Unfinished Histories was founded in 2006 by Susan Croft and Jessica Higgs and later established as an independent organisation in 2012. It is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the history of Alternative Theatre in Britain from the 1960s to the 1980s. Through extensive interviews and archival work, Unfinished Histories highlights the pioneering contributions of marginalised communities, including Black, Asian, disabled, and LGBTQ+ communities, women, and other politically engaged theatre groups, ensuring their transformative legacy is recognised and remembered.
Project
Fifty Years Of The Fight For Inclusion (FYFFI) is a three-year project initiated to celebrate the fifty-year anniversaries of three key moments in the history of theatre:
– The first Women’s Theatre Festival in Britain in 1973 and work that followed in 1974 – The first Gay Theatre Festival in Britain in 1975 – The publication of Naseem Khan’s ground-breaking report The Arts Britain Ignores, by the Commission for Racial Equality in 1976
As an associate artist and to mark these anniversaries, Susan Croft will research and revisit selected performances and companies in the Unfinished Histories archive through readings, an exhibition, a symposium and publication. Throughout this, the Unfinished Histories archive will also take up residency at LPS.
