Britain: An official handbook > 1959

PROMOTION OF THE SCIENCES AND THE ARTS
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or after London presentation, by companies specially formed for touring, and by
local repertory companies. In 1958, the first full scale theatre to be built by a civic
authority was opened in Coventry; this was also the first new public theatre to be
built in Great Britain since 1939.
In addition to managements which rent theatres for limited or long runs, there
are a few companies which produce plays in theatres of their own. Among the
older and better known of these organisations are the Old Vic Theatre Company in
London and the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company at Stratford-upon-Avon.
In 1956, the English Stage Company was established at the Royal Court Theatre in
Sloane Square, London, where it presents a series of contemporary plays. Local
repertory companies (some of which are assisted financially and otherwise by the
Arts Council or, in Northern Ireland, by CEMA) may have the use of their own
established repertory theatres, e.g., the Bristol Old Vic Company at the historic
Theatre Royal in Bristol, or they may tour the various towns and villages in the
locality, playing from one to several nights in each place and using any building
which can be made suitable for the purpose. The English Children’s Theatre, a
non-profit-making organisation, presents children’s plays in London and the
provinces. The Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park, London, has been used for
many summer seasons of repertory, mainly of Shakespeare and other poetic drama.
The Ulster Group Theatre in Belfast specialises in Irish drama. Inevitably, the
work of repertory companies varies in quality but, generally speaking, the standard
of both production and acting is high; many of the leading dramatists, producers,
actors and actresses in the United Kingdom started their careers in repertory.
Theatre clubs for regular patrons are run in connection with some of these
company-owned theatres. Where seats are sold only to theatre club members (e.g.,
the Arts Theatre, London, and the New Shakespeare Theatre, Liverpool) the plays
are not subject to the normal requirement that they must be passed by the Lord
Chamberlain1 before presentation.
The Theatres Act, 1843, which deals with the licensing of theatres and plays,
requires all new plays to be approved by the Lord Chamberlain, who may forbid
the presentation of any play ‘for the preservation of good manners, decorum, or of
the public peace’. The number of plays for which a licence is refused amounts to
little over one per cent.
Both in London and in the provinces, most managers and artists are members of
one or another of the professional organisations which exist to maintain the stan¬
dards of the professional theatre, to regulate the industry and to promote and safe¬
guard the welfare of those who work in it. Organisations of this kind include the
London Theatre Council, the Provincial Theatre Council, the Society of West
End Managers, the Theatrical Managers’ Association, the Council of Repertory
Theatres, British Actors’ Equity (the actors’ trade union), and the League of
Dramatists. The trade union of theatre staffs is the National Association of
Theatrical and Kine Employees.
The Society for Theatre Research brings together those interested in the history
and technique of the British theatre.
Amateur Theatre
The amateur dramatic movement is widespread throughout the United Kingdom;
there are thousands of amateur dramatic societies. The movement is sponsored and
fostered by local education authorities, by other public bodies, and by four special
1 The Lord Chamberlain, whose office dates from the fourteenth century, is the senior
officer of the Royal Household. His functions include the licensing of theatres in London
and certain towns, and the licensing of plays for public performance.