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Dramatic Audiences

Posted on 23 October 2002

Heather Stoney, the actress and prime-mover behind the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough along with her husband Alan Ayckbourn, will take part in an evening of conversation at the University on Thursday 24 October.

The evening is part of the Writing and performance programme of visits by distinguished practitioners from theatre, film and television (further details of the programme are listed below).

Heather played a crucial role in making the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough one of the most important new play-producing companies in the UK. Her career began as an actress, and she worked with a wide range of companies, mainly in new writing. She was in the first professional production by Max Stafford-Clark, the English department's Honorary Professor of Theatre. More recently, she has devoted herself to making the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough the extraordinarily long-lived success is has been and continues to be. Both Alan and she are intensely committed to the encouragement of new writers, and in some seasons the company's repertoire is entirely composed of premieres of new scripts.

The event will begin as a conversation between Heather and Mike Codner, and then broaden out to respond to questions from the audience. There will also be an opportunity for the audience to speak to Heather personally afterwards. The evening with Heather Stoney is on Thursday 24 October at 6pm in the Dixon Drama Studio.

Future Writing and Performance visits will include;

  • The playwright David Edgar (28 November, 5.15pm), who will talk about his recent National Theatre play. 
  • 'Albert Speer', and the actor and artistic director of Northern Broadsides, Barrie Rutter, who will conduct a workshop (date to be confirmed).
  • The leading film historian, Charles Barr, will also lecture as part of the programme on 'Hitchcock and his writers' on 7 November at 5.15pm (venue to be confirmed).

Contact details

David Garner
Senior Press Officer

Tel: +44 (0)1904 322153