compelled to provide a platform that celebrates the voices of women from all age brackets.
The stories might be funny, harrowing, uplifting, or emotionally raw. From a speaker in her twenties recovering from the loss of first love, to a speaker in her seventies sharing invaluable pearls of wisdom. Everyone has an interesting story to tell, says Georgia. Everyone is going through something.
While Georgia and her team run the New York shows, Liv works alongside host Dr Elaine Laforteza to organise Generation Women Sydney.
“I’m looking for those moments where the performer connects with their material and reveals a piece of themselves,” says Liv. “The stories these women tell can really empower all of us.”
“To be able to bear witness to someone else’s truth, wit, wisdom and insights, is really how I’ve personally grown,” says Georgia.
“I think our night is especially powerful because it isn’t just a room full of millennials. You don’t really see and hear from older women often. Even just physically seeing an older woman capturing the attention of an audience, leaning into her power, is extremely exciting.”
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For further information and tickets, or to get involved with upcoming shows, head to the website. Follow @generation_women_sydney on Instagram and like Generation Women Sydney on Facebook for updates.
This month Generation Women will donate to the work of CAMFED, a non-for-profit organisation supporting the primary and secondary education of girls in some of the poorest parts of Africa.
