Bus Boycott

Three men stand and crouch in the door way of an old green double decker bus.

Based on an original idea by Christopher Haydon

Written by:

Book / Lyrics by Roy Williams
Music / Lyrics by Tim Sutton

In 1963 Bristol became the epicentre for the civil rights struggle in Britain. In response to The Bristol Omnibus Company’s refusal to employ Black and Asian conductors, four young West Indian men organised a mass boycott of their buses. Backed by students and political figures such as Tony Benn and the high commissioner for Trinidad and Tobago, their stand brought about a sea-change in race relations in the UK – leading to the first ever legislation explicitly outlawing racial discrimination.

This upbeat musical featuring Ska, Calypso and Pop tells the story of that epic and vital fight for fundamental human rights.

Supported by Warwick Arts Centre.

The R&D for Bus Boycott was supported by Blueprint: Without Walls R&D Investment Fund.

Photo © Paul Warwick

Get Involved

Bus Boycott Programme

We are in the early stages of research and development for a programme of co-curated work to be grown alongside the development of the Bus Boycott musical. This programme will be made with residents of Ladywood and North Birmingham, telling stories from Caribbean and South Asian communities, whilst celebrating allyship, heritage and protest.

If you’re a resident or artist working in Ladywood or North Birmingham and would like to find out more, please contact our Associate Producers:

Aksana Khan – aksana@chinaplatetheatre.com

Diandra McCalla – diandra@chinaplatetheatre.com

Produced by China Plate in association with Birmingham Hippodrome

This work is supported by Birmingham City Council.