Voila! Festival preview: Women Over 30 Don’t Matter

Writer-performers Carly Hendricks and Aishwarya Gaikwad’s show Women Over 30 Don’t Matter is coming to Voila! Festival next month.

Produced by Cherry & Guava Theatre Co., the show is “a witty satire about AI and the patriarchy, [and] explores how women from different cultures fight to prove themselves. They must find their place in a world designed for men: where leaders can’t show emotion, men fight sexism with software, and women over 30 don’t matter.”

Where: The Space

When: 6 Nov, 16 Nov

Ticket link: https://www.voilafestival.co.uk/events/women-over-30-dont-matter-3/

 

Tell me a bit about your show. Where did the idea come from?

When we were coming up with the idea, we wanted to write about something we felt passionate about.

We’re both fascinated by the differences between Eastern and Western culture, and we really enjoy discussing those differences as well as what’s similar.

One of the common threads we’ve found is the effect of patriarchy, and how women are often encouraged to see other women as competition.

We wanted to tell a story of two such women in competition with each other as they struggle under pressure from loved ones and society.

We also wanted to write a fun satire to show the daily piled-up frustrations that women feel living in a patriarchal world.

We’re having so much fun bringing the story to life. Our director Emilia [Woodgate] has such a playful vision for the show; it has lots of over-the-top moments, silly soundbites, and a sprinkling of slap-stick comedy.

It’s been fun playing Tasha and Pri as they deal with the ridiculous world we’ve built for them.

Why should audiences choose your show? How would you sell it in one sentence?

Our show has everything: AI, patriarchy, and the crushing burden of societal expectations. And it’s not even depressing! What more could you want in a night out?

What does being part of the Voila! Festival mean to you?

Aishwarya: being part of the Voila! Festival means having a space where my voice truly belongs.

It’s a festival that celebrates multilingual and migrant artists, where creatives like me can feel seen and heard.

It’s empowering to share this story in my own languages, with my own accent, bringing my full and authentic self to the stage.

This festival reflects the real essence of London: diverse, vibrant, and full of different voices. There’s a sense of comfort and belonging in it that feels a little like home.

Carly: for me, the Voila! Festival is a safe space to tell new, bold stories alongside artists from all over the world.

What I love about fringe theatre (and Voila! in particular) is the chance to see so many honest, human stories representing so many different perspectives, all in one place.

I see it as an opportunity to expand my worldview and challenge ways of thinking that I may have never thought to question.

How did you make a start in the industry?

Aishwarya: I studied engineering in university, where I got involved in one-act competitions as a hobby.

That’s when I really caught the theatre bug. After I started working a 9-to-5 tech job, I continued exploring regional and folk theatre in India.

After a while, I realised I wanted to take it further, so I moved to London to study at LAMDA. That was an eye-opening experience, a completely different world of theatre.

I love the theatre industry here, the opportunities, the range of stories being told.

And now I’m here, building fringe projects from the ground up and continuing to grow as an artist.

Carly: I also worked as an engineer for just over five years before I decided to change careers and pursue my passion for acting.

Aishwarya and I actually met at LAMDA, and she directed the first play I wrote and produced, Strange Orbits, which was based on my MA thesis project.

After that I did a theatre-in-education tour through Germany with White Horse Theatre, and now I’m glad to be producing and writing again as part of Cherry and Guava.

What’s next for the show?

We hope this show will have a long life, and we think this is just the beginning. We’d love to keep building on it and bring it to more fringe festivals, possibly Edinburgh and maybe a UK tour as well.

We can’t wait to see how audiences connect with it, and we’re so excited to see how far it can go.