Sir, – On Friday, October 17, you published a picture of Jean Newlove in standing in front of the National Trust's Ormesby Hall.

The caption read "Photographer takes a trip back". Jean Newlove, our distinguished visitor, returned to the Hall for the first time since 1946. She is not a photographer.

Jean arrived here in 1946 to join Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop group who were developing ground-breaking acting techniques, using Ormesby Hall as their base for about 18 months at the invitation of the owners, Jim and Ruth Pennyman.

Joan Littlewood was the director and other members of the group included Ewan MacColl the playwright and actor, whom Jean went on to marry, and Gerry Raffles.

Jean is the leading UK expert in Laban movement analysis, pioneered by Hungarian, Rudolf Laban, and she was his assistant for many years. (She is also the mother of Kirsty MacColl, the singer, who died so tragically in 2000.) Having registered the company here on Teesside, the Theatre Workshop group went on to use the Theatre Royal Stratford East as their base and influenced the future of drama, to the extent that Ormesby Hall is now widely acknowledged as ‘the spiritual home of modern British drama’ – a profound and largely unknown history.

If the Pennymans had not opened their home to this group, Theatre Workshop might not have survived to go to London, Joan Littlewood and Gerry Raffles might not have written "Oh What a Lovely War" and Richard Attenborough might not have become the celebrated film-maker he did. A sigificant train of events.

In Joan Littlewood’s centenary year, this visit from Jean Newlove, age 91 was special. She gave an amazing public lecture in Teesside University about her life, led Dance and Drama student workshops and came to the hall to reminisce.

I can only think that your reporter has transcribed "choreographer" into "photographer" by mistake, but this record needs correcting.

LIZ HAYWARD

Learning & Access Manager, National Trust, Ormesby Hall