All the Rage: 70+ female playwrights stage Epstein-inspired performance in City of London
A group of more than 70 female playwrights, including prominent figures such as Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Lucy Kirkwood, and Penelope Skinner, is set to stage 'All the Rage' in a repurposed insurance building in London’s financial district from June 11 to 13. The production will utilize 15 different spaces within the venue, featuring an array of short plays and installations that address serious issues like power dynamics, abuse, and exploitation. The show aims to highlight women’s voices and shift the narrative around shame. Notably, the venue, Theatre Deli on Leadenhall Street, reflects the historical dominance of males in finance.
Key facts
- All the Rage runs from 11 to 13 June at Theatre Deli, Leadenhall Street, London.
- Over 70 UK-based female playwrights are participating, including Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Lucy Kirkwood, Penelope Skinner, Timberlake Wertenbaker, and Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti.
- The event is staged in a former insurance building in the City of London, with performances and installations across 15 rooms.
- The work is inspired by the Epstein files and themes of power, abuse, and exploitation.
- Rebecca Lenkiewicz wrote a poem responding to Virginia Giuffre's memoir; Giuffre died in 2025.
- Penelope Skinner's piece was sparked by a photo of Prince Andrew kneeling next to an unidentified woman from the Epstein files.
- Epstein and other prominent men are not portrayed directly by actors; Lenkiewicz said 'Those men have had enough oxygen.'
- The show includes a recreation of a 1990s teenage girl's bedroom and a letter by Lenkiewicz that will be performed and shredded.
Entities
Artists
- Rebecca Lenkiewicz
- Lucy Kirkwood
- Penelope Skinner
- Timberlake Wertenbaker
- Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti
- Penny Layden
- Inès De Clercq
- Clare Barstow
- Melanie-Joyce Bermudez
- Virginia Giuffre
- Jeffrey Epstein
- Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
- Harvey Weinstein
Institutions
- BBC News
- Theatre Deli
- National Theatre
Locations
- City of London
- London
- United Kingdom
- Leadenhall Street