JoJo Kirtley - The Churchill Fellowship
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Fellow's Profile

JoJo Kirtley

Fellow's Profile

JoJo Kirtley

Staging Violence against Women: Using theatre to tackle gender-based violence

Fellowship

Themes
Focus

Staging Violence Against Women: Empowering Survivors through Theatre to Combat Gender-Based Violence

Countries
Fellowship year

2024

Locality

North East

Contact

Biography

I am a freelance writer, producer, facilitator and the Founder and Artistic Director of Workie Ticket Theatre CIC, an award-winning female-led theatre company based in North Tyneside. Additionally, I am a mother of three and a passionate advocate for feminism and women's rights.

I have been awarded a Fellowship to investigate how theatre is globally used as an effective tool to combat gender-based violence. I believe theatre can offer innovative strategies to eliminate male violence and empower survivors, driving real change. My focus will be on the impact of female-led, community-based theatre, survivor support and empowerment, as well as its potential for public discourse on issues like domestic abuse.

I aim to explore successful theatre practices worldwide and adapt them for implementation in the UK. Empowering survivors is deeply personal to me as I am a survivor myself, fuelling my dedication to advocate for real social change.

Activity

editorial

A Changemaker Mam: Building Theatre for Survivors

JoJo Kirtley reflects on balancing her Churchill Fellowship with life as a mother of three while exploring how survivor-led theatre can challenge violence against women and girls. Drawing on learning from practitioners across Europe, North America, and Africa, she shares how community-led creative work can build safety, solidarity, and lasting change. Now developing her Theatre of the Survivor framework in the North East of England, JoJo is putting this learning into practice to support women and communities.

By JoJo Kirtley, 12 March 2026

Disclaimer

All Reports are copyright © the author. The moral right of the author has been asserted. The views and opinions expressed by any Fellow are those of the Fellow and not of the Churchill Fellowship or its partners, which have no responsibility or liability for any part of them.

Activity

editorial

A Changemaker Mam: Building Theatre for Survivors

JoJo Kirtley reflects on balancing her Churchill Fellowship with life as a mother of three while exploring how survivor-led theatre can challenge violence against women and girls. Drawing on learning from practitioners across Europe, North America, and Africa, she shares how community-led creative work can build safety, solidarity, and lasting change. Now developing her Theatre of the Survivor framework in the North East of England, JoJo is putting this learning into practice to support women and communities.

By JoJo Kirtley, 12 March 2026

Disclaimer

All Reports are copyright © the author. The moral right of the author has been asserted. The views and opinions expressed by any Fellow are those of the Fellow and not of the Churchill Fellowship or its partners, which have no responsibility or liability for any part of them.

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