We are saddened to hear of the loss of playwright Peter Terson, who worked with The Vic Theatre for 20 years from 1964 to 1984, in that time writing 21 plays for us including The Pied Piper and Rumpelstiltskin, the final play for children to be seen on stage at The Victoria Theatre on Hartshill Road.
Theresa Heskins, Artistic Director of New Vic Theatre said: “Peter Terson was a hugely important figure in post-war theatre, creating relevant, witty and punchy stories that put young working class voices at the heart of the stage. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.”
Romy Cheeseman, Honorary Archivist said: “The Victoria Theatre Archive holds a wealth of material relating to Peter Terson’s early work, including scripts, production photos, and copious correspondence with The Vic and other national bodies interested in his plays.
Peter continued to write prolifically throughout his life, creating more than 200 plays for theatre and TV, of which only 80 have ever been performed. An additional collection of his scripts and workbooks was acquired in 2019 for safe keeping in the Victoria Theatre Archive, at the playwright’s request.”
Picture shows Peter Terson, with the late Peter Cheeseman, founding Director of the New Vic, ahead of the Terson Season held in 1980 (Copyright: Evening Sentinel).
The Victoria Theatre Archive is held in Staffordshire University’s Special Collections. More details can be found at: The Victoria Theatre Collection – Special Collections, Staffordshire University – Library at Staffordshire University (staffs.ac.uk)