Working-class dramatist creating socially conscious content and democratizing cultural access through community outreach.
He was born in London's East End, of Jewish immigrant parents, and left school at 14. His family background and attempts to earn a living are important ingredients of such plays as the Kahn fam- ily trilogy, Chicken Soup with Barley, Roots and I’m Talking About Jerusalem (1958-60). Roots is an eloquent manifesto of Wesker’s socialism: an aesthetic recipe for all which he attempted to put into practice by taking art t…