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On 23 December 1943 the Express printed a small item announcing Flora Robson's forth-coming visit to play the principal part in "Guilty" an adaptation of Zola's Terese Raquin, at the Victoria Theatre, Burnley week beginning January 10th. The cast also included eminent performers such as Violet Farebrother, Michael Golden, Roy Malcom, O.B. Clarence, Charles Hanbury and Kay Bannerman. Produced by Tyrone Guthrie, joint administrator of the Old Vic, with settings by Reece Pemberton, the play "is a gripping one and an excellent vehicle for Miss Robson's great talents".
On 12th January 1944 they printed a photo of Miss Robson and Tyrone Guthrie being welcomed as guests of the Rotary Club Ladies' Day, together with a long report of which this is a very brief summary.
"Reviving Interest in the Living Theatre."
After being welcomed by the Mayor and President of the Rotary Club, Coun. S. Taylor J.P., Miss Robson spoke about her delight at being in Lancashire as "no county was so hospitable" and she appreciated their efforts to keep theatre alive in competition from films, which Miss Robson said, however good they may be, they were mechanical, actors needed audiences to learn how to act.
She spoke of her childhood and early days in the theatre where she immediately felt at home. The actor had to go where the work was and so she had gone to Hollywood, where the climate made it perfect for filming. She spoke about Hollywood, and the skilled technicians who worked in film. However she felt she had never been as successful in films as on stage.
She had enjoyed touring America with "Ladies in Retirement" and spoke of the people working for British relief organisations there on behalf of the Red Cross. She also mentioned the ex-pat community in Hollywood who were working very hard indeed for the cause of Britain. She however had returned to be part of the theatre revival. She had had a lovely welcome in Oldham where the small theatre had been started by subscription and volunteers helped to run it. She hoped the play that the Old Vic were presenting in Burnley would be a welcome change from variety entertainment. It was tragic and dramatic, and there was some excellent comedy from Mr. O.B. Clarence.
Tyrone Guthrie then explained why the Old Vic and Sadler's Wells were no longer head-quartered in Burnley. Three years earlier, in order to survive they had reduced the companies in size and moved North as theatre in the South had ceased. At the time they had no finance apart from the takings but gradually they had built the companies up and there came a point when they needed to expand in order to compete and could not do so in small theatres such as in Burnley which could not stage their large productions. However, they were prepared to spend the profits made in larger theatres, losing money staging occasional smaller scale productions in smaller theatres such as the Victoria in Burnley. He doubted however that the ballet would ever return. Post war he hoped to create smaller companies within their organisations which would be able to perform in smaller theatres.
Mr. Wilfrid Lord, moved a vote of thanks to Miss Robson and Mr. Guthrie and said the Old Vic and Sadler's Wells were doing a magnificent job. He felt very proud that Burnley was able to find a home for them when they were having a rough passage and hoped that as Mr. Guthrie said, they would make such a lot of money that it would be possible for them to lose a lot more by coming to Burnley more often.