The printed programmes provided to audiences have advanced over the years and more recently have of course, been produced on a computer. The latest system uses PDF format which is very suitable for viewing via a website.
You can view the Bedroom Farce programme as a PDF.
It is possible, with a bit of effort, to create PDF files by scanning printed material and presenting them as images. Although not practicable to do this for the almost two hundred printed programmes we have available, it was thought reasonable to do so for a few programmes that show their development through the years.
The first programmes were typed on sheets of 8" x 6 1/2" (or 10") coloured paper with the invitation/ticket attached. As an example you can see the programme for the very first production in February 1948, School For Scandal.
In May 1963 a cover with comedy & tragedy masks was introduced. See Emma. This was superseded by a more formal cover in November 1964 Mansfield Park. Programmes then changed little except that in February 1990, covers with a picture drawn by Beryl Orders became the norm. See Hans Andersen cover.
From February 1994 the masters were produced on a word processor but the layout remained the same with the cover still a separate sheet enclosing the programme. See Sweeney Todd. Starting with Confusions (May 2004) the cover picture was scanned and became part of the word processor file. This made it easy to use the other, previously blank, "pages". Occasionally photographs were included in the programme. See After September.
The first change in covers was October, 2009. See Jane Eyre cover. This was followed immediately (Curtain Up on Murder) by full production in PDF format and printed in colour. See Bedroom Farce.
We will, when possible, include this feature for future programmes.
