Book now
Exhibition: Laurie Cunningham: Different Class
Laurie Cunningham was the first black footballer to play for England in 1977. Two years later he became the first Englishman to play for Spanish greats Real Madrid. Born in Islington in 1956 he was also a Soul Boy with a distinctive sense of style. He engaged fully with the early 1970s London Soul scene that valued bespoke clothing and dance contests. He died in a car crash in 1989, aged 33 years.
Local writer and artist Dermot Kavanagh has held a fascination and love for local football and its unsung heros - namely Laurie. Dermot has curated the works featuring in this exhibition and has a strong interest in creating a community dialogue between young people and Park Theatre by examining the life story of Laurie which he feels continues to resonate with Finsbury Park locals to this day. Dermot and Park Theatre hope that you will enjoy participating in this exhibition by contributing with a ‘night on the town’ self photograph to be added to our wall - a place to share your ‘dressing up look’ which Laurie enjoyed tremendously. His unique style set a trend for footballers and we hope you will celebrate his life by showing your own top look - something Laurie would call a ‘Different Class’. Come celebrate Black History month with us by remembering one of our own local heros.