The Norman Conquests (1973)

The Norman Conquests

In 1973, Alan Ayckbourn wrote a trilogy of plays which - from its London premiere in 1974 - would become known as The Norman Conquests. The original production in Scarborough did not have that title and two of the three plays had different titles to those known now; Table Manners was known as Fancy Meeting You and Living Together was known as Make Yourself At Home.
Author:
New Play:

Venue:
Location:
Staging:

First performances / Opening nights
Fancy Meeting You (Table Manners):
Make Yourself at Home (Living Together):
Round And Round The Garden:

Final performances
Fancy Meeting You (Table Manners):
Make Yourself at Home (Living Together):
Round And Round The Garden:
Alan Ayckbourn
Yes

Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre
Concert Room, Scarborough Library
Round


18 June 1973
25 June 1973
2 July 1973


13 September 1973
14 September 1973
15 September 1973
Director:

Stage Manager:
Deputy Stage Manager:
Asst. Stage Manager:
Alan Ayckbourn

David Price
Allan Took
Robert Benfield
Character
Reg
Sarah, his wife
Ruth, Reg's sister
Norman, her husband
Annie, Reg & Ruth's sister
Tom
Actor
Stanley Page
Alex Marshall
Janet Dale
Christopher Godwin
Rosalind Adams
Ronald Herdman

Why is this play significant?

The Norman Conquests is - alongside Absurd Person Singular - possibly the most famous of Alan Ayckbourn's plays. A trilogy of plays telling the events of a single weekend from three different perspectives. Despite not being advertised as a trilogy (for fear of putting off tourists), it was a sell-out success at Theatre in the Round in the Library Theatre before going onto to award-running runs in the West End and on Broadway. The Norman Conquests has won more awards than any other Ayckbourn play and was named as one of the top 100 works of the 20th century by the National Theatre - and it all started in the Concert Room at Scarborough Library in 1973!

Notes

○ Fancy Meeting You, Make Yourself At Home and Round & Round The Garden were not originally advertised as a trilogy and did not share the common title The Norman Conquests. This was only introduced when the trilogy transferred to London in 1974.
○ The title of Fancy Meeting You was altered to Table Manners and Make Yourself At Home to Living Together for the plays' London premiere in 1974.
○ It has become common with The Norman Conquests to have 'trilogy days' when all three plays are performed in the same day and it is frequently assumed this goes back to the original production. This is not the case though, the trilogy was never performed in a single day during its world premiere run and the first trilogy day only came when the trilogy opened the following year at Greenwich Theatre prior to its West End transfer.

Links

All research for this page by Simon Murgatroyd.