1963 - THEY HAD A DREAM

The Story

'1963' is set in the West London suburbs around Notting Hill. Cathy Palmer is a young woman beginning to make her way in the world. She has a successful hairdressing business, great friends and she has just met a wonderful young man, Jacob Kane. There's just one problem... he's black.

Jacob came to Britain from Jamaica as a baby on the Windrush in 1948. He lives with his sister Anna and extended family - related and otherwise - in the slums of Notting Hill. He too has a good life, but a chance meeting with Cathy brings a love which his family also cannot accept.

Jacob and Cathy are caught between two worlds.

To make things worse, Cathy's father, Frank Palmer, is a notorious gangland boss. Known and feared throughout West London for his violence and ruthlessness, Frank is not above dealing with the black community. He employs Jacob's friend George, a boxer, and earns good money through rigging his fights, and Frank is partial to black women, with whom he has had several affairs, but his daughter becoming involved with a black man... well that's different...

As Jacob and Cathy's love grows, both worlds are forced to re-examine their beliefs and, ultimately, make a choice that will change all their lives.

Can love really conquer all?

Or will prejudice and fear destroy their dreams...

Origins of the play

The cross cultural nature of '1963' grew out of the immense cultural diversity of Junior YPTC. We felt that we wanted to devise a production which explored the challenges of communication between cultures and by setting the story in perhaps the greatest period of social change in modern Britain, we were able not only to examine the divides between cultures and the reasons for these divides, but also to evoke the energy and spirit of an age when everything seemed possible.

The play presents two worlds, each as isolated in its own way as the other. On one side is the Kraysesque violent glamour of Cathy’s father, white gang land boss Frank Palmer, whilst on the other, the stark poverty and overcrowding of the Caribbean immigrants.
As these two worlds collide, racial and social tensions build and the hostilities which lie just below the surface spill out to create a nailbiting climax.

Although, the heart of the story lies in the relationship between Cathy and Jacob, and their love story may ring of Romeo and Juliet, '1963' goes further than that. As the title suggests, this story is not just about two people, but presents, rather, a snapshot in time through which this relationship, and others, can be examined.

The initial story was written by Victoria Howell and director/producer Robbi Stevens, then heavily workshopped by the cast resulting in a truly collaborative new piece of theatre.

As a result, love, anger, fear, prejudice, revenge, violence, betrayal, friendship and trust combine in 1963 to create an emotionally charged, edge of the seat production which will keep audiences gripped to the very end.