A walk through Soho in the west end of London exploring and celebrating some of the locations and women that transformed theatre in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. The route included the original site of Inter-Action’s Almost Free Theatre on Rupert St, the location of the first Women’s Theatre Festival in Britain that took place 50 years ago in Autumn 1973.
Over the course of two walks, participants visited a range of key venues and spaces that were part of the history of the alternative theatre movement in the 1960s, 70s and 80s in terms of their connection to women and the emergence of feminist theatre (with nods towards the earlier history of suffrage theatre). Focused on the West End, they looked at how women have been key to the work of innovative spaces, programming, writing, producing, directing and designing work, including lunchtime theatre, experimental work, new writing, LGBTQ+ theatre and street performance.
Tue 12 March – Fri 15 March 2024 & Tue 25 June 2024
Location
Soho Poly, London W1W 7DT
About
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.
