Unfinished Histories

 
Welcome

Thank you for visiting the Unfinished Histories web site. We hope you have enjoyed viewing it thus far. This web site has been constructed to give information on our interviews, illustrating their content, advising as to where they can be viewed in full, and informatioin on the alternative theatre movement in general – its companies, venues, individuals, organisations and events. The web site is in its early stages. What you see here is the starting point from which it will grow over the next two to three years. When refering to people, companies, venues and their work, we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible with accreditations. We apologize for any inaccuracies and encourage you to contact us so that we can make corrections and additions where necessary. 

Next stage

As time, resources and contributions grow we intend adding the following to the site:

>separate web pages for all the companies, venues, individuals, organisations and events listed in our History section
>Search Engine
>Forum
>essays and extended galleries to the Areas of Work section
>general and individuals galleries of designs, fliers, posters, programmes and photos

If you are interested in the work we are doing and would like to assist in speeding up its progress through practical or financial help please refer to Supporting Us for further information.
 

We send a big thank you to those who have most generously contributed their memories, material and time to Unfinished Histories and the creation of the website.

Enjoy the rest of your viewing!

Susan Croft and Jessica Higgs
Directors, Unfiinished Histories
 

Mikron Theatre Performance

 

Mikron Theatre will be staging a free performance of Striking the Balance, a show about three women taking on the might of a discriminatory establishment against the backdrop of the 60s, 70s and 80s at the TUC headquarters in London (SERTUC , Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS) on Weds 1^st September 7pm (doors open at 6.15pm tea and coffee available from 6.30pm) Tickets, though free, must be reserved in advance: Box Office: 020 7467 1220 /  sertucevents@tuc.org.uk   Mikron Theatre Company is based on a barge and has been touring Britain’s waterways and other venues for 39 years. We are hoping to show a small Unfinished Histories display as part of the evening events.

 
Catherine Itzin (1944 – 2010)

 

We were very sad to learn of the death earlier this year of Catherine Itzin. Her work in the 70s and early 80s on documenting the emerging alternative theatre movement in Britain was vital and deserves celebration. It was she who compiled the first ‘Guide to Underground Theatre’ – 5 small print, double column pages in the first issue of Theatre Quarterly in 1971. By 1974 it had grown to a pamphlet publication she edited as the Alternative Theatre Directory and continued to grow rapidly to become from 1975 regular thick volumes, listing numerous companies, preceded by her incisive introductions, looking at women’s theatre, Black theatre, community theatre. Her naming of and recording of this hugely important sector allowed it to identify itself and gain strength. While Cathy Itzin’s main interest was clearly in the political theatre that she documented in her ground-breaking book Stages in the Revolution (Methuen, 1980) the Directories celebrate the whole movement in all its diversity. Recording the oral history of the movement through the Unfinished Histories project we remain immensely in her debt.

 

Links:

www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/apr/12/catherine-itzin-obituary

www.amielandmelburn.org.uk/collections/mt/pdf/82_05_34c.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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