Three Ghosts of Silvertown, the seventh Newham Play, is the boldest production in the series to date, and it’s performed at Tate Institute, the historic community building whose remarkable restoration inspired writer James Kenworth.
Three working-class ghosts, resurrected from the poverty and hardship of early twentieth-century Silvertown, return to confront the inequalities of both the past and present. Determined to rewrite history, they re-stage the famous 1889 Silvertown Strike led by Eleanor Marx.
But this time, the ending is their own.
Blending spoken word, movement and a pulsating techno and house soundtrack, the production fuses history with contemporary theatre in a powerful site-responsive performance. Created with a professional creative team alongside young people from Newham, it continues the Newham Plays’ commitment to telling local stories through ambitious, community-led theatre.
Inspired by the remarkable restoration of the Tate Institute by ReSpace Projects, the production draws powerful parallels between the revival of a historic community building and the reclaiming of forgotten histories. Staged just yards from where the Silvertown Strike took place, the play brings Newham’s industrial past vividly into the present.
Created by playwright James Kenworth, the Newham Plays celebrate the borough’s rich heritage through site-responsive productions that combine professional artists with local communities.
Since 2012, the series has explored the lives of figures including Charlie Chaplin, Mahatma Gandhi, Keir Hardie, Alice in Wonderland, Elizabeth Fry and Madge Gill, earning praise for its imaginative storytelling, locally-led new writing and innovative use of historic spaces.
Following the 7.30pm on Wednesday 26 August 2026, I’ll talk to Three Ghosts of Silvertown‘s writer James Kenworth and the company about this latest instalment of the acclaimed Newham Plays. Any questions? Join us!