The First 40 Years: 1966
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.1966: Departures & Amateur Ambitions
by Simon Murgatroyd1966 is an odd, yet pivotal year in the history of the Stephen Joseph Theatre.
And marked by next to nothing in The Bob Watson Archive!
The simple reason for this is that in 1965, the theatre’s founder Stephen Joseph announced Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre was to close. Several years of frustrated negotiations with Scarborough Borough Council and the Libraries Committee had led him to the conclusion that there was no support for the company at a time it desperately needed to expand and move forward.
As a result, at the end of 1965 summer season, Stephen announced the theatre was to close. This was not a bluff oh his part to kick-start negotiations, but a genuine decision to move onto something else. As can be seen in this extract from his book Theatre In The Round, Stephen believed the Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre project ended in 1965.
“It became clear that a place [Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre] that was admirable for its first steps, had been outgrown entirely; and just as there is discomfort in wearing clothes that are too small, and an embarrassment in wearing fashions that have just gone out, so the company felt increasingly un comfortable and unhappy at the Library. We wanted to develop in every way, and, if this was not possible, the sensible alternative seemed to be to abandon Scarborough altogether.”
The closure of Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre in September 1965 took place shortly before Stephen was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1966 and given less than a year to live. The effect of this can be seen in one of the most interesting pieces held in the archive.
The minutes for a meeting of the Scarborough Theatre Trust board on 12 October 1966 record a key moment in the theatre’s history; bizarrely they also very confusing as there are two incorrect dates within the document.
The meeting was the last to be attended by Stephen and, despite the fact that by October 1966 it had been resolved the theatre would relaunch in 1967, it saw him step down as Chairman.
“Owing to the state of his health Mr Joseph felt that the time had come when he must hand over the Chairmanship of the Trust to someone else.”
Thus ended Stephen’s 10 year association with the company as, although the minutes also note he would stay involved with the theatre, in practise he had little contact with the company over the coming months due to both his deteriorating health and a fight over the control of the Victoria Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent.
That Stephen was not well is sadly obvious from later in the minutes when it records: “After this point the meeting was continued without Stephen Joseph.” An innocuous enough statement, but immediately after this meeting closed, the Trust held its Annual General Meeting, whose minutes note “Mr [David] Campton took the chair in the absence of Stephen Joseph through illness.”
The strange thing with the minutes, as can be seen, is they are dated 12 October 1967 - which if correct would have taken place several days after Stephen’s death! Given the meeting unequivocally took place on 12 October 1966, it is also strange to see further down the page the minutes for December 17 1966 were endorsed as a correct record!
The only other significant items in archive from this year also accompany this article and reference what was actually programmed in the year professional theatre did not take place at Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre.
The theatre manager, Ken Boden, hoped to restore the company after Stephen had closed it, but knew he could not do it the following year. Instead, he drew on his close associations with Scarborough’s amateur dramatic community and organised an amateur summer season for 1966 culminating in the annual Theatre In The Round drama festival.
As can be seen from the flyers, the season featured four local companies - the Cresta Players, Filey Drama Club, Phoenix Drama Club and Outsiders Drama Club - organised under the auspices of The British Drama League
The plays were apparently staged in-the-round to again continue the tradition of Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre and this season gave Ken the time to pull together a credible plan for restoring professional theatre the following year; mention of which is made in the page of the minutes reproduced here.
Whilst 1966 may not have much of a presence in The Bob Watson Archive, what little there is though offers a significant insight into what was a significant year for the company.
Article by and copyright of Simon Murgatroyd. Please do not reproduce this article without permission of the copyright holder.