A Theatrical Revolution - Celebrating Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre
To accompany the exhibition, a book by Alan Ayckbourn's archivist and theatre historian Simon Murgatroyd celebrates the founding of the company including an exclusive preface and interview with Sir Alan Ayckbourn.Limited to just 70 signed and numbered copies, A Theatrical Revolution - Celebrating Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre will be launched at The Library Theatre at 70 exhibition at Scarborough Library from 10 - 12 July 2025. The 56 page book is priced at £5.
A Theatrical Revolution
Written by Simon Murgatroyd M.A., A Theatrical Revolution delves into the founding of the UK's first professional theatre-in-the-round company in 1955 by the pioneer Stephen Joseph.Drawing on archival material held by Scarborough Library and in the Ayckbourn Archive at the Borthwick Institute for Archives, the book explores how a significant moment in British Theatre history came to pass in the most unlikely of places on the first floor of Scarborough Library.
- A preface by Sir Alan Ayckbourn CBE
- An interview with Sir Alan Ayckbourn about his early memories of working at Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre.
- An in-depth account by Simon Murgatroyd of the founding year of the company in 1955 from concept to performance to aftermath.
- Contemporary articles by Stephen Joseph explain and promoting Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre.
- Details of the 1955 company and plays.
- A brief timeline of Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre from 1955 - 1976.
- A newly created ground plan illustrating the layout of Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre on Scarborough Library's first floor.
- Rarely seen photographs and extensive footnotes.
Simon Murgatroyd M.A. is a professional writer who previously wrote Unseen Ayckbourn, looking at the unproduced, unpublished and unwritten works of Alan Ayckbourn. His articles on Alan Ayckbourn and theatre-in-the-round have been published worldwide including regularly for the world premiere and West End productions of Alan Ayckbourn's plays.
He is also the founder and creator of both Alan Ayckbourn's Official Website and the A Round Town website, which celebrates the history of theatre-in-the-round in Scarborough.
Purchasing The Book
A Theatrical Revolution - Celebrating Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre is a limited edition of 70 copies which will be signed and numbered. It is priced at £5. The book will be lunched and initially be available at The Library Theatre at 70 exhibition at Scarborough Library running from 10 - 12 July 2025.Following the exhibition, any remaining copies of the book will be available to order online directly from the author. These will be allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis.
A waiting list is now in operation for those people who cannot attend the exhibition and would like the opportunity to purchase the book after the exhibition. If you are interested, please send your name and email to admin@alanayckbourn.net making note of the number of copies wanted and the country where it is being sent. Postage and packaging costs will be calculated on an individual basis on top of the price of the book.
Please note: The waiting list does not guarantee a copy of the book only first-come, first-served access to copies remaining after the exhibition.