 In 1957, at the age of 27, Blakely made his stage debut as Dick McCardle in "Master of the House".He also appeared in several Ulster Group Theatre productions, including Gerard McLarnon's "Bonefire" (1958) and Patricia O'Connor's "A Sparrow Falls" (1959).From 1957 to 1959 he was at the Royal Court Theatre, appearing in "Cock-A-Doodle Dandy", "Serjeant Musgrave's Dance" and, to critical approval, "The Naming of Murderers Rock".