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Theresa Heskins

THERESA HESKINS

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

Literary Agent:    Alan Brodie Representation Ltd  

Theresa Heskins is the Artistic Director of the New Vic Theatre in Staffordshire. Stage adaptations include The Hundred and One Dalmatians, A Christmas Carol, Robin Hood and Marian, The Snow Queen (UK Theatre Awards Best Production for Children and Young People 2017), Far from the Madding Crowd, Great Expectations, Bleak House, Dracula (Observer Best Shows of 2015) and verbatim documentary Unearthed.  This Christmas, her production of Treasure Island will be at the New Vic, Around the World in 80 Days at the Lowry, her adaptation of Alice in Wonderland at Northern Stage and The Borrowers at the Watermill. For Radio 4 shes written original dramas including A Fine Bright Day and Gunpowder Women, and novel adaptations for Womans Hour include Lady Audleys Secret and Wives and Daughters.  

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

         Alice In Wonderland         Around the World in Eighty Days         Bleak House         Borrowers, The         Christmas Carol, A         Dracula         Far From the Madding Crowd         Great Expectations         Hundred and One Dalmatians, The         Lion, The Witch And the Wardrobe, The         Peter Pan         Plague Year, The         Rivals, The         Robin Hood & Marian         Unearthed         Utopia and Beyond         Voyage Round My Father, A
Alice In Wonderland

Synopsis:
Join Alice as she journeys through a strange and enchanted new world. Meet the White Rabbit, take tea with the Mad Hatter, search for the Cheshire Cat, hide from a very bad-tempered Queen . . . this whimsical wonderland just gets curiouser and curiouser!

Notes:
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1st Produced:

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:
Christmas Show

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Around the World in Eighty Days

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Based on the novel "Around the World in Eighty Days" by Jules Verne

1st Produced:
Salisbury Playhouse, Wiltshire     02 Oct 2017

Organisations:
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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:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Bleak House

Synopsis:
an endless lawsuit, a dangerous mystery and an illegitimate child form the backdrop to a brutal murder. as the enquiries of Inspector Bucket take him from aristocratic drawing rooms to the slums of London, he uncovers the secrets of the menacing lawyer Tulkinghorn; of the beautiful Lady Dedlock; and of esther Summerson, a young woman who slowly learns the truth about her past. Filled with comedy and angry satire, Bleak House is a tale of loss and love and a savage indictment of a society that is rotten to the core.

Notes:
from novel by Charles Dickens

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:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  4            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:

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Borrowers, The

Synopsis:
The Borrowers live happily in a perfect little home under the floorboards of a quiet old house. But, when young Arrietty gets itchy feet and decides to go exploring, their secret is out and nothing will ever be the same again. With magical storytelling, original music and thrilling, live-on-stage effects, follow us into the Borrowers' hidden world. For little people and for grown-up 'human beans', it's another special Christmas round at the New Vic.

Notes:
adapted and directed by Theresa Heskins from book by Mary Orton

1st Produced:

Organisations:
New Vic 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:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Christmas Carol, A

Synopsis:
Hard-hearted ebenezer Scrooge discovers the true meaning of Christmas during one ghostly night in Dickens' London. With lavish costumes, wonderful music, magical staging and lots of laughter, it's another special family Christmas round at the New Vic.

Notes:
Charles Dickens, adapted by Theresa Heskins

1st Produced:

Organisations:
New Vic 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:
pantomime

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Dracula

Synopsis:
Combining imaginative staging and her trademark theatrical invention with spectacular flying sequences and specially-commissioned music, Theresa Heskins' new adaptation captures Bram Stoker's enduring classic in all its epic sweep and intimate terror. An ominous presence haunts Lucy Seward's dreams. Something evil is approaching. A ship founders on the Whitby rocks, its crew nowhere to be found. Rumours of a monstrous black dog spread panic among the locals. An inmate of the local asylum raves about the arrival of his 'Master'. . . They are right to be afraid. Count Dracula, one of the Undead who drink the blood of the living, has arrived in England. As their loved ones fall victim, a determined group led by Professor Van Helsing hunts the Count through the length of England and back to his castle in Transylvannia. Now it is time for one final show-down. "First, you must invite him in. . ."

Notes:
Adapted by Theresa Heskins based on the novel by Bram Stoker

1st Produced:

Organisations:
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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:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Far From the Madding Crowd

Synopsis:
Far From the Madding Crowd tells the story of Bathsheba everdene who's determined to be her own woman. But she has to make a choice when she attracts the attention of three men. Her decision sets in motion a Dramatic chain of events which change their lives forever.

Notes:
from novel by Thomas Hardy

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

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:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Great Expectations

Synopsis:
Pip's s impoverished childhood takes on a new dimension when he meets the strange Miss Havisham. An unknown benefactor turns Pip into a gentleman but he falls prey to the corruption of money

Notes:
Charles Dickens, adapted by Theresa Heskins

1st Produced:

Organisations:
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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:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Hundred and One Dalmatians, The

Synopsis:
When Perdita and Pongo's puppies go missing, they set off on a daring rescue mission  helped by all the dogs in England! How is cold-hearted CruElla de Vil involved? Will they be in time to save their pups? Or have they bitten off more than they can chew?

Notes:
adapted from book by Dodie Smith

1st Produced:

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:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  1 boy

Further Reference:

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Lion, The Witch And the Wardrobe, The

Synopsis:
the adaptation begins with a group of children being separated from their families at Waterloo station, the youngsters being evacuated during wartime. they arrive at a professor's house and are allowed to roam wherever they like as they try to keep themselves occupied on a rainy day
- British theatre Guide

Notes:
C S Lewis's estate gave Approval for the New Vic's Artistic director Theresa Heskins to come up with this new version ofthe Lion, the Witch And the Wardrobe

1st Produced:

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:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Peter Pan

Synopsis:
recreates the magic of the children's classic with aerialists, award-winning actors and a former lion tamer

Notes:
from the play by J M Barrie

1st Produced:

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:
Christmas Show

Parts:
Male:  8            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Plague Year, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
London     1986

Organisations:
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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:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Rivals, The

Synopsis:
Restoration comedy about social morals and hypocrisy. Mrs Malaprop, the infamous Queen of the Dictionary, is horrified. Her niece, the rich and beautiful Lydia Languish, is in love and wants to marry the penniless Ensign Beverley. Outraged, Mrs Malaprop demands that Lydia marry the eligible and dashing Captain Absolute who has arrived in Bath to court her. Little do they both know that the Ensign and the Captain are one and the same man. . .What follows is a delightful tangle of romance, fury and deception, making The Rivals one of the funniest and best loved comedies in the English language.

Notes:
adapted from Restoration comedy by Richard Brinsley Sheridan

1st Produced:

Organisations:
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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:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Robin Hood & Marian

Synopsis:
For the 800th anniversary of Magna carta, the new Vic has adapted the Robin Hood legends for family audiences. You'll love brave, sword-wielding Marian and daring Robin Hood, robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, hunted by greedy King John in their Sherwood Forest home.There will be adventure, humour, swords, archery, on-stage magic, original music and, of course, a happy ending!

Notes:
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1st Produced:

Organisations:
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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:
Pantomime

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Unearthed

Synopsis:
A documentary-drama in the New Vic tradition, we hear the words of the metal detectorist who found an astonishing hoard of gold in a Staffordshire field, of the archaeologists who excavated it, the historians, conservationists and experts who try to unravel its meanings. How was the Hoard hidden? Who by? And why? It's an historical thriller, a crime-scene looking for a solution. We know how it ends. Now we must piece together the beginning. An archaeological 'whodunnit'.

Notes:
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1st Produced:

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:
one act

Parts:
Male:  9            Female:  6            Other:  with doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Utopia and Beyond

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Music and lyrics by Martin Berry and Andy Morton. Book by Mick Yates and Theresa Heskins

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Love and Spare Parts Productions 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 with music

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Voyage Round My Father, A

Synopsis:
a generous and humane portrail of Mortimer's father

Notes:
New Adaptation By Theresa Heskins Of Play By John Mortimer

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:  5            Female:  3            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:

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