To The Streets!

A man holding a suitcase with his jacket over his arm. A woman looks at him holding her arms round him.

Music & Lyrics by Tim Sutton
Book by Roy Williams
Based on an original idea by Christopher Haydon

An uplifting new musical, inspired by the Bristol Bus Boycott.

It’s 1963 and the Swinging Sixties have arrived: The Beatles release their debut album, the mini skirt is born and the Civil Rights movement is gaining ground in America. Back in the UK, the country is emerging from the Big Freeze. As temperatures thaw, tensions are running high in Bristol where the Omnibus Company refuses to employ Black or Asian drivers or conductors.

Paul Stephenson, an idealistic youth worker, takes to the streets to stand up for equality. Lorraine, a teenager, newly-arrived from Jamaica, joins the fight and, in so doing, finds her voice and becomes part of a movement that changes history.

With an explosive, feel-good score bursting with ska, calypso and rock ‘n’ roll… this is a story of standing up for what you believe in, allyship, and – ultimately – finding joy.

Generously supported by Arts Council England and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and Birmingham City Council. Supported by Garfield Weston Foundation’s Weston Culture Fund. Developed with the support of the National Theatre’s Generate programme and Smith and Brant Theatricals.

For more information about future plans, please scroll down the page or email our Producer Fiona Bradley at [email protected]

Photo © Iona Firouzabadi

More Information

China Plate are developing To The Streets! with a view to producing a full stage version of the musical in Autumn 2027.

In January 2025, we held a week-long workshop at the National Theatre, co-produced with Birmingham Hippodrome and generously supported by National Theatre’s Generate Programme and Smith and Brant Theatricals. We also presented as a new musical in development at the 2021 BEAM Showcase.

Potential partners can request the latest draft of the script and a playlist featuring all the songs, plus video recordings from the National Theatre workshop. If you’re interested to learn more, or come on board as a collaborator, investor, or partner, please contact our Producer Fiona Bradley at [email protected]

You can also scroll down to listen to Charlotte St.Croix, singing Longing to Belong – recorded at Umbrella Studios by Ben Robbins.

To The Streets! had its first outing to the public as an outdoor concert musical, performed in parks across the West Midlands in August 2022, as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival – a six-month cultural programme, running alongside the Commonwealth Games. This element of the project was a China Plate and Birmingham Hippodrome co-production, presented by Birmingham 2022 Festival. Produced in association with Warwick Arts Centre, City of Wolverhampton Council and DRPG Creative.

For more information, visit the outdoor concert page or browse the programme.

What is the Bristol Bus Boycott?

The Bristol Bus Boycott is an under-remembered historical event which took place in May 1963, as a protest against the refusal of the Bristol Omnibus Company to employ Black and South Asian drivers and conductors on its buses.

It was led by Paul Stephenson and a group of young people from the West Indies who named themselves the West Indian Development Council. Inspired by the achievements of Dr Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks in the US, the 60-day boycott proved a vital catalyst for change in the UK – ushering in the 1965 Race Relations Act.

During the boycott individuals and organisations didn’t always align with the side you might expect. The West Indian Development Council were joined by white students from Bristol University and prominent figures like Harold Wilson and Learie Constantine – the High Commissioner for Trinidad and Tobago. Opposing the boycott, alongside the Omnibus Company, was the Transport and General Workers Union – even though the Union had been vocal in its opposition to Apartheid in South Africa. Even the visiting West Indian Cricket Team refused to get involved as they believed that sport and politics should not mix.

Ultimately the boycott was successful and, on August 28th – the same day that Dr King delivered his famous “I have dream speech”, the colour bar was lifted. On September 17th that year Raghbir Singh, an Indian-born Sikh became the first Global Majority conductor on a bus in Bristol. A few days later two Jamaican and two Pakistani men joined him.

If you are interested to learn more about the Bristol Bus Boycott, read ‘Black and White on the Busses’ by Madge Dresser (Hon. Research Fellow, University of the West of England – Bristol UK).

China Plate were commissioned by BBC Arts to produce a new short musical film inspired by To The Streets! Longing to Belong is one of several films commissioned to reflect the Birmingham 2022 Festival’s celebration of creativity and culture around the Commonwealth Games.

Longing to Belong is the “I Want” song from the show, sung by our protagonist Lorraine…

It’s 1963 and Lorraine, a Jamaican teenager, has just arrived in Bristol. She soon realises that her new home is not the warm, welcoming place she hoped it would be. In the face of racist hostility, she sings passionately about her desire to belong.

The film is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.