This is a chance to take part in recreating Oxford’s history! As part of Local and Community History Month, we’re inviting you to an evening exploring drama and history: a real factory strike, a real rent strike, and the saga of the infamous Cutteslowe Walls.

The event will be hosted by the cast of Little Edens, a community play about the 1934 Florence Park Rent Strike, which celebrated a sell-out run at the Museum in April 2023. Little Edens will form the centrepiece of The Oxford Trilogy, a series of three plays to be staged at the Museum in the autumn. The other plays will be Oxford’s Inferno (about the Pressed Steel Strike), and The Cutteslowe Walls. All three events took place in 1934 and the trilogy will mark their 90th anniversary.

A scene from Little Edens will be acted out by some of the cast to give you a flavour of the dramas and to encourage you to take part later in the year, either as an actor or in a behind-the-scenes role. We’ll also be showing a video of Little Edens, and there will be opportunities to chat with cast and crew who were involved in the production.

This will be an informal evening, with a chance to learn about the three events of 1934 and to find out if you would like to be involved in this opportunity to make history happen. Refreshments will be available, with one complimentary refreshment provided per person. We are particularly keen to welcome people from Cutteslowe and Cowley to take part, and all are welcome to come along and enjoy.

This is a drop-in event with no need to book. You can register your interest on Eventbrite using the button below. This will help us to get an idea for numbers on the night, but is not necessary.

What to expect (timings subject to change): 

• 6-6.15pm: Doors open; take a wander through the galleries or grab a refreshment downstairs.
• 6.15-7pm: Introduction to The Oxford Trilogy by the playwright, followed by a taster performance by the cast of Little Edens and a chance for questions and discussion.
• 7-7.30pm: Relax, chat with the cast and crew, and explore the history behind the three plays in the Museum’s galleries.

Find out about Access at the Museum.