Production of "The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist"

This is a collaborative event presented by Northampton & District TUC, in collaboration with Independent Socialists of Wellingborough and Northamptonshire unions.

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists is a unique novel of humour and sharply observed characterisation, it is also a passionate defence of socialist ideas and one of the first truly imaginative portrayals of life written from a working-class perspective.

The book charts a year in the lives of a group of painters and decorators in the town of Mugsborough at the turn of the last century. Haunted by fears of unemployment, the men struggle to keep their jobs at any cost but, in the course of events, some of them begin to realise that their condition of miserable poverty is neither ‘natural’ or ‘just’.

These workers, the ‘philanthropists’ of the title, who throw themselves into back-breaking work for poor wages to generate profit for their ‘masters’ are joined by an artist, Owen, whose spirited attacks on the dishonesty of capitalism, along with his socialist vision, highlight their workplace exploitation and the inequality in society as a whole.

Writer and adapter of the book, Neil Gore said: “The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists was published originally in 1914, but the themes explored in the book are still relevant today. When Tressell wrote the book, Britain was on the brink of war, and the majority of the population were living in a very tight economy with low wages and appalling working and living conditions.

"Questions were being raised about the reliability of those thought to be ‘masters’; and the capitalist system was under scrutiny by those who considered it responsible for massive and growing inequalities in society. These themes will resonate with many working and living in our current regime of austerity, where wages and working conditions are squeezed and where many struggle for the basic necessities of life in the midst of spiralling rises in the cost of living and housing. Meanwhile the richest in society just seem to be getting richer. Recent Government policy would seem to be driving us backwards into the vast inequalities that existed in Tressell’s time.

"What’s so special about the book, and what to expect from the play, is how it relates so closely to everyone’s experience of work: the workplace hierarchy; petty and amusing incidents of workplace rivalry; workers’ good-natured humour and banter; hostility to political change and the acceptance of greed as inevitable and a natural way of life.

"All these aspects of life will be portrayed through theatrical tricks, songs, Magic Lantern projection and skilled performance of lively, relevant characterisation and rich storytelling offering a good night out for all.”

For more information visit: http://www.townsendproductions.org.uk/