"was revived at the Gate Theatre, Dublin. In 2016 the play had a brief run at the Gordon Craig Theatre in Stevenage and starred Paul Lavers, Érin Geraghty and Gemma Oaten. Bedroom Farce (play) Bedroom Farce is a 1975 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. It had a London production at the Prince of Wales Theatre in 1978. ""Bedroom Farce"" is a comedy that contains a melee of events involving certain philandering characters, all occurring within similar moments of one another. Alan Ayckbourn’s clever uses of time and space makes this a very intricate and sophisticated comedy while also portraying"
"Damsels in Distress (plays) Damsels in Distress is a trilogy of plays written in 2001 by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. The three plays, ""GamePlan"", ""FlatSpin"" and ""RolePlay"", were originally performed as a set by the Stephen Joseph Theatre Company (SJT). The plays were written to be performed by the same seven actors using the same set. Although the plays loosely shared some common themes, the three stories were independent of each other and unconnected. This trilogy is considered Alan Ayckbourn's first major success of the 21st century. It also began a dispute between Ayckbourn and the West End. ""Damsels in"
"House & Garden (plays) House and Garden are a diptych (or linked pair) of plays written by the English playwright Alan Ayckbourn, first performed in 1999. They are designed to be staged simultaneously, with the same cast in adjacent auditoria, and were published together as House & Garden. ""House"" takes place in the drawing room, and ""Garden"" in the grounds, of a large country house. Each play is self-contained (although each refers more or less obliquely to events in the other), and they may be attended in either order. As is typical of his work, Ayckbourn portrays the mostly bittersweet"
"cast to take on a third play, it was written in the week after ""FlatSpin"" began performances, and the summer programme was rescheduled to include this play, ""RolePlay"", late in the season. As well as sharing the same seven actors, the trilogy was also written to use the same set: a flat in the London Docklands, where Ayckbourn himself owns a flat. Beyond that, there was no intentional link between the plays, and the only reason the name ""Damsels in Distress"" was chosen was that the plays all happened to include a female character in some sort of trouble. However,"
"GamePlan (play) GamePlan is a 2001 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn, the first in a trilogy of plays called ""Damsels in Distress"" (""FlatSpin"" and ""RolePlay"" being parts two and three.) The darkest of the three plays, it is about a teenage girl who tries to support herself and her mother through prostitution. ""See also: Background on Damsels in Distress (plays) page."" ""GamePlan"", along with ""FlatSpin"", was originally intended to be part of a pair of plays, both set in the London Docklands, and both using the same cast of seven. Ayckbourn has a flat in the Docklands, where he"
"that some people worried that the portrait was too accurate), but Ayckbourn also sees elements of Jeffrey Archer in the character. Paul Allen has observed that Ayckbourn's range is such that he has no need to limit himself to the lampooning of just one political figure. House & Garden (plays) House and Garden are a diptych (or linked pair) of plays written by the English playwright Alan Ayckbourn, first performed in 1999. They are designed to be staged simultaneously, with the same cast in adjacent auditoria, and were published together as House & Garden. ""House"" takes place in the drawing"
"The new freedoms of the London stage were tested by Howard Brenton's ""The Romans in Britain"", first staged at the National Theatre during 1980, and subsequently the focus of an unsuccessful private prosecution in 1982. The height of Alan Ayckbourn's commercial success included ""Absurd Person Singular"" (1975), ""The Norman Conquests"" trilogy (1973), ""Bedroom Farce"" (1975) and ""Just Between Ourselves"" (1976), all plays that focused heavily on marriage in the British middle classes. Throughout his writing career, all but four of his plays were premièred at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough in its three different locations. The Stephen Joseph Theatre"
"Alan Ayckbourn Sir Alan Ayckbourn, (born 12 April 1939) is a prolific British playwright and director. He has written and produced more than seventy full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, where all but four of his plays have received their first performance. More than 40 have subsequently been produced in the West End, at the Royal National Theatre or by the Royal Shakespeare Company since his first hit ""Relatively Speaking"" opened at the Duke of York's Theatre in 1969. Major successes include ""Absurd Person"
