Activism in the 80s

By: Ardent Theatre Company
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  • Summary

  • Ever wondered about how UK politics and culture were forged? How once-mighty trade unions were laid low?

    Or how Neo-liberal economics took hold in Britain?

    Activism in the 80s charts the political struggles and cultural clashes that shaped the 1980s in the British Isles and beyond.

    Featuring veteran anti-apartheid activists, senior trade unionists, playwrights, artists and campaigners, this series was produced in response to the Tracy Ryan's play, Strike! produced by Ardent Theatre Company at the Southwark Playhouse, London in Spring 2023. 

    Activism in the 80s was produced by Creative Kin.

    Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
    Ardent Theatre Company
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Episodes
  • 4. Free Nelson Mandela! - The British Anti-Apartheid Movement

    4. Free Nelson Mandela! - The British Anti-Apartheid Movement
    Dec 11 2023
    In 1980s Britain, the anti-apartheid movement drew nationwide support. Its mission was to end South Africa's racist apartheid system. And as TV reports from that country showed increasing violence, support for anti-apartheid grew."With the media coverage. We could look at, oh, my goodness, this system is actually attacking children. It's shooting children".The growth in support was a welcome shift for veteran campaigners such as Christabel Gurney, Nadia Joseph and Lela Kogbara. "There was a huge spread of people who were involved in other issues like the miners strike, who also started supporting the anti-apartheid movement". From simple boycotts to huge rallies, the Anti-Apartheid Movement grew in strength throughout the 80s."The boycott was very important because it was something everybody could do".As activists and campaigners came together under the Anti-Apartheid banner, pressure grew on governments and businesses to withdraw support for the government in South Africa.And at the end of the decade, when South Africa's iconic opposition leader Nelson Mandela was freed after 27 years as a political prisoner, the Anti-Apartheid Movement celebrated a historic victory."I know that from the bottom of my heart, because of the anti-apartheid movement, that knowledge changes how I behave and what I aspire to do. That knowledge that change is possible". Introduced by Ardent Theatre Company Creative Director Andrew Muir.In this Episode:1:08 - Becoming activated and joining the Anti-Apartheid Movement1:13 - Success of co-ordinated efforts at national, regional and local levels1:15 - The importance of the boycott and pressure on big business1:19 - Campaigning in an analogue age - the power of turning up1:25 - Solidarity and lasting camaraderies among activists1:30 - Nelson Mandela is freed - a victory for anti-apartheid campaignersActivism in the 80s is a Creative Kin production for Ardent Theatre Company.Executive Producer & Producer: Jason CaffreyProduction music: Ellie ParkerMixing and Mastering: Adam DoubleThis production has been supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players.Links:https://www.ardenttheatre.co.uk/strike-abouthttps://www.creativekin.co.uk/Creative Kin Guest BookActivism in the 80s Creative Kin mini-sitehttps://www.heritagefund.org.uk/https://www.aamarchives.org/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christabel_Gurneyhttps://www.alumni.london.ac.uk/holden-lecture-2022-nadia-joseph-biographyhttps://www.london.ac.uk/senate-house-library/news/new-collection-joseph-archive-mandela-letters-photoshttps://www.socialfinance.org.uk/who-we-are/people/lela-kogbarahttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-caffrey/https://www.ardenttheatre.co.uk/andrew-muirhttp://www.adamdouble.com/abouthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ellie-parker-9ba9aa195/Remember to share, subscribe and leave a five-star review!
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    33 mins
  • 6. Tracy Ryan's Strike! - The Play

    6. Tracy Ryan's Strike! - The Play
    Dec 11 2023

    One day in 2008, a radio interview grabbed the attention of playwright Tracy Ryan. Irish Department store owner Ben Dunne was trying to apologise to a former employee. It wasn't going well.

    "So I was kind of like, What's this about? So I just started googling and looking around and then started to read about the strike and I was like, wow."

    That employee, Mary Manning, had spent more than two and a half years on strike at Dunnes.

    And Tracy had stumbled on to the story of how a small group of shop workers defied the Irish establishment.

    Her play Strike was born. 

    "You've got to tell the story. Tell the story with heart and truth and conviction and respect for what they did."

