Unity Theatre

Unity Theatre, Glasgow, left-wing theatre group formed in 1941 by the war-time amalgamation of four amateur companies, the Transport, the Clarion, the Jewish Institute, and the Workers' Theatre. It rapidly achieved success, and in the summer of 1945 presented in London a highly praised production of Gorky's The Lower Depths. In the following year a full-time professional group was formed, which, like the Scottish National Players, toured throughout Scotland as well as playing in Glasgow. Its biggest success came with The Gorbals Story (1948), a study of life in an overcrowded slum written by Robert MacLeish, a mixture of broad comedy and pathos reminiscent of the early plays of O'Casey. This was revived many times, toured all over Britain, was taken into the West End briefly, and eventually filmed. Financial insecurity and the lack of a permanent home led to Unity's eventual downfall, and by the early 1950s it had ceased to be effective, although a number of its actors continued to make a vital contribution to the Scottish theatre.