Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre Announces Shows for 2021

Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre has announced a season of shows for 2021 which will include three world premieres and the second outing for a play which played to packed houses at the National Theatre when it debuted in 2018.

The summer season will open on 4 June with a brand new show by the theatre's Director Emeritus, Alan Ayckbourn, The Girl Next Door, followed by Laura Wade's comedy Home I'm Darling, a co-production with Keswick's Theatre by the Lake and the Octagon Theatre Bolton.

The autumn will bring a brand new adaptation of Benjamin Myers' best-selling book The Offing, a co-production with Live Theatre, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and this year's Christmas show will be another new adaptation by SJT stalwart Nick Lane, Jack and the Beanstalk.

The SJT shows will be supplemented by a lively season of visiting productions.

The SJT's Artistic Director, Paul Robinson, says: "We're absolutely thrilled to be presenting live theatre again throughout the second half of 2021. We've pulled together a programme which we think will have a really broad appeal, and we can't wait to welcome audiences back through our doors again."

Executive Director Caroline Routh says: "We'd very much like to thank the government's Culture Recovery Fund and the Garfield Weston Foundation's Weston Culture Fund, whose support this year has made it possible for us put this programme together, and which includes funding to support the potential for future online digital streaming.

"We are also hugely grateful to our revenue funders - Arts Council England and Scarborough Borough Council - and to the many other trusts, foundations, sponsors and individuals without whose support over this past year we would, quite simply, not have been able to survive."

The Stephen Joseph Theatre's shows for 2021 are:

The Girl Next Door (4 June to 3 July), world premiere: written and directed by Alan Ayckbourn.

The 85th play from our Director Emeritus is a touching, tender and, of course, funny reflection on the ability of love to rise above adversity and reach across the years.

Home I'm Darling (9 July to 14 August) by Laura Wade, directed by Liz Stevenson.

A comedy about marriage and one woman's quest to be the perfect 1950s housewife, Home I'm Darling was a huge hit in 2018 for original co-producers Theatr Clwyd and the National Theatre. This is an SJT co-production with Theatre by the Lake and the Octagon Theatre Bolton.

The Offing (14 to 30 October), world premiere: adapted by Janice Okoh from the novel by Benjamin Myers, directed by Paul Robinson.

Set in one of the UK's favourite coastal towns, Robin Hood's Bay - just 16 miles up the coast from Scarborough - Benjamin Myers's much-loved coming-of-age novel, a BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick, has been sensitively adapted by Janice Okoh. This is an SJT co-production with Live Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Jack and the Beanstalk (2 to 31 December), world premiere: a new version by Nick Lane, directed by Paul Robinson, with music and lyrics by Simon Slater.

Expect the usual mayhem and musical madness as the team that brought you our last five Christmas shows, including Alice in Wonderland and The Snow Queen, reunites with a fresh new take on an old, old story.

The SJT productions will be supported by a busy programme of visiting shows, including Blackeyed Theatre's The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson's novel by Nick Lane (Thursday 30 September to Saturday 2 October).

The SJT will also be presenting films in its McCarthy cinema - keep an eye on the website for up-to-date information: www.sjt.uk.com

The theatre will be complying carefully with current government guidelines around Covid safety. Last year, it gained 99% positive feedback from customers on safety when it re-opened between lockdowns.

Booking for all the 2021 SJT shows will open at 10am on Friday 16 April (with priority booking for Circle members opening on Friday 9 April). Tickets for all shows are priced from £10.

Where possible, the theatre is recommending that customers book online at www.sjt.uk.com

The box office phone line will be open Mondays to Saturdays, noon till 2pm, from 9 April.

The box office will re-open for in-person bookings on Monday 17 May (noon to 5pm on non-show days; noon to 7.30pm on days with an evening show; 11am to 7.30pm on matinee days).

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