A Round Town

Year-by-Year
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1954

1955

1956

1957

1958

1959

1960

1961

1962

1963

1964

1965

1966

1967

1968

1969

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1960

• 15 June: The summer season opens with a revival of Ruth Dixon's 'Prentice Pillar, which received its world premiere during Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre's inaugural season.
• 30 June: Alan Ayckbourn's second play, Love After All, is revived for the summer season. Its first week of performance is advertised as 30 June - 6 July but when 'Prentice Pillar is pulled from the summer schedule after just a week, Love After All's first week is extended to 13 July.
• The cancellation of 'Prentice Pillar leads to the publication of an amended schedule, the most notable alterations being Love After All, Wuthering Heights (whose second week of performance is extended from 18 - 24 August to 18 - 30 August and A View From The Brink, whose final week is extended from 8 to 10 September.
• 11 July: The British Dance Drama Theatre begins daily performances at Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre called Mimic Dance Theatre at 6.15pm until 6 August. Stephen Joseph, impressed with the company - run by Gerard Bagley - arranges for them to be involved in Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre's Christmas production. Alan Ayckbourn, who will write this play - Dad's Tale, is not informed of this until about to start writing the play!
• 10 September: The summer season ends with David Campton's A View From The Brink not, as originally advertised, Alan Ayckbourn's Love After All due to the alterations within the summer schedule.
• 14 September: The first British In-The-Round Festival is held at The Library Theatre; this festival for amateur companies is adjudicated by Stephen Joseph and attracts companies from around the UK.
• Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre receives £6,000 (£2,000 a year for three years) from the Carlouste Gulbenkian Foundation to expand its touring programme to theatreless towns in the UK.
• November: An inquiry into building a civic theatre in Scarborough is launched; the stated aim is for a venue primarily in-the-round but also adaptable to end-stage performance. A report presented to the town council on 15 November suggests there would be financial support available for such a development.
• 12 December: The winter season opens with Peter Shaffer's Five Finger Exercise.
• At some point in the year, Studio Theatre Ltd publishes two plays which have premiered at Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre: Alas, Poor Fred by James Saunders and The Lunatic View by David Campton. It is not believed Studio Theatre Ltd published any other plays.