Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre: In The Round Festival ('60 - '68)

The In The Round Festival was founded by Stephen Joseph in 1960 at Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre, Scarborough. Stephen hoped it would encourage and promote theatre-in-the-round and to bring together companies from throughout the UK which were interested in or already experimenting with the form.

It was organised in conjunction with the British Drama League. The first festival was promoted as 'A Festival Of Plays To Be Performed In The Round' but in subsequent years became known as the In The Round Festival.

The festival originally ran at Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre between 1960 and 1968 (known details of which - courtesy of Scarborough Library - are listed below). It was later revived and ran from 1977 to at least 1987 at the Stephen Joseph Theatre In The Round, Scarborough (click here).
1960 (14 - 17 September)
Adjudicator: Stephen Joseph

Whitby Youth Club
Pickering Drama Club
Scarborough Theatre Guild
Bradford Experimental Theatre-In-The-Round Group
Hull Garrett Players
Mexborough Technical College
Hugh Bell Evening Institute Middlesbrough
Merseyside Unity Theatre
Hugh Bell Evening Institute Middlesbrough
Merseyside Unity Theatre

1961 (11 - 16 September)
Adjudicator: Stephen Joseph

Scarborough Theatre Guild
Theatre 61 - York
Scarborough Technical College Evening Institute Drama
The Oxford Players (Rotherham)
Anlaby Youth Club
Mexborough Theatre Guild
Hull Garrett Players
The Keele Players (North Staffordshire)
Wyvern Drama Group (Eastleigh)
New Intimate Theatre (Stoke-on-Trent)
Bradford Experimental Theatre In The Round
Greenock Players
Derby Theatre In The Round

1962 (19 - 22 September)
Adjudicator: Stephen Joseph

Wilson Line Drama Circle (Hull)
York Settlement Community Players
The Nicholas Players (Scarborough)
Scarborough Theatre Guild
Cresta Players
Mexborough Theatre Guild
Wyvern Youth Drama Group
Hull Garrett Players
Greenock Players of Scotland

1963 (dates unknown)

No further details known

1964 (16 - 19 September)
Adjudicator: Stephen Joseph

C.R.M.S.P.M.M.C. Society (Manchester)
Leeds Art Theatre
St John Patruska Players (Hull)
Wilson Line Drama Circle
The Young Comtemporaries (Scarborough)
Anlaby Youth Club (Senior Drama Group)
St James Players (Pudsey)
Eastleigh Theatre-in-the-Round
Derby Theatre-in-the-Round
Hull Garret Players

*1964 programme details provided by
Peter Cawthorn

1965 (24 June - 3 July)
Adjudicator: Sylvia Rice

Drama Incorporated (Scarborough)
YMCA (Scarborough)
Mexborough Theatre Guild
Litherland Drama Group (Liverpool)
The New Intimate Theatre (Stoke)
The New Intimate Theatre (Stoke)
Derby Theatre in the Round
Merseyside Unity Theatre (Liverpool)
Wilson Line Drama Circle (Hull)
Scarborough Theatre Guild
Leeds Art Theatre
St James Players (Pudsey)
Lepton Youth Centre (Huddersfield)
Doncaster Technical College
Holmfirth Youth Theatre Group
Doncaster Technical College
Sheffield University Theatre Group
Hull Garret Players


1966 (3 - 10 September)
Adjudicator: Rodney Wood

1967 (1 - 8 July)
Adjudicator: Alfred Bradley

Birstall Players Group
Eastleight Theatre-In-The-Round
Outsiders Drama Club
Pickering Drama Club
Outsiders Drama Club
Wilson Line Drama Circle (Hull)
Wilson Line Drama Circle (Hull)
Wilson Line Drama Circle (Hull)
Mexborough Theatre Guild
Ruskin Players
Bradford Playhouse Theatre Workshop Company
Derby Theatre-In-The-Round

1968 (20 - 22 June) - Ninth Festival
Adjudicator: Derek Slater

St John Patruska Players (Hull)
The Barnstromers (Bradford)
Demanton Experimental Theatre Group (Mexborough)
Tangent Theatre in the Round (Sheffield)
Bradford Playhouse Theatre Workshop
Derby Theatre in the Round
Hull Garrett Players



A Glass Of Bitter
The Fish
The Women At The Tomb
Endgame
The Art Of Making Friends
Two Gentlemen Of Soho
A Midsummer Night's Dream
O'Flaherty V.C.
The Birds Of Begerin
The Fox Trap (Volpone)




The Dock Brief
Cross Purpose
Love From A Stranger
The Lunatic View
Down By The River
Antigone
The Bald Prima Donna
The Living Hell
The Woman
I Spy
The Mad
There Was A Lad
Memento Mori




The Rainmaker
Lunch Hour
The Form
Resounding Tinkle
The Proposal
Menaechmi
The House Of Bernarda Alba
Madame De
Mary Stuart (extracts)








Entity Unknown
The Dumb Waiter
Came The Knight
The Bear
Timepiece
Drums Of Deliverance
Men With Shadows (Act 2)
The Poet
The Sport Of My Mad Mother
Summersoft







Pistols For Two
Poor John! Poor Jean!
Blithe Spirit
The Chairs
The Lover
Suddenly Last Summer
The Assassin
Don Juan in Hell
Teahouse of the August Moon
The Rotten Leaves
Lunch Hour
Riders To The Sea
Festival Nightmare
Pygmalion & Galatea
Sganarelle
The Patient From Muldonia
The Wall
The Bespoke Overcoat



No further details known




The Laboratory
The Rattle
Split Down The Middle
The Gentle Avalanche
Love From A Stranger
The Lover
Lunch Hour
Collect Your Hand Baggage
The Long & The Short & The Tall
The Proposal
Tell Milton We've Lost it Again
Maria Marten




Lunch Hour
Top 'n' Noils
The Collection
The Dumb Waiter
The Mechanicals' Play
The Birthday Party (act 2)
A Slight Ache



J.B. Priestley
Yves Cabrol
Michel de Gheldrode
Samuel Beckett
Charles Vildrae
A.P. Herbert
Shakespeare
George Bernard Shaw
Ned Gethings
Ben Jonson




John Mortimer
Albert Camus
Frank Vosper
David Campton
Edward Harben
Anouilh
Ionesco
Anthony Booth
R.G. Gregory
John Mortimer
Duncan Cawthra
Joe Corrie
David Campton




N. Richard Nash
John Mortimer
N.F. Simpson
N.F. Simpson
Anton Chekhov
Plautus
Lorca
Anouilh
Schiller








Stottemann
Harold Pinter
Robert Tanitch
Anton Chekhov
Tim Head
Aubrey Feist
Jean-Paul Sartre
Dario Niccodemi
Ann Jellicoe
Henry Janes







David Shellan
A.E. Harban
Noël Coward
Ionesco
Harold Pinter
Tennessee Williams
Jim Watson
George Bernard Shaw
John Patrick
Les Freeman
John Mortimer
J.M. Synge
Nina W. Hooke
W.G. Gilbert
Moliere
N. Broadhurst
Michael Walker
Wolf Makowitz








David Campton
Michael Anthony Noonan
David Campton
William Carlett
Frank Vosper
Harold Pinter
John Mortimer
John Mortimer
Willis Hall
Anton Chekhov
Paul Cosury
Unknown




John Mortimer
The Barnstormers
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter
Shakespeare
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter
All research by Simon Murgatroyd. All information on this page is held at Scarborough Library in the Stephen Joseph Theatre Collection.