Hard Time Pressure

McMillan’s second play Hard Time Pressure was devised with members of The Avenues Youth Club, Paddington, London. It explores how conflicts emerges when one of their heroes returns from prison. He rejects their hero worship, and becoming a young father, wants to take a different path in life. But he cannot escape the attention and brutality of the local police.

Hard Time Pressure was first performed at the North Westminster (Community) School:

Hard Time Pressure was subsequently produced by The Activists Youth Theatre as part of the Royal Court Theatre’s Young People’s Theatre Scheme to a sell-out audience at The Garage in July 1980. It then toured to the Trinity Church Hall, Bristol. It was directed by the late Gerald Chapman.

Poster:

Programme:

Reviews including b & w photos from Hard Time Pressure by The Activists Youth Theatre:

'Pressure in Chelsea', Malcolm Hay, Time Out, June 1980.

L to R: Junior Green, David Bland 'PC 'Bubble'. Extract from 'Pressure in Chelsea', Malcolm Hay, Time Out, June 1980.

L to R: Lynval Dunn 'Fatman', Colin Lambert 'Daniel'. Extract from Malcolm Hay review, Time Out, July 1980.

Quote from 'Soledad Brother: The prison letters of George Jackson', 1970.

'Profile on Michael McMillan', Diane Abbott (before she became a Labour MP), Platform: New Perspectives on Theatre Today, Issue 3 1980.

Hard Time Pressure

'West Indian Digest', September 1980.