Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre: 1976
This page contains a more detailed guide to significant events concerning Scarborough's Theatre in the Round at the Library (abbreviated to the Library Theatre on this page) in 1976.1976
- January: North Yorkshire County Council reluctantly extends the use of Scarborough Library's facilities for the Library Theatre until the summer, at which point the company has to leave the venue.
- 28 January: World premiere of Alan Ayckbourn's Just Between Ourselves.
- 30 January: At a meeting of Scarborough Theatre Trust, it is agreed the company should move into the former Westwood County Modern School as a temporary base until the new Vernon Road theatre is built in order to allow the company to continue to present theatre all year-round in the interim.
- Spring: The company's first international tour sees the company tour with Just Between Ourselves and Stephen Mallatratt's An Englishman's Home to Belgium, Holland and Germany.
- Mervyn Watson is appointed the theatre's first Associate Director.
- 10 May: The company has a month-long residency at Richmond's Georgian Theatre running until 5 June.
- May: Stephen Wood - reported as Steve Wood in the Scarborough Evening News - is appointed the press officer for the company; it will begin a long association with the company which eventually sees him appointed General Administrator (later retitled Executive Director) of the Stephen Joseph Theatre between 1996 and 2015.
- The actor Robin Herford joins the company beginning a long association with the company as actor, director, associate director and - between 1986 and 1988 - co-Artistic Director.
- 14 June: The summer season opens with Molière's All The Best People; this marks the first time the company has presented a play by Molière.
- 16 June: Following the failed attempt to save Scarborough's Opera House Theatre by the Opera House Preservation Society during 1974 / 1975, the theatre is re-opened by the theatre's owner Millet Investors, whose chairman is local businessman Don Robinson.
- 28 June: North Yorkshire County Council agrees Scarborough Theatre Trust can lease Westwood for three years as a temporary home for the company; the Trust also agrees to raise £100,000 towards the proposed £500,000 cost of the new Vernon Road theatre.
- July: Press reports indicate Scarborough Theatre Trust will actually contribute £120,000 to the new theatre alongside £230,000 from Scarborough Town Council with the remaining £150,000 expected to be made up by the English Tourist Board.
- 8 July: Scarborough Theatre Trust confirms it will move into Westwood 'for a maximum period of three years' (it will actually be there for 20 years) at a cost of between approximately £20,000 - £30,000 to convert the premises into a suitable space.
- 21 July: A production of Stephen Lowe's Comic Pictures features the world premiere of the one act play Stars; an actor with the company, Stephen Lowe goes on to a career as an acclaimed playwright.
- 11 September: Final performance at the Library Theatre with Alan Ayckbourn's Just Between Ourselves.
- 12 September: With just 60 days until the opening of the new theatre, work immediately begins on the conversion of the former school into a theatre-in-the-round. The cost is now reported at £35,000 for the conversion.
- 17 October: The inaugural meeting of the The Friends of Scarborough Theatre-In-The-Round (changed from its proposed title of Theatre Supporters' Club) takes place at the Theatre In The Round At Westwood.
- 26 October: Theatre In The Round At Westwood opens with a revival of Alan Ayckbourn's Mr Whatnot, one of the few Ayckbourn plays to have never previously been seen in Scarborough.
Article by Simon Murgatroyd. Copyright: Haydonning Ltd. Please do not reproduce this article without permission of the copyright holder.