The Playwrights Database
OLIVER EMANUEL
Nationality:
British
email:
Click here to contact
Website:
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Literary Agent:
United Agents represented by
Giles Smart
Oliver Emanuel is a playwright based in Glasgow. Work includes: Everything, BBC Radio 4; One Night In Iran, Oran Mor/BBC Radio 3; Elvis in Prestwick, BBC Radio 4; John, Visible Fictions; Daniel & Mary, BBC Radio Scotland; Videotape, Oran Mor; Flit, National Theatre of Scotland; Magpie Park, West Yorkshire Playhouse; Bella & The Beautiful Knight, Silver Tongue Theatre, Vienna Theatre Project and Comedy Theatre, Bucharest. Adaptations include: The Vanishing by Tim Krabbe, BBC Radio 4. He has been Writer-in-Resident for BBC Radio 4/Children in Need and Writer-on-Attachment at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. He is currently under commission to BBC Radio 4, STV, the Scottish Refugee Council, and is working on a text with Alison Peebles for the National Theatre of Scotland.
Research: http://www.playwrightsstudio.co.uk/playwrights/oliver-emanuel.aspx
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306, The: Dawn
The 306: Dawn is a new piece of music theatre from the National Theatre of Scotland. Based on real events, it charts the heartbreaking journey of three of the three hundred and six British soldiers who were executed for cowardice, desertion and mutiny during World War I (1914-18). Joseph Byers (17) from Glasgow. Too young to enlist, Joe, like so many at the time, has lied about his age to join the other men at the front. However, his dreams of being a solider are quickly destroyed by the brutal realities of trench warfare and he soon finds himself in trouble with the authorities. Private Harry Farr (25) from London. Traumatised by the things he has seen and lived through as a serving soldier, Harry is suffering from shell shock and is now unable to fight. He has subsequently been convicted of cowardice, and as he waits to hear his fate, he dreams of his wife and hopes for a last minute reprieve. Lance-Sergeant Joseph Willie Stones (24) from Durham. Having used his rifle to block the entrance to a trench during fierce fighting, Joseph stands accused of casting away his arms in combat - an offence punishable by death. He thought he was protecting his men, but the top brass want to make an example of him to maintain discipline in the ranks. With a contemporary score performed live by the Red Note Ensemble, the songs explore the vulnerability and devastation of the battlefields, alongside the inner struggles of the men. Poignant and powerful, The 306: Dawn will be performed in a transformed barn in the Perthshire countryside. Join us, as we explore the lives of these unknown soldiers - who appear on no war memorials - and give them back their voices, stories and names
Notes:
Written by Oliver Emanuel and Composed by Gareth Williams. With a contemporary score performed live by the Red Note Ensemble, the songs explore the vulnerability and devastation of the battlefields, alongside the inner struggles of the men. Poignant and powerful, The 306: Dawn will be performed in a transformed barn in the Perthshire countryside.
1st Produced:
Perth: Dalcrue Farm, near Pitcairngreen
24 May 2016
Organisations:
National Theatre of Scotland, 1418 NOW and Perth Theatre co-production, in association with Red Note Ensemble - See more at: http://www.horsecross.co.uk/whats-on/306-dawn#sthash.DTG8TdJK.dpuf
1st Published:
Music:
-
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Genre:
musical theatre 90 min
Parts:
Male: 8 Female: 1 Other: with doubling
Further Reference:
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Adventures of Robin Hood, The
Somewhere near you there is a band of brothers fighting for justice. Seeking to rid the land of evil and return hope to the poorly treated. They are lean, mean, trained justice fighting machines! Armed with whatever comes their way, nothing is as it seems in this Sherwood Forrest, but one thing is for sure . . . no rogue is safe! Join internationally acclaimed Visible Fictions for a silly and unexpected take on Robin Hood and be prepared to unleash your imagination!
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Eastwood Park Theatre, Uk
07 Mar 2014
Organisations:
Visible Fictions
1st Published:
Music:
-
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Genre:
TYA
Parts:
Male: 2 Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
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Bella And the Beautiful Knight
Synopsis:
Bella and her brother share a seductive, private world. Made close by the sudden death of their parents fifteen years earlier, perhaps now they are too close. But when Philip arrives for dinner, their world begins to unravel. Fantasy and reality collide with heartstopping effect in this mesmerising new Drama about love, deception, sex and death.
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Organisations:
Silver Tongue Theatre Company
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
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Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, The
Synopsis:
What if you wanted your best friend Nathan's two goldfish so much, that you would swap anything you had for them? Anything. Absolutely. Anything. even your Dad. . .Well that's just what Neil does and when Mum finds out, she's not best pleased and Neil and his little sister have to 'GO GeT DAD BACK!' Unfortunately though, it's not that simple. Nathan doesn't have Dad any more. He swapped him for Vashti's electric guitar. And Vashti swapped Dad, with Blinky, for a gorilla mask. And Blinky swapped Dad, with Patti, for Galveston the rabbit. And Patti lives a very, very long way away. Young audiences and their families are invited to take part in an interactive promenade production to help Neil and his sister on their mission to get Dad back!'
