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David Johnston

DAVID JOHNSTON

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

Literary Agent:    n/a

David Johnston is a multi award winning translator. He teaches Spanish at Queen's University, Belfast.

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

         Ballad Of Wolves         Barbarous Comedies, The         Bitter Flower         Blood Wedding         Boat To Heaven         Boat To Hell         Boat To Purgatory         Bohemian Lights         Chunga, La         Dark Root         Darwin's Tortoise         Divine Words         Dog In the Manger, The         El Quijote         Gentleman From Olmedo, The         Great Pretenders, The         Hambone's Day         House Of Bernarda Alba, The         Hypochondriac, The         Lady of Little Sense, The (La Dama Boba)         Madman Of the Balconies, The         Madness In Valencia         Miser, The         Nocturnal         On Insomnia And Midnight         Painter of Dishonour         Poet In the City         Priest, The         Quijote Cervantes, El         Shadow Of the Wedding,the         Shot, The         Silverface         Way To Heaven
Ballad Of Wolves

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Original Playwright - Ramon Del Valle-Inclan

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Barbarous Comedies, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Original Playwright - Ramon Del Valle-Inclan

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Bitter Flower

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Strathclyde Theatre Group    

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:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Blood Wedding

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Original Playwright - Federico Garcia Lorca

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Boat To Heaven

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Original Playwright - Gil Vincente

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Contained in: "the Boat Plays" published by Absolute Classics, 1997   

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Boat To Hell

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Original Playwright - Gil Vincente

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Contained in: "the Boat Plays" published by Absolute Classics, 1997   

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Boat To Purgatory

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Original Playwright - Gil Vincente

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Contained in: "the Boat Plays" published by Absolute Classics, 1997   

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Bohemian Lights

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Original Playwright - Ramon Del Valle-Inclan

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Chunga, La

Synopsis:
a loud-mouthed stud, and his beautiful, trusting girlfriend enter a sleazy bar on their way to the local cinema. the inscrutable Chunga serves their drinks, takes their money, says little but watches everything. Josefino is quickly caught up in a card game that spins out of control, and after a night of drunken brawling, during which he ransoms his girl to the proprietress for gambling money, she is never seen again.

Notes:
Original Playwright - Mario Vargas Llosa

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Lyric 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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Dark Root

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Strathclyde Theatre Group    

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:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Darwin's Tortoise

Synopsis:
An elderly woman enters a history professor's study and says she is the tortoise he brought back from the Galapagos

Notes:
Original Playwright: Juan Mayorga

1st Produced:
Cervantes Theatre, London     21 Feb 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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Divine Words

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Original Playwright - Mario Vargas Llosa

1st Produced:
Bbc 3    

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Dog In the Manger, The

Synopsis:
Boss loves secretary. It's an old story. But what gives the tale a special kick in this 1613 Lope de Vega comedy is that the boss in question is a Naples based countess who falls for her righthand man
Michael Billington, Guardian

Notes:
Original Playwright - Lope de Vega. colloquial verse translation

1st Produced:

Organisations:

1st Published:
Oberon Books >>>, 2004   

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:  11            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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El Quijote

Synopsis:
-

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:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Gentleman From Olmedo, The

Synopsis:
How to engage with an enemy who uses different rules? It's a question facing governments round the world. This play dating from 1620 derives its central tragedy from precisely such a situation

Notes:
Original Playwright - Lope de Vega

1st Produced:
Newbury, Watermill     2004

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  3            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Great Pretenders, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Original Playwright - Lope de Vega

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Hambone's Day

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Bbc    

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:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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House Of Bernarda Alba, The

Synopsis:
no qustion that the house of Bernarda alba is a high-security prison in this version.

Notes:
Original Playwright - Federico Garcia Lorca

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:  -            Female:  10            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Hypochondriac, The

Synopsis:
knockabouts

Notes:
Original Playwright - Moliere

1st Produced:
Coventry, Belgrade     2005

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Lady of Little Sense, The (La Dama Boba)

Lady of Little Sense, The (La Dama Boba)
La Dama Boba (1613) by Lope de Vega, in a new translation by David Johnston. Directed by Laurence Boswell. A Lady of Little Sense is a big-hearted and hilarious romantic comedy which celebrates the power of love. Nise and Finea are famous beauties. their father, Don Octavio, a wealthy businessman, is doing his best to marry them off and an exotic collection of determined young suitors are competing for the prizes. the sticking point? Nise, the elder sister, is too clever for her own good, whilst younger sister Finea is notoriously stupid. Can the family hide Finea's shortcomings long enough to hoodwink a suitor into marriage? Surely the combination of a dancing master and a huge dowry will do the trick? the ploy is more successful than anyone might have anticipated. . .

Notes:
Original Playwright - Lope de Vega. Produce under the title "A Lady of Little Sense"

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:
translation

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Madman Of the Balconies, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Original Playwright - Mario Vargas Llosa

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Madness In Valencia

Synopsis:
Madness in Valencia is a riotous and hilarious translation in which no one is quite who they appear to be

Notes:
Original Playwright - Lope de Vega

1st Produced:
Gate/Rsc    

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  8            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Miser, The

Synopsis:
the hero, re-christened Harpington and living in 17th century Warwickshire, is an exiled Scot, which is a cue for endless jokes about his prudence. the skinflint protagonist competes with his son for the same girