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Mark Murphy

MARK MURPHY  

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Mark Murphy is an award-winning director, writer, filmmaker and movement specialist. As founder and director of Vtol Dance Company, between 1991 and 2001, he directed seven major shows - all touring extensively throughout the UK and Europe. He has co-directed two acclaimed theatre productions for The Northern Stage Ensemble: A Clockwork Orange and the award winning 1984, both utilising Mark's signature mix of film and live performance. He is an associate director for Walk The Plank and directed their collaboration with Australian company Bambooco for the Manchester Commonwealth Games, conceived and directed their highly-praised production S.W.A.L.K., and many large-scale, site-specific projects. Mark has written two plays: A Wing and a Prayer and The Night Shift and two screenplays. He has also received a Peggy Ramsay Award for his writing. Recently he was filmmaker and movement director for Julius Caesar with the RSC and will be working in late 2005 with Legs On The Wall in Sydney

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below is a list of Mark Murphy's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

 Accidental Heroes         Black Box, The         By Force of Fantasy         Half Life         Night Shift, The         Out of Dead Air         Peter Pan         Recovery Position, The         Roleplay, The         Take a Deep Breath         Wing And A Prayer, A         Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The

Accidental Heroes

Synopsis:
A highly physical and visually stunning show about courage and the consequences of violence. Beginning with news stories and the real life experiences of the cast, Accidental Heroes weaves together the inconsequential and the life-changing, the sublime and the ridiculous.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Lyric Young Company

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
piece

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Black Box, The

Synopsis:
The black box records flight information on an aircraft - but what if it contained the doomed passengers final thoughts? Amongst the burning wreckage the box is re-opened revealing notes to loved ones, wedding rings, children's shoes, fingerprints and photographs - all giving us a unique and privileged insight into the passengers lives.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Manchester Metropolitan University

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
piece

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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By Force of Fantasy

Synopsis:
Sexual concoction of fantasy and reality realised through voice-over. We all day dream. . .

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
V-TOL Dance Company.

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
dance theatre

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Half Life

Synopsis:
examines how primal metaphysical forces can affect the everyday, beyond the constraints of the modern world

Notes:
devised text by Thomas Legendre And Mark Murphy, Additional material by Angus Farquhar

1st Produced:
Argyll, Kilmartin Glen    03 Sep 2007

Organisations:
NVA and The National Theatre of Scotland

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
site specific Piece

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  cast of 5

Further Reference:
-

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Night Shift, The

Mark Murphy
Ever dreamt you were dreaming? We each spend twenty-five years asleep yet no one really knows why we dream. Now, Luna has the answer. The trouble is she can't remember it, or doesn't want to. She didn't do it, she's sure of that. Or was that a dream? From award winning writer/director Mark Murphy, this unflinching, discomforting and ultimately consoling story is a slick and sinister thriller from the darkest recesses of Luna's past. A history of traumatic dreams, broken hearts and a long buried secret that if uncovered, will change her life forever.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Out of Dead Air

Synopsis:
The audience enters through sweeping seachlights before the lights come up on Lenny and Mike in a prison cell somewhere in a war zone after a night of heavy shelling, sorting and logging clothes and other personal belongings. Lenny is nervy, has trouble sleeping and shows signs of autism and he seems to enjoy the strict routine of life in the prison, whereas Mike is tough and aggressive and would do anything to break out and go home. Something seems to have gone wrong with the routine as the usual second buzzer has not sounded, leading Mike to speculate that their captors had gone away or been killed in the previous night's bombing. A third prisoner, Al, who acts as a supervisor for the sorting comes in on the discussion. Mike finds some cigarettes in a shoe and starts to wonder what happened to the people whose clothes they are sorting. When a possibility of escape appears to show itself, for some it is a more difficult choice than you might expect between the certainty of life in the prison and the uncertainty of freedom.
- David Cadderton, British Theatre Guide

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Pure, The Printworks, Manchester's 24:7 Theatre Festival    2009

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Peter Pan

Synopsis:
Join the Octagon Theatre on a magical adventure next year as we take you on a festive journey to Neverland with the classic story of Peter Pan. The adventures of Peter Pan, Wendy, Tinkerbell and the villainous Captain Hook will be brought to you as never seen before - a marvellous new version of J.M. Barrie's timeless story that has been loved by children and adults for more than one hundred years. In this enchanting story of the boy who refuses to grow up, Peter Pan and the Lost Boys introduce Wendy Darling and her brothers to a magical world of adventure in Neverland - where children stay young forever and are free from adult rules. This fantastical land is home to mermaids, fairies and crocodiles, as well as swashbuckling pirates whose bloodthirsty swordplay will have you on the edge of your seat! With original music performed live by a cast of talented actor-musicians, a cast of local young performers and just a sprinkling of fairy dust, the Octagon will take you on the festive adventure of a lifetime!

Notes:
from book by J M Barrie, adapted by Anna Clarkson, Julia Hogan, Chris Hoyle, Terry Hughes, Mark Murphy, Eve Steele, Jill Stephenson and Jennifer Tuckett, music by Barbara Hockaday

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Recovery Position, The

Synopsis:
A young woman struck by a car lies close to death on a hospital trolley: around her swirls the organised chaos of a busy emergency room, familiar from a dozen TV soaps. This is the central image of the piece.
Joyce McMillan, Scotsman

Notes:
devised by NTS Young Company in collaboration with Mark Murphy. Music Nathaniel Reed

1st Produced:
Glasgow, Platform at the Bridge    27 Feb 2007

Organisations:
National Theatre of Scotland

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Piece site specific

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  6 performers

Further Reference:
-

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Roleplay, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Take a Deep Breath

Synopsis:
Mark returns to Warwick Arts Centre to begin work on a brand new project Take A Deep Breath. Along with aerialist Simone Jenkinson, rigger to the stars Barnz and animator David Prosser from Bafta award-winning Studio AKA, Mark takes us deep into the death-defying world of free diving. Most adults can hold their breath for forty five seconds, record breaking free divers are capable of holding their breath beyond ten minutes and have swum to depths of over two hundred metres. I am flying down towards the darkness, I am the sea, I am the water, I am the deep. And I am free. This internationally renowned team of artists invite you to see the first strokes in a work-in-progress showing of breathtaking aerial performance and interactive animation.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
piece

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Wing And A Prayer, A

Synopsis:
A 747 roars overhead. They sit at two separate tables. She plays the Air Traffic Controller, he plays the Pilot. All is routine, mundane - until all hell breaks loose. Sirens, warning lights, horns and critical instructions. Then silence. He had entered her air space, then disappeared from her radar. Can the Air Crash Investigators piece together the shattered fuselage of their relationship? An everyday rejection scenario. An anything but ordinary investigation.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
piece

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The

Synopsis:
Follow the magical yellow brick road to the Octagon Theatre this Christmas to experience the enchanting story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The land of Oz will be brought vividly to life as you have never seen before in this captivating new version of L. Frank Baums timeless story that has charmed and entranced children and adults alike for more than one hundred years. Lost in a strange and astonishing land, inhabited by wizards, munchkins, flying monkeys and witches, Dorothy and her faithful dog Toto need to find their way back home to Bolton. Heading for the Emerald City, with the help of her new friends; Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the cowardly Lion, Dorothy sets out along the yellow brick road to find the Great Oz - a Wizard with the power to make all of their dreams come true.

Notes:
Adapted from the book by L Frank Baum by Anna Clarkson, Julia Hogan, Chris Hoyle, Terry Hughes, Mark Murphy, Eve Steele, Jill Stephenson And Jennifer Tuckett, music by Barbara Hockaday

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Pantomime

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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