The First 40 Years: 1969

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.

1969: Return of the Prodigal

by Simon Murgatroyd

In 1967, the first phase of the Stephen Joseph Theatre’s life essentially came to a close with the death of its founder, Stephen Joseph.

The next phase of its existence arguably came in 1969 with the return of its most famous protege, laying the foundations for the most famous and successful continued period of the theatre’s existence.

But all this needs to be put into context and how what is taken for granted as part of the history of the Stephen Joseph Theatre was never a given and is actually more noteworthy than has previously been given credit.

In 1962, Alan Ayckbourn left Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre in Scarborough with much of the Studio Theatre company to help launch the Victoria Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent, the UK’s first permanent professional in-the-round venue.

It’s fair to say that although the previous five years had had a huge impact on Alan’s life and professional career, there doesn’t appear to be evidence of Alan being particularly wedded to Scarborough and Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre; his loyalty was to Stephen Joseph rather than a specific place or venue.

Alan only stayed with the company at Stoke until 1964 when his first London transfer took place with the play Mr Whatnot. The failure of which saw Alan join the BBC as a Radio Drama Producer based in Leeds in 1965 and consider leaving theatre for good.

Most accounts of the history of the Stephen Joseph Theatre gloss over this period - even Alan Ayckbourn’s official biography does not place much weight on this period nor actually the fact the link between Alan Ayckbourn and Scarborough became quite thin.

Between Alan Ayckbourn leaving Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre at the end of summer 1962 and the spring of 1969, he had only a nominal involvement with the company. During these seven years, he wrote and premiered just two plays and only directed one.

Records of Scarborough Theatre Trust also do not mention Alan as being part of the theatre’s board until the Annual General Meeting of 7 December 1969; in reality he probably joined earlier in that year but there are no minutes held in archive for the December 1968 board meeting or AGM.

Which is to say, although Alan had kept contact with Scarborough, his actual connection with the theatre was not terribly strong. During the latter months of Stephen Joseph’s life in 1967, he did spend time with his mentor but other than directing his latest play, The Sparrow, that summer, there is nothing to indicate he was actively involved in Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre in any other way.

Yet this is despite the fact that, realistically, he must have been viewed by the theatre board at that point as one of the few people capable of taking Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre forward given the company was operating on a year-by-year basis and appointments.

Preceding Stephen’s death by serval months, Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre had re-opened on a limited basis during the summer of 1967 following Stephen’s decision to close the theatre in 1965.

For the 1967 and 1968 seasons, the role of Artistic Director (then Director of Productions) was appointed annually and taken by Rodney Wood, but it was obvious a more permanent solution was needed, particularly given the theatre was intent on finding a new home.

In the Scarborough Theatre Trust minutes of 17 March 1968, the need for a permanent Artistic Director is discussed not least in order to work in conjunction with the theatre’s architect, George Alderson, in planning for the proposed - but unrealised - move of the company to the former Pindar print works building on Castle Road.

Sometime between then and early 1969, Alan Ayckbourn was approached about the annual appointment of the Director of Productions at Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre.

The timing is significant as although Alan had, arguably, become the most famous and successful playwright to have developed from Scarborough, when he left in 1962, it was unlikely he was being thought of as the long-term future of the company.

Things had changed though. Alan was the most visible protege of Stephen Joseph following his death and, significantly, he had shot to fame with the West End premiere of Relatively Speaking in 1967; from which the theatre had also benefitted financially.

It seems no great leap to think the board saw Alan as a potential long-term solution to the problem of where next for the company.

Thus in 1969, he was appointed the Director Of Productions for the summer; although with finances still precarious at the theatre, he was offered accommodation for the season in lieu of pay for the role.

Alan balanced his job at Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre with his full-time contract at the BBC that year when, apparently, his secretary at the BBC would frequently take calls and have to surreptitiously contact him in Scarborough!

Alan would be Director of Productions for 1969 and 1970, taking a year away for the American launch of How The Other Half Loves in 1971. He would return to Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre in 1972 when, at the end of the summer season, he was appointed a permanent contract as the Artistic Director.

But the long term future of Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre began to look more secure from the point in 1969 when Alan accepted the role of Director Of productions.

For then, the theatre was able to benefit from someone who appreciated Stephen Joseph’s legacy and wanted to continue in those footsteps, who was making his own name within theatre in a substantive way and who could help financially support the theatre given every play of Alan’s which opened at the Library and then transferred to the West End, brought in royalties to the venue.

But until that point, it should never be assumed the future of Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre was safe nor that the man most associated it with, Alan Ayckbourn, was necessarily always going to take over from Stephen Joseph.

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