VEIL is the latest piece of work from Mama Quilla - a performing arts company founded by Stretford-raised Kay Adshead to give women a voice in the arts.

It features an installation of recordings in which British Muslim women tell their stories and a piece of writing by Kay herself which will be performed by four actresses. 

She stressed that the piece is 'fictional'.

The former Stretford Grammar School pupil said: "Veil the poem explores one extraordinary day when the lives of four women end and begin again.The recorded voices of The Muslim women tell such unexpected stories, and are so diverse that we hope the audience gain an insight into what it is like to be a veiled and non-veiled woman living in the UK .The poem I hope is funny touching and exciting."

Kay, who trained at RADA and whose acting credits include the Mike Leigh movie The Kiss Of Death,

formed her company to tackle the big issues of the day from a female perspective. It is also a woman led ensemble.

The 60-year-old explains: "I have been working for 40 years in The arts, and unbelievably ordinary women are still underrepresented in the arts and in Parliament and in the boardrooms of large organisations that shape the future of the arts and Arts funding. I believe women very often have a different take on the big issues , but their voices are just not heard often enough or loud enough."

Kay said allowing the Muslim women whose tales went on to form the installation to remain anonymous allowed them to be 'candid.'

She'll be returning to her old school, Stretford Grammar, on November 7 to lead a workshop to discuss the issues raised in Veil.

* Veil is at Z-Arts in Hulme on November 8. Performance times vary and tickets are available from

0161 232 6089.

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