Metadata: Alec Baron Collection
Collection
- Country:
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Holding institution:
- The University of Leeds Cultural Collections & Galleries
- Holding institution (official language):
- The University of Leeds Cultural Collections & Galleries
- Postal address:
- The Brotherton Library, Woodhouse Ln, Woodhouse, Leeds LS2 9JT
- Phone number:
- 0113 343 5518
- Reference number:
- BC MS 20c Theatre, Baron
- Title:
- Alec Baron Collection
- Title (official language):
- Alec Baron Collection
- Creator/accumulator:
- Alec Baron
- Date(s):
- 1928/1991
- Language:
- English
- Extent:
- 6 cubic metres (19 boxes)
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- Good
- Scope and content:
-
Archive compiled by Alec Baron relating to theatrical life in Leeds from the late 1920s to the 1950s, principally Leeds Unity Theatre. The collection reflects his life as a prominent figure in amateur and professional theatre and film in Leeds from the 1930s to 1980s.
The collection comprises theatrical material mainly relating to Leeds Unity Theatre, including 83 items of correspondence; programmes for plays by George Bernard Shaw, Clifford Odets, and others; typescripts of plays by Ted Willis, and others; photographs of Baron with members of Glasgow Unity Theatre; designs for logos and costumes, song sheets, press-cuttings, promotional material, tickets, and other printed ephemera; also includes material relating to Theatre Workshop; Film material, mainly relating to Leeds Film Theatre, Leeds Film Society, Leeds Film Group, also including world cinema material: programmes, promotional leaflets and catalogues, correspondence, film magazines; Baron's personal notebooks on his theatre and film going, Baron's personal memoir.
Of particular interest are documents relating to Jewish theatre and the Leeds Jewish Institute Theatre Group (BC MS 20c Theatre, Baron/A/7). This includes 10 programmes, a ticket and a poster for "Awake and sing", a play by Clifford Odets, produced by Alec Baron, presented by Leeds Young Women’s Zionist Group and Leeds Jewish Institute Theatre Group with Esta Stein as a guest star; (b) a programme for "Mock trial", Leeds Jewish Institute, 27 Dec 1914, ("costumes by Marks and Spencer's"); (c) a programme of "Desert Highway" by J. B. Priestley; (d) a typescript entitled "The Jewish Theatre by Alec Baron", 1976, including corrections in manuscript (incomplete?). The typescript was for a book (to be titled "A world history of Jewish theatre") by Baron, which he offered to various publishers, but was never published, although it was much praised by publishers.
- Archival history:
- This collection was given to the Library by Alec Baron’s family via Martin Banham in 1990s, with further donations of 3 notebooks in December 2004, his personal memoir and additional programmes in July 2005, photographs and a typescript of his play "Comrade Enemy” in December 2007.
- Administrative/biographical history:
-
Alec Baron (1913-1991) was a prominent figure in amateur and professional theatre and film in Leeds from the 1930s to 1980s. As a schoolboy he developed a keen interest in cinema and theatre, and with seven likeminded friends he formed the Dramatic and Arts Club, which was to meet every Friday for several years in alternate houses to discuss the arts. The same group of schoolboys ambitiously started the Leeds Film Group, showing films for people interested in seeing German, Russian, French and other Art Cinema films that were not shown at commercial cinemas. It was the first film society founded in England outside of London, and sold out tickets at every showing.
Baron and the other founders later formed the Leeds Film Institute Society (later Leeds Film Society), and around the same time Baron strongly supported the formation of the British Film Institute. He also made significant contributions to the establishment of the National Film Archive, which thereafter he was able to use freely. He also acted as the secretary of the Leeds Film Society during many seasons, and the Society subsequently sponsored the Leeds Film Theatre at the Playhouse, which opened on 27 September 1970.
Baron had decided to leave school and move to London in order to break into films. However, following the death of one of his brothers and the marriage of the other, he was obliged to stay at home in Leeds. Here he started his own theatre company, Astra, as without cinema equipment he was unable pursue his career in cinema. He also directed the annual University Students Rag Show on many occasions. In the late thirties Baron discovered left movement drama in Leeds, and enthusiastically started to write political revue. There already was a Unity Theatre at Kings Cross in London, having developed from the Workers’ Theatre Movement, and seeing the need for one in Leeds, Baron formed a Unity Theatre in Leeds with a group of people.
They started in 1939 with a performance of a play at the Left Book Club in Leeds for an audience of about 30 people on a stage without curtains or lights. The theatre was run by amateurs who built their own stage and made their costumes. The Unity Theatre also developed its own playwrights and many of the plays and revues performed were written by the members of Leeds Unity Theatre. They became successful very quickly and were soon performing shows every week. In the summer 1942 a Children's Theatre was started at Unity Theatre, which staged such plays as "The Wild Geese" and "The Pied Piper”. In 1943 the company moved to a larger theatre in the City, the Civic Theatre, with a capacity of 2O0. In addition to plays and revues, the Unity Theatre produced also two ballets, "The League of Nations" and "Industrial Ballet", as well as mass declamations, notably, "Salute the Soviet Union".
When Baron was subject to national conscription during the Second World War, Kate Plenty took over from him as director. Baron and Plenty wrote a successful full-length play, "Comrade Enemy", which ran for thirteen weeks at Unity in 1942. The aim of the Unity Theatre, which was mainly run by communists, was to produce plays and revues with depth, meaning and a real modern message, mainly concerning social and economic conditions and politics of the time. Instead of merely providing entertainment, they presented a programme of drama dealing with progressive and antifascist ideas. The company was closed at the beginning of 1945, but was reborn two years later as Leeds Citizen's Theatre. During his time working in theatre Baron directed several plays with themes of Jewish life both in the UK and abroad.
- Access points: locations:
- Leeds
- Access points: persons/families:
- Alec Baron
- Subject terms:
- Theatre
- Yerusha Network member:
- The University of Leeds Cultural Collections & Galleries
- Author of the description:
- Holly Addie, University of Leeds Cultural Collections & Galleries, 2025
