Stephen Joseph Theatre

General information

The home of truly great theatre. Let us transport you to new worlds and enjoy new experiences through the magic of theatre – no trip to Scarborough would be complete without it! We offer a unique, intimate experience in our renowned theatre-in-the-round as well as the more traditional end-on McCarthy theatre and cinema.

The SJT has been and is known for its commitment to new writing throughout its 61 years not to mention Alan Ayckbourn’s 80 World Premieres. It is home to excellent drama, music, films, comedy and live streaming and has been the starting point for many, now familiar names.

A Brief History:

The Stephen Joseph Theatre was founded in Scarborough by theatrical pioneer Stephen Joseph. In 1955 he established the country's first theatre-in-the-round company on the first floor of the Public Library in Scarborough.

Alan Ayckbourn, Stephen's protégé, was appointed Artistic Director in 1972 and would remain in that post until 2009 having encouraged Stephen's legacy of new writing with the world premiere of 239 plays by 87 writers during his tenure.

The theatre continued to flourish and in 1976 moved to a supposedly temporary home on the ground floor of the former Scarborough Boys' High School. However, it wasn't until 1988 and the closure of the local Odeon cinema that a suitable venue was found.

The new theatre, known simply as the Stephen Joseph Theatre, opened on 30th April 1996 and has two auditoria: The Round, a 404-seat in the round and The McCarthy, a 165-seat endstage/cinema.