Presented by Clair / Obscur. Directed by Dominique Gerrard.

Sunday 2 April 1911. Census night.

The Government continues to ignore the burning question of female suffrage. Women up and down the country prepare to avoid and evade the census as a protest and challenge to authority. “No Vote, no Census!” is their battle cry.

Suffragette Emily Davison is hiding in a cleaning cupboard, in the crypt beneath the Palace of Westminster. Emily plans a daring act in Parliament for Monday morning, but with a greater police presence and security tighter than usual, will she achieve her ambition before she’s caught and returned to prison?

Based on a true event to celebrate the 2018 suffrage centenary, ‘A Necessary Woman’ is written and performed by Deborah Clair and Philippa Urquhart.