PRESS RELEASE
9 July 2025
Film of Ruth Ellis show to be screened at the Magdala on 70th anniversary of her execution
- Film of the sold-out show staged on the anniversary of the shooting to be screened on 70 years after her execution
- VIP Screening: 7.30pm / 13 July, Magdala Tavern NW3 2SB
Exactly 70 years after Ruth Ellis became the last woman in Britain to be hanged, the pub where she gunned down her lover David Blakely, are putting on a screening a film of the recent sold-out show, performed on the 70th anniversary of the murder.
On the 10 April 2025, The Magdala Tavern was transformed into immersive theatre with 80 people filling the saloon bar to watch the show live and further 60 people watching the livestream from the public bar.
The show – described as a poignant evening of performance included theatre, music, dance and poetry – was presided over by musician and performance poet, Dr Elizabeth Love, who “became” Ruth Ellis for the evening. She will reprise the role this Sunday to introduce the screening.
“I’m excited to step into Ruth’s shoes once again for this Sunday’s event at the Magdala,” said Elizabeth Love.
“When I step into a character, I allow their words to move through me. Delivering a fully improvised spoken word piece as the essence of Ruth was a profound experience and witnessing the featured artists share their own stories of toxic love, longing, and inner trials made the night even more transformative.
“Ruth’s story shines a light on the perpetuation of trauma and abuse. What made this event so meaningful was how it gave the audience permission to feel the full complexity of each character’s experience without needing to take sides. When we begin relating to one another as humans first, we can start to redefine justice… and maybe even stop the cycle of harm.”
With a cast of established actors, musicians, poets, and dancers, supported by a team of locals, the performance was a huge success. Tickets sold out just hours after being advertised and the reaction of the audience was unanimously positive. As news of the film has spread and demand grown, organisers are planning further screenings in the coming weeks.
“Exactly seventy years ago, the execution of Ruth Ellis became a turning point in the movement for the abolition of the death penalty,” said the show’s producer and Glade Theatre founder, Stefan Simanowitz.
“Rather being macabre, this is poignant, powerful and life-affirming piece which takes the audience on a powerful journey. Like Shakespearian or Greek tragedy, drama can help us explore what it is to be human and hold a mirror both to ourselves and our society.”
Stefan Simanowitz
Interesting, this is not the first time the Magdala Tavern has hosted a performance about Ruth Ellis. In 1999 – on the anniversary of Ruth Ellis’s hanging actress and writer, Fiona Ormiston put on a week-long show upstairs at the pub. She is travelling from Scotland for the screening. “I felt very honoured to be able to get under the skin of Ruth Ellis above the scene of the crime and I very much look forward to seeing the film of the performance,” said Fiona Ormiston.
The show has been put on by the Glade Theatre a pop theatre company that began on Hamstead Heath and encourages people to turn any space into a performance space.
The screening is an exclusive VIP screening, but some free tickets are still available for journalists and local people.
For more information or for an interview contact Stefan Simanowitz on 07799650791
Dr Elizabeth “Liz” Love is an actress, poet, and transformational artist whose work fuses performance, psychology, and soul. With a PhD in kinesiology and over 17 years studying the emotional and physical body, Love brings a rare depth to her roles—channeling not just characters, but the collective wounds and longings they represent. In her latest role as Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain, Love steps into the fire of a true story that still echoes today. Through this performance at the Magdala Pub in Hampstead Heath, she invites audiences to explore the deeper narrative beneath the headlines—where pain, passion, and power collide. Elizabeth Love is known for using iconic stories as mirrors—tools to help us rewrite the limiting beliefs and emotional patterns we carry. Whether on stage or in her immersive workshops, she creates sacred, subversive spaces where personal and collective healing can unfold. Her work is grounded in the belief that by reclaiming our stories, we reclaim ourselves. Visit https://www.drelizabethlove.com/
Rosalia Panepinto is a dancer, performer and teacher based in London – Instagram – @rosaliartz
Toby Nuttall is a guitarist – https://www.instagram.com/nuttall.toby/
Jimbino Vegan is a composer who also plays clarinet, guitarlele and tuba
Bill Bingham is a theatre, television and radio actor
Kristal Sisodia is a shaman, actor, poet living with disabilities, who uses her powerful words to inspire audiences of all kinds. https://www.instagram.com/kristalsisodia/?hl=en
DJ Saiph is an international DJ, sound engineer, poet and radio host of her show Saiph and Sound https://www.instagram.com/djsaiph/?hl=en
Abigail Norman is a poet, event MC, speaker and host of authentic essence podcast. https://www.instagram.com/abigailsauthenticessence/?hl=en-gb
Cookie Lanes is a beatboxer, guitarist and singer https://www.instagram.com/cookielanes/?hl=en
Marianne Sheehan is an actor who has done theatre, TV and audiobooks. She is a graduate of the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts.
Joe Lyndley is a bassoonist and graduate of the Royal College of Music
Ruth Allison is an artist
For more about the Glade Theatre visit – https://gladetheatre.com/
The Glade Theatre began during lockdown as a much-needed outdoor performance space where people of all ages could gather for doses socially-distanced culture. This costless way of bringing live arts to the heart of communities has survived and grown beyond the pandemic and we encourage anyone to set up a Glade Theatre wherever they are.
Press reviews
https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/25301865.magdala-hosts-film-screening-anniversary-hanging
Contact:
For more information contact 07799 650791 or visit www.gladetheatre.com
X (formerly Twitter)@GladeTheatre / INSTAGRAM – @thegladetheatre