Kate Kelly by Elaine Delay.
My grandfather, a docker, born Wapping 1895, could spin a good yarn! As a child, I’d
be minding my own business, and then ‘whoosh,’ all of a sudden he’d have scooped
me up onto his knee, where he would unfurl his heartwarming, historically
interesting, and humorous stories. Some coming from his elders who had fled Ireland
during the Great Hunger, others about his own life growing up in London’s East End,
working in the docks and his rowing. I was lucky that my grandfather kept those
stories in his heart, and shared them with me, because today they are the ground on
which Kate Kelly grew.
A good part of my grandfather’s repertoire featured Mosely’s Blackshirts who roamed
the streets and terrified the diverse communities who lived there. Kate Kelly is set in
London’s East End, October 1936, in the days leading up to Sir Oswald
Mosley’s planned march of his British Union of Fascists.
 
Drawing on local history, Kate Kelly shines the spotlight on the life of one Irish family
living in Wapping ninety years ago. Docker’s wife and community firebrand Kate
Kelly is facing a crisis; her youngest son is dangerously fascinated by the Blackshirts
and her three-month-old granddaughter is gravely ill. Kate feels she is living in a
pressure cooker with relentless poverty, division, hatred and fear. When fascism
arrives on her streets, Kate must choose — to stay silent and indoors or stand with
her community. What does she decide?
I believe that having an awareness of local history can make a place feel like home,
be that where our ancestors lived, where we grew up or where we are now. Local
history strengthens our sense of identity, anchors us to our environment, and
encourages us to have pride in our community and our place in our history. It also
encourages us to consider the contemporary relevance of themes and questions that
were faced in the past:
Divided communities
How to react to threatened and real violence in our communities
Tensions, threats and ties between the individual, the family and the wider
community
Stability and change
The Space Theatre has offered us the opportunity to stage Kate Kelly; will you
help us make this happen?
The TOGETHER on Cable Street season aims to connect what happened in 1936
with what is happening today, and Kate Kelly is proud to be a part of that season.
The story of Kate Kelly is an important one, one that sits in our history and one that
is important today. To this end I want to take Kate Kelly to local schools: I believe
that local history connects pupils with the people and places around them,
strengthens the curriculum in ways that are relevant, rooted, and real.
I have been researching, drafting and editing Kate Kelly for almost three years now.
Last year there was a Public Reading at the Space Theatre, which was extremely
positive and exciting. I have now been asked to stage the play, the Cast and Stage
Crew are ready to go, and with your help Kate Kelly will come alive at the Space
Theatre on 1 st , 3 rd and 4 th October, 2026. Approximately £5000 needs to be raised
and will be used to contribute to the following:
Payment of actors and stage crew.
Purchase and transport of props and wardrobe items.

Programme design, layout and printing.
Payment of a photographer.
Payment for the Kate Kelly image and design.
Marketing costs.
Creation and management of a Kate Kelly website.
Management of Kate Kelly.
General stationary and relevant literature.
Refreshments.
The more money is raised, the more people Kate Kelly will reach. This is an
ambitious challenge, but I believe that giving a voice to the crowd in our history, will
make a difference. You are offered the following gifts:
£10 A huge THANK YOU.
£25 Your name in our Programme.
£50 Meet the playwright.
£100 Not only will you meet the playwright, but you will also join the Kate Kelly
walking tour of Wapping.
£200 The final scene of Kate Kelly will require approximately five or six volunteers
from the audience; you will be guaranteed a place in this group.
£500 You become an Executive Producer.
The staging of Kate Kelly will receive all the funds raised throughout this campaign,
minus the platform fees, regardless of whether we have reached our total target
goal.