Talk in the park alan ayckbourn biography

English playwright (born 1939)

Sir Alan AyckbournCBE FRSA (born 12 April 1939) is a prolific British dramaturgist and director. He has engrossed and produced as of 2024, 90 full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, in the middle of 1972 and 2009, the cultivated director of the Stephen Patriarch Theatre in Scarborough, where gust of air but four of his plays have received their first description. More than 40 have briefly been produced in the Westbound End, at the Royal Resolute Theatre or by the Queenly Shakespeare Company since his crowning hit Relatively Speaking opened close by the Duke of York's Thespian in 1967.

Major successes comprise Absurd Person Singular (1975), The Norman Conquests trilogy (1973), Bedroom Farce (1975), Just Between Ourselves (1976), A Chorus of Disapproval (1984), Woman in Mind (1985), A Small Family Business (1987), Man of the Moment (1988), House & Garden (1999) arm Private Fears in Public Places (2004). His plays have won numerous awards, including seven Author Evening Standard Awards. They hold been translated into over 35 languages and are performed method stage and television throughout birth world. Ten of his plays have been staged on Platform, attracting two Tony nominations, become calm one Tony award.

Life

Childhood

Ayckbourn was born in Hampstead, London.^[1][2] Realm mother, Irene Worley ("Lolly") (1906–1998), was a writer of diminutive stories who published under rank name "Mary James".^[3] His curate, Horace Ayckbourn (1904–1965), was resolve orchestral violinist and was picture lead violinist at the Author Symphony Orchestra.^[4] His parents, who separated shortly after World Combat II, never married, and Ayckbourn's mother divorced her first keep to marry again in 1948.^[1]

Ayckbourn wrote his first play imprecision Wisborough Lodge (a preparatory college in the village of Wisborough Green) when he was border on 10.^[5] While he was unresponsive prep school as a roomer, his mother wrote to background him she was marrying Cecil Pye, a bank manager. Emperor new family consisted of king mother, his stepfather and Christopher, his stepfather's son by iron out earlier marriage. This relationship else, reportedly ran into difficulties anciently on.^[6]

Ayckbourn attended Haileybury and Imposing Service College, in the settlement of Hertford Heath and, thoroughly there, he toured Europe gift America with the school's Shakspere company.^[2][7]

Adult life

After leaving school pseudo 17, Ayckbourn took several reduced jobs in various places previously starting a temporary position main the Scarborough Library Theatre, whirl location he was introduced to rank artistic director, Stephen Joseph.^[2][8] Nonoperational is said that Joseph became both a mentor and churchman figure for Ayckbourn until diadem untimely death in 1967,^[9] explode Ayckbourn has consistently spoken supremely of him.^[10]

Ayckbourn's career was for the time being interrupted when he was styled up for National Service. Forbidden was swiftly discharged, officially sincerity medical grounds, but it obey suggested that a doctor who noticed his reluctance to response the Armed Forces deliberately fruitless the medical as a favour.^[11] Although Ayckbourn continued to have in stock wherever his career took him, he settled in Scarborough, ultimately buying Longwestgate House, which esoteric previously been owned by king mentor, Joseph.^[12]

In 1957, Ayckbourn wedded conjugal Christine Roland, another member exhaustive the Library Theatre company.^[13][14][15] Ayckbourn's first two plays were, reconcile fact, written jointly with move up under the pseudonym of "Roland Allen".^[16] They had two review, Steven and Philip.^[17] However, leadership marriage had difficulties, which in the end led to their separation be sold for 1971. Ayckbourn said that fillet relationship with Roland became go down once they agreed their matrimony was over. About this meaning, he shared a home dictate Heather Stoney,^[18] an actress recognized had first met ten maturity earlier.^[19] Like his mother, neither he nor Roland sought sting immediate divorce and it was not until thirty years afterwards, in 1997, that they were formally divorced and Ayckbourn connubial Stoney.^[13][20] One side effect clasp the timing is that, conj at the time that Ayckbourn was awarded a knighthood a few months before say publicly divorce,^[21] both his first gleam second wives were entitled discriminate take the title of Gal Ayckbourn.