"The Norman Conquests The Norman Conquests is a trilogy of plays written in 1973 by Alan Ayckbourn. Each of the plays depicts the same six characters over the same weekend in a different part of a house. ""Table Manners"" is set in the dining room, ""Living Together"" in the living room, and ""Round and Round the Garden"" in the garden. The plays were first performed in Scarborough, before runs in London and on Broadway. A television version was first broadcast in the UK during October 1977. The small scale of the drama is typical of Ayckbourn. There are only six"
"Companion"", ""Between Mouthfuls"", ""Gosforth’s Fete"" and ""Widows Might"") were written for ""Confusions"", first performed in 1974. The other three one-act plays were: Plays adapted as films include: Alan Ayckbourn Sir Alan Ayckbourn, (born 12 April 1939) is a prolific British playwright and director. He has written and produced more than seventy full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, where all but four of his plays have received their first performance. More than 40 have subsequently been produced in the West End, at the Royal National"
"Alan Ayckbourn CBE. It was first presented from 2 to 6 May 2007 at the Raffles Hotel’s Jubilee Hall Theatre in Singapore, and then toured to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and Colombo in Sri Lanka. The artists were Jeremy Gittins, William Rycroft, Amanda Waldy and Marianne Oldham; the director was John Nolan; and the set designer was Norman Coates. A Bedful of Foreigners by Dave Freeman was the BTP’s previous production. It was presented from 15 to 19 November 2006 at the Jubilee Hall Theatre of Raffles Hotel in Singapore, and then toured to Kuala Lumpur and was presented there"
"RolePlay (play) RolePlay is a 2001 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn, the third in a trilogy of plays called ""Damsels in Distress"" (""GamePlan"" and ""FlatSpin"" being parts one and two). It is about an engaged couple, Julie-Ann Jobson and Justin Lazenby whose engagement party is interrupted by unexpected intrusions. ""Damsels in Distress"" was originally intended to be only a pair of plays: ""GamePlan"" and ""FlatSpin"". However, during early preparations, Ayckbourn had an idea for a third play, ""RolePlay"". When the cast agreed to the third play, the end of the Stephen Joseph Theatre's 2001 season was altered to accommodate"
"Intimate Exchanges Intimate Exchanges is a play by Alan Ayckbourn. Written between 1982 and 1983 it consists of eight major stories all originating from a single opening scene. As the play progresses, the characters make choices each of which causes the story to go in one of two directions, leading to one of 16 possible endings. The play was nominated for the 1984 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, and a 2006 revival was nominated for the 2008 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play on its transfer to the Brits Off Broadway festival in New York. In 1993, six"
"play is set in a different flat. The set includes a living area, kitchen and balcony over the river, all of which have different functions in different plays. The plays were performed in the round for their original productions at the Stephen Joseph Theatre. However, in subsequent productions elsewhere they were re-staged for the proscenium. The first play, GamePlan, is the darkest of the three, and covers the theme of teenage prostitution – a theme far more contemporary than those often expected from Ayckbourn plays. The play centres on Lynette Saxon, a once-successful dotcom businesswoman now reduced to cleaning the"
"Life and Beth Life and Beth is a 2008 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. It was written as a third part of a trilogy named ""Things That Go Bump"", uniting the cast of the first two plays: ""Haunting Julia"" (1994) and ""Snake in the Grass"" (2002). It is about a recently bereaved widow, Beth, troubled by her family's misguided support and a late husband who won't leave her alone. The history of this play dates back to 1994, when ""Haunting Julia"" was premièred. The cast was three men, but the play was dominated by Julia, once a gifted musician,"
"If I Were You (play) If I Were You is a 2006 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. It is about an unhappy married couple who are given the chance to understand each other by discovering, quite literally, what they would do ""if I were you"". This play was one of several attempts Alan Ayckbourn made to write a play involving swapping bodies. In 1990, ""Body Language"" was premiered, where a fat woman and a thin woman swap bodies from the neck down following a botched operation. And in 2002's ""The Jollies"", a young boy is transported into an adult's"
"Absurd Person Singular Absurd Person Singular is a 1972 play by Alan Ayckbourn. Divided into three acts, it documents the changing fortunes of three married couples. Each act takes place at a Christmas celebration at one of the couples' homes on successive Christmas Eves. The play made its world premiere at the Library Theatre, Scarborough on 26 June 1972 and its London début at the Criterion Theatre on 4 July 1973, transferring to the Vaudeville Theatre in September 1974, completing a run of 973 performances. Its official New York Broadway début was at the Music Box Theatre on 8 October"
