This archive collection deals with the theatre company housed in the Roundhouse building from the late 1960s to 1983. The collection also includes material relating to another theatre company, Open Space, that had some administrative overlap with the Round House. There follows some historical details on the two companies.
The Roundhouse was built in 1847 to house the turntable at the terminus of the London and North Western Railway, however within 15 years of its completion, engines had become too long for the turntable. In the early 1860s it was converted into a good shed and in 1869 leased to W & A Gilbey Ltd as a liquor store. Arnold Wesker had founded Centre 42 in 1960, named after Resolution 42 of the 1960 Trade Union Congress, which called upon the Trade Union movement to participate more fully in the arts. Centre 42 was incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee on 4 September 1961 and it was granted Charitable Status on 6 October 1961 . With the assistance of Jennie Lee (later Baroness Lee), Harold Wilson (then Leader of the Opposition), George Hoskins and Lord Harewood he attempted convert the Roundhouse into a permanent home for Centre 42. The property had been acquired by Louis Mintz and Alec Colman who were persuaded to donate the 16 year lease to Centre 42. A formal appeal was launched in July 1964 but failed, due to a lack of support from the Arts Council, the Government and the Trade Union movement and because there was no certainty of obtaining the freehold at the end of the short lease. In 1965 Hoskins advised that the Round House Trust should be formed to hold the leasehold interest in the Roundhouse and to separate the funds raised from debts incurred by Centre 42.
In November 1966 a Council of Management was formed, with Wesker as Artistic Director, Hoskins as General Administrator, Robert Maxwell as Hon. Treasurer and Mike Henshaw as Hon. Secretary. In July 1967 nearly GBP 80,000 was subscribed during a tea party at 10 Downing Street. Also negotiations had been completed with British Rail to buy the freehold of the property for GBP 27,500. From 1967 to 1968 the building was used as a studio by film companies and as a venue for rock concerts. The first theatrical event was Peter Brook's production of Themes on the Tempest in July 1968 . In 1970 Wesker resigned after his play The Friends closed and Oh! Calcutta! was brought in. The Round House became a London base for several companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Cambridge Footlights, the Lindsay Kemp Company, Prospect Theatre Company, Manchester Royal Exchange and the Oxford Playhouse . Hoskins stood down in 1977 due to ill health and Thelma Holt, formerly of the Open Space Theatre Company, took over as Director. The Round House Trust went into liquidation in 1983 and the building was bought by Camden Council and the Greater London Council.
Camden Playhouse Productions Ltd, trading as the Open Space Theatre Company began in 1958 as In-Stage in the studio theatre of the British Drama League in Fitzroy Street, London. In 1968 Charles Marowitz became Artistic Director and Thelma Holt the Executive Director. The theatre was based in a disused old people's home at 32 Tottenham Court Road and used a flat at 30 Tottenham Court Road as an office. Open Space functioned as a club requiring membership to attend events. Open Space put on many of Marowitz's adaptation as well as works by August Strindberg, Howard Barker and Samuel Beckett . In 1976 the Tottenham Court Road theatre was closed as EMI were developing the whole block. The theatre moved to temporary premises on Euston Road, while EMI built them a new theatre. Holt resigned in 1977 and took over the Round House. The Euston Road venue closed in 1979 and as EMI did not honour their promise, Open Space was homeless. A final season was put on at the Round House, before the company folded in 1980 .
From the guide to the Round House, and, Open Space, theatre companies : records, 1962-1983, (V&A Museum: Department of Theatre and Performance)
