Who wrote the plays 'Relatively Speaking' and 'Absent Person Singular'?
"for three months at Wyndham's Theatre in London, starring Felicity Kendal as Sheila. The play has also been produced internationally, in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Sri Lanka, in May 2007, by the British Theatre Playhouse, , and in November 2018 in Belgrade, Serbia. 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"
"Relatively Speaking (play anthology) Relatively Speaking is an anthology produced on Broadway in 2011, consisting of three plays: ""Talking Cure"" by Ethan Coen, ""George is Dead"" by Elaine May and ""Honeymoon Motel"" by Woody Allen. It opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on October 20, 2011 and closed on January 29, 2012, after 118 regular performances. All three were directed by John Turturro. The plays were produced by Julian Schlossberg and Letty Aronson (Allen’s sister). The three plays were cast as follows: ""Talking Cure"": Jason Kravits (Doctor), Danny Hoch (Jerry), Max Gordon Moore (Attendant), Allen Lewis Rickman (Father) and Katherine"
"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"
"said of the plays: “It’s a broad comedy, for laughs, no redeeming social value."" The plays are described as involving various family members. Santo Loquasto ""designed sets for each play that suggest each author’s film persona."" The design for the Allen play is a ""colorful, comical design for the motel, with its circular bed and pink Jacuzzi."" Relatively Speaking (play anthology) Relatively Speaking is an anthology produced on Broadway in 2011, consisting of three plays: ""Talking Cure"" by Ethan Coen, ""George is Dead"" by Elaine May and ""Honeymoon Motel"" by Woody Allen. It opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on"
"the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, from 16 to 21 January 2008. The opening night was honoured by the presence of the Singaporean President HE Mr S.R. Nathan. After that, the musical play was also presented in Kuala Lumpur at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur, in Bangkok at the Hilton Bangkok, and in Sri Lanka at the Hilton Colombo. For this play, the artists were James Cartwright, Sarah Duncan,John McArdle, Michelle McManus, Rachael Wood and John Faulkner. The director was Alexander Holt; the set designer was Norman Coates; and the music director was Stuart Barr. Relatively Speaking was a production of Sir"
"in the New London Radio Playwrights Festival. The following year he won BBC Television's Double Exposure screenwriting award for his 60 minute television play, ""A Relative Stranger"", which was first broadcast on BBC2 in 1996 starring Siobhan Redmond (Alison Fraiman), Suzanna Hamilton (Jenny Bell), Ioan Gruffudd (Nigel Fraiman) and Jason Isaacs (Peter Fraiman). ""Dead Certain,"" his first stage play, was first produced in 1999 at the Theatre Royal, Windsor and starred Jenny Seagrove (Elizabeth) and Steven Pinder (Michael). It has since received numerous other productions in the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and the US, including a year-long run in"
"left alone to deteriorate further. Leopold's state of mind is textually represented by the constant repetition of dialogue and action throughout the play, suggesting a circular 'whirlpool' effect. Largo desolato Largo Desolato is a semi-autobiographical play by Václav Havel about a political dissident, Leopold Nettles (originally in Czech ""Kopřiva""), who fears being sent to prison for his writing. Leopold faces mounting pressure from his friends, admirers and colleagues; these pressures in addition to ongoing state surveillance have made him incapable of writing anything further. The play is dedicated to Czech-born playwright Tom Stoppard, who translated the play into English for"
"solo play in ""A Case for Shylock - Around the World with Shakespeare's Jew"". His most recent book ""So You Want To Do A Solo Show"", an instructional book for professional actors, is published by Nick Hern Books. In 2015 he wrote a five-handed comedy called ""Fondly Remembered"" which premiered in London and is now published by French's Acting Editions, He has lectured and taught in campuses across the US and taken workshops and masterclasses in India, Sri Lanka New Zealand, Italy and all over the UK. He has been a guest director at the Royal Central School of Speech"
