Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell Joe Orton outside his flat on Noel Street, Islington, London on 22 May 1964.

Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell

Joe Orton outside his flat on Noel Street, Islington, London on 22 May 1964

Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell

Michael Thornton in 2009

Timeline 1926-1953

1926 June 23rd: Kenneth Leith Halliwell born in Bebington, Merseyside

1933 January 1st: John Kingsley Orton born in Leicester

1949 Orton begins his first diary

1951 May: Starts at RADA, meets Kenneth Halliwell June: Orton moves in with Halliwell at 161 West End

Lane, London June: Orton stops writing his first diary

1953 April: Orton and Halliwell graduate from RADAApril – July: Orton and Halliwell work unsuccessfully in regional repertory theatre

Timeline 1953-1962

1953-6 Orton and Halliwell collaborate on a number of novels. All are rejected by publishers.

1957 June: Orton informs his publisher that he and Halliwell have begun writing separately.

1959 Orton and Halliwell move to flat in Noel Road, Islington, London. They start stealing books from the

Islington library and altering book jackets

1962 April: Orton and Halliwell are arrested for stealing and defacing 72 library books and removing 1,653 plates

from art books. Sentenced to 6 months in prison

May – September: Orton is sent to jail at HM Prison East Church in Kent and Halliwell in HM Prison Ford in Sussex

Timeline 1963-19661963 August: Orton writes a play that’s sold to the BBC and given the title The

Ruffian on the Stair Sept – December: Orton writes Entertaining Mr. Sloane December: renown literary agent Peggy Ramsay takes on Orton as a client

1964 At Ramsay’s suggestion, Orton uses the name ‘Joe Orton’ to distinguish himself from John Osborne

May 6th: Entertaining Mr. Sloane opens at Arts Theatre Club, London June 29th: Entertaining Mr. Sloane transfers to Wyndham’s Theatre August 31st: The Ruffian on the Stair is broadcast on BBC June – October: Orton writes Loot

1965 February – March: First unsuccessful production of Loot April: Revised version of Loot produced at University Theatre, Manchester July – September: Orton writes The Erpingham Camp October: Entertaining Mr. Sloane opens on Broadway, New York

1966 April 6th: The Good and Faithful Servant screened on Rediffusion Television

June 27th: Early version of The Erpingham Camp screened on Rediffusion Television Orton finishes rewrite of Loot September: Second production of Loot in London. This time a success

October: Orton starts writing What the Butler Saw November 1st: Loot transfers to Criterion Theatre, London November: Orton finishes Funeral Games December: Orton begins writing diary at suggestion of Peggy Ramsay

1967 January 11: Orton receives Evening Standard Award, Best Play for Loot. Also

receives Plays and Player’s critics award for Loot

January – April: Orton writes screenplay for the Beatles, Up Against It. Rejected without comment by Brian Epstein. Film option picked up by Oscar Lewenstein

May – July: Orton and Halliwell take a third annual holiday to Tangiers, where Halliwell physically attacks Orton, beating him about the head

June: The one act plays, The Ruffian on the Stair and The Erpingham Camp play at the Royal Court Theatre, London, under the title Crimes of Passion

July: Orton finishes What the Butler Saw

August 9th: Halliwell murders Orton and then commits suicide

August 17th: Halliwell’s funeral, Enfield, Middlesex. Only Peggy Ramsay and three of Halliwell’s relatives in attendance

August 18th: Orton funeral at West Chapel, Golders Green

1969 March 5th: First performance of What the Butler Saw

Timeline 1967-1969

Orton diary page from January 1950

Orton diary page from June 1967

Joe Orton, 5 months before his death.

Kenneth Halliwell, 1966

What the Butler Saw

Setting A Room in a Private Psychiatric Clinic in London,

England 

TimeSpring, 1965, Morning through Afternoon

Characters (in order of appearance)

 Dr. Prentice

Geraldine BarclayMrs. Prentice

Nicholas BeckettDr. Rance

Sergeant Match

What the Butler Saw

Sir Winston Churchill