Unity has a fascinating history, with its roots in a national theatre movement that played a vital role in the theatrical and political life of the UK.
The Unity Theatre movement was born in the 1930s, producing politically left-wing work by and for working-class audiences. Merseyside Left Theatre was formed in this period, later becoming Merseyside Unity Theatre in 1944. The company was audaciously radical and experimental, and unlike many Unity Theatres, the Merseyside group staged classics alongside contemporary theatre.
In the 1960s, things began to change. Mainstream venues started to meet the demand for radical theatre and the Unity Theatre movement started to disappear along with many theatre clubs. Merseyside Unity Theatre survived, and moved to its current home of a former synagogue on Hope Place in 1980, later becoming the Unity Theatre it is today.