The Complete Plays: The Play Of Mata Hari (1965)

Production Details
Title:
Author:
New Play:

Venue:
Location:
Staging:
The Play of Mata Hari
Mike Stott
Yes

The Library Theatre, Scarborough
Concert Room
Round
First performance:
Opening night:
Final performance:
9 September 1965
9 September 1965
18 September 1965
Company Details
Director:
Choregraphy:

Stage Manager:
George Taylor
Domy Reiter

Valerie Fletcher
Company notes: The programme lists 42 roles for The Play of Mata Hari, the majority of which doubled up by the cast of nine. For the purposes of this page, only the major characters are listed.
Character
Mata Hari
The Narrator
Various Roles
Various Roles
Various Roles
Various Roles
Various Roles
Various Roles
Various Roles
Actor
Dona Martyn
David Jarrett
Pamela Craig
Peter Ellis Jones
Peter King
Catherine Naish
Christine Robinson
Joanna Tope
Terence Wilton
Why is this play significant?
The play marked the professional playwriting debut of Mike Stott, who would immediately go on from Scarborough to join Peter Brooks' famed company at the Royal Shakespeare Company before forging a successful career in stage and screen.
Notes
○ There is some confusion as to where the world premiere of The Play Of Mata Hari took place. The Victoria Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent (now the New Vic), credits it as a world premiere under the title Mata Hari. However, this production's opening date is listed as 23 November 1965, more than two months subsequent to the production staged at Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre, Scarborough, where it was - in all likelihood - actually premiered.
○ This marked the professional playwriting debut of Mike Stott (1944 - 2009), a prolific writer from Rochdale who would go on to a successful writing career on stage, television and radio. Immediately after working in Scarborough, he worked with Peter Brook at the Royal Shakespeare Company. He is probably best known for his 1973 play Funny Peculiar.
○ The Play Of Mata Hari was presented without an interval.
All research for this page by Simon Murgatroyd.