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Leo Butler

LEO BUTLER

  (1974 - )
Nationality:    British
email:    Click here to contact     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    Judy Daish Associates Ltd  

Leo Butler was born in Sheffield. Leo is currently working on commissions from the Hampstead and the Royal Court, and a feature film project with the artist Gillian Wearing. Leo teaches the Royal Court's respected Young Writers' Programme. Leo's BBC television play JERUSALEM THE GOLDEN was broadcast in 2002. His play for the National Theatre's Education Department, HEROES, toured to schools in 2007. Leo won the George Devine Award in 2001.

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

         69         Airbag         Alison! A Rock opera         All You Need Is LSD         Boy         Come To Where I'm From         Decades         Devotion         Do It!         Early Bird, The         Faces In the Crowd         Heroes         Hung Over - Election Shorts         I'll Be the Devil         Juicy Fruits         Lucky Dog         Made Of Stone         Redundant         Woyzeck
69

69
a series of 69 short vignettes, all on the subject of sex, offering a glimpse on a whole range of issues surrounding sexuality. - See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/butler-plays-2-9781350006287/#sthash.nYJwdxRX.dpuf

Notes:
-

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

Organisations:
Natural Shocks 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:
short piece

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Airbag

Airbag
Produced for the Royal Court Rough Cuts season, the play fused Butler's script with music and dance from Nigeria. the story of an old woman who, on her death bed, imagines that she is being terrorised by gorillas. an exploration of death and the dying.

Notes:
directed by Leo Butler, choreographed by Odey Anthony. Cast featured: Nick Moss, Nicola Walker, And Gillian Hanna. Music And dancers: Vincent etagweyo, Frank Asiyai, And Odey Anthony.

1st Produced:
Royal Court Theatre (Rough Cuts Season)     02 Jul 2007

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

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Genre:
Drama/Dance

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Alison! A Rock opera

Synopsis:
ALISON! : A ROCK OPERA concerns an ordinary young woman whose life is turned upside down after an explosive breakup with her boyfriend, Jimmy. She embarks on a wild journey of self-discovery as she battles with bailiffs, overbearing parents, pharmaceutical drugs, and fundamentalist preachers. everyone wants a piece of her, but she's not going to piece her life together until she faces her most dangerous enemy . . . herself.

Notes:
written and composed by Leo Butler and Dan Persad

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:
contemporary rock opera

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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All You Need Is LSD

All You Need Is LSD
In 2015, acclaimed British playwright Leo Butler accepted an invitation from former Government drugs tsar, Professor David Nutt, to be a guinea pig in the world's first LSD medical trials since the 1960s. Monty Python, Being John Malkovich, and Alice in Wonderland all resonate in this exhilarating and original comedy as we watch Leo jump down the rabbit-hole of a medical trial in search of enlightenment - and a good story. Along the way he meets an array of characters from Aldous Huxley and The Beatles, to Steve Jobs and Ronald Reagan, whose own stories in the history of LSD are hilariously and poignantly uncovered. Does the world still need a psychedelic revolution? And will Leo make it back home in time for tea? Part history, party wild fantasy, this darkly humorous new play illuminates the drugs debate that won't go away and examines the freedom we have to make our own choices in life, and death.

Notes:
Original production directed by Paul Hunter and Stephen Harper. Cast included George Potts, Sophie Mercell, Jack Hunter and Annie Fitzmaurice.

1st Produced:
Birmingham Repertory Theatre     04 Oct 2018

Organisations:
Told By an Idiot/Birmingham Repertory Theatre

1st Published:
Methuen Drama (3 Oct. 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

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Genre:
Comedy drama

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  12            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Boy

Boy
A boy. At a bus stop. Easily missed. Playwright Leo Butler casts a sharp eye over the city and picks someone for us to follow.

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:  9            Female:  10            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Come To Where I'm From

Synopsis:
a short monologue about friendship, drugs, and Sheffield in the early nineties. 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:
directed by George Perrin, performed by Leo Butler.

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Paines Plough/Sheffield Theatres.

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 monologue

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Decades

Decades
Modern life isn't easy and it never has been. This explosive play by Leo Butler transports us through time, looking at what happens when the next generation begin to find their feet in an ever-changing world. Through a kaleidoscope of characters, we see tensions rocket and values crumble, exposing the best and worst of what it means to be human. This epic roller coaster of a play combines euphoria and despair as different generations of young people ask the same question: where do we go from here?

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
The Bridge Theatre Company/The BRIT School

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 with songs

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  7            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Devotion

Devotion
In a strange war torn country, two boys escape from a POW camp and tow a burnt out car to an imagined Paradise Island. One boy dresses as Batman, while the other dresses as a young girl called Mary, who cradles a plastic baby called Rudolph. they are hijacked by a lone soldier who turns out to be their school-friend, Sarah Simpkins. Is the war a reality or a product of the childrens' imagination?

Notes:
directed by Liam Steele, And the cast featured: Mark Oliver, Leigh Kelly, Chand Martinez And Beverley Denim

1st Produced:
Bredbridge Drama Centre, London - Then School Tour     26 Sep 2002

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
aurora Metro Press,    

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 audience

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Do It!

