Research: The John Rylands Library
The John Rylands Library at the University of Manchester holds the Stephen Joseph Theatre Papers; the most significant collection of material pertaining to the British theatre pioneer and the founder of Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre.Stephen Joseph had close connections with the University of Manchester and, following his death in 1967, his papers were gifted to the John Rylands Library by the playwright and Joseph's close friend, David Campton.
The Stephen Joseph Papers relate to Stephen Joseph's entire life including the formation of the Studio Theatre Company, which formed the basis for Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre, Scarborough (now the Stephen Joseph Theatre) and the Victoria Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent (now the New Vic).
The wide-ranging collection includes correspondence, notes, programmes, designs and play scripts amongst others with material relating to Scarborough between 1955 and Stephen Joseph's death in 1967.
The Stephen Joseph Papers are regarded as one of the most important collections of material relating to this pioneer of British Theatre during the 1950s and 1960s.
More details about the Stephen Joseph Papers can be found here.
If you are researching Stephen Joseph, you can find information relating to resources and archives in the Stephen Joseph section of the website here.