Harold Pinter’s Birthday Celebration

Steven Pacey’s association with Harold Pinter is long-standing. Not only did he play Stanely in Pinter’s The Birthday Party to critical acclaim in 1999, but was directed by Pinter in the world premiere of Pinter’s Celebration in a joint program with The Room at the Almeida Theatre in 2000, and again at the 2001 Pinter Festival at the Lincoln Centre in New York. Pinter directed Steven again in Simon Grey’s The Old Masters at The Comedy Theatre in 2004.

So when the Royal Shakespeare Company celebrated Harold Pinter’s birthday and his historical links with the company earlier in October, it was wonderful to see Steven included in the celebration.

During the week of 10 October, coinciding with what would have been Harold Pinter’s 81st birthday, the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon hosted a full program of lectures, performances of The Homecoming and an event titled Harold Pinter’s Birthday Celebration.

Steven was involved in Harold Pinter’s Birthday Celebration, held on Monday 10 October at 7:30pm. Tickets were from a mere £10 for the script-in-hand performance of The Collection (1961) and Landscape (1967).

Ramin Gray directed the evening, with actors including Steven Pacey, Juliet Stevenson, Hattie Morahan, David Dawson and Ben Miles.

RSC uploaded some photos of the event:

David Dawson as Bill and Steven Pacey as Harry in The Collection.

Photograph: uncredited, used without permission; RSC

Ben Miles as Harold Pinter and Steven Pacey as Mel Gussow in a recreation of a December 1971 interview.

Photograph: uncredited, used without permission; RSC