Glasgow Unity Theatre
The Glasgow Unity Theatre was a theatre group that was formed in 1941, in Glasgow. The Unity theatre movement developed from workers' drama groups in the 1930s, seeing itself as using theatre to highlight the issues of the working class being produced by and for working-class audiences. The movement had strong links with the Communist Party of Great Britain and the Left Book Club Theatre Guild.
The theatre in Glasgow was formed as an amalgamation of the Workers' Theatre Group, the Clarion Players, the Transport Players and the Glasgow Jewish Institute players.[1] The company toured in a converted truck, performing in halls and theatres.
In the Summer of 1946, the company presented Robert McLeish's The Gorbals Story at the Queen's theatre, Gallowgate. During the next three years, it achieved unparalleled critical and popular success. It was performed over six hundred times in towns and villages in Scotland and England. It was seen by over one hundred thousand people in the first six months alone. The high point of its success came with its appearance at the Garrick Theatre in London in 1948. The Gorbals story was not only successful financially but it was also a highly important play, which strongly influenced the development of Scottish theatre. This amateur production was successful and was later made into a film and released by New World Pictures in 1950.[2] The company eventually folded in 1951 with financial problems arising from an attempt to turn fully professional.[1]
Productions
- Ena Lamont Stewart Men Should Weep
- Roddy McMillan All in Good Faith
- Robert McLeish The Gorbals Story
- George Munro Gold in his Boots
- Benedick Scott The Lambs of God[3]
References
- ^ a b Glasgow Unity Theatre (University of Glasgow) accessed 5 July 2009
- ^ The Gorbals Story (1950) (The New York Times) accessed 5 July 2009
- ^ Scottish People's Theatre: Plays by Glasgow Unity Writers (Association for Scottish Literary Studies, 2007) ISBN 978-0-948877-79-7