ABSTRACT
In July 1968, Gaskill had told his Artistic committee that the Court should respond to new work which was beginning to emerge. He said: ‘We cannot ignore certain kinds of freer, more experimental work which is now being shown. We must let in this new element. At one time we were aware of Brecht and Ionesco and to cut off the Court from this type of play would be a very crucial decision.’ Part of GaskilPs belief that it would be disastrous for the Court’s development if the new writers and new theatrical forms were not housed in Sloane Square was satisfied by the range of experimental work which began to appear Upstairs, but the main stage productions still reflected for some time the continuing work of the established writers. Magnificence was the first play by a younger writer associated with fringe theatre to find its way on to the main bill when it opened for a three-week run on 28 June 1973.
