Unity Folk Club at Torriano| Drawing Emily Johns
Monday 28th Nov, 8pm, £4
Unity Folk Club was started in the late 40s / early 50s by Jack Firestein, a Unity Theatre management committee chair, and the front of house face of Unity Theatre, running the bookstall in the foyer during every performance (weekends only) and the folk club in the bar on Wednesdays. Jack remained a steadfast, principled and caring socialist all his life. It was his life.
Unity was of course the left-wing theatre in Mornington Crescent that specialised in socialist theatre, famous for its political pantomimes and living newspapers and for being at the heart of the militant national theatre movement in the 1930s. The Unity made its name with Waiting for Lefty and was the first theatre to stage a Brecht play in Britain.
Paul Robeson. Photo: Library of Congress via wikicommons
The folk club had to move after fires shut the Theatre. Pete Seeger and Paul Robeson were two famous singers connected with the Unity Theatre and Jack.
The Unity Folk Club was at the Enterprise in Chalk Farm Road until 2003 when it moved to its present venue.
The central point of the club is to help to keep political folk singing alive, which is particularly necessary in the present climate.
Everybody welcome, especially singers and poets who sing or read against war, capitalism, exploitation, privatisation, imperialism and globalisation.
Admission fee: £4
Last Monday of the month.
For further details please contact either by e-mail or phone 020 7485 8752.
‘From Page to Stage Poets’ led by Lisa Kelly. A unique opportunity for up to six poets to develop a set of poems for performance on 11 December at the Torriano Meeting House at 7.30pm. Over five workshop sessions you will develop your poems and performance techniques leading up to your Sunday night reading at the Torriano. Tuesdays 11.30am – 2.30pm. November 8th; November 15th; November 22nd; November 29th; December 6th. £95. Book with Lisa by email: lisakellyuk[at]yahoo[dot]com
“Patriarchy: alive and kicking in the 21st century” – open discussion facilitated by Carla Dee.
With Chrys Salt and Pete Brown. 4 September 7.30. £5/£4 according to pocket.
