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Chris O'Connell

CHRIS O'CONNELL  

 Nationality:    British
email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    The Agency (London) Ltd  

Chris has written plays for theatre, TV and radio. Since 1992 he has been Artistic Director and writer for Theatre Absolute, in Coventry. His work for the company includes all the things I'd do for you, (Shop Front Theatre, 2010), Zero, (UK tour and Chicago premiere, 2009) cloud:burst, (Royal Opera House, and New York premiere, 2005/06), and Car, Raw, and Kid, Edinburgh Festival, national and European tours, 1999-2003. Car and Raw won Fringe First Awards for Outstanding New Work and Innovation at the Edinburgh Fringe Festivals 1999 and 2001 respectively. Car won a Time Out Live Award for Best New Play on the London Fringe, 1999, and the three were performed together for the first time as Street Trilogy and toured throughout the country in Spring 2005. He was writer-in-residence for Paines Plough, 1999-2000, and Playwright in Residence at Birmingham University, attached to their M(Phil) in playwriting, 2005-2006. As artistic director of Theatre Absolute Chris has recently co-founded the UK?s first professional shop front theatre in City Arcade, Coventry. His plays are published by Oberon Books.

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below is a list of Chris O'Connell's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         All the Moves         All the Things I'd Do For You         Breathe         Car         City Stories         cloud: burst         Come to Where I am From         Coventry         Edge, The         Hang Lenny Pope         Hymns         Kid         Raw         Southwark         Tall Phoenix         Thyestes         Zero

All the Moves

Synopsis:
Mark doesn't want to fall out with everyone he looks at, it just happens. BB is top of the class, but shoplifting makes her feel more real. Louise is just out of nappies but already has a failed marriage and two kids under her belt. With a big world moving fast around them, they are straining to make sense of their place in it. But with no one there to teach them all the moves, how do they know they're making the right choices?

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
the Belgrade Community & Education 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:
Youth Audiences

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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All the Things I'd Do For You

Synopsis:
a desperate love story, written specifically for the unique space of the UK's first professional shop front theatre

Notes:
(formerly known As PLACEBO)

1st Produced:
former Fishy Moores' fish and chip shop, Coventry    14 Jun 2010

Organisations:
Theatre Absolute

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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Breathe

Synopsis:
the production comprises four monologues from four women from the UK, Africa and the USA. the four women "tell stories of struggle that are united by an innocence of hope and a realisation that to live, you have to remember to breathe". "the women and their stories are not deliberately nor overtly interconnected, although they refer to one another in oblique ways," explains Chris O'Connell. "these four disparate women are really united by the stories they tell. there are a number of layers to the play and a variety of ambiguities along the way, but it's essentially about four strong women surviving the pressures of a brutal, modern world."
- British theatre Guide

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Shop Front Theatre - a former fish and chip shop in Coventry's City Arcade    17 Nov 2010

Organisations:
Theatre Absolute and Warwick Arts Centre

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:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Car

Synopsis:
the adrenaline-fuelled anarchy of a car theft

Notes:
Part of Trilogy Car, Raw, Kid

1st Produced:
Pleasance, London    1999

Organisations:
Theatre Absolute

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:
Short Play One Act

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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City Stories

Synopsis:
the first features John Parkes, a gladiator from the 18th century who fought 350 battles all over Europe and is buried in the graveyard of St Michael's Church near Coventry Cathedral. the second play is about the experience of two Coventry kids during the Blitz, and is based on true stories about World War II told to O'Connell by his parents.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Coventry outside theatre's Absolute's Theatre in the City Arcade    28 Aug 2010

Organisations:
Theatre Absolute

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:
two short 15 min plays

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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cloud: burst

Synopsis:
Dominic is an ordinary man who is consumed by the glare of the media after his daughter is murdered. When the press attention moves elsewhere, he is left to pick up the pieces.
nytheatre.com

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House, London    2005

Organisations:
Theatre Absolute

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:
One Act

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Come to Where I am From

Synopsis:
Sixty one playwrights from across the UK return to their home towns to write plays about the places that shaped them. At 14 theatres from Bristol to Belfast, Cardiff to Coventry and Nottingham to Newcastle, these plays will be performed by the playwrights themselves, coming home to tell their tale. Come To Where I'm From is a theatrical tapestry of the UK, woven by writers asking if home is really where the heart is.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Paines Plough

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:
short play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Coventry

Synopsis:
the play "tells the simple but compelling story of a writer lost and drunk on the streets of a city he once 'owned' but which he comes to realise has changed as irrevocably as he has."

