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Luke Barnes

LUKE BARNES

  (1987 - )
Nationality:    British
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Literary Agent:    http://www.42mp.com/

Chapel Street is Lukes' first play first presented as an earlier version at the Old Red Lion Theatre in London and then at the Liverpool everyman Playhouse as part of the everyword season. It received it's first full production as part of the Old Vic New Voices Edinburgh Season 2012 in association with the Underbelly and IdeasTap before transfering to the Bush Theatre as part of their RADAR Season in 2012. Lukes other work includes: Bottleneck (Soho Theatre produced by HighTide Festival Theatre), Weekday Nights (Unicorn Theatre produced by the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain) and eisteddfod (Latitude Festival produced by HighTide Festival Theatre). He was runner up in 2012 for Most Promising Playwright at the Off West end Awards and is currently Leverhulme Playwright on Attachment to the Liverpool everyman Playhouse Theatres.

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

         All We Ever Wanted Was Everything         Bears, The         Beats North         Bottleneck         Chapel Street         Dog         Eisteddfod         Fable         Geromino         Jumper Factory, The         Katie Johnstone         Lobsters         Lost Boys         Men In Blue Project         No One Will Tell Me How To Start A Revolution.         Sad Club, The         Saints, The         Ten Storey Love Song         Weekday Nights         Weekend Rockstars
All We Ever Wanted Was Everything

All We Ever Wanted Was Everything
Meet Leah and Chris; raised on Harry Potter, New Labour and a belief that one day they would be as 'special' as their parents promised. But what happens when those dreams don't become reality? Follow Leah and Chris over these twenty years as they realise the future they were promised as children hasn't turned out as they hoped, against the backdrop of an asteroid heading for earth. Told through performance and live music on multiple stages, with support from a different Humber Street Sesh band every night, this is Welly like you've never seen it

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
The Welly, Hull     06 Jun 2017

Organisations:
Middle Child

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 90 min

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Bears, The

Synopsis:
a modern day re-telling of the classic fairytale for a broken Britain. The three bears return from their walk in the woods to discover an intruder in their home.

Notes:
part of Word:Play/NWxSW

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Box of Tricks

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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Beats North

Synopsis:
Is this a man's world? Beats North is a double bill of new plays by Luke Barnes and Ishy Din exploring the soundtrack to our lives through the eyes and ears of two young men who are still trying to figure it out. The individual stories of our characters Jack and Al are seamlessly interwoven live on stage by award-winning scratch DJ Mariam Rezaei. Come join the party and request a song for your soundtrack. Beats North was the winner of the Northern Stage Title Pending Award 2013. Directed by Amy Golding, designed by Holly Seager.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Summerhall @ Roundabout, Edinburgh Fringe Festival     01 Aug 2014

Organisations:
Company TSU in Association with Curious Monkey

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:
Music, Theatre, 1 hour 20 minutes

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Bottleneck

Bottleneck
am I a virgin? I think I am. I mean it went in her but it was floppy and it wasn't very nice so I think I am a virgin. I'm going to say I am. Will look better on me uni applications. Liverpool, 1989. Greg is thirteen. He has just started secondary school. He earns pocket money sweeping up hair in a barbers. Girls are aliens. Liverpool FC are everything. Edinburgh, 2012. Greg has an extraordinary story to tell you. Bottleneck is a vibrant coming-of-age story about becoming a man through adventures both big and small. It is about a notorious city; Liverpool. How the outside worlds views it. and how it views the outside world.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Festival Fringe / Soho Theatre     01 Aug 2012

Organisations:
HighTide Theatre Festival

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 90 min

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Chapel Street

Chapel Street
'you know sometimes when you're drinking, you feel a bit ill and you dread every swig, but you do it anyway because you want to get drunk?' He's been let down, belittled and ignored but tonight none of that matters  it's Friday and Joe is getting smashed. Kirsty has bought some vodka on the way home from school and is hastily shaving her legs with her friend's dad's razor. As bottles are drained and the sun sets the two hit the town, neither aware that soon their lives will irreconcilably collide. Chapel Street is a rowdy, relentless two-hander about modern life and love on the dole. It is an acerbic yet compassionate portrait of good times gone bad for a betrayed generation.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
The Underbelly, Edinburgh/ The Bush Theatre, London - An Early Version Was Presented At The Old Red Lion.     02 Aug 2011

Organisations:
Scrawl/ Richard Jordan Ltd.

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:
Comedy Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Dog

Synopsis:
haunted by a terrible event, Jonny seeks redemption and forgiveness within the midnight streets of Liverpool.

