For too long, there has been a gap in the cultural history of the United Kingdom. While the presence of black artists in every genre are taken for granted today, even as the battle for increased representation and fairness continues, not enough is known about the many forerunners of today’s stars who paved the way for them. The Living Legend project is a new exciting heritage project recognising and celebrating the ‘Legends’ of the black variety entertainment scene. Steve Clark, of the famous Clark Brothers and Leon Robinson of Positive Steps have come together for a ground breaking project to celebrate the history and contribution of the Clark Brothers and other Black variety performers to the cultural landscape in Britain post-World War II.
The project draws from a rich collection of items from Leon Robinson’s personal archive combined with rare material from Steve’s personal collection to explore the socio-economic, cultural and political living realities of the time.
“After having the great privilege of meeting the Clark Brothers I felt theirs was one of the greatest untold stories and wanted to create an opportunities for modern audiences to discover and celebrate their work. Through the Living Legend project we have been able to create an amazing platform for audiences to hear and learn from the great man himself, Steve Clark. Brimming with the indescribable magic of a bygone era, Steve is a vital link to British and American Variety History.
By identifying and recording the presence of black variety performers during this period we highlight the importance and recognition of building and discovering archival collections and making them accessible to all. More importantly, this project will also hold up a mirror to Britain’s historical cultural shifts post-World War II.”
Leon Robinson
The key elements of this project are The Legend Exhibitions & Performances, The Legend Reminiscences, and The Living Legends Film. The Living Legends project is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, and was developed in association with Delfont Mackintosh Theatres, Really Useful Theatres, the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Hackney Empire’s Artist Development Programme.