Notes:
adapted from the book by Author Neil Gaiman And illustrator Dave McKean in a new adaptation created by Lu Kemp and Abigail Docherty; Written by Oliver Emanuel
1st Produced:
The Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock
25 Apr 2013
Organisations:
National Theatre of Scotland
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
50 min TYA adaptation
Parts:
Male: 2 Female: 2 Other: -
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Dragon
Synopsis:
Tommy can't sleep. He hasn't been able to since his mum died a year ago. Since then, life has gone from bad to worse. His dad is grief-stricken, his big sister ignores him and he's become the target for the school bully. then one restless night, Tommy goes to the window, throws back the curtain and. . .a dragon is looking at him. Straight in the eye. An extraordinary visual story told without words, featuring puppetry, illusion and original music.
Notes:
Conceived by Jamie Harrison, Oliver Emanuel and Candice Edmunds
1st Produced:
Organisations:
Vox Motus and the National Theatre of Scotland
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
TYA
Parts:
Male: 4 Female: 3 Other: -
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End Of the World, The
Synopsis:
Join the Red Note ensemble on the 21st December 2012 as we prepare ourselves for the end of the world. Do you remember the moment you realised the world was going to end? Did you feel panic? Fear? Were you excited or frozen to the spot? Or maybe, just maybe, you felt hope for the possibility of a new beginning. . .? This is a one-off, site-specific music-and-theatre piece about the predicted apocalypse, with new work by Gareth Williams, John Harris, Oliver emanuel, Hanna Tuulikki, Colin Broom and Ludwig van Beethoven about beginnings and endings, time and nothingness, the things we leave behind and what we want to take into the future. It seemed as if we were in reach of the answer, the answer to everything. We were so close. And then just as we got there the question changed. It ended. Goodbye. Who can bear himself forgotten? WH Auden
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Summerhall, 1 Summerhall, Eh9 1Pl
21 Dec 2012
Organisations:
the Red Note ensemble and Traverse Theatre
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
piece with music
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
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Fire Play
Synopsis:
Religious mania and free speech in the coffee houses of 1666.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Theatre Underground, London
30 Aug 2004
Organisations:
Silver Tongue Theatre Company
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
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FUT
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
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2008
Organisations:
National Theatre Of Scotland
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
-
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Gemini
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
Scotsman Fringe First Nomination
1st Produced:
Organisations:
Silver Tongue Theatre Company
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
-
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
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Henry And Ingrid: Some Words For Home
Synopsis:
a home is not just a place, it's the people. This is the story of twoJewish refugees who escaped the atrocities of World War II to make a home for themselves in Scotland. Based on interviews, this verbatim play explores not just the great events of history but also the small, everyday detail of building a new life.
Notes:
Refugee Week @ Tron theatre, Glasgow
1st Produced:
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
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Iz
Synopsis:
three young men's friendship is predicated on their love for the wild inspirational Iz. They had all at one time been her lover, one of them her husband, and now she's dead and they don't know how they can carry on
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Plymouth: Barbican Theatre
30 Apr 2004
Organisations:
Silver Tongue Theatre Company
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 3 Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
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John
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
-
2010
Organisations:
Visible Fictions
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
-
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
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Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot, The
Synopsis:
Santa Claus is a rumble-tummied, forgetful old man known as Mr McGregor in Oliver Emanuel and Gareth Nicholls' delightful play for three to six year-olds at Macrobert. If Billy Riddoch's avuncular Santa doesn't get his audience on side, popping brussels sprouts and deciding which garish tie to wear on Christmas morning in his newspaper-strewn house, his fruity parping soon does. This, clearly, is a good Christmas day. Even for his pet turkey Belinda. Except that the forgetful old man has omitted to drop a present off for his one true friend, Andrew Fraser's engaging paper boy, Johnny. Who now hates Christmas. And before you know it, several years have passed and Christmas has been officially cancelled. The passage of years and rediscovery of the pair's joy in life is a scrumptious piece of storytelling, cleverly constructed in Oliver Emanuel's script - with carefully-placed nods for the adults. Claire Halleran's cluttered-house set opens up splendidly to reveal all sorts of tricks and Christmas delights as Johnny takes on Mr McGregor's job. Add a cleverly constructed score by Daniel Krass - heard on DJ Chris Tingle (Rosalind Sydney)'s radio station - and you have a subtle tale of growing up and the importance of remembering to add to its seasonal cheer. - http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Stirling: Macrobert Arts Centre
05 Dec 2013
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
Christmas Show 40 min
Parts:
Male: 2 Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
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Lost Things, The
Synopsis:
Something has made a little boy run so fast, he falls. Falls into some limbo where lost things, including a little girl, live in gloom and shadows. She's building a robot from stuff she's scavenged- but she needs a heart to bring it to life. Suddenly the friendship developing between the two lantem-faced puppets twists into even darker territory and we're looking at other kinds of loss: the loss of happiness, security, innocence even, when home is where abuse, violence and emotional neglect sends a child running into the night, afraid. - Mary Brennan, Herald
Notes:
part of Imaginate festival
1st Produced:
Southside Community Centre
13 May 2015
Organisations:
Tortoise in a Nutshell
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
