Ayckbourn Chronology: 1972
Notable Events
During 1972, Alan Ayckbourn…
○ was appointed Artistic Director of Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre, Scarborough; a position he would remain in until 2009.
○ saw Evans publish a second - and final - play, How The Other Half Loves.
○ had a pre-West End tour of Me Times Me (formerly Me Times Me Times Me, formerly The Story So Far...) launched, but cancelled after two venues. This marked the first involvement of the producer Michael Codron in an Ayckbourn play, who also produced the West End premiere of Time & Time Again in 1972 and the majority of the West End productions of his plays until 2002.
○ saw Time & Time Again open in the West End starring Tom Courtenay and directed by Eric Thompson; this begins a successful creative relationship with Thompson in the West End.
○ had the one act play Countdown adapted for television and broadcast as part of the arts programme Full House on BBC2.
○ was appointed Artistic Director of Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre, Scarborough; a position he would remain in until 2009.
○ saw Evans publish a second - and final - play, How The Other Half Loves.
○ had a pre-West End tour of Me Times Me (formerly Me Times Me Times Me, formerly The Story So Far...) launched, but cancelled after two venues. This marked the first involvement of the producer Michael Codron in an Ayckbourn play, who also produced the West End premiere of Time & Time Again in 1972 and the majority of the West End productions of his plays until 2002.
○ saw Time & Time Again open in the West End starring Tom Courtenay and directed by Eric Thompson; this begins a successful creative relationship with Thompson in the West End.
○ had the one act play Countdown adapted for television and broadcast as part of the arts programme Full House on BBC2.
World Premieres
○ Absurd Person Singular26 June: Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre, Scarborough
Notable Ayckbourn Productions
○ Me Times Me (Tour)13 March: UK tour produced by Michael Codron
○ Time & Time Again (West End premiere)
16 August: Comedy Theatre, London
Professional Directing
○ Absurd Person Singular *○ Carmilla *
○ Uncle Vanya *
○ Tom, Dick & Harry *
* Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre, Scarborough
Plays In Other Media
○ CountdownTelevision: 16 December, BBC2
Quotes
"I have never made any decisions, they have been made for me. I started out as an actor, and I was incredibly lucky, never out of work. Not that I was that good, but somehow I never wrote a letter or did an audition in my life, it just went from the end of one season to the beginning of another. Entirely due to circumstances and possibly because I never did take any action. I could look back on my life and say I planned it that way, but I didn't plan to be an actor, nor a director, nor a writer. They ran out of writers. I didn't plan to get married."(Plays & Players, September 1972)
"All my plays are written under tremendous pressure, which is why I still use Scarborough. I reckon with a bit of luck I've got one play in me a year. That's all! I never write anything else. Even then I only do it under extreme protest."
(Plays & Players, September 1972)
"Stephen Joseph once gave me this advice: You must have a central character A who wants B and if he gets it it's a comedy and if he doesn't then it's a tragedy."
(Plays & Players, September 1972)
All research for this page by Simon Murgatroyd and copyright of Haydonning Ltd. Please do not reproduce without permission of the copyright holder.