The First 40 Years: 1958

This is part of a series of articles looking at the first 40 years of the Stephen Joseph Theatre (1955 to 1995) from the perspective of the theatre's Archive. The articles were first published in the SJT Circular newsletter.

1958: Discordent Anthem

by Simon Murgatroyd

One of my favourite stories drawn from the history of the Stephen Joseph Theatre is the furore which surrounded Stephen Joseph’s decision to withdraw the National Anthem from performances in 1958.

In context - for our younger readers - until the 1960s, the national anthem was essentially played at every theatre, concert and cinema performance - even at the end of the night at dance halls. Indeed, BBC1 played the National Anthem at the end of the broadcasting day until as recently as 1997; essentially when rolling 24/7 programming began.

Stephen Joseph though was an early rebel and in 1958 he decided to stop the performance of the National Anthem following every performance; becoming one of the first regional theatres to consistently stop the practise; it had already ceased at some London theatres and Stephen believed - correctly - it was a dying tradition.

However, this was a provincial town during the 1950s and such a change did draw a considerable amount of attention!

This was typified by the first - and finest - of many letters published in the Scarborough Evening News from an aggrieved patron:

Sir, My wife, daughter, and two friends went to the theatre in the round at the Public Library. Neither at the start nor the finish of the show was the National Anthem played. We were so seething with rage that we tackled the director of the show, Mr Joseph. His lame excuses were: (1) he did not think patrons wished it, (2) it was not good unless it was played by an orchestra and (3) it would be played at the last performance of the season. I hope that as the show is put on with the idea of making money, and as they are tenants of the corporation, the public will stay away until this is rectified. This is our intention although we have enjoyed the productions. Yours Streater Ellis, 66 Filey Road.

The Scarborough Evening News letters’ pages were subsequently filled with much gnashing of teeth about whether the National Anthem should or should not be played with local figures such as the Mayor of Scarborough drawn in, who at one point publicly declared “75 to 90 per cent of the population of Scarborough wants it.” This ‘fact’ was presumably found on the back of a beer mat or some such place, given the Town Hall later confirmed it had received no correspondence as far as it was aware pertaining to the lack of the National Anthem.

Stephen Joseph, meanwhile, joined in the fun as he was wont to do in such matters. Although he did not officially comment on the issue until the end of the year, he was notorious for writing inflammatory letters under pseudonyms to newspapers often pursuing vigorous arguments against himself under another pseudonym! In this case, it’s almost certain he began a discourse under the names of ‘Republican’ and ‘Roundhead’ which includes the wonderful description of the National Anthem.

“I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre from saving us from the hideous noise, the supreme embarrassment and the maudlin sentimentalism occasioned by the playing of that barbaric and jarring thing (I refuse to call it a tune). The sooner all theatres do this the better.”

Although the argument raged throughout the summer, Stephen did not publicly comment until the end of the year in which he continued to hold his stance - with the rather cheeky comment that the anthem would be played in the unlikely event royalty did visit.

“We feel that the playing of the anthem at every performance does not contribute to any feeling of respect. We would, of course, play it if royalty were to feel us. I feel that those people who objected in the summer were a bit eccentric, or they were people who did not often visit theatre or just happened to be feeling cross.”

Whilst that should have signalled the end of the issue, the National Anthem issue ran on for the better part of a decade and saw the treasurer of Scarborough Theatre Guild resign in principle and a ballot held at the theatre. None of which changed Stephen Joseph’s mind and the National Anthem was never restored to daily performance.

And for those wondering what the legal position at the time was, there was absolutely no requirement to play the anthem as the Lord Chamberlain rather curtly pointed out to the Yorkshire Evening Post.

“An official of the Lord Chamberlain’s office said today: 'There is no regulation on this. We are completely indifferent to it, and would never contemplate issuing any order or advice.’"

Complete indifference. It’s a wonder the tradition lasted so long as it did!

Article by and copyright of Simon Murgatroyd. Please do not reproduce this article without permission of the copyright holder.