Notes:
the theatre is being forced to close After theatre Absolute was A victim of the Arts Council's spending cuts earlier in 2011.

1st Produced:
Shop Front Theatre - a former fish and chip shop in Coventry's City Arcade    13 Jul 2011

Organisations:
Theatre Absolute and Warwick Arts Centre

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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Edge, The

Synopsis:
What if you were on the edge of disaster and your town really was at stake? What would you do during the final hours of Corby?

Notes:
This new, fast paced Adrenalinefuelled play, from Acclaimed writer Chris OConnell (Car, Raw, Kid), is devised in collaboration with young local performers And explores split-second, life Altering moments.

1st Produced:
Core at Corby Cube, Northamptonshire    26 Jul 2011

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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Hang Lenny Pope

Hang Lenny Pope
Can a family find hope for the future? Chris O'Connell's compelling new play explores the possibility that love might return, and redemption be found, for a couple whose lives have been battered by the experience of parenting a violent son. Both touching and funny, Hang Lenny Pope is an urban love story with a truly macabre twist. An inspiring, hard-edged and enthralling production by theatre Absolute, Hang Lenny Pope began a national tour in March 2007.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Theatre Absolute

1st Published:
Oberon Books, London >>>, 2007   1840027339

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:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Hymns

Synopsis:
Four men reunite to mourn the loss of a close friend, but time and events have had a corrosive effect on this once tight-knit bunch. From beneath the surface bravura a brooding animosity emerges. their struggle to deal with grief and guilt brings them to breaking point ahere the truth lies waiting.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Frantic Assembly

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:  4            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Kid

Synopsis:
Zoe and Lee are on the run. Bradley wants to be a boy. And K's lost in the Latino spirit. From double Fringe First winners ('Car' & 'Raw'). Kid is a storm of desperation and hope, written by Chris O'Connell.

Notes:
Part of Trilogy Car, Raw, Kid

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Theatre Absolute

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:
Short Play One Act

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Raw

Synopsis:
the ritualised violence of teenage gangs

Notes:
Part of Trilogy Car, Raw, Kid

1st Produced:
BAC, London >>>    2002

Organisations:
Theatre Absolute

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:
Short Play One Act

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Southwark

Synopsis:
Paines Plough's introduction to the hottest new writers returns to the Bridewell for a fourth season of lunchtime script-in-hand performances in collaboration with the BBC New Writing Initiative. More direct than the Victoria Line - More fun than the Circle Line - Deeper than westminster - More shocking than a body on the line - More precious than a seat in ruch hour - More of a challenge than the exits at Picadilly Circus - Better value than a two zone travelcard. Jubilee - Plays from Underground, brings you 9 new plays, all inspired by the Jubilee Line Extension and written in only three weeks. From Westminster to stratford, each playwright brings their special talent to bear upon the weird and beautiful poetry of London Transport's latest artery. They will never be just a name on the line to you again!

Notes:
part of Wild Lunch 4: Jubilee - Plays from Underground

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Paines Plough

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:
Short Play One Act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Tall Phoenix

Synopsis:
In a city that rose from devistation, the skyline is changing once again. Now the past clashes with the future in a story of politics, revenge, sex and violence. Niall wants his city to stay the way it is and he'll fight the endless schemes for regeneration. Clare wants power and she'll use her body as well as her mind to get it. Roy's a politician whose past is as dark as the city's. Moira wants revenge and she's back to face her demons. Trackman's witnessed more than he ever wanted to, now he wants to put things straight. Dale believes in the legends of the city and he feels the skyline moving. Tall Phoenix is a hard-hitting Drama from award-winning Coventry-based writer Chris O'Connell.

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:  4            Female:  3            Other:  4 smaller parts played by third female

Further Reference:
-

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Thyestes

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
Royal Shakespeare 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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Zero

Zero
they're outside. Even if you write down what I tell you and you get the world to read the book, I don't think they'll be bothered. they're not frightened of the truth. What hope have we got? Chaotic, fast, and furious, Zero is the new play from multi award-winning theatre Absolute. Written by Chris O'Connell, the play is an explosive and anarchic stare at the ethics of torture, and the curse of censorship. Twenty years from now, in the face of a feast of unabated nihilism, hundreds of camps have been built to torture and gain information at any cost, from those who aim to blow apart the rich pickings of a world that is wealthy beyond its dreams. Alex, a translator at Camp Zero, seeks to tell the world of the brutal regime within the camps, and finds his life is suddenly on the line. Survival is paramount, death may be inevitable, but the truth has to be told.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Theatre Absolute

1st Published:
Oberon Books, London >>>, 2004   978-1840028812

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:  4            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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