10:29 AM 8th May 2025
Laura Doddington Hosts 70th Birthday Celebrations At Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre
Laura Doddington
Photo: Paul Kemp
Laura, who performed at the SJT regularly between 2004 and 2012, will be the host at an afternoon event on Sunday 13 July which will include extracts from some of theatre’s favourite plays from its seven decades, performed script-in-hand by some of its favourite actors – the cast will be announced shortly.
The theatre’s Artistic Director, Paul Robinson, says: “We’re thrilled that Laura can join us for this wonderful 70th birthday celebration. We’re all looking forward to seeing her back on our stage in the Round, alongside some other very special guests.”
On 14 July 1955, an ambitious young theatrical pioneer called Stephen Joseph opened a revolutionary new theatre on the first floor of Scarborough Library.
The Library Theatre was the first in-the-round theatre in the UK in modern times – it’s since been replicated worldwide. Theatregoers in Scarborough and beyond embraced the new format, and the ‘temporary’ Library Theatre hosted performances until 1976, when it moved to another – also ‘temporary’! – home in a former school at the town’s Westwood.
That ran until 1996, when the theatre found its final home in Scarborough’s former Odeon Cinema. The Stephen Joseph Theatre is now a cultural beacon on the Yorkshire coast, attracting audiences from across the globe.
The SJT is a Registered Charity (253606). All money raised at this event will go towards its New Work Fund, helping it to put brand new work on our stages and nurture new talent, which were core principles of its founder, Stephen Joseph.