Stephen Joseph Theatre in the Round: 1983

This page contains a more detailed guide to significant events concerning Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre in the Round in 1983.

1983

  • The Stephen Joseph Theatre In The Round's cafe Doreen's Pantry is renamed (imaginatively) Theatre Food in advertisements.
  • 14 March: Alan Ayckbourn and Paul Todd's musical Making Tracks tours with the Scarborough company to Greenwich Theatre for a month long residency. Despite being panned by critics, it is a huge success for the company with sell-out houses throughout the run.
  • 13 June: Following the Scarborough company's visit to the Alley Theatre in Houston in 1982, the theatre reciprocates the favour by visiting Scarborough with a production of Close Ties by Elizabeth Diggs, which runs until 9 July.
  • 13 July: The Summer season opens with the world premiere of At The End Of The Day by Peter Tinniswood.
  • 19 July: At a Scarborough Trust meeting, Alan Ayckbourn announces his initial plan to programme The Beaux Stratagem and Cyrano de Bergerac for the autumn season has had to be cancelled due to a proposed Equity strike.
  • August: In the cricket grudge match of the century, the Stephen Joseph Occasionals face the Friends of the Stephen Joseph Theatre at Wykeham with the Friends winning; although apparently there were very few actual Friends in the team!
  • 10 August: World premiere of the actor Michael Cashman's first professionally produced play Before Your Very Eyes. Michael will go on to fame as the UK's first major gay soap opera character in EastEnders before entering politics and becoming an MEP from 1999 - 2014.
  • 7 September: The Autumn / Winter season opens with The Winslow Boy by Terence Rattigan.
  • 12 November: The BBC records a one-off production of Alan Ayckbourn's one-act play A Cut In The Rates at the theatre; the play is commissioned specially for the BBC educational programme English Files and it follows the production of the play from page to stage.
Article by and copyright of Simon Murgatroyd. Please do not reproduce this article without permission of the copyright holder.