a curious invitation last tuesday society
a curious invitation the century club last tuesday society soho london
No ordinary joe - the life and works of Joe Orton

 

NO ORDINARY JOE:
The Life & Works of Joe Orton  

With Dr Emma Parker
At the Century Club - Soho W1

Tuesday the 20th June 2023 - doors at 6:30 pm, talk begins at 7 pm

Joe Orton (1933 - 1967) is one of the most celebrated British playwrights of the second half of the twentieth century. He rose to fame in the 1960s for his black comedies that satirised the hypocrisies of British society. Orton's works, which include "Entertaining Mr. Sloane”, “Loot” and "What the Butler Saw," often dealt with themes which were controversial for the time, including homosexuality, death and religion. Tragically his writing career was cut short when his partner, Kenneth Halliwell, bludgeoned him to death in the Islington flat that they shared, before committing suicide.

In this talk, Dr Emma Parker will delve into Orton's provocative and subversive writing that outraged and entertained audiences in the 1960s, and explore how his work continues to influence theatre and literature today.

Tickets £12 - please click here to purchase

Dr Emma Parker
Dr Emma Parker is an Associate Professor in Twentieth Century and Contemporary Literature, focusing on women and gay writers and issues related to gender and sexuality. Her research is based on the premise that literature has the power to reveal previously unseen truths about the world and inspire social change.

Dr Parker’s research on playwright Joe Orton revived interest in this working class, Leicester-born playwright and gay icon whose provocative black comedies satirised the Establishment and helped to define British counterculture in the 1960s. To mark the 50th anniversary of Orton’s three major plays and his death in 1967, Dr Parker produced a series of prize-winning events, exhibitions and educational resources. Dr Parker’s research has helped to enhance the public understanding of gay history, and has brought Orton’s work to new audiences.

OTHER ACI EVENTS 2023:

12th May 2023
An Evening with Joe Black

16th May 2023
Film Director Ben Wheatley in Conversation

26th May 2023 
Cigar and Cognac Night

26th May 2023
The League of Improv - A Comedy Night

6th June 2023
Soho A Go Go - An In Conversation with Darren Coffield and Lilian Pizzichini

9th June 2023
Philosophy Slam with Robert Rowland Smith and Mark Vernon

13th June 2023
Soho Bibles - The Lost Porn of Post-war London

16th June 2023
Poetry Brothel - An Immersive Literary Cabaret

17th June 2023
Liane Carroll - Live in Concert

20th June 2023
No Ordinary Joe: The Life & Works of Joe Orton

24th June 2023
An Evening with Florence Joelle

27th June 2023
An Outsider in the City: Colin Wilson’s London

1st July 2023
Gay Pride 2023 - Party of the Century

4th July 2023
Drop Dead City: The Dolls, Blondie and the Birth of Punk

14th July 2023
Ian Shaw - Live in Concert

25th July 2023
Shadowlands: The Forgotten History of Britain’s Lost Cities and Ghost Towns with Matt Green

The Century Club
 
salons at the Century Club Soho