"illogical speech and to its ultimate conclusion, silence. While there are significant precursors, including Alfred Jarry (1873–1907), the Theatre of the Absurd is generally seen as beginning in the 1950s with the plays of Samuel Beckett. Critic Martin Esslin coined the term in his 1960 essay ""Theatre of the Absurd"". He related these plays based on a broad theme of the Absurd, similar to the way Albert Camus uses the term in his 1942 essay, ""The Myth of Sisyphus"". The Absurd in these plays takes the form of man's reaction to a world apparently without meaning, and/or man as a"
"Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (; ; 22 January 1729 – 15 February 1781) was a German writer, philosopher, dramatist, publicist and art critic, and one of the most outstanding representatives of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the development of German literature. He is widely considered by theatre historians to be the first dramaturg in his role at Abel Seyler's Hamburg National Theatre. Lessing was born in Kamenz, a small town in Saxony, to Johann Gottfried Lessing and Justine Salome Feller. His father was a Lutheran minister and wrote on theology. Young Lessing studied"
"state oppression reached a peak in the late 1970s, Lee used “silent plays,” dramas without words, to reflect the social and political climate of the time. From the 1980s, Lee’s plays allegorized social conflicts between the “haves” and the “have nots,” or criticized the social leadership’s remorseless greed. Lee’s more recent plays concern themselves less with external social phenomena than exposing the philosophical agony of human life, often explored by contrasting extremely serious characters with extremely easygoing ones. Lee Kang-baek Lee Kang-Baek (born December 1, 1947) is a South Korean playwright. Lee Kang-Baek was born on December 1, 1947 in"
"A Piece of Monologue A Piece of Monologue is a fifteen-minute play by Samuel Beckett. Written between 2 October 1977 and 28 April 1979 it followed a request for a “play about death” by the actor David Warrilow who starred in the premiere in the Annex at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, New York on 14 December 1979. The light fades up on a room in which a white-haired old man – identified simply as Speaker – stands motionless facing a blank wall. To his left is a standard lamp the same height as the actor with a globe about"
"agrees with their racialist agenda. The play was received favourably by critics and described as ""Swiftian"". Full Frontal (play) Full Frontal is a one-man, one-act play by English writer Michael Hastings. It premièred at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in 1979 with Winston Ntshona performing and Rufus Collins directing, and was revised by the author for a production at Ovalhouse in 2001. The play is a monologue by Gabriel Nkoke - a man born in Nigeria but raised almost all his life in England, ""the new type of man. I'm neither here. Nor neither there"" - delivered to an unseen"
"Valerie Mahaffey, Lynn Redgrave, Brenda Wehle), and The Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Foreign Play (Alan Bennett). The entire series is now available on DVD and also in published form. There are two series of ""Talking Heads"", six monologues in each, along with an earlier (1982) play, ""A Woman of No Importance"", which, while not released alongside ""Talking Heads"", generally fits into the [[canon (fiction)|canon]]. Although the plays deal with a variety of subjects, there are certain recurring [[Theme (literary)|themes]], such as death, illness, guilt and isolation. All of the characters are childless with the notable exception of Muriel"
"Merely Players Merely Players was a one-man stage show written and performed by Barry Morse. It examined the lives of a series of actors and others from Elizabethan times up to present day. The title is derived from lines by William Shakespeare in his play ""As You Like It"": ""All the world's a stage,""<BR> ""and all the men and women merely players:""<BR> ""They have their exits and their entrances;""<BR> ""and one man in his time plays many parts.""<BR> The two-act drama included several vignettes from the life and career of ""mere player"" Barry Morse, features over a dozen characters (three"
"The Unexpected Man The Unexpected Man () is a play written in 1995 by Yasmina Reza. Reza is best known in the English speaking world as the author of ""'Art'"". A man and a woman sit opposite each other in the detached intimacy of a train compartment on a journey from Paris to Frankfurt. He is a world-famous author, she carries his latest novel in her bag and ponders the dilemma of reading it in front of him. As both the woman and man ponder their situation in the compartment, they bring past events and philosophies up in separate monologues."
