Alan Ayckbourn: Actor

Easter (1959)

Production Details

Play:
Author:

First performance:
Final performance:
Venue:

Staging:

Director:
Easter
August Strindberg

2 July 1959
8 July 1959
Theatre in the Round at the the Library Theatre, Scarborough
Round

Rodney Wood
Character
Elis, a teacher
Kristina, his fiancée
Mrs Heyst, his mother
Eleonora, his sister
Benjamin, a student
Lina, the maid
Lindkvist
Actor
Alan Ayckbourn
Faynia Jeffery
Penelope Davies
Dona Martyn
Lewis Teasdale
Ann Hughesdon
Rodney Wood

Quotes & Notes

1959 was a pivotal year in Alan Ayckbourn's theatrical career as it saw the start of his professional writing career with two plays The Square Cat and Love After All. However, the majority of his time was spent acting; writing played a relatively small part in his life (and was not a part that paid the bills!). Alan was based with the Studio Theatre Ltd company at Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre, Scarborough, for the summer and was intending to play a part in the company's winter season and tour. However, he was called up for National Service after the summer season and although this lasted service just three days in January 1960, by the time he returned to Scarborough, the season was under way, although he did find some work with the company during the tour.

Easter was reprised for the company's winter tour and Alan took on the role of Benjamin with David Sutton playing Elis.

Review extract from The Guardian (18 February 1959)
"Faynia Jeffery as Mrs Heyst, David Sutton as Elis, Alan Ayckbourn as Benjamin and Rodney Wood as Lindkvist was uniformly good - well pitched to the ebbs and flows of this journey through reality and unreality."
All research for this page by Simon Murgatroyd.