Stephen Joseph Theatre in the Round: 1994

This page contains a more detailed guide to significant events concerning Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre in the Round in 1994.

1994

  • 14 January: Scarborough's Millennium attraction holds a fund-raising evening for the New Theatre Appeal; Alan Ayckbourn had previously contributed scripts for the attraction when it first opened.
  • 18 January: A 30 metre high crane with 30 metre reach arrives at the Odeon building to help erect the 80 tons of structural steel within the shell of the building.
  • 27 January: Advertised opening of Alan Ayckbourn's new play Private Fears In Public Places. The play is not written and replaced by Communicating Doors; this Private Fears In Public Places is not the same as the 2004 play with the same title by Alan Ayckbourn.
  • 27 January: World premiere of Alan Ayckbourn's Communicating Doors.
  • Circa 3 February: It is reported Communicating Doors has become the fastest selling show in the theatre's history, selling out within a week of performance and leading to an extra four weeks of performance being scheduled.
  • 2 February: The National Heritage Select Committee - which includes former Prime Minister Jim Callaghan - visits the Odeon development as part of a trip to Scarborough.
  • March: The neon lighting and signage outside the new Stephen Joseph Theatre are tested for the first time.
  • 13 April: The Spring / Summer season at the Stephen Joseph Theatre In The Round opens with the world premiere of Alan Ayckbourn's Haunting Julia; this play was originally intended to open the McCarthy Theatre at the new Stephen Joseph Theatre, but after the Arts Council of England announces a funding standstill, Alan brings the three-hander's production forward.
  • 21 June: It is announced completion of Phase I of the new theatre development has been delayed from June to October and Phase 2 will not start before another £1m is raised by the New Theatre Appeal.
  • 22 June: World premiere of Penny Blue by Vanessa Brooks; Vanessa - alongside the likes of Tim Firth, Robert Shearman and Torben Betts - was part of the group of writers developed by Literary Manager Connal Orton and who would all go onto considerable theatrical success.
  • 20 July: World premiere of Love Is In The Air by Eric Prince, a Scarborough lecturer who goes on to have several plays produced by the theatre.
  • August: The Stephen Joseph Theatre In The Round is awarded the Tourism And The Arts Award in the annual Yorkshire & Humberside Tourist Board's White Rose Awards.
  • 3 August: World premiere of Two Weeks With The Queen by Mary Morris, adapted from the book by Morris Gleitzman; this was a co-production with the National Theatre which transferred to the NT following its run in Scarborough.
  • 12 August: World premiere of White Lies by Robert Shearman; already a winner of The Sunday Times Playwriting Award, he would have several works premiered at the SJT and go onto an award-winning career as playwright and prose writer as well as re-introducing the Daleks to British television writing the episode Dalek for the relaunched Doctor Who during 2005.
  • 28 August: A second fund-raising 'Village Fête' at Wykeham Abbey is organised by the Friends of the theatre, which is opened by Thelma Barlow and Peter Baldwin of television's Coronation Street fame.
  • 14 September: The Autumn / Winter season opens with Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare.
  • 3 October: Comedienne Victoria Woods holds a fund-raising concert for the New Theatre Appeal at the Spa Grand Hall.
  • 19 October: Alan Ayckbourn's acclaimed production of Herb Gardner's Conversations With My Father opens, starring Judd Hirsch; this will mark the actor's British stage debut.
Article by and copyright of Simon Murgatroyd. Please do not reproduce this article without permission of the copyright holder.