LIVE THEATRE NEWCASTLE SEEKS YOUR MEMORIES OF HISTORIC MUHAMMAD ALI VISIT TO TYNESIDE
To coincide with the opening of the World Premiere production Champion, Live Theatre is asking for your memories and photographs of Muhammad Ali’s legendary visit to Tyneside.
In the summer of 1977 boxing legend Muhammad Ali made a historic visit to Tyneside. The four day charity tour drew huge crowds all hoping to catch a glimpse of the World Heavyweight Champion himself.
If you remember the visit, were there in person, met Ali or if he was one of your heroes, then Live Theatre would love to hear from you.
The Newcastle Quayside venue is staging the punchy new family drama Champion which is set around Ali’s visit to Tyneside and South Shields in particular. Penned by acclaimed writer Ishy Din (Snookered, Approaching Empty) the play runs from Thursday 13 February to Saturday 8 March and stars Jack Robertson, Christina Berriman Dawson and Daniel Zareie. Alongside the show the venue aims to present photographs and share on social media channels and the website memories submitted from members of the public who recall the visit or were fortunate to meet Ali in person.
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Champion cast |
Ali was an inspirational figure known for his boxing prowess but also his political views and work on human rights. The visit came about thanks to former boxer and painter and decorator Johnny Walker who journeyed to America to invite Ali to come to the seaside town to support a local boys’ boxing club. The visit was especially memorable for Ali as during his stay his marriage was blessed at the Al Azhar Mosque in Laygate, South Shields. The party toured around South Tyneside in an open-top bus, also used at the Queen’s Jubilee, visited a packed Gypsies Green Stadium and had many engagements in Newcastle. The visit by Ali was closely preceded by a visit by HRH Queen Elizabeth II but it is said that Ali drew larger crowds and created more of a buzz!
Middlesbrough born Writer Ishy Din said: “The Ali fights are seared into my memory. I didn’t grasp his achievements or politics, I was simply swept up in the collective excitement in our house. For a young Pakistani Muslim growing up in the North East, Ali was the brightest star in the Universe. My play seeks to capture the essence of Alis’s visit which underscored the interconnectedness of people and places and showed how a global icon could touch lives in the most unexpected settings.”
Champion is a new play that hits hard. The lives of brothers Azeem and Billy are turned upside down when Ali comes to town, with questions of identity, community and what each of us is fighting for raised.
Jack McNamara, Artistic Director added: “It’s amazing how a cultural event from nearly 50 years ago remains so clearly etched in people’s minds here. Since announcing this show everyone we talk to has a story about it, or knows someone who does. We are keen to gather these together so that the story is kept alive far beyond the walls of our theatre.”
Get In Touch
If you have photographs or memories to share then please contact the team at
Live Theatre by emailing to info@live.org.uk For more information on Champion
and to book tickets go to www.live.org.uk.
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