In the 1920s, Malleson became director of the Arts Guild of the Independent Labour Party. In this capacity Malleson helped establish amateur dramatics companies across Britain. The Arts Guild also helped stage plays by George Bernard Shaw, John Galsworthy and Laurence Housman, as well as Malleson's own work.Ros Merkin, "The Religion of Socialism or a pleasant Sunday afternoon?: the ILP Arts Guild", in Clive Barker and Maggie B. Gale (ed.), British Theatre Between the Wars, 1918-1939. Cambridge University Press, 2000 (pgs. 162-189). His 1934 play Six Men of Dorset (written with Harvey Brooks), about the Tolpuddle Martyrs, was later performed by local theatre groups under the guidance of the Left Book Club Theatre Guild.Andy Croft, Red Letter Days : British Fiction in the 1930s. London : Lawrence & Wishart, 1990. (pg. 205)
