Time And Time Again: Facts
Time & Time Again
Play Number: 11World Premiere: 8 July 1971
Venue: Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre, Scarborough
Premiere Staging: In-the-round
Published: Samuel French
Other Media: Television
Cast: 3m / 2f
Run Time: 2hr 10m
- Time And Time Again is Alan Ayckbourn's 11th play.
- The world premiere was held at the Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre, Scarborough, on 8 July 1971.
- The London premiere took place at the Comedy Theatre on 16 August 1972.
- The play was inspired by Alan Ayckbourn seeing a production of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya and wanting to write a play whose drama originated totally from characters rather than plot contrivances. Alan also challenged himself to write a totally unmotivated protagonist whose sheer inertia causes damage to all around him.
- Time And Time Again is the first Ayckbourn play to include a water feature: a pond.
- The original production marked the first time collaboration in Scarborough between the actor Christopher Godwin and Alan Ayckbourn. He would play the role of Leonard and go on to perform a number of memorable Ayckbourn characters for the first time such as Norman in The Norman Conquests, Colin in Absent Friends and Dennis in Just Between Ourselves.
- Time And Time Again is considered the first step towards writing in the tragi-comedy genre for which the playwright is most renowned.
- The London production marked the first time Alan Ayckbourn collaborated with the director Eric Thompson.
- It was adapted for television by Anglia Television and broadcast on 18 May 1976. Directed by Casper Wrede, it saw Tom Courtenay reprising his West End role of Leonard.
- Time And Time Again is a rarity in that Alan Ayckbourn has directed it in all three Scarborough venues which have been home to the Stephen Joseph Theatre company (the Library Theatre, the Stephen Joseph Theatre In The Round and the Stephen Joseph Theatre).