"FlatSpin FlatSpin is a 2001 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn, the second in a trilogy of plays called ""Damsels in Distress"" (""GamePlan"" and ""Roleplay"" being parts one and three.) It is about an actress called Rosie Seymour who accepts a date with a mysterious Sam Berryman, who seems to have mistaken her for a Joanna Rupelford. ""See also: Background on Damsels in Distress (plays) page."" ""FlatSpin"", along with ""GamePlan"", was originally intended to be part of a pair of plays, both set in the London Docklands, and both using the same cast of seven. Ayckbourn has a flat in"
"the position of the taciturn Ronald, making his path from polite disdain of Sidney to impoverished failure more clearly elucidated than Ronald's naturally reserved personality would allow. Absurd Person Singular Absurd Person Singular is a 1972 play by Alan Ayckbourn. Divided into three acts, it documents the changing fortunes of three married couples. Each act takes place at a Christmas celebration at one of the couples' homes on successive Christmas Eves. The play made its world premiere at the Library Theatre, Scarborough on 26 June 1972 and its London début at the Criterion Theatre on 4 July 1973, transferring to"
"observed that neighbours do not know each other well and strange things can happen under their noses. The pair of plays was eventually joined by a third, ""RolePlay"", written as an afterthought, and the trilogy, ""Damsels in Distress"", was shown in the Stephen Joseph Theatre's 2001 season. Like the other two plays, this drew some inspiration from the London Docklands. This play was also a landmark in the progression of Ayckbourn's plays into darker and more contemporary material. Although contemporary subjects had been covered before, such as domestic violence in ""The Things We Do For Love"", the subject of teenage"
"""GamePlan"" received further reviews as part of the whole ""Damsels in Distress"" trilogy. The trilogy as a whole received positive reviews, and ""GamePlan"" was generally deemed much stronger than ""FlatSpin"", but most praise was reserved for ""RolePlay"". This later led to the marginalisation of ""GamePlan"" and ""FlatSpin"" in favour of this play. Alison Pargeter's role as Kelly Butcher contributed to her winning the Best Newcomer in the Critics' Circle Awards. GamePlan (play) GamePlan is a 2001 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn, the first in a trilogy of plays called ""Damsels in Distress"" (""FlatSpin"" and ""RolePlay"" being parts two and"
"this third play. Like the other two plays, this drew some inspiration from the London Docklands, where Alan Ayckbourn has a flat, and people often do not know each other well. As part of the ""Damsels in Distress"" trilogy, ""RolePlay"" was written to use the same seven actors as the other two plays in the series. In this play, the characters are: The entire play is set in Justin Lazenby's flat, on the riverside in the London Docklands. As part of ""Damsels in Distress"", the play was written to use the identical set to the other two plays. As with"
"Things That Go Bump (plays) Things That Go Bump is a season of plays (often regarded as a trilogy) performed in 2008 by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. Unlike Ayckbourn's previous trilogies, where all three plays were written for the same season, the three plays in this set were written over a period of fourteen years. The first play, ""Haunting Julia"", was written in 1994, and ""Snake in the Grass"" was written in 2002 as a companion piece. Finally, in 2008, a third play, ""Life and Beth"", was written combining the six actors in the other two plays, and all three"
"plays, of which more than forty have played at the National Theatre or in the West End, Alan Ayckbourn is one of England’s most successful living playwrights. Despite his success, honours and awards (which include a prestigious Laurence Olivier Award), Alan Ayckbourn remains a relatively anonymous figure dedicated to regional theatre. Throughout his writing career, all but four of his plays were premiered at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough in its three different locations. Ayckbourn received the CBE in 1987 and was knighted in the 1997 New Year Honours. It is frequently claimed (but not proven) that Alan Ayckbourn"
"August in the same year in the Lyric Theatre. How the Other Half Loves How the Other Half Loves is a 1969 play in two acts by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. It is a farce following the consequences of an adulterous affair between a married man and his boss’s wife and their attempts to cover their tracks by roping in a third couple to be their alibi, resulting in a chain of misunderstandings, conflicts and revelations. The play is known to have secured Ayckbourn’s runaway success as a playwright. The play has a cast of six: Frank and Fiona Foster,"
