Stephen Joseph Theatre

Infobox Theatre
name = Stephen Joseph Theatre


caption = Stephen Joseph Theatre
address = Westborough
city = Scarborough, North Yorkshire
country =
designation =
latitude = 54.280556
longitude = -0.405833
architect =
owner = Scarborough Theatre Development Trust
capacity = 404-seat (main house)
165-seat (studio/cinema)
type =
opened = 30 April 1996
yearsactive =
rebuilt =
closed =
othernames =
production = Visiting and own productions
currentuse =
website = www.sjt.uk.comThe Stephen Joseph Theatre is a theatre in the round in Scarborough, England that was founded by Stephen Joseph and was the first theatre in the round in Britain.

In 1955, Joseph established a tiny theatre in the round on the first floor of the Public Library.

The theatre flourished and in 1976 moved to a supposedly temporary home on the ground floor of the former Scarborough Boys' High School.

However, a permanent home proved difficult to find and it was not until late 1988 and the closure of the local Odeon cinema by Rank Leisure that the theatre's long-standing Artistic Director, Alan Ayckbourn, found a suitable venue.

The new theatre, known simply as the Stephen Joseph Theatre, comprises two auditoria: "The Round", a 404-seat in the round and "The McCarthy", a 165-seat endstage/cinema. The building also contains a restaurant, shop, and full front-of-house and backstage facilities.

The Round boasts two important technical innovations: the stage lift, facilitating speedy set changes and the trampoline, a Canadian invention which allows technicians particularly easy access to the lighting grid.

External links

* [http://www.sjt.uk.com/ Theatre website]

ee also

* Cinemas in North Yorkshire