"Sarah Ruhl is unique. She fills her intelligent and highly theatrical plays with striking oddities and playful humor. Sarah is a prolific playwright of great distinction. Sarah Ruhl Sarah Ruhl (born January 24, 1974) is an American playwright, professor, and essayist. Among her most popular plays are ""Eurydice"" (2003), ""The Clean House"" (2004), and ""In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play)"" (2009). She has been the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award for a distinguished American playwright in mid-career. Two of her plays have been finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for"
"ran at Boston's New Ehrlich Theatre in 1984. The original French production was revived in Paris in 1988 with Aurore Clément in the title role. She won a Révélation Théâtrale prize from the Syndicat de la Critique Dramatique for her performance. In 2012, the play was made into a film directed by Rodrigo García and starring Glenn Close. The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs (French: ""La Vie singulière d'Albert Nobbs"") is a play by French author Simone Benmussa. Based on a novella by George Moore, the drama tells the story of a 19th-century woman"
"Lonely Planet (play) Lonely Planet is a two character play written by Steven Dietz. The play tells the story of Jody and Carl, two gay men who live in an unnamed American city. The play was written during the midst of the AIDS epidemic, which is the central focus of the story, though ultimately the play sends the message that one should pay attention to the world around them and realize its problems rather than shun it. The play heavily references the Eugène Ionesco comedy ""The Chairs"". Jody, a gay man, owns a small map store on the oldest street"
"Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. As one of the founders of Modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as ""the father of realism"" and one of the most influential playwrights of his time. His major works include ""Brand"", ""Peer Gynt"", ""An Enemy of the People"", ""Emperor and Galilean"", ""A Doll's House"", ""Hedda Gabler"", ""Ghosts"", ""The Wild Duck"", ""When We Dead Awaken"", ""Pillars of Society"", ""The Lady from the Sea"", ""Rosmersholm"", ""The Master Builder"", and ""John Gabriel Borkman"". He is the most frequently"
"Days"" (1961). These plays—which are often considered, rightly or wrongly, to have been instrumental in the so-called ""Theatre of the Absurd""—deal in a darkly humorous way with themes similar to those of the roughly contemporary existentialist thinkers. The term ""Theatre of the Absurd"" was coined by Martin Esslin in a book of the same name; Beckett and ""Godot"" were centerpieces of the book. Esslin argued these plays were the fulfilment of Albert Camus's concept of ""the absurd""; this is one reason Beckett is often falsely labeled as an existentialist (this is based on the assumption that Camus was an existentialist,"
"Wilson and Janice Parker. The 450 characters were played by a community cast of more than 90 non-professional Edinburgh residents. The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other () is a one-act play without words written by Peter Handke. The play has 450 characters and focuses on a day in the life of an unspecified town square. It was first performed in 1992. In an interview with Sigrid Löffler for ""Profil"" in May 1992, Handke described the idea behind the play: The trigger for the play was an afternoon several years ago."
"of distant events weighs heavily."" The Studio space at the Crucible Theatre production in 2014 starred Niamh Cusack (Sonja) and Sean Gallagher (Andrey). The play premiered in New York at the Off Broadway Irish Repertory Theatre on 2 October 2016 in a limited engagement to 6 November 2016. Directed by Joe Dowling, the play stars Dermot Crowley and Dearbhla Molloy. The ""New York Times"" reviewer wrote: ""Their dialogue sounds extemporaneous, their monologues genuine and heartfelt. Each listens to the other with visible compassion."" Afterplay (play) Afterplay is a 2002 one-act play by Brian Friel. It centres on two characters from"
"Theatre of the Absurd The Theatre of the Absurd ( ) is a post–World War II designation for particular plays of absurdist fiction written by a number of primarily European playwrights in the late 1950s, as well as one for the style of theatre which has evolved from their work. Their work focused largely on the idea of existentialism and expressed what happens when human existence has no meaning or purpose and therefore all communication breaks down. Logical construction and argument gives way to irrational and illogical speech and to its ultimate conclusion, silence. Critic Martin Esslin coined the term"
"""The Trestle"" - 1999, The Brick Playhouse, ""Night of 1,000 Plays,"" published by Youth Plays ""Haym Salomon, a Remarkable Man"" - 1998-2000, Historic Philadelphia, Inc., Repertory Show ""All the World's a Stage"" - 1998-2000, Historic Philadelphia, Inc., Repertory Show ""Last Wishes"" - 1998, The Brick Playhouse, The Painted Bride Art Center, ""Best of It"" ""It's a Scavenger's Life"" - 1992-1995, The Treehouse Troupe at the Philadelphia Zoo Treehouse, Repertory Show ""Bat Tales"" - 1995, Franklin Institute, Fels Planetarium Patricia Ann Lamkin Patricia Ann Lamkin (February 3, 1963—March 23, 2018) was an American playwright, singer, songwriter, musician, actor, writer and editor."