Do It!
an unsettling journey through the secrets and innermost thoughts of a group of pedestrians, unwittingly watched over by a violent force. - See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/butler-plays-2-9781350006287/#sthash.nYJwdxRX.dpuf

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Royal Court, Open Court Season     12 Jun 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:
short piece

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  4 voiced

Further Reference:
-

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Early Bird, The

Early Bird, The
the early Bird taps into the darkest fears of any parent - what if your child simply disappears? Debbie and Jack blame each other and themselves, and in doing so reveal the inner secrets of their own relationship in this disturbing and darkly humorous play. Butler's language moves between naturalism and hyper-realism, brilliantly capturing the surreal quality of the worst time in this couple's life

Notes:
directed by Rachel O'Riordan. the cast featured Colm Gormley And Abigail McGibbin

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Ransom Productions

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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Faces In the Crowd

Faces In the Crowd
When Dave moved south to London he left behind his family, wife Joanne and mounting financial woes in favour of a playground of riches, sex and shopping. 10 years on and Joanne wants payback. . .with interest. Faces In the Crowd offers a unique insight into 21st century London and the debts we accrue in the wake of seeking out our ambitions.

Notes:
directed by Clare Lizzimore, designed by Rae Smith, William Fricker. Cast: Amanda Drew, Con O'Neill.

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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Heroes

Synopsis:
Chantelle Brown is mixed up. Twelve years old with a pain in her belly the size of Ground Zero, the only person Chantelle can turn to is her dad. But her dad is hundreds of miles away, fighting the war in Iraq.

Notes:
directed by Samantha Potter; designed by Kerry Bradley; the cast included Sophie Benjamin, esin Harvey, Miranda Cook, David Harewood And Raad Rawi.

1st Produced:
Touring London Schools     2007

Organisations:
National Theatre (education)

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:
theatre for Young People Youth audience

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Hung Over - Election Shorts

Synopsis:
Ten of Britain's leading playwrights respond to the 2010 General election. Five nights of ten minute short plays at theatre Local, elephant and Castle. Tue 22 & Thu 24 June at 7pm featuring plays by April de Angelis, Tim Crouch, Michael Wynne, Dipo agboluaje and Leo Butler. Wed 23 & Fri 25 June at 7pm featuring plays by alia Bano, Michael Bhim, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Martin Crimp and Emma Crowe. Sat 26 June at 7pm featuring all plays by the ten writers. Hung Over takes place as part of Rough Cuts, the Royal Court's annual season of work-in-progress, experimental pieces, readings and shorts. Rough Cuts emerges from the year-round activities of the Studio, providing an opportunity for emerging and established artists to develop ideas collaboratively, experimentally and informally.

Notes:
Hung Over - 10 Playwrights Respond to the 2010 election

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:
Ten Min

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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I'll Be the Devil

I'll Be the Devil
a dark love story, written in response to the Tempest, Leo Butler's I'll Be the Devil is set in occupied Ireland in 1775. Knowing that her soldier lover is leaving for england, a local woman unleashes a sequence of events that will result in tragedy for both their children. With a poetic fearlessness Leo Butler looks at what happens when a brutal foreign power is in intimate and callous contact with the primitive heart of an ancient society. This is an epic play that marks an exciting departure from the stark realism of Butler's earlier work and that provides a powerful demonstration of Butler's maturity and ambition as a writer.

Notes:
directed by Ramin Gray, designed by Lizzie Clachan. the cast featured Gerard Murphy, eoin McCarthy, Tom Burke, Derbhle Crotty, Andrew Macklin, Samantha Young, JD Kelleher, David Toole, ed Macliam, Colm Gormley, Billy Carter, And John Mcenery.

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:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  10            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Juicy Fruits

Juicy Fruits
Nina and Lorna meet for coffee and chocolate croissants. they are no spring chickens, and each have a lot to prove. Since leaving University, Lorna has settled down as a house-wife, and Nina has been protecting the orphaned Orang-Utans of Borneo. as the caffeine and sugar kick-in, their friendship begins to show it's true colours as past regrets and present resentments pave the way for a darkly-comic feud.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Paines Plough/a Play and a Pie and a Pint

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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Lucky Dog

Lucky Dog
Eddie and Sue settle down for Christmas dinner. the wine is poured, the crackers are pulled and the weather forecasts snow. But the dog won't eat her giblets and the telephone keeps ringing

Notes:
directed by James Macdonald, And designed by Jean Kalman.the cast featured: Linda Bassett, Alan Williams, And Liam Mills

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:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Made Of Stone

Made Of Stone
Three brothers come to terms with the death of their father. the play is set in Sheffield and follows the brothers and their mother as they try and reconcile their lives. Dark and humourous, the play deals with such themes as bereavement, regional racism, and teenage psychosis.

Notes:
Directed by Deborah Bruce. the cast featured: Huss Garbiya, Giles Ford, Sarah Cattle, Greg Chisholm, Nick Moss, And Joanna Bacon.

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Royal Court Young Writer's 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

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Redundant

Redundant
Lucy is 17. She dreams of love, security and a bright future. But first she must confront reality - and reality means deciding who to trust

Notes:
directed by Dominic Cooke, And the cast featured: Lyndsey Marshal, Will Johnson, Eileen O'Brien, Craig Heaney, Rachel Brogan, And Simon Trinder

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:  3            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Woyzeck

Synopsis:
A new version of Georg Buchners Woyzeck. With genuine humanity, humour and insight, Butlers adaptation recasts Woyzeck in a multifarious world that freely incorporates references to Twitter, 1950s electric shock treatment, 1920s robot fantasies, war in the Middle East and supermarket meal deals. A desolate, spellbinding achievement.

Notes:
Original Playwright - Georg Bruchner. Original production directed by Roxana Silbert and choreographed by Rosie Kay. Cast included Thomas Pickles and Jalleh Alizadeh, with a 100-strong community cast.

1st Produced:
Birmingham Repertory Theatre     15 Jun 2018

Organisations:
Birmingham Repertory Theatre/International Dance 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

Parts:
Male:  5+            Female:  5+            Other:  10-30

Further Reference:
-

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