Alan Ayckbourn: Actor

Dad's Tale (1960)

Production Details

Play:
Author:

First performance:
Venue:

Staging:

Director:
Dad's Tale
Roland Allen (Alan Ayckbourn)

19 December 1960
Theatre in the Round at the the Library Theatre, Scarborough
Round

Clifford Williams
Character
Martin
Auntie
Dad
Jenny
Various roles
Various roles
Actor
David Jarrett
Rosamund Dickson
Stanley Page
Hazel Burt
Alan Ayckbourn
Clifford Williams

Quotes & Notes

During 1960, Alan Ayckbourn's career was predominantly concentrated on acting at Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre, Scarborough. He was part of the acting company in both the summer and winter seasons and his playwriting was limited to one show, Dad's Tale, during the winter season.

Dad's Tale was Alan Ayckbourn's first play written for children and was a co-production with the dance company the British Dance Drama Theatre. He played seven roles in the production.

“This was also the last time I played multiple roles. I spent the evening rushing on and off, changing moustaches. The play had its moments, thanks to a witty production by Clifford Williams and a rich central performance by Stanley Page as Dad. It was my first children's show. It opened in Scarborough just before Christmas and, including the director, played to an audience of five with an average age of forty. It was my first taste of theatrical failure. I was very depressed and gave up writing for several months.”
(Alan Ayckbourn, 1999)

Review extract from the Scarborough Evening News (20 December 1960)
"It is an enchanting play; written specially for the companies by Roland Allen (Alan Ayckbourn). All the cast are extremely good, and especially so are Stanley Page as Dad, David Jarrett as Martin, and Alan Ayckbourn himself, who plays a medley of parts - clerk, labourer, shady character, grocer, angry neighbour, and a removal man."

Review extract from the Yorkshire Post (20 December 1960)
"Alan Ayckbourn, the author by his stage name, had a variety of characters to portray and he did so with his usual finesse."

Review extract from the Evening Sentinel (3 January 1961)
"Alan Ayckbourn shows his tremendous versatility by playing no less than seven characters, switching adroitly from one to the other with apparent insouciance."

Review extract from unknown publication (January 1961)
"Alan Ayckbourn (the stage name of the writer of the play, who has written several successful comedies), takes several diverting parts."

Review extract from unknown publication (December 1960)
"A large supporting cast is played by Alan Ayckbourn with the help of a variety of costumes and moustaches and richly comic invention."
All research for this page by Simon Murgatroyd.