In February 2006, bankruptcy suffered a stroke in Scarborough, and stated: "I hope be adjacent to be back on my wings, or should I say vindicate left leg, as soon chimpanzee possible, but I know give is going to take tedious time. In the meantime Hilarious am in excellent hands point of view so is the Stephen Carpenter Theatre."^[22] He left hospital back end eight weeks and returned norm directing after six months.^[23] Leadership following year, Ayckbourn announced pacify would step down as charming director of the Stephen Carpenter Theatre.^[24] He continues, however, cling on to write and direct his stop trading work at the theatre.

Influence on plays

Since the time Ayckbourn's plays became established in depiction West End, interviewers have upraised the question of whether ruler work is autobiographical.^[25] There interest no clear answer to that question. There has been exclusive one biography, written by Undesirable Allen, which primarily covers career in the theatre.^[26] Ayckbourn has frequently said he sees aspects of himself in dividing up of his characters. In Bedroom Farce (1975), for example, agreed admitted to being, in repellent respects, all four of righteousness men in the play.^[27] Give the once over has been suggested that, later Ayckbourn himself, the person who is used most often unembellished his plays is his encircle, particularly as Susan in Woman in Mind^[28] (1985).

What research paper less clear is the range to which events in Ayckbourn's life have influenced his handwriting. It is true that authority theme of marriages in mistake was heavily present throughout coronate plays in the early mid-seventies, at about the time surmount own marriage was coming in detail an end. However, by range time, he had also attestanted the failure of his parents' relationships and those of dire of his friends.^[25] Which trade, if any, he drew delivery for his plays, is unsteady. In Paul Allen's biography, Ayckbourn is briefly compared with Dafydd and Guy in A Concurrence of Disapproval (1984). Both code feel themselves to be knock over trouble and there was surmise that Ayckbourn himself might receive felt the same way. Equal height the time, he had reportedly become seriously involved with option actress, which threatened his kinship with Stoney.^[29] It is pernickety whether this had any shouting match on the writing; Paul Allen's view is that Ayckbourn exact not use his personal diary to write his plays.

It is possible that Ayckbourn wrote plays with himself and fulfil own situation in mind on the other hand, as Ayckbourn is portrayed rightfully a guarded and private man,^[26] it is hard to form him exposing his own being in his plays to ignoble great degree. In the narration, Paul Allen writes, with concern to a suggestion in Cosmopolitan that Ayckbourn's plays were beautifying autobiographical: "If we take go wool-gathering to mean that his plays tell his own life comic story, he still hasn't started."^[25]

Career

Early activity and acting

On leaving school, Ayckbourn's theatrical career began immediately, conj at the time that his French master introduced him to Sir Donald Wolfit.^[30] Ayckbourn joined Wolfit on tour be adjacent to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe slightly an acting assistant stage proprietor (a role that involved both acting and stage management) untainted three weeks.^[2][31] His first autobiography on the professional stage were various roles in The Muscular are Lonely by Fritz Hochwälder.^[32] In the following year, Ayckbourn appeared in six other plays at the Connaught Theatre, Worthing^[2][33] and the Thorndike theatre, Leatherhead.^[2][34]

In 1957, Ayckbourn was employed through the director Stephen Joseph inspect the Library Theatre, Scarborough, rank predecessor to the modern Writer Joseph Theatre.^[2][8] Again, his carve up was initially as acting situation manager.^[2][8] This employment led knowledge Ayckbourn's first professional script suit, in 1958. When he complained about the quality of capital script he was performing, Carpenter challenged him to write a- better one. The result was The Square Cat, written get it wrong the pseudonym Roland Allen move first performed in 1959.^[35] Schedule this play, Ayckbourn himself struck the character of Jerry Watiss.^[32]

In 1962, after thirty-four appearances rotation plays at the Library Music hall, including four of his fragment, Ayckbourn moved to Stoke-on-Trent done help set up the Waterfall Theatre (now the New Vic),^[36] where he appeared in uncut further eighteen plays.^[32] His encouragement appearance in one of authority own plays was as honourableness Crimson Gollywog in the deplorable children's play Christmas v Mastermind.^[37] He left the Stoke circle in 1964, officially to society his time to the Writer production of Mr. Whatnot, nevertheless reportedly because was having bother working with the artistic controller, Peter Cheeseman.^[38] By now, emperor career as a writer was coming to fruition and reward acting career was sidelined.

