Absent Friends: Archive Images

A collection of archive material, posters, rehearsal and production images pertaining to Alan Ayckbourn's Absent Friends. The Archive Images page is presented in association with the Borthwick Institute for Archives at the University of York where the Ayckbourn Archive is held. Click on an image to expand.

Absent Friends (1974)

Absent Friends is one of the earliest Ayckbourn plays to have the playwright's early notes and ideas survive in the Ayckbourn Archive at the Borthwick Institute for Archives at the University of York. They offer a fascinating insight into the origins of the play and its very different initial concept.

Copyright: Haydonning Ltd
Holding: Borthwick Institute for Archives

Do not reproduce images without permission of the copyright holder.

Absent Friends is one of the earliest Ayckbourn plays to have the playwright's early notes and ideas survive in the Ayckbourn Archive at the Borthwick Institute for Archives at the University of York. This page is notable for a list of alternative titles for the play as well as an scene breakdown which bears no resemblance to the finished play.

Copyright: Haydonning Ltd
Holding: Borthwick Institute for Archives

Do not reproduce images without permission of the copyright holder.

Absent Friends is one of the earliest Ayckbourn plays to have the playwright's early notes and ideas survive in the Ayckbourn Archive at the Borthwick Institute for Archives at the University of York. This page again features early concepts for the play - very different to what the playwright eventually wrote - as well as some different character names.

Copyright: Haydonning Ltd
Holding: Borthwick Institute For Archives

Do not reproduce images without permission of the copyright holder.

An interesting quirk of Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre, Scarborough, where Absent Friends premiered is that poster images did not start being used until the early 1970s. As a result, Absent Friends is only the second Ayckbourn world premiere to have a poster (or, in this case, an illustrated programme cover). Previously only Absurd Person Singular had an illustrated flyer.

Copyright: Scarborough Theatre Trust
Holding: Borthwick Institute For Archives

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A publicity shot from the world premiere of Absent Friends at Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre, Scarborough, in 1974 with Eileen O'Brien as Evelyn & Stephen Mallatratt as John.

Photographer: Ken Boden
Holding: Borthwick Institute for Archives

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The poster for the West End premiere of Absent Friends in 1975. Despite an impressive cast and the director Eric Thompson - who had previously directed Absurd Person Singular and The Norman Conquests to great success - the production was not a success and Alan believed its transfer from an intimate theatre-in-the-round to a vast proscenium arch space did the play no favours.

Copyright: Michael Codron Productions
Holding: Borthwick Institute For Archives

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A production image from the West End premiere of Absent Friends in 1975 with the entire cast on the single set of the living room.

Photographer: John Haynes
Holding: Ayckbourn Digital Archive

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During 1982, Alan Ayckbourn toured the Stephen Joseph Theatre in the Round company to the Alley Theatre, Houston, presenting Way Upstream and Absent Friends. This show report from the latter highlights an unusual problem during performance - cockroaches in the sandwiches…

Copyright: TBC
Holding: The Bob Watson Archive

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In 1991, Manhattan Theatre Club presented the New York premiere of Absent Friends. The cast notably included Brenda Blethyn as Diana and the professional stage debut of Gillian Anderson as Evelyn; not long afterwards she would be cast in The X Files on television and an acclaimed career on stage and screen.

Photographer: To be confirmed
Holding: Manhattan Theatre Club

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Alan Ayckbourn revived Absent Friends in 1997 at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, and here he is pictured during rehearsals with Jacqueline King as Marge and Tamzin Outhwaite as Evelyn. This was Tamzin's first major acting role and shortly afterwards, she was cast in EastEnders beginning a hugely successful acting career.

Photographer: TBC (© The Scarborough News)
Holding: Borthwick Institute for Archives

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The poster for the acclaimed 2021 revival of Absent Friends, directed by Jeremy Herrin. Alan's plays are frequently noted for the difficulty in creating appealing poster images and, as a result, this clever design has subsequently frequently been copied since.

Copyright: To be confirmed
Holding: Borthwick Institute for Archives

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The company of the 2012 West End revival of Absent Friends, which received much acclaim and was regarded by Alan Ayckbourn as the first truly successful West End production of the play.

Copyright: To be confirmed
Holding: Ayckbourn Digital Archive

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The Scene and Archive Images pages are presented in association with the Borthwick Institute for Archives at the University of York, where the Ayckbourn Archive is held.

All images on this page are copyright of the respective and labelled individual / organisation and should not be reproduced without permission.