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Collection Description
The archive of playwright, theatre director and Labour Member of Parliament Benn Wolfe Levy (1900–74) is particularly of interest for its material relating to issues of censorship. During his membership of parliament, Levy introduced a Private Member’s Bill to abolish the Lord Chamberlain’s censorship of the theatre and, although unsuccessful for procedural reasons in 1949, it was effectively passed 18 years later. Levy was also associated with the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (see also the Kingsley Martin Archive) and the National Council for Civil Liberties. All these organisations are well represented in the Archive through documentation both official and informal. Levy’s papers fully reflect his involvement with justice for the theatre and concern with civil rights. The Archive was presented to the Library in 1978 by Levy’s widow, the actress Constance Cummings.
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