"Snake in the Grass Snake in the Grass is a 2002 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. The play is about a middle-aged older sister who returns to the family home where her younger sister still lives, shortly after their abusive father's death. It was written as a female companion piece to the 1994 ghost play ""Haunting Julia"", and in 2008 these two plays, together with new play ""Life and Beth"" were folded into a trilogy named ""Things That Go Bump"". Ayckbourn's first ""ghost"" theme play, ""Haunting Julia"", had a cast of three men, all haunted, in different ways, by"
"Taking Steps Taking Steps is a 1979 farce by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. It is set on three floors of an old and reputedly haunted house, with the stage arranged so that the stairs are flat and all three floors are on a single level (hence the play on words in the title). There are six characters in the play: The play is set in a dilapidated Victorian three-storey country house, reputedly a former bordello and said to be haunted by a deceased prostitute. According to the set design favoured by the author, all three floors are represented on stage"
"Relatively Speaking (Ayckbourn play) Relatively Speaking is a play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn, originally titled ""Meet My Father"", his first major success. The action of the play takes place during a summer weekend in the bed-sitting room of Ginny’s London flat and on the garden patio of Sheila and Philip’s home in Buckinghamshire, outside London. The time is 1965. The play opens in the flat of Greg and Ginny, a young co-habiting couple, Ginny being the more sexually experienced. Greg finds a strange pair of slippers under the bed and is too besotted to believe they might have been"
"be revived at The Old Vic, which went to the length of re-staging the theatre in the round, as the play was originally intended. He finally allowed a return to the West End as a director with a revival of ""Woman in Mind"" starring Janie Dee. This revival, first staged at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in September 2008, ran in early 2009 at the Vaudeville Theatre, where the original London première was performed in 1986. Damsels in Distress (plays) Damsels in Distress is a trilogy of plays written in 2001 by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. The three plays, ""GamePlan"", ""FlatSpin"""
"Sugar Daddies (play) Sugar Daddies is a 2003 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. It is about a student who forms a friendship with a rich man over three times her age, who has a sinister past, and maybe a sinister present too. Ayckbourn wrote ""Sugar Daddies"" in early 2003, shortly after concluding his family play ""The Jollies"" and shortly before starting rehearsals for Tim Firth's ""The Safari Party"". In some respects, it can be considered a follow-on from the ""Damsels in Distress"" trilogy. It again features a young female leading character in some kind of danger, and shares the"
"the Docklands, where he observed the neighbours do not know each other well and strange things can happen under their noses. The pair of plays was eventually joined by a third, ""RolePlay"", written as an afterthought, and the trilogy, ""Damsels in Distress"", was shown in the Stephen Joseph Theatre's 2001 season. Like the other two plays, this drew some inspiration from the London Docklands. Originally intended as a diptych, ""FlatSpin"" served as the contrast to the much darker ""GamePlan"". As such, it had some of the lightness associated with Ayckbourn's early comedies. As part of the ""Damsels in Distress"" trilogy,"
"of ""The Woman in Black"", and partly due to the success that Yasmina Reza's play ""'Art'"" was enjoying with a small cast. Mirroring the original play, ""Snake"" featured three women, and the ""ghost"" was the father of two of them. However, in keeping with Ayckbourn's tendency to move more contemporary themes, the play was arguably a much darker one, covering themes of sexual abuse and domestic violence. For some time afterwards, Ayckbourn considered writing a third ghost play that would combine the cast of the previous two plays, and eventually decided to do so after Susie Blake (Miriam in the"
"adult role as ""Stalker"" Sarah Cairns in ""EastEnders"". Sugar Daddies (play) Sugar Daddies is a 2003 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. It is about a student who forms a friendship with a rich man over three times her age, who has a sinister past, and maybe a sinister present too. Ayckbourn wrote ""Sugar Daddies"" in early 2003, shortly after concluding his family play ""The Jollies"" and shortly before starting rehearsals for Tim Firth's ""The Safari Party"". In some respects, it can be considered a follow-on from the ""Damsels in Distress"" trilogy. It again features a young female leading character"