Journey's Beginning

Between 1953 and 1965 the Gateway Theatre Company, which later became the Royal Lyceum Company, was a major force in developing modern Scottish theatre. The company encouraged new writing and young performers to establish a vibrant contemporary tradition of Scottish theatre in a manner complementary to, and at times more important than, that of its sister theatre, the Citizens in Glasgow. Both theatre building and company are regarded with enormous affection and respect.

This book provides authoritative brief histories of the building and the company incorporating much original research, an essay on the links between the theatre and the Church of Scotland (its landlord post Second World War), and appreciations of two leading figures in the operation of the theatre and the company. These are Sadie Aitken, 'the Caledonian Lilian Bayliss' (a theatrical legend), and Robert Kemp (playwright and a key figure in post war theatre).