Alan Ayckbourn: Frequently Asked Questions

This page contains some of the frequently asked questions about Alan Ayckbourn and theatre in the round in Scarborough.

Questions

1) Is Alan Ayckbourn the Artistic Director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre?
2) When did Alan Ayckbourn become Artistic Director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre?
3) When did Alan Ayckbourn join the Stephen Joseph Theatre?
4) Does Alan Ayckbourn run the Stephen Joseph Theatre? Is the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Alan Ayckbourn's theatre?
5) Is the Stephen Joseph Theatre obligated to stage Alan Ayckbourn's plays?
6) Has Alan Ayckbourn financially benefited / taken money from the Stephen Joseph Theatre?
7) What is Alan Ayckbourn's current position with the Stephen Joseph Theatre
8) Does Alan Ayckbourn work with other theatre and companies?
9) What is a Director Emeritus?
10) Will the Stephen Joseph Theatre ever be renamed the Alan Ayckbourn Theatre?

Answers

1) Is Alan Ayckbourn the Artistic Director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre?
No. Alan retired as Artistic Director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre on 31 March 2009. He is now employed as a guest director with the company.

2) When did Alan Ayckbourn become Artistic Director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre?
Alan Ayckbourn was appointed Artistic Director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre (then Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre) during November 1972. He was Artistic Director of the company for 37 years until his retirement on 31 March 2009.

The date of Alan Ayckbourn becoming Artistic Director is often inaccurately quoted as anything from 1969 to 1971. This is probably due to the fact that in 1969 and 1970 he was Director of Productions, an annually appointed role with the company.

3) When did Alan Ayckbourn join the theatre in the round in Scarborough?
Alan Ayckbourn joined Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre in 1957 as an Assistant Stage Manager. For the first year, his main role was stage-managing with occasional small acting roles.

4) Does Alan Ayckbourn run the Stephen Joseph Theatre? Is the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Alan Ayckbourn's theatre?
No. The Stephen Joseph Theatre (as it is known today) was founded in 1955 by Stephen Joseph and run by the company Studio Theatre Ltd. Since 1967, it has been a charitable trust run by Scarborough Theatre Trust (a company initially founded in 1964 by Stephen Joseph).

In 1957, Alan Ayckbourn was employed by Studio Theatre Ltd as an actor and has almost continually been employed - in various positions - by the company ever since. Scarborough Theatre Trust appointed him as Artistic Director in 1972, a position he held until 2009. Although he was responsible for the day-to-day running and artistic direction of the venue, he reported directly to Scarborough Theatre Trust, who had the power to terminate his employment at any point.

The Stephen Joseph Theatre is not - nor ever has been - Alan Ayckbourn's theatre, but it is the theatre he is most associated with.

5) Is the Stephen Joseph Theatre obligated to stage Alan Ayckbourn's plays? Is Alan Ayckbourn obligated to stage his work at the SJT?
No. Until 2018, the Stephen Joseph Theatre's aims and objectives as a charity included the statement: "To be the home for Alan Ayckbourn's new work and the place where his existing plays are revived as originally intended". This and all mention of Alan Ayckbourn was removed from the aims and objectives from 2019 onwards. Whilst this was never a legal requirement or obligation whilst in place, it was an objective which hopefully benefited the company and also preserved the theatre's notable legacy of encouraging, developing and being associated with one of the UK's most successful living playwrights. However Scarborough Theatre Trust could, plausibly, break the link with Alan Ayckbourn at any time.

On the other hand, Alan Ayckbourn is - and always has been - committed to and passionate about the Stephen Joseph Theatre. When he retired as Artistic Director in 2009, he committed himself to premiering his new plays at the Stephen Joseph Theatre for as long as the theatre wished to stage them. There is no doubt each has benefited from the other over the decades. The SJT has provided the springboard for Alan's writing and the opportunity to have his new work consistently staged, whilst the theatre has benefited financially and in reputation from working with Alan Ayckbourn.

However, there is no obligation for the theatre to either stage Alan Ayckbourn's plays nor for the playwright to premiere his plays or even have them produced at the venue; a number of plays have been premiered elsewhere. The fact both things happen is because they are deemed, hopefully, to be mutually beneficial to both the Stephen Joseph Theatre and Alan Ayckbourn.

6) Has Alan Ayckbourn financially benefited / taken money from the Stephen Joseph Theatre?
No. In fact, the opposite is true. Alan Ayckbourn has made a significant financial contribution to the Stephen Joseph Theatre over the decades.

Although initially employed as an actor by the company in 1957, by the mid-'60s Alan Ayckbourn was essentially working for Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre for free and was not paid for his contribution as a playwright or director.

In 1972, Alan Ayckbourn was appointed Artistic Director of Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre and held the position until he retired in 2009. During that period of 37 years, he chose not to draw his wage as Artistic Director and that money was invested back into the theatre.

Theatre in the round in Scarborough has obviously financially benefited from staging Alan Ayckbourn's work (notably the vast majority of world premiere productions of his plays and - in recent years - their subsequent tours) but for many years the company also received royalties from the regular West End premiere productions of the playwright's work.

Alan Ayckbourn himself has also significantly contributed to the theatre, notably when he was one of the triumvirate who each invested £50,000 to secure the lease of the new Stephen Joseph Theatre in the early '90s and when he paid £400,000 for the right to name the venue as the Stephen Joseph Theatre.

7) What is Alan Ayckbourn's current position with the Stephen Joseph Theatre?
Alan Ayckbourn is employed as a guest director by Scarborough Theatre Trust. Generally he directs a production a year at the SJT.

In 2018, Alan Ayckbourn was appointed Director Emeritus. An honorary role marking his achievements and association with the company.

8) Does Alan Ayckbourn work with other theatres and companies?
Definitely. Sir Alan is not solely confined to working with the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, and since 2021 has also been premiering world premieres at The Old Laundry Theatre, Bowness-on-Windermere. He has collaborated with a number of different venues and organisations overs the decades and is interested in working with other companies.

9) What is a Director Emeritus?
The title of Director Emeritus is generally an honorary title given by an organisation to mark an individual's achievements and legacy. In 2018, Alan Ayckbourn was appointed Director Emeritus to acknowledge his long history with the company since 1957, his contribution to British Theatre, his role as Artistic Director of the company from 1972 to 2009 and for all his work with and contributions to the SJT. A more complete breakdown can be found here.

10) Will the Stephen Joseph Theatre ever be renamed the Alan Ayckbourn Theatre?
One hopes not - and Alan Ayckbourn himself would not be happy with such a change.

The Stephen Joseph Theatre is named after one of the most influential if largely unrecognised figures in British theatre history from the '50s and '60s. And - more importantly - the single most important and influential mentor figure in Alan Ayckbourn's life.

Without Stephen Joseph, Alan would not have become the internationally successful playwright he is today and Scarborough would not have a theatre which is known around the world.

The name of the Stephen Joseph Theatre marks the legacy of a figure who - whilst vastly under appreciated - had an extraordinary impact on both the town of Scarborough and many playwrights, actors and directors, not least Alan Ayckbourn. It also, in theory, represents the theatre's commitment to its founder's intentions, most primarily the development of new writers and writing.

So one hopes, the theatre will always recognise in its title, the man who inspired Alan Ayckbourn and so many others.

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