Half Moon Theatre, Limehouse, are celebrating 30 years as a young people’s theatre with the premiere of 1990 | 2020, a virtual showcase of performances, interviews and a virtual exhibition, created by over 100 young people from five of Half Moon’s Youth Theatres.
Supported by a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, 1990 | 2020 enabled young people aged between 8 and 18 to learn research, interviewing and photography skills. Hands-on sessions included trips to the Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives, photography workshops at Four Corners, and sessions with filmmaker Justin Allder to learn interviewing techniques.
The 1990 | 2020 Virtual Showcase includes Born 1990, a series of seven interviews with people who work in Tower Hamlets, who also celebrated their 30th birthday in 2020; Happened 1990, five performances from Youth Theatres about world events that happened in 1990; and Snapped 1990 | 2020, a virtual gallery exhibition exploring 30 years of Tower Hamlets history through photographs taken in 1990, alongside photographs of the same locations in 2020, taken by young people from Half Moon Theatre.
The premiere of 1990 | 2020 will take place at 6pm on Thursday 8 July 2021 and can be accessed via the company’s website, halfmoon.org.uk. The film will also be available to watch online after the premiere screening.
The Tower Hamlets workers taking part in Born 1990 are: Katy Jewell, Year 6 teacher at Mayflower Primary School; Sabiha Khanam, Volunteer Coordinator at Poplar HARCA; Halima Khanom, Heritage Officer (Learning and Participation) at Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives; Alex Portlock, Development Manager, Hadley Property Group; Tom Simper, Actor, Facilitator and British Sign Language performer and Interpreter at Half Moon Theatre; Claire Slack, Heritage Officer at Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park; and Ryan Thomas, Personal Trainer at PureGym, Canary Wharf.
Led by young people, 1990 | 2020 offered young people an insightful and important opportunity to explore changes in the landscape of Tower Hamlets over 30 years and learn about local and world events that happened in 1990, including the birth of the internet; the fall of the Berlin Wall; the release of Nelson Mandela from prison after more than 27 years; the poll tax riots and resignation of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister; and the discovery of the hole in the ozone layer.
Taking part in the 1990 | 2020 project were members of Eclipse, Equinox, Orbit and Lunar Youth Theatres. Also taking part were members of Solar Youth Theatre, Half Moon’s specialist group for disabled young people aged 13-25. They were joined by filmmakers Justin Allder and Rich Rusk; photographer Emma Brown; designer Elliott Squire; and composer Johnny Tomlinson.
Chris Elwell, Director of Half Moon, commented: “COVID may have made it a year late, but we are proud that we have been able to mark our 30th birthday appropriately, with a virtual showcase of digital content that celebrates not only the history of Half Moon as a young people’s theatre, but also the resilience and creativity of our young people. A huge thank you to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and to the fantastic team at Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives for supporting this celebration, allowing young people to work together, explore world events and participate in the arts.”