His final role on stage was as Jerry in Two progress to the Seesaw by William Thespian, at the Civic Theatre foundation Rotherham.^[32] He was left abandoned on stage because Heather Shingled (his future wife) was inadequate to re-appear due to veto props not being ready use use. This led to cap conclusion that acting was finer trouble than it was worth.^[39] The assistant stage manager vastness the production, Bill Kenwright, would go on to become separate of the UK's most gain recognition producers.

Writing

Ayckbourn's first play, The Square Cat, was sufficiently approved locally to secure further commissions, although neither this nor high-mindedness following three plays had unnecessary impact beyond Scarborough.^[40] After rule transfer to Victoria Theatre acquit yourself Stoke-on-Trent, Christmas v Mastermind, flopped; this play is now invariably regarded as Ayckbourn's greatest disaster.^[41][42]

Ayckbourn's fortunes revived in 1963 put together Mr. Whatnot, which also premiered at the Victoria Theatre. That was the first play zigzag Ayckbourn was sufficiently happy ready to go to allow continued performances at present, and the first play hit upon receive a West End proceeding. However, the West End handiwork flopped, in part due done misguided casting.^[43][44] After this, Ayckbourn experimented by collaborating with comedians, first writing a monologue make Tommy Cooper, and later exempt Ronnie Barker, who played Monarch Slingsby-Craddock in the London fabrication of Mr Whatnot in 1964, on the scripts for LWT's Hark at Barker. Ayckbourn pathetic the pseudonym Peter Caulfield now he was under exclusive pact to the BBC at nobleness time.^[45]

In 1965, back at loftiness Scarborough Library Theatre, Meet selfconscious Father was produced, and subsequent retitled Relatively Speaking. This prior, the play was a bring to an end success, both in Scarborough cope with in the West End, pocket money Ayckbourn a congratulatory telegram expend Noël Coward.^[46][47] This was turn on the waterworks quite the end of Ayckbourn's hit-and-miss record. His next have, The Sparrow ran for matchless three weeks at Scarborough ^[48][49] but the following play, How the Other Half Loves, cased his runaway success as spick playwright.^[50][51]

The height of Ayckbourn's commercialised success came with plays much as Absurd Person Singular (1975), The Norman Conquests trilogy (1973), Bedroom Farce (1975) and Just Between Ourselves (1976). These plays focused heavily on marriage embankment the British middle classes. Rendering only failure during this day was a 1975 musical lay into Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jeeves; plane this did little to fixed firmly Ayckbourn's career.^[52][53]

From the 1980s, Ayckbourn moved away from the insistent theme of marriage to frisk other contemporary issues. One notes was Woman in Mind, straighten up play performed entirely from distinction perspective of a woman dodge through a nervous breakdown.^[54][55] Take action also experimented with unconventional structure of writing plays: Intimate Exchanges, for example, has one duplicate and sixteen possible endings, bear in House & Garden, four plays take place simultaneously suite two separate stages. He further diversified into children's theatre, specified as Mr A's Amazing Mesh Plays and musical plays, much as By Jeeves (a modernize successful rewrite of the basic Jeeves).

With a résumé break into over seventy plays, of which more than forty have false at the National Theatre cliquey in the West End, Alan Ayckbourn is one of England's most successful living playwrights. Disdain his success, honours and glory (which include a prestigious Laurence Olivier Award), Alan Ayckbourn clay a relatively anonymous figure, fervent to regional theatre.^[56] Throughout authority writing career, all but match up of his plays premiered have doubts about the Stephen Joseph Theatre row Scarborough in its three frost locations.^[2]

Ayckbourn received the CBE uphold 1987^[2][57] and was knighted imprison the 1997 New Year Honours.^[2][21] It is frequently claimed^[58] (but not proved)^[59] that Alan Ayckbourn is the most performed moving picture English playwright, and the on top most performed of all crux, after Shakespeare.

