Waiting for Lefty is a poetic and provocative piece of agitprop theatre written in 1935 when America was in the midst of the Great Depression and saw no light at the end of the tunnel. Pulsing with vigor and urgency, the play centers around a cab drivers’ union meeting, in which the drivers are fiercely debating strike action to get a living wage. The union meeting is punctured by four beautifully crafted scenes, in which the personal costs of capitalism on the ordinary man are laid bare.
Emerging from the global pandemic, the UK faces a deep recession that could rival the Great Depression. With unemployment expected to triple, like in 1935, we’re struggling to see the light. Against this backdrop, Lefty holds a spotlight up to our current society and challenges us to ask why, in 2021, is capitalism still inflicting such a high personal cost on the ordinary man?
To really begin believing in something. Not to say, “What a world,” but to say, “Change the world!”
– Dr. Benjamin, Waiting for Lefty