Levy, Benn W. (Benn Wolfe), 1900-1973

Playwright and theatre director, Benn Wolfe Levy (1900-1974) was born in London and educated at Repton School and University College, Oxford. He served in the Royal Air Force in 1918 and in the Royal Navy in the Second World War. In 1945 he was elected Labour Member of Parliament for Eton and Slough which he represented until 1950, when he returned to writing for the theatre. While in parliament he introduced a Private Member's Bill to abolish the Lord Chamberlain's censorship of the theatre which, although unsuccessful for procedural reasons in 1949, was effectively passed 18 years later. He served on the Executive of the Arts Council from 1953 to 1961 and was Chairman of the League of British Dramatists for the following four years. Other causes with which he was associated include the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the National Council for Civil Liberties. The contents of this archive fully reflect his involvement with justice for the theatre and concern with civil rights.

From the guide to the The Benn W. Levy Papers, 1945-1973, (University of Sussex Library)

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