1990 | 2020 | Half Moon Theatre | 30 Years of East London Theatre

In March 2020 Half Moon celebrated its 30th birthday as a young people’s theatre. Our planned celebrations – including a festival of new Youth Theatre shows and a photography exhibition – were quickly postponed when COVD-19 forced the country into a national lockdown.

Over a year later and feeling more confident about the future, we are proud that we were able to mark our 30th birthday appropriately with a virtual showcase of digital content that celebrated not only the history of Half Moon as a young people’s theatre, but also the resilience and creativity of our young people.

We hope you enjoy our trio of digital birthday celebrations: Born 1990, Happened 1990 and Snapped 1990 | 2020.

The 1990 | 2020 Showcase film premiered on Thursday 8 July 2021, but you can watch the film again via the link below. Timings for the film can be found in the video description field. To access the replay of the live chat as it happened, click the “show chat replay” button in the top right hand corner of the YouTube page.

Watch the 1990 | 2020 film premiere Read the digital programme

Introduction videos

Watch the 1990 | 2020 film premiere

Timings for the film can be found in the video description field. To access the replay of the live chat as it happened, click the “show chat replay” button in the top right hand corner of the YouTube page.

Watch now

Project trailer

“We cannot believe how amazing the showcase was last night. The whole thing from beginning to end was such a pleasure to watch. It was evident how hard the children had worked and how much must have gone into making the showcase the success it was.”

Youth Theatre Parent

“We absolutely loved the film!”

Youth Theatre Parent

Browse the 1990 | 2020 brochure

“I think it’s absolutely amazing what you have done during this difficult time. I loved it! It was very educational and entertaining.”

Youth Theatre Parent

“What a beautiful showcase! Congratulations to the whole team – not an easy thing to create in such challenging circumstances. I’m mega impressed by Half Moon, as usual!”

Friends at Access All Areas

More about our trio of birthday celebrations

Born 1990

A captivating and poignant series of seven filmed interviews with people who work in Tower Hamlets, who also celebrated their 30th birthday in 2020.

Young people from three of our Youth Theatre groups spent two months working with filmmaker Justin Allder to capture the insights of seven people who work in different sectors in the borough who were born in 1990, the year Half Moon was established as a young people’s theatre.

We ask them about the developments in their sector, the way Tower Hamlets is changing and their views on the impact of the pandemic, an additional insight we had not expected to explore when we first designed the project.

Find out more and watch the Born 1990 films

Happened 1990

Five performances about world events that happened in 1990: the birth of the internet; the fall of the Berlin Wall; the release of Nelson Mandela from prison after more than 27 years; the Poll Tax Riots and resignation of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister; and the discovery of the hole in the ozone layer.

Five filmed performances about world events that happened in 1990: the birth of the internet; the fall of the Berlin Wall; the release of Nelson Mandela from prison after more than 27 years; the Poll Tax Riots and resignation of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister; and the discovery of the hole in the ozone layer.

The creation of Happened 1990 was spread over 18 months due to COVID-19 restrictions, as sessions seamlessly switched between in-person and online delivery. Our five oldest Youth Theatre groups have spent three in-person terms, between January 2020 and June 2021, creating shows inspired by world events that took place in 1990, the year Half Moon became a young people’s theatre.

We hope you enjoy watching the filmed performances and that you delight in being transported back to 1990, either to re-live a moment in history, or to discover them for the first time.

Find out more and watch the Happened 1990 films

Snapped 1990 | 2020

Exploring 30 years of local history. Same scene, 30 years apart.

Half Moon’s young people took part in a photography project to explore the changes in the landscape of Tower Hamlets over 30 years. The result is Snapped 1990 | 2020, an exhibition of photographs taken in 1990 by local residents and professional photographers alongside images taken at the same locations, 30 years later, in 2020, by some members of Half Moon’s Youth Theatres, with photographer Emma Brown.

During February 2020, a series of research sessions took place at Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives to identify photographs taken in 1990 by local residents and professional photographers that would reveal the area’s transformation. What had changed in the local area since the young people’s company was established in 1990 and what had stayed the same?

Find out more and view the Snapped 1990 | 2020 exhibition

1990 | 2020 is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund