Early Morning by Edward Bond (1968)

Opening Night : March 8th 1996

Venue : Aberystwyth Arts Centre Theatre

Company



Prince Arthur	David Blumfield
Queen Victoria	Lindsay Blumfield
Griss	Audra Garfield
Len	Stuart Jones
Florence Nightingale	Linda Jones
Disraeli	Paulinda Knight
Jones	Huldah Knox-Thomas
Doctor	Elise Knox-Thomas
Prince Albert	Roy Leett
Prince George	Hannah Julia Luard
Gladstone	Ian Marsh
Lord Mennings	Ian Marsh
Ned	Mathew Parri
Officer	Liz Reverley
Joyce	Liz Reverley
Lord Chamberlain	Richard Wagland
Wounded Soldier	Roy Leett
Wounded Soldier	Richard Wagland

Director	David Blumfield
Sound Design	David Blumfield
Stage Manager	Caroline Clark
Lighting Design	Alwyn Evans
Sound Design	Ian Marsh
Director	Ian Marsh
Sound Operation	David Thornley
Assistant Stage Manager	David Thornley

Notes on the Play

"Early Morning" is a very important play. It was instrumental in the abolition of theatre censorship. The first performance was in 1968 before a "private club" audience at the Royal Court - the play had already been banned by the Lord Chamberlain's office. However, pressure was being applied to Parliament for freedom of speech on the stage, and in September of the same year censorship was abolished. From such a 'backdoor' opening, "Early Morning" went on to win numerous awards.

It is a fascinatingly challenging play. It did cause much controversy when it was first produced, and I still believe it is a provocative piece. It is a dreamlike fantasy... but as Bond has stated, "the events in the play are true." At the heart of most of his work is the notion that corruption and greed lead to violence. Just about everything that happens in this play can be seen as a much wider metaphor for 'us and our time.' (Edward Bond in his introduction to Lear.)