Alan Ayckbourn: Acting Career
	Before Alan Ayckbourn became recognised as a playwright and director, he was an actor (and stage manager, sound technician, scene painter and prop-maker!) When he left Haileybury College, Alan was fortunate to be employed almost immediately as an assistant stage manager and actor with Donald Wolfit's acting company, with whom he worked for three weeks at the Edinburgh Festival. Upon returning to London, Alan was offered a job by Melville Gillam at the Connaught Theatre, Worthing. He was then employed by Hazel Vincent Wallace at the Thorndike Theatre, Leatherhead. Alan then joined the Studio Theatre Company at the Library Theatre, Scarborough, in 1957. At the end of the summer season, he was offered work by Milos Volanakis at the Oxford Playhouse. Alan worked in Oxford until Stephen Joseph asked him to return to Scarborough for the 1958 summer season. It is interesting to note that between 1957 and 1962, Alan performed in more than 40 plays in the round which, at that time, must have made him one of the most experienced in-the-round actors in the country. Many of the plays Alan performed in Scarborough were also toured during the winter months by the Studio Theatre Company. Although the brunt of Alan's acting career took place at the Library Theatre, Scarborough, his acting career ended - to all intents and purposes - at the UK's first permanent Theatre In The Round venue, The Victoria Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent. His final role there was in a double-bill of Harold Pinter's The Dumb Waiter & The Collection in September 1963. This was not quite his acting swansong though as his final professional stage appearance was as Jerry in William Gibson's Two For The Seesaw. Having left the Victoria Theatre in 1964, Alan - and his future wife Heather Stoney - were contacted by Spotlight in a search for actors familiar with William Gibson’s play Two For The Seesaw. A production was being staged at the Civic Theatre, Rotherham, and there had been problems with the original two actors. Heather and Alan were both employed having had previous experience of the play. Alan's experience with this production, largely due to the inexperience of the stage manager – who happened to be Bill Kenwright, who would go on to become one of the UK's most successful theatre producers - led Alan to quit treading the boards. The information presented includes the play title; the role Alan played and the theatre where the first performance took place.
	Alan Ayckbourn: Acting Roles
	1956 The Strong Are Lonely (various roles) - Edinburgh Festival 1957 The Corn Is Green (role unknown) - Connaught Theatre It's A Wise Child (role unknown) - Connaught Theatre Flare Path (Percy) - Thorndike Theatre The Happiest Days Of Your Life (Hopcroft Mi) - Thorndike Theatre The Rainmaker (Jim Curry) - Thorndike Theatre She Stoops To Conquer (Roger) - Thorndike Theatre An Inspector Calls (Eric Birling) - Library Theatre The Ornamental Hermit (Jack Benstead) - Library Theatre Under Milk Wood (Postman) - Oxford Playhouse Life With My Father (John) - Oxford Playhouse Darling (Mick) - Oxford Playhouse Henry IV (Arialdo) - Oxford Playhouse Mademoiselle Jaire (A carpenter's apprentice / masquer) - Oxford Playhouse Cards Of Identity (Stapleton) - Oxford Playhouse 1958 Darling (Mick) - Oxford Playhouse Captain Carvallo (Private Gross) - Library Theatre Dial M For Murder (Constable Williams) - Library Theatre The Game Of Love And Chance (Pasquin) - Library Theatre The Man With A Flower In His Mouth (The Waiter) - Library Theatre Martine (Alfred) - Library Theatre Ring Of Roses (Eric) - Library Theatre Squaring The Circle (Abraham) - Library Theatre 1959 The Birthday Party (Stanley) - Studio Theatre tour Bell, Book And Candle (Nicholas Holroyd) - Library Theatre Easter (Elis) - Library Theatre Frankenstein (Henri) - Library Theatre The Square Cat (Jerry Wattiss) - Library Theatre 1960 Then... (Mr Phythick) - Studio Theatre tour Viennese Interlude (Franz) - Mahatma Ghandhi Hall, London 'Prentice Pillar (Prentice) - Library Theatre Wuthering Heights (Heathcliff) - Library Theatre Love After All (Peter Jones) - Library Theatre The Ark (Japheth) - Library Theatre Soldier From The Wars Returning (Barman) - Library Theatre Five Finger Exercise (Walter Langer) - Library Theatre Dad's Tale (various roles) - Library Theatre 1961 Victoria Regina (various roles) - Library Theatre Five Finger Exercise (Walter Langer) - Library Theatre Soldier From The Wars Returning (Barman) - Library Theatre Little Brother, Little Sister (Cook) - Library Theatre Standing Room Only (John) - Library Theatre Stranger In The Family (Toby Hart) - Library Theatre The Bed Life Of A Mad Boy (various roles) - Library Theatre Follow The Lover (unknown role) - Library Theatre The Boys And The Girls (various roles) - Library Theatre 1962 A Doll's House (Torvald) - Studio Theatre tour Hamlet (Claudius) - Studio Theatre tour O'Flaherty V.C. (Private O'Flaherty) - Library Theatre Usher (Roderick Usher) - Library Theatre The Birds And The Wellwishers (Fred) - Library Theatre The Rainmaker (Bill Starbuck) - Library Theatre Death At The New Year (Narrator / stepfather) - Library Theatre At this point, Studio Theatre Ltd (which had been based at the Library Theatre, Scarborough), moved to its permanent home at the Victoria Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent. 1962 The Birds And The Wellwishers (Fred) - Victoria Theatre O'Flaherty V.C. (Private O'Flaherty) - Victoria Theatre The Caretaker (unknown role) - Victoria Theatre Usher (Roderick Usher) - Victoria Theatre The Rainmaker (Bill Starbuck) - Victoria Theatre Christmas V Mastermind (Crimson Golliwog) - Victoria Theatre 1963 Ted's Cathedral (Anderson) - Victoria Theatre tour The Rehearsal (The Count) - Victoria Theatre Waiting For Godot (Vladimir) - Victoria Theatre An Awkward Number (unknown role) - Victoria Theatre A Man For All Seasons (Thomas More) - Victoria Theatre The Rainbow Machine (Jordan) - Victoria Theatre Miss Julie (unknown) - Victoria Theatre Two For The Seesaw (Jerry Ryan) - Victoria Theatre The Dumb Waiter (Ben) - Victoria Theatre The Collection (Harry) - Victoria Theatre Gaslight (unknown) - Victoria Theatre The Prisoner (unknown) - Victoria Theatre 1964 The Jew Of Malta (unknown) - Victoria Theatre The Doctors And The Devils (unknown) - Cardiff New, Cardiff Two For The Seesaw (Jerry) - Civic Theatre, Rotherham