The Stage

TMA renames award to honour Stepham

Published Friday 10 August 2007 at 17:30 by Alistair Smith

Influential theatrical booker Renee Stepham is to have an award renamed in her honour by the Theatrical Management Association.

Stepham, who died earlier this year after more than six decades working in the theatre industry, will be honoured at the TMA Management Awards next May when the TMA Award for the Presentation of Touring Theatre is renamed The Renee Stepham Award for Touring.

Derek Nicholls, president of the TMA, said: “Renee Stepham was greatly respected and much loved by all who knew and had the pleasure of working with her. Her contribution to the theatre industry is unique and unrivalled in her field, and I am confident that the naming of this award in her honour will ensure that her work will continue to be recognised for many years to come.”

Stepham began her career in showbusiness working as the secretary to theatre impresario Bernard Delfont. At the end of the Second World War, she set up her own agency, becoming within a very short time the most influential theatre booking agent of her generation, perhaps of all time. She was responsible for the booking of 90% of all touring productions by both West End and touring producers and controlled the bookings for a number of major nationwide theatres, including the Birmingham Alexandra and the Leeds Grand theatres.

Stepham was also a director of the company Stepham, Kimbrell and Bell which presented light entertainment stars including Val Doonican, Bruce Forsyth, Count Basie and Andy Williams.

As a theatre booking agent, she rapidly built up a producer client list which included Peter Saunders, Bill Kenwright, Duncan Weldon, Paul Elliott, Charles Vance, Brian Rix, Ray Cooney and, in the early stages of his career, Cameron Mackintosh. A memorial service was held in her honour earlier this month.