Debate: Baldwin vs Buckley – Wilton’s Music Hall

Last Updated on February 20, 2026

Historic 1965 Cambridge Union Debate reimagined

4.0 out of 5.0 stars

In 1965, an electrifying debate took place at the Cambridge Union Society. The speakers were James Baldwin, an acclaimed American novelist and civil rights activist, and William F. Buckley Jr., a conservative intellectual. The motion debated was ‘The American Dream is at the expense of the American Negro’. The overflowing hall was packed to the rafters. Baldwin won the debate by 544 votes to 164. 60 years have passed, yet it echoes down the decades with issues raised still relevant today. The hour-long debate was brought to London in 2023, staged by American Vicarious theatre company, and returns for a short run at Wilton’s Music Hall.

Adapted and directed by Christopher McElroen, the debate is well staged at Wilton’s where the audience sits attentively as students must have done in 1965. The wooden stage is bare aside from four chairs – one for each of the students who propose and oppose the motion, and for Baldwin and Buckley. The photographs of Baldwin and Buckley are projected onto the back wall. In 1965,the debate was televised and the original footage is used to good effect in this contemporary re-enactment. The evening opens with the introduction by the TV presenter speaking to camera and explaining the debate procedure and order of speakers. We see the students crammed into the seats and sitting cross-legged on the floor of the Cambridge Union Society hall. As the presenter announces that the speakers are making their way to the stage, so the four actors take their places. The screened footage shows us the introduction by the Society president and his introduction of the speakers. Finally, he announces the result of the vote. In between, the four actors relate verbatim the speeches of their characters.

First up is proposer of the motion, David Heycock (Christopher Wareham), followed by the opposer, Jeremy Burford (Tom Kiteley). Finally, we get to hear what the students came out in force to hear – James Baldwin (Arnell Powell) and his compelling speech outlining the way in which American progress had been built on the labour of Black Americans, much of it uncompensated. He called for a moral revolution in race relations. This was followed by William F. Buckley Jr. (Eric T. Miller) whose speech focused on Western Civilisation and individual responsibility.

If it were not for the fact that this debate was theatrical in itself, the staging of it might be rather dull. However, a formal debate is a form of political theatre – it informs, it entertains, it is scripted in part, it has actors who have prescribed roles. There are many debates an audience may not choose to sit through, but the size of the audience at Wilton’s Music Hall suggested that the Baldwin vs Buckley debate has stood the test of time. This is partly due to the fact that the issues debated continue to resonate 60 years later and play out in American politics and lives of Americans today.

The actors literally had nowhere to hide and sat on stage while each stood up to perform. The standout performance was Powell who gave a powerful rendition of Balwin’s speech. It would be difficult for an actor to capture the particular cadence of Baldwin’s delivery and Powell was convincing in the part while not attempting to mimic his subject. Miller, as Buckley, underplayed the arrogance and smugness of his subject and came across as somewhat more incoherent. The students performed their parts well, but the staging meant they lacked the energy that came from being surrounded on all sides by their peers. It would be interesting to see this production with a more engaged audience, perhaps performed in the round.

The American Vicarious was established ‘to confront the gap between America’s ideals and its lived realities.’ Their projects include reimagined, historic debates to large-scale installations and are intended to facilitate conversation rather than confrontation, a space for multiple perspectives and a rehearsal for democracy. With the Baldwin vs Buckley debate, the company has material that has poignantly stood the test of time.

This production has been staged in America, generating discussions and debates of its own. This would be an excellent production to take around to schools and colleges, to bring an important historical debate to life for young audiences. The American Vicarious set out to stage a debate where contemporary audiences can experience deeply divisive debate, people listening to ideas they may feel enraged by. There is much less tolerance nowadays for the exchange of opinions, and hence this performance challenges audiences to confront the current climate of shutting down points of view with which they disagree. For those unable to see the production, the original debate is available to view on YouTube. I watched it in preparation for the staged version, and it has lost none of its power.

Debate: Baldwin vs Buckley runs from 3 – 7 February 2026.

Wilton’s Music Hall, Graces Alley, London E1 8JB

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