Notes:
part of Northern Spirit's new theatre production A Wondrous Place, four young writers challenge the it's grim up North' cliches and offer four fresh perspectives on contemporary Northern cities: Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield and Manchester. A Wondrous Place brings these brand new short-dramas together within one dramatic story sequence.

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:
short play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Eisteddfod

Eisteddfod
We value truth in this family. Carpe Diem. Seize the day. We're all just food for worms. So tell them you love them. Have fun, mount a donkey, whatever, just feel alive. Charades is fun, right, with those people, yes, your family, the ones you try to get away from at Christmas. For the Pilgrims though it's not simply a family affair, this is more than a game, this. . . Is an eisteddfod. This bawdy new play from acclaimed young playwright Luke Barnes, is inspired by Suffolk folklore and explores the idea of family and identity, stories and how they are told.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Hightide Festival Theatre

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 90 min

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Fable

Fable
Young people from six schools two from each city London, Brooklyn and Cape Town on their view of immigration

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Contained in: "Young Vic Taking Part volume One" published by Oberon Books 2018   

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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Geromino

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Company TSU

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 90 min

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Jumper Factory, The

Jumper Factory, The
The lives of young men in prison

Notes:
Created with inmates of HMP Wandsworth

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Contained in: "Young Vic Taking Part volume One" published by Oberon Books 2018   

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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Katie Johnstone

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
part of Works in Progress: Future Voices / Women Centre Stage

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Sphinx Theatre 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:
play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Lobsters

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Lattitude Festival     2013

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Lost Boys

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Oberon Books   

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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Men In Blue Project

Men In Blue Project
Men who have been service users of NHS mental health

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Young Vic, London    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Contained in: "Young Vic Taking Part volume One" published by Oberon Books 2018   

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:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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No One Will Tell Me How To Start A Revolution.

No One Will Tell Me How To Start A Revolution.
Susie, Edwina and Lucy have moved to a new school in a new town. Three very different sisters who will do anything to fit in and yet are desperate to be noticed. But how far will they go to break out of the roles in which they've been cast and will they ever be able to truly change their lives when they're swimming against the tide? A captivating, lively and poignant portrait of the pressures of being a teenager and the fight for acceptance.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Hampstead Downstairs, London     21 Sep 2017

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:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Sad Club, The

Sad Club, The
Depression and anxiety amongst teens and early twenties

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
National Theatre, London    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Contained in: "National Theatre Connections 2019 " Methuen Drama 2019   

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 musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Saints, The

Saints, The
Kenny Glynn is the world's biggest Saints fan and for twenty-five years he has been locked in a game of football against the world. On his 26th birthday the world steps up its game and Kenny Glynn faces the match of his life as he takes on women, money and status with the help of his mates, his family and the guiding spirit of Matt Le Tissier. Can they conquer all the things the world is throwing at them? Will Southampton ever win the FA cup again? And what can we learn from the icons we hold so dearly at the club? The Saints, written by Luke Barnes and directed by one of British theatre's best directors Matthew Dunster, explores football in Southampton, the history of the club and how it has shaped our understanding of ourselves in the city.

Notes:
Nuffield Playing Field was built by Assemble Architects

1st Produced:
Nuffield Playing Field, Guilhall Square, Southampton     05 Aug 2014

Organisations:
Art at the Heart Festival

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 90 min

Parts:
Male:  8            Female:  3            Other:  extras

Further Reference:
-

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Ten Storey Love Song

Ten Storey Love Song
Ten Storey Love Song follows Bobby the Artist's rise to stardom and horrific drug psychosis, Johnnie's attempts to stop thieving and start pleasing Ellen in bed, and Alan Blunt, a forty-year-old truck driver who spends a worrying amount of time patrolling the grounds of the local primary school. A love song to a loveless Teesside, Ten Storey Love Song is a ferocious slab of concrete prose, peppered with beauty and delivered with glorious abandon.

Notes:
adapted from novel by Richard Milward with music by James Orvis (Paris XY)

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
Middle Child

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 90 min

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Weekday Nights

Synopsis:
the story of cyclical emotional and pyschologicial abuse from parents, teachers and peers in London.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
National Youth Theatre of Great Britain

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:
TYA Drama - 70 Minutes

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Weekend Rockstars

Synopsis:
The American Dream doesn't happen here, it's just cycles of things we've grown to love. This is what the dream is - living here, living a life that doesn't involve serving people or wearing a sh*t hat. But what happens when the world starts to fall away? What happens when our rocks start to fail us? What do we do when our stars don't guide us where we thought they would? Then, it's time to become Rockstars.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Hull Truck/ Middle Child

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:
Concept Album Play

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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