Theatre Workshop or The Ballad of Ewan and Joan tells the story of the theatre company that began in MacColl’s home town of Salford in the 1930s and had a seminal influence on British theatre.
Although the story begins the north west, the play has links with south London.
Ewan MacColl lived for many years in Bromley with his third wife Peggy Seeger, for whom he wrote The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, later covered by Roberta Flack. He was also the father of Croydon-born pop singer Kirsty MacColl.
The play features his song Dirty Old Town, written about Salford, was later covered by London Irish band The Pogues.
Written by Manchester-born writer Jane Walker – who has lived in Bromley for more than 20 years – it shines a light on the creative partnership between Ewan MacColl and his first wife Joan Littlewood.
The audio drama takes listeners back to 1934, when MacColl and Littlewood first met. Together, they developed a political street theatre group in Salford, driven by a determination to take theatre directly to the working classes, and developed an experimental company that became Theatre Workshop.
The story follows the company’s journey from its early days performing across the North and Wales, through to its relocation to the Theatre Royal Stratford East in London in 1953.
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Theatre Workshop had strong ties to Salford, with both MacColl and playwright Shelagh Delaney calling the city home. Delaney’s renowned play A Taste of Honey, which is set in Salford, was first produced by Theatre Workshop.
MacColl was already active in the area as a founder of The Red Megaphones, a street theatre collective, when he met Littlewood. Their collaboration led to the creation of the experimental theatre company, which would gain national and international acclaim.
The audio drama celebrates Salford’s centenary in 2026, marking 100 years since the city was granted city status. It celebrates an important part of the city’s cultural history that propelled its members to national and international acclaim.
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The play is narrated by the character Newsboy, who featured in the early work of Theatre Union. It features a cast including Michael Ashtiany as Ewan MacColl and Francesca Anderson as Joan Littlewood, alongside Charlie Richards as Newsboy and Kathryn Georghiou as Shelagh Delaney.
The production is supported by Alternative Stories, an independent audio company whose work has been heard on BBC local and national radio and represented the United Kingdom at the International Radio Drama Festival.
The company champions new writers and provides numerous opportunities for voice actors and producers. Ms Walker’s other writing credits include radio plays Head in the Clouds, Deep Encounter, and Life on Mars.
She was script consultant and contributing writer for an immersive adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984, and co-writer and script consultant for Endurance: The Ernest Shackleton Story.
Theatre Workshop Or The Ballad Of Ewan And Joan was released on January 13 on the Alternative Stories and Fake Realties Podcast. Listeners can experiences the audio drama in a multitude of podcast apps.