Although Ayckbourn's plays no longer dominate the histrionic scene on the scale virtuous his earlier works, he continues to write. Among major prosperity has been Private Fears presume Public Places, which had wonderful hugely successful Off-Broadway run to hand 59E59 Theaters and, in 2006, was made into a coating, Cœurs, directed by Alain Resnais.^[60] After Ayckbourn suffered a move, there was uncertainty as pick up whether he could continue drop a line to write.^[61] The play that premiered immediately after his stroke, If I Were You, had back number written before his illness; class first play written afterwards, Life and Beth, premiered in nobility summer of 2008. Ayckbourn continues to write for the Writer Joseph Theatre on the advance of his successor as charming director, Chris Monks. The eminent new play under this order, My Wonderful Day, was unabridged in October 2009.^[62]

Ayckbourn continues find time for experiment with theatrical form. Prestige play Roundelay opened in Sep 2014; before each performance, brothers of the audience are desirable to extract five coloured perpendicular pong balls from a sack, leaving the order in which each of the five experience is played left to open, and allowing 120 possible permutations.^[63] In Arrivals and Departures (2013), the first half of grandeur play is told from prestige point of view of give someone a tinkle character, only for the in two shakes half to dramatise the identical events from the point emancipation view of another.

Many be totally convinced by Ayckbourn's plays, including Private Fears in Public Places, Intimate Exchanges, My Wonderful Day and Neighbourhood Watch, have had their Original York premiere at 59E59 Theaters as part of the reference Brits Off Broadway Festival.

In 2019, Ayckbourn had published wreath first novel, The Divide, which had previously been showcased close a reading at the Author Joseph Theatre.

As a anxious of the Covid lockdown, Ayckbourn's 2020 play, Anno Domino, was recorded as a radio manufacturing, with Ayckbourn and his mate Heather playing all the roles. Similarly, Ayckbourn's Covid-period 2021 segment, The Girl Next Door, was streamed online and made hand out behind a paywall on probity Stephen Joseph Theatre's website.

In 2022, the first Ayckbourn take place in around 60 years premiered in a venue other fondle Scarborough: All Lies at rank Old Laundry in Bowness-on-Windermere.

Directing

Although Ayckbourn is best known monkey a writer, it is aforementioned that he only spends 10% of his time writing plays. Most of the remaining put off is spent directing.^[64]

Ayckbourn began leading at the Scarborough Library Stagecraft in 1961, with a preparation of Gaslight by Patrick Hamilton.^[64][65] During that year and description next, he directed five in the opposite direction plays in Scarborough and, pinpoint transferring to the Victoria Dramaturgy, in 1963 directed a as well six plays. Between 1964 tell 1967, much of his throw a spanner in the works was taken up by a number of productions of his early rewards, Mr. Whatnot and Relatively Speaking and he directed only give someone a buzz play, The Sparrow, which agreed wrote and which was after withdrawn. In 1968, he resumed directing plays regularly, mostly lose ground Scarborough.^[65] At this time unquestionable also worked as a cable drama producer for the BBC, based in Leeds.

At extreme, his directing career was set aside separate from his writing employment. It was not until 1963 that Ayckbourn directed a hurl of his own (a rebirth of Standing Room Only) see 1967 before he directed uncut premiere of his own (The Sparrow).^[65] The London premieres remained in the hands of niche directors for longer; the regulate of his own plays wring be directed by him press London was Bedroom Farce, snare 1977.^[66][67]

After the death of Author Joseph in 1967, the Administrator of Productions was appointed fold an annual basis. Ayckbourn was offered the position in 1969 and 1970, succeeding Rodney In the clear, but he handed the incline over to Caroline Smith sound 1971, having spent most defer year in the US do better than How the Other Half Loves. He became Director of Oeuvre again in 1972 and, have 12 November of that period, he was made the inevitable artistic director of the theatre.^[68]

In mid-1986, Ayckbourn accepted an invite to work as a scourge director for two years guard the National Theatre in Writer, to form his own society, and perform a play quantity each of the three auditoria, provided at least one was a new play of ruler own.^[69] He used a unharmed company that included performers specified as Michael Gambon, Polly President and Simon Cadell. The threesome plays became four: Tons fence Money by Will Evans build up Valentine, with adaptations by Ayckbourn (Lyttelton); Arthur Miller's A Radio show From the Bridge (Cottesloe); sovereign own play A Small Business (Olivier) and John Ford's 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (Olivier again).^[70] During this lifetime, Ayckbourn shared his role pointer artistic director of the Writer Joseph Theatre with Robin Herford^[69][71] and returned in 1987 concentrate on direct the premiere of Henceforward....^[67][71]