    Fast forward to 2023. With Ardent Theatre Company, Tracy brings strike to the London stage with Kirsty Patrick Ward directing. 

    "What we wanted to do was show police brutality on a much wider scale. That this actually can be happening is happening all over the world in different context."

    Explore the long journey from that first spark of an idea - to opening night at Southwark Playhouse. 

    Hosted by Ardent Theatre Company Creative Director Andrew Muir.


    In this Episode:

    1:43 - Tracy Ryan discovers the Dunnes Stores strike story

    3:55 - Meeting the strikers

    6:58 - Director Kirsty Patrick Ward gets hooked on the script

    8:45 - Early stagings of the play rekindle interest in the strikers' story

    12:07 - Kirsty Patrick Ward starts working on the 2023 production

    16:09 - Edits and rewrites tighten the pacing

    23:15 - Shaping characters and bringing them to life

    25:40 - The show goes on stage - with the strikers in the audience

    29:02 The show's over. How to the writer and director feel?


    Activism in the 80s is a Creative Kin production for Ardent Theatre Company.

    Executive Producer & Producer: Jason Caffrey

    Production music: Ellie Parker

    Mixing and Mastering: Adam Double

    This production has been supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players.


    Links:

    https://www.ardenttheatre.co.uk/strike-about

    https://www.creativekin.co.uk/

    https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/

    https://www.ardenttheatre.co.uk/tracy-ryan

    https://theagency.co.uk/the-clients/kirsty-patrick-ward/

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-caffrey/

    https://www.ardenttheatre.co.uk/andrew-muir

    http://www.adamdouble.com/about

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellie-parker-9ba9aa195/



    Remember to share, subscribe and leave a five-star review!
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    33 mins
  • 5. Women in Theatre - A Very British Patriarchy

    5. Women in Theatre - A Very British Patriarchy
    Dec 11 2023

    Go to a typical UK theatre show, and for every 10 people in the audience, seven will be women. This isn't new. Surveys in the 1980s showed that at least half of theatre audiences were women at that time. But inside the theatre industry, women faced a glass ceiling made of stone. 

    "One of the key stereotypes about women directors was that women were okay on the small scale. But large scale plays like Pravda, that sort of meaty work couldn't be done by women."

    Much like today, the most important and prestigious jobs in theatre were held by not by women, but by men.

    "Somebody on the board said there are too many ladies around here and not enough meat. It wasn't a pleasant environment to work in."

    And for women writers, producers, directors and actors, pursuing a theatre career meant a constant fight against deeply entrenched sexist prejudice and stereotyping.

    "Their stance was 'we employ the best'. And when you try to examine what 'the best' was, it was them. So it was a circular argument."

    Director Sue Dunderdale hosts this exploration of the challenges faced by women in theatre with historian and dramaturg Dr. Susan Croft and producer Gill Lloyd MBE. 

    Introduced by Ardent Theatre Company Creative Director Andrew Muir.


    In this Episode:

    1:16 - Running an all-women theatre organisation

    4:26 - Key practitioners and venues

    7:27 - Dealing with entrenched sexism

    8:30 - The Standing Conference of Women Theatre Directors and Administrators

    13:22 - Intersection with anti-apartheid and the miners' strike

    19:11 - The lack of women in leadership positions

    28:00 - Increasing visibility of women in theatre by the end of the 80s


    Activism in the 80s is a Creative Kin production for Ardent Theatre Company.

    Executive Producer & Producer: Jason Caffrey

    Production music: Ellie Parker

    Mixing and Mastering: Adam Double

    This production has been supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players.


    Links:

    https://www.ardenttheatre.co.uk/strike-about

    https://www.creativekin.co.uk/

    https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/

    http://www.suedunderdale.com/

    https://www.unfinishedhistories.com/about/who-we-are/susan-croft/

    https://www.unfinishedhistories.com/

    http://www.unlimitedglobalalchemy.com/gill-lloyd

    https://www.peopleshow.co.uk/

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-caffrey/

    https://www.ardenttheatre.co.uk/andrew-muir

    http://www.adamdouble.com/about

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellie-parker-9ba9aa195/



    Remember to share, subscribe and leave a five-star review!
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    37 mins
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