The Arts Theatre opened in 1927 as a members-only club for the performance of unlicensed plays, meaning that the censorship by the Lord Chamberlain's office did not apply. This allowed the theatre to present daring, experimental and controversial productions not available to other venues. Remember, the government could censor theatre plays right up to 1968, when it finally bowed to pressure to abolish the role of official censor in the Theatres Act 1968.