A tribute to phenomenal women, famous and obscure, who haven't always been appreciated was the mission of four friends who met on the stage of the City Hall Theatre on January 27 and 28.

"Mosaic 62: Women of Our Time on Whose Shoulders We Stand" was a multi-media production incorporating the spoken word, dance, music and images projected onto a screen.

Ruth Thomas, author of the dialogue, and choreographer Conchita Ming, combined their talents to explore the experiences of local women through the last four centuries, and particularly their struggle to break free of the physical, legal, social and cultural chains that bound them to their position as third class citizens.

Male members of the audience might have been forgiven for feeling themselves unsuspecting targets of centuries of pent up frustration and indignation, as much of the content of the evening was a grim catalogue of wrongs. Having been nurtured by a loving father, and married to a generous, open-hearted husband, I found this somewhat unbalanced. Nevertheless, the male members of the company, Leo Mills and Gary Phillips, bore this with good grace and humour. In fact it was the witty, and I suspect ad lib, asides of the gentlemen that leavened the evening with laughter. The banter between friends, Messrs Phillips and Mills holding their own against the sharp retorts of Ruth Thomas and Grace Rawlins, carried the more sobering elements of the production along well.

The evening opened with a list in bold capitals projected onto the screen of the names of 20th century women who have made a difference in Bermudian society in a multitude of areas, some on the wider stage of public life, others as wives, mothers, homemakers.

Ms Thomas and Ms Rawlins' list of the shackles crippling the development of women, individually and as a group, resonated with many of the audience, evidenced by the number of "um-hums" heard.

The experiences of four women were highlighted in dance, with a heavy emphasis on the period before emancipation. "Remember the Circle of the Sky", danced feelingly by Sierra Renae Robinson, explored what it meant to be torn from family, friends and all things familiar to be carried over the ocean to a strange land.

Sally Basset's story explored the cruel and inhumane treatment meted out as legal punishment, with women often receiving harsher punishments than men for the same offences. Shaydrina Hassell's portrayal of Mary Prince was my personal favourite, her stubborn, persistent challenge of the justifications of slavery ending in a bright, shimmer of hope. Brittany Legere Adams' portrayal of Gladys Morrell's struggle for women's suffrage was a subdued, circular piece, reflecting the many attempts to make forward progress.

We returned to the 20th century with a tribute to the women of our time, an multimedia piece danced vibrantly by Kiara Somner against the background of female faces – many familiar, some not – which concluded with a striking tableau of all the performers against the mosaic of women on whose shoulders we stand. The audience was sent away on a hopeful note, reminded that whoever lives in the present, supported by the past, commands the future, and that everyone has a role to play, and should play that role well.

An interesting, though-provoking dialogue, punctuated by emotive dances was somewhat spoiled by production problems, lighting in particular, but occasionally sound quality as well. The position of the projector meant that for those at the front of the theatre, the lower part of the projected imagery was not seen – forgivable in an amateur production, but not surely for one of international calibre in a familiar theatre.

That said, it was an enjoyable evening, and one greatly appreciated by the audience, judging by the applause at the end.