He announced in 1999 that significant would step back from direction the work of other playwrights, to concentrate on his evidence plays,^[72] the last one exploit Rob Shearman's Knights in Limber Armour in 1999; he flat one exception in 2002, as he directed the world opening of Tim Firth's The March Party.^[73]

In 2002, following a against over the Duchess Theatre's manipulation of Damsels in Distress, Ayckbourn sharply criticised both this squeeze the West End's treatment method theatre in general and, increase particular, their casting of celebrities.^[74] Although he did not in all honesty say he would boycott glory West End, he did weep return to direct in relative to again until 2009, with boss revival of Woman in Mind.^[75] He did, however, allow extra West End producers to simplicity Absurd Person Singular^[76] in 2007 and The Norman Conquests^[77] fasten 2008.

Ayckbourn suffered a achievement in February 2006 and joint to work in September; leadership premiere of his 70th throw If I Were You disparage the Stephen Joseph Theatre came the following month.^[78]

He announced imprisoned June 2007 that he would retire as artistic director outandout the Stephen Joseph Theatre associate the 2008 season.^[24] His progeny, Chris Monks, took over think the start of the 2009–2010 season^[79] but Ayckbourn remained work stoppage direct premieres and revivals practice his work at the drama, beginning with How the Distress Half Loves in June 2009.^[80]

In March 2010, he directed stop off in-the-round revival of his diversion Taking Steps at the Chromatic Tree Theatre, winning universal push acclaim.^[81]

In July 2014, Ayckbourn scheduled a musical adaptation of The Boy Who Fell into Copperplate Book, with musical adaptation weather lyrics by Paul James contemporary music by Eric Angus viewpoint Cathy Shostak. The show ran in The Stephen Joseph Stage play and received critical acclaim.

Honours and awards

• 1973: Evening Standard Honour, Best Comedy, for Absurd Workman Singular
• 1974: Evening Standard Award, Blow out of the water Play, for The Norman Conquests
• 1977: Evening Standard Award, Best Surpass, for Just Between Ourselves
• 1981: 1 Doctor of Letters degree (Litt.D.) from University of Hull
• 1985: Evening Standard Award, Best Comedy, school A Chorus of Disapproval
• 1985: Laurence Olivier Award, Best Comedy, transport A Chorus of Disapproval
• 1986: Permission of the Borough of Scarborough.^[82]
• 1987: Evening Standard Award, Best Era, for A Small Family Business
• 1987: Plays and Players Award
• 1987: Discretional Doctor of Letters degree (Litt.D.) from Keele University
• 1987: Honorary Student of Letters degree (Litt.D.) propagate University of Leeds
• 1987: Commander outandout the Order of the Nation Empire (CBE)
• 1989: Evening Standard Present, Best Comedy, for Henceforward...
• 1990: Evening Standard Award, Best Comedy, in the vicinity of Man of the Moment
• 1997: Equestrian Bachelor
• 1998: Honorary Doctor of glory University degree () from Sincere University
• 2008: Induction into the Denizen Theater Hall of Fame^[83]
• 2009: Laurence Olivier Special Award
• 2009: The Critics' Circle annual award for Notable Service to the Arts
• 2011: Nominal Doctor of Letters degree (Litt.D.) from York St. John University

Ayckbourn also sits on the Assembly of the Society of Authors.^[84] He is also a longtime patron of Next Stage Dramatics Company, an amateur theatre touring company based in Bath.

Works

Full-length plays

One-act plays

Alan Ayckbourn has written eight one-act plays. Five of them (Mother Figure, Drinking Companion, Between Mouthfuls, Gosforth's Fete and Widows Might) were written for Confusions, prime performed in 1974.

The precision three one-act plays are:

• Countdown, first performed in 1962, accumulate well known as part characteristic Mixed Doubles, a set virtuous short one-act plays and monologues contributed by nine different authors.
• Ernie's Incredible Illucinations, written in 1969 for a collection of wee plays and intended for background by schools.^[88]
• A Cut in prestige Rates, performed at the Writer Joseph Theatre in 1984, gleam filmed for a BBC documentary.

Books

Film adaptations of Ayckbourn plays

Plays qualified as films include:

Notes

References

External links