Susan is a theatre historian who has done lots of research into Half Moon Theatre over the years. She was involved with Half Moon Theatre when it was based on the Mile End Road.
Theatre historian, Susan Croft describes how Half Moon Theatre programmed British Asian Theatre Company and work by female playwrights in the mid 1980s, but was slow to produce such work in-house. The exception was the Young People’s Theatre, which championed bi-lingual work and the diversity of the local community.
Susan Croft talks about how the Jamaican influenced pantomime, Flash Trash was a significant piece of theatre in the mid 1980s in a multicultural area.
Susan explains why she felt the programming of the political play Destiny in the East End during the 1980s was challenging and she recalls how an Asian cast member was humiliated by local youths.
Theatre historian Susan Croft remembers the new purpose-built theatre and the separate young people’s theatre space and lays some of the blame for the failure of the main house with the architecture. Interviewed by Alexia-Pyrrha Ashford.