Just Between Ourselves: A Timeline

The Timeline offers a chronological view of significant events in the history of the play Just Between Ourselves; it only lists major productions and does not include the vast majority of the many professional and amateur productions of the play.

18 August 1975
The Scarborough Evening News reports Alan Ayckbourn will write a new play for January 1976; although it has neither a title or subject. The title is confirmed in early October (it should have been announced in September) for advertising purposes.

Circa 25 December 1975
Alan Ayckbourn begins writing Just Between Ourselves; it is the first play he will write during the winter months, which he believes influences the darker tone of the play.

1 January 1976
The completed play is delivered to the acting company allegedly at 4am in the morning and immediately prior to rehearsals starting.

28 January 1976
World premiere of Just Between Ourselves at Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre, Scarborough, directed by Alan Ayckbourn. It is produced there-sided in the venue's smaller Lecture Room and scheduled for just six performances before returning for the summer season.

Spring 1976
Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre's first international tour sees Just Between Ourselves and Stephen Mallatratt's An Englishman's Home tour to Belgium, Holland and Germany,

10 May 1976
The Theatre In The Round at the Library Theatre company has a month-long residency at the Georgian Theatre, Richmond, featuring Just Between Ourselves.

21 June 1976
Just Between Ourselves is revived at Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre, Scarborough, directed by Alan Ayckbourn with a slightly altered cast. Although the production is moved to the larger Concert Room, the decision is made to keep the play three-sided rather than in-the-round.

11 September 1976
The final night of Just Between Ourselves at Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre also marks the venue's final performance before the company moves to its new home, the Stephen Joseph Theatre In The Round the following month.

20 April 1977
London premiere of Just Between Ourselves at the Queen’s Theatre, London, directed by Alan Strachan.

3 September 1977
Just Between Ourselves closes at the Queen’s Theatre, London.

1977
Just Between Ourselves wins the Evening Standard Award for Best Play; this second time Alan has won the award following The Norman Conquests in 1974.

1977
Just Between Ourselves first published in Joking Apart And Other Plays collection by Chatto & Windus.

1978
Just Between Ourselves acting edition published by Samuel French.

23 July 1978
Yorkshire Television broadcasts Just Between Ourselves, directed by Marc Miller.

6 February 1982
BBC Radio 4 broadcasts Just Between Ourselves, directed by Gordon House.

1986
Just Between Ourselves published in the Landmarks Of British Drama: The Plays Of The Seventies collection.

5 January 1996
Just Between Ourselves revived at the Stephen Joseph Theatre In The Round, Scarborough, directed by Robin Herford.

2000
LA Theatre Works release an audio adaptation of Just Between Ourselves, directed by Waris Hussein.

13 September 2008
BBC Radio 4 broadcast a new radio adaptation of Just Between Ourselves, again directed by Gordon House.

22 May 2009
Just Between Ourselves is revived at the Royal & Derngate, Northampton, as part of the Ayckbourn At 70 celebration, directed by Mark Rosenblatt.

2009
LA Theatre Works release the audio adaptation of Just Between Ourselves on iTunes; the first Ayckbourn play to be made commercially available in a digital recorded format.

18 June 2020
The announced opening of a revival of Just Between Ourselves at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, directed by Alan Ayckbourn. Unfortunately, this production was cancelled as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic which closed every theatre in the UK during 2020.

Article by Simon Murgatroyd. Copyright: Haydonning Ltd. Please do not reproduce without permission of copyright holder.