Una Marson: Race and Censorship in 1930s Theatre | Collection in Focus | British Library
Channel: British Library
Date: 2022-12-08

Between 1737 and 1968, the Lord Chamberlain’s Office censored all plays destined for the stage. 

With that censorship abolished, its massive collection of play scripts is an invaluable resource for British theatrical history.

Our Lord Chamberlain’s Plays collection holds scripts of all new plays performed in Britain from 1824 to 1968. One of these is At What a Price, a 1933 play by Black poet, broadcaster and activist Una Marson, exploring interracial relationships and work power dynamics. It managed to slip through the Lord Chamberlain’s Office without heavy censorship.

Alex Lock, curator of Modern Archives and Manuscripts, and Kate Dossett, Professor of American History at the University of Leeds, bring this collection item into focus.

Explore the digitised version of At What a Price here: https://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=add_ms_66878_d_f001r

Read the digitised reader’s report here: https://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=lcp_corr_1933!12620_f001r

And watch Leeds Playhouse perform At What a Price: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9SnHrd-Cr4