Stephen Joseph Theatre in the Round: 1989

This page contains a more detailed guide to significant events concerning Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre in the Round in 1989.

1989

  • John Pattison becomes the new Musical Director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre In The Round.
  • 23 January: Alan Ayckbourn makes the first suggestion that Scarborough's former Odeon cinema - closed in 1988 - could become the new home of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in a letter to John Trebble, Chief Executive of Scarborough Town Council.
  • 9 May: Former Scarborough Evening News reporter Jeannie Swales becomes the theatre's new press & publicity officer. She will go on to become the longest-serving person to hold this position in the organisation (reported on 15 May).
  • 5 June: The Summer season at the Stephen Joseph Theatre In The Round opens with the world premiere of the two-part play The Revengers' Comedies by Alan Ayckbourn; it is written to celebrate the playwright's 50th birthday.
  • The influential American critic Frank Rich visits Scarborough to see The Revengers' Comedies noting Alan Ayckbourn is "a writer who chooses to work on a small stage in a small town but whose talent and theatrical ambitions increasingly seem without limit."
  • 23 June: Scarborough Airings is launched in which prose, poems, sketches and songs by local writers are presented at the theatre on Friday lunchtimes throughout the summer season.
  • July: Minister For The Arts, Richard Luce MP, visits the theatre as part of a visit to Yorkshire.
  • A mezzanine floor (balcony) with extra seating is added to the Studio theatre.
  • 27 September: The Autumn / Winter season opens with Wolf At The Door by Henry Becque and adapted by Alan Ayckbourn.
  • 20 December: Alan Ayckbourn's Absurd Person Singular is revived at the theatre and notably see three actresses taking on the role of Marion; a somewhat extraordinary occurrence given just how few performances have been affected by illness over the decades.
  • 13 December: The Yorkshire Post announces Olivier Award winning actor Michael Gambon is to join the company for the summer 1990 season.
Article by and copyright of Simon Murgatroyd. Please do not reproduce this article without permission of the copyright holder.