Abolitionist Songs

The Spiel

Running time: around 1 hour and 45 minutes (including an interval)

These moving songs of hope and anger were written in the late 1700s and early 1800s to build and sustain the movement in Britain to abolish the transatlantic slave trade. Highlighting the horrors of slavery, these songs of protest once had an international reach.

Newly rediscovered in the archives of the British Library, the songs receive their first professional public performance in the modern era by Ensemble 360 and guest singers, alongside historic writings brought to life by actors.