"exhibition entitled ""The 75th Anniversary of the American Negro Theatre"" was opened at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in 2015. Abram Hill Abram Hill, also known as Ab Hill, (January 20, 1910 – October 13, 1986) was an African-American playwright, author of ""On Strivers Row"", ""Walk Hard, Talk Loud"" and several other plays; and a principal figure in the development of black theatre from Atlanta, Georgia. Although best known for his literary work ""On Strivers Row"", Hill's most fundamental accomplishment was his part in founding American Negro Theater (ANT) alongside Frederick O'Neal, and members of the McClendon"
"""In the Balance"" (1893), ""To Set Her Free"" (1895), ""Her Point of View"" (1896), ""The Silence is Broken"" (1897), ""Nigel Ferrard"" (1899), ""The Professional and Other Psychic Stories"" (1900), ""The Relations and What They Related"" (1902), ""Phoebe in Fetters"" (1904), ""The Man Who Won"" (1905), ""A Dull Girl's Destiny"" (1907), ""Broken Off"" (1908), ""Thalassa!"" (1908), ""The Supreme Test"" (1908), ""Makeshifts & Realities"" (1908, short plays), ""The Girl from Nowhere"" (1910), ""Out of the Night"" (1910), ""Nigel Ferrard"" (1911), ""The Notorious Miss Lisle"" (1911), ""A Makeshift Marriage"" (1912), ""A Doubtful Character"" (1914), ""The Daughter Pays"" (1916), ""A Castle to Let"" (1917),"
"in his book ""Theatre of the Absurd"" pointed out how many contemporary playwrights such as Samuel Beckett, Eugène Ionesco, Jean Genet, and Arthur Adamov wove into their plays the existentialist belief that we are absurd beings loose in a universe empty of real meaning. Esslin noted that many of these playwrights demonstrated the philosophy better than did the plays by Sartre and Camus. Though most of such playwrights, subsequently labeled ""Absurdist"" (based on Esslin's book), denied affiliations with existentialism and were often staunchly anti-philosophical (for example Ionesco often claimed he identified more with 'Pataphysics or with Surrealism than with existentialism),"
"Full Frontal (play) Full Frontal is a one-man, one-act play by English writer Michael Hastings. It premièred at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in 1979 with Winston Ntshona performing and Rufus Collins directing, and was revised by the author for a production at Ovalhouse in 2001. The play is a monologue by Gabriel Nkoke - a man born in Nigeria but raised almost all his life in England, ""the new type of man. I'm neither here. Nor neither there"" - delivered to an unseen representative of the National Front, which Gabriel is at first seen trying to join because he"
"Play Dead (show) Play Dead is a 2010 Off-Broadway show co-written by magicians Todd Robbins and Teller, the latter best known as the non-speaking half of the illusionist duo Penn & Teller. The show also features Charlotte Pines as Margery Crandon, Geri Berman as Eusapia Palladino, Don Meehan as Albert Fish, and Drea Lorraine as Phantoms. The opening minutes of the show are performed in complete darkness, and the show itself features carefully crafted tricks and illusions ranging from killing a real audience member, to contact with the dead. The show stars Robbins as the narrator and is directed by"
"plays: ""The Pretty Trap"" (1944) for ""The Glass Menagerie"", ""Interior: Panic"" (1946) for ""A Streetcar Named Desire"", ""Kingdom of Earth"" (1967) for ""The Seven Descents of Myrtle"", ""I Never Get Dressed Till After Dark on Sundays"" (1973) for ""Vieux Carré"", and ""Some Problems for the Moose Lodge"" (1980) for ""A House Not Meant to Stand"". The Magic Tower and Other One-Act Plays The Magic Tower and Other One-Act Plays is a collection of 15 plays, seven of them previously unpublished, by American playwright Tennessee Williams. Published by New Directions in New York City in 2011, Williams' scholar Thomas Keith edited"
"nothing"" (1982) (satire statements) ""Was false love"" (1985) (satire) ""The upper room"" (1988) (social) ""Where is the paper?"" (1989) (satire statements) ""Smell of sweet "" (1993) (social) ""Case candle counter"" (1994), (satire social mores) ""Strange woman"" (1996) (satire) ""Passion path"" (1998), (time from the resistance) ""Consciousness thinking"" (1999) (thriller) ""Inside the gold box"" (2000), (existential drama) ""Waiting and the second"" (2001) (social drama) ""No mutual attraction"" (2003) (melodrama) ""The first bright day"" (2004) (existential drama) ""Open this door"" (2006), (theater absurd) ""If he comes again"" (2007), (interfaith reference) ""Ballad in myth of Perliplin"" (2010) (operetta) inspired by Federico García Lorca"
"and directed the Wendy Wasserstein play ""Third"" in 2014. He appeared in ""Absurd Person Singular"" as ""Ronald"" in January and on 1 February 2015. He said of the Two River Theater: “It’s similar to off-Broadway, but at a much nicer theater. And it’s different from Broadway because it’s not commercial so there’s less pressure. It’s exhilarating, too. The run is short (three or four weeks) then it’s gone. It’s kind of special..."" He further said that he likes ""language oriented work"" and mentioned as examples ""Copenhagen"" and the plays of Tom Stoppard. His life partner, John Dias, is the artistic"