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Richard Gallagher

RICHARD GALLAGHER  

 Nationality:    British
email:    Click here to contact     Website:    n/a

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Richard Gallagher: after training at the Manchester Polytechnic School of Theatre, Richard began his career as an actor at the Royal exchange Theatre. Some years later, during a prolonged european tour, he wrote his first play, The Red Dragon, which was performed at the Contact Theatre (Manchester). Other plays followed combined with life as professional actor and theatre director but it was the success of French Paste first performed at the Green Room, Manchester that made him decide to major as a writer. The play was nominated for a Manchester evening News award as best new play and has recently been revived at the Shaw Theatre, London. Plays include: How To Dispose of a Human Corpse (based on the Dennis Nilson killings), a Tiptoe Through the Tombstones (Dorothy Parker's life), Thirteen for Dinner (an agatha Christie re-write of the Last Supper) empress (Catherine the Great's Russia meets Monte Python) and Blood Sports (which received a Pink Paper award). He also wrote for several magazines as a theatre critic and columnist and is the author of 'true crime' books including I'll Be Watching You (an investigation into stalking) and When Kids Kill (as Jonathan Paul). He has many short stories to his name one of which, Mother's Day was filmed for Yorkshire TV, starring the late Kathy Staff (A.k.A. Nora Batty of Last of the Summer Wine.) He is heavily involved with The Questors Theatre in ealing as an actor, writer and director most recently appearing as Lady Bracknell. He is about to start rehearsals there for a Christmas Carol as Scrooge. Richard recently collaborated with Barbara Tate on her memoir of '50s Soho, West end Girls (Orion Books). He teaches 'making Text Work' for Kingston College and is the director of the second year Drama students at the Questors academy. He continues to freelance for various theatres and writers' workshops as a script assessor.

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

 Blood Sports         empress         French Paste         Mrs Dorothy Parker A Tiptoe Through The Tombstones         Thirteen For Dinner

Blood Sports

Synopsis:
an invigorating comedy about frustration, families and how to fight with your lover. Thatcher's children have become adults. Two women, a mysterious older man and a foul-mouthed French feline are in head-on collision. Will Susan ever get a job? Will her partner, Nicola, see her daughter again? above all, is Alan really Susan's father? Madame Defarge hides under the bed and swears at the visitors - it isn't normal: she should be out killing things.

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1st Produced:

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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:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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empress

Synopsis:
Who is Catherine and what makes her so great? Surely anyone can play her! The cast - perhaps they really are a troupe of eighteenth century actors journeying towards Moscow - all tall take turns in this abundant tapestry of politics, history and thespianism. an absurd look the Romanovs, Checkhov, Cossacks and drag. (Note: originally written for a large company, with a specific performance in view. Subsequent performances will need to be re-tailored and updated.)

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1st Produced:
Boddingtons Manchester Festival    1992

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Music:
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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:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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French Paste

Synopsis:
1987 was the year Margaret Thatcher won her third election; it was the year when england was battered by freak storms; it was the year when the gay community continued to fight Section 28; it was the year Tom Markham met the woman he'd been impersonating since the night he met Stephen. Stephen does politics; Tom does drag. Tom loves 'Over the Rainbow'; Stephen keeps warning about the next cyclone. If it weren't for Tom's friend, Pam, they would never have stayed together. When Geraldine Clarke comes into their lives they have to take a long, hard look at who they really are. Tom isn't to know that Geraldine has her own problems and, yes, the next cyclone is due. 'This play is so funny it's some time before you realise it has something serious to say about human relationships' - Manchester evening News

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Coliseum, Oldham    1991

Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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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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Mrs Dorothy Parker A Tiptoe Through The Tombstones

Synopsis:
The American wit, writer and critic, Dorothy Parker reviews her own funeral. Her bitter and funny wisecracks are just as applicable to her younger self as they were to all her friends, enemies and lost lovers. She enters into a verbal battle with her memories, emotions and - surprisingly - Winnie the Pooh! Note: although this piece was originally performed by one actress it has since been re-written for two (older and younger Dorothy: 'older' goes from 40s - 60s, 'younger' plays teens to 40s.)

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Green Room, Manchester/ Lancaster Literary Festival    1991

Organisations:
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1st Published:
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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:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Thirteen For Dinner

Synopsis:
a comic, 'agatha Christie'style re-write of the Last Supper. an allegorical look at death and Christianity set amidst the cliches of the whodunnit genre. Two clergymen are the guest of an unknown mysterious host and an enigmatic (if slightly deranged) housekeeper called agatha. In the best tradition, a sinister swirling mist guarantees that the protagonists can't escape from their ominous fate. Mass murder leads to suspicion (like it does) and our clergymen are forced to re-evaluate their beliefs

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Green Room, Manchester    1991

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:  extras

Further Reference:
-

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