Shirley Chisholm: Unbossed & Unbowed Comes to London This October

One of the most powerful stories in modern political history is coming to the UK this October. Shirley Chisholm: Unbossed & Unbowed, the award-winning one-woman show written and performed by Guyanese-born, US-based actress and playwright Ingrid Griffith, will play five performances at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October.

FREE TICKETS FOR FRIDAY: Use the code SHIRLEY to claim limited free tickets for Friday 9 October only. Book at while they last.

Who was Shirley Chisholm?

Shirley Chisholm made history in 1968 as the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, representing Brooklyn, New York. Four years later, in 1972, she became the first Black candidate and the first woman to seek the Democratic Party's nomination for President. Her campaign slogan, "Unbought and Unbossed", became the title of her autobiography, and gives the show its name.

For our community, her story carries a special significance. Chisholm's father was born in British Guiana and her mother in Barbados. Sent to live with her grandmother in Barbados as a young child during the Great Depression, she returned to Brooklyn at the age of ten, and grew up to take on the political establishment on behalf of the disenfranchised. Those who admired her called her the Black Joan of Arc; she called herself Fighting Shirley.

About the show

Unbossed & Unbowed is an immersive, interactive solo performance in which Ingrid Griffith plays around fifteen different characters. It follows Chisholm from her childhood in Barbados through the Civil Rights era and the unrest of the 1960s, to the all-boys network of American politics she had to overcome on her way to Congress and a run for the White House. Many of the themes it explores still echo in politics today.

The production has toured widely across the United States and won the 2023 Suzi Bass Award for Outstanding Production about Social Justice.

About Ingrid Griffith

Ingrid Griffith is a Guyanese-born actress, playwright and producer based in New York. Her earlier solo show, Demerara Gold, about a Caribbean girl's immigrant experience, toured internationally, and her work has been recognised with the 2023 Guyana Cultural Association Award and the Danny Glover Power of Dream Award. Her stories focus on the immigrant experience, on daring to be oneself, and on the empowerment of girls and women.

This UK run is a wonderful opportunity to support a Guyanese producer and actress telling the inspiring true story of a woman with Guyanese roots who dared to run for President of the United States.

Chisholm's most famous words sum up the spirit of the show: "If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair."

The essentials

What: Shirley Chisholm: Unbossed & Unbowed, written and performed by Ingrid Griffith

When: Five performances, Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October

Where: Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Town Hall Approach Road, Tottenham Green, London N15 4RX

Tickets and performance times: https://www.ticketsource.com/bernie-grant-arts-centre/shirley-chisholm-unbossed-amp-unbowed/e-jpgeag

Free tickets: Use code SHIRLEY for limited free tickets to Friday 9 October only.

With only five performances, seats are expected to go quickly. Bring your family, bring your friends, and come and support a Guyanese artist as she celebrates a woman who refused to wait for permission to take her place at the table.