TYA
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
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Magpie Park
Magpie Park features a Harvey Nics store detective with a dodgy past and a florist with a missing sister. What brings them together in a room at the Queens Hotel? Part mystery, part romance, this tender-hearted thriller follows the two on a trail through Leeds from the bright lights of Briggate to the birds of Hyde Park
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Organisations:
Northern exposure Festival
1st Published:
Music:
-
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Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 1 Female: 1 Other: -
Further Reference:
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Man Across the Way
Fraser and Dougie are watching a suspect. Sal is learning a new dance. an explosion rips through the city. But you're just getting on with your own life. aren't you? First performed at the Edinburgh Festival 2007, Man across the Way is a dazzling, anarchic new play about surveillance, tap-dancing and the new world order.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Organisations:
Silver Tongue Theatre Company and Theatre503
1st Published:
Music:
-
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Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 3 Female: 1 Other: -
Further Reference:
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One Night In Iran
Synopsis:
a man and a woman meet for an assignation in a hotel. they have been in love for ten years but have never yet spent a night together. Tonight is the night they will consummate their passions. But this is Iran and what they are doing is illegal. If they are caught or even suspected they could be flogged or imprisoned.
Notes:
part of A Play, A Pie And A Pint
1st Produced:
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
short play
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
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Porcelain Living
Synopsis:
Laden with onomatopoeic words and deliberately poetic turns of phrase, the language is. each one reflects on death's intrusions into life: in 'Let's Skip', Damien's mother is slowly dying; the old couple in 'an afternoon Walk' are watching their bodies crumble away.
Maddy Costa, Time Out
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Organisations:
Silver Tongue Theatre Company
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
Four monologues
Parts:
Male: 3 Female: 1 Other: -
Further Reference:
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Prom
Synopsis:
Invitation goes up on the sixth form notice board. 'You and a partner are cordially invited to the greatest night of your life. . .'. Four friends are reunited to remember when they were seventeen and beautiful. The end of school Prom. As memories are recalled and secrets laid bare, a terrible truth is brought to life.
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Organisations:
a Play, a Pint and a Pie
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
short play
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
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Random Object Flying Through the Air
Synopsis:
How do we find love? What does love' actually mean in a globalised, digital world? Is an honest connection still possible? Random Object Flying Through The Air tells the story of six people desperately searching for a way to fill the void.
Notes:
in UK New Writing Tour - Classical and Contemporary Text students present three brand new works by leading Scottish-based playwrights Platform performances of three exciting and challenging new plays by Scottish-based playwrights in collaboration with Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Masters Acting and Directing students.
1st Produced:
Cockpit Theatre, London
05 Sep 2012
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
short play
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Ship Of Shadows
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
-
2009
Organisations:
Visible Fictions
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
-
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Shiver
Synopsis:
When Jacob appears on Christina's doorstep eighteen years after she last saw him, she knows something very strange is happening. Didn't he die that day? Why has he come back?
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Organisations:
Silver Tongue Theatre Company
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 1 Female: 1 Other: -
Further Reference:
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Spirit of Adventure
Synopsis:
Spirit of Adventure is a touching, humorous tale set around the 1912 voyage to the South Pole led by Captain Robert Scott and his 63 fellow explorers. Told through the eyes of an inquisitive addition to the team, the story of the journey unfolds to the backdrop of the harsh Antarctic conditions. This year marks the centenary of the Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole with Spirit of Adventure being part of the Scott 100 programme of events.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Organisations:
a Play, a Pint and a Pie
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
short play
Parts:
Male: 1 Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
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Tiger
Synopsis:
Read more: http://www.uktw.co.uk/archive/Play/Shiver/S929009050/#ixzz2wVm0jljZ
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Work In Development, Cca, Glasgow
2009
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: - Female: 2 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Titus
Synopsis:
the story of a 10 year-old boy on the edge literally on the roof of his school confronted by a situation that seems hopeless. He can either give up or fight.
Notes:
by Jan Sobrie, new English version by Oliver Emanuel
1st Produced:
Organisations:
macrobert
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
TYA
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
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Videotape
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
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Genre:
-
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Welcomehomeworld
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
Original Playwright - Johannes Schrettle
1st Produced:
West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
Translation
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Your Project Loves You
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
Original Playwright - Johannes Schrettle - (Dein Projekt Liebt Dich)
1st Produced:
Courtyard, West Yorks Playhouse, Leeds
2006
Organisations:
the Janus Project
1st Published:
- -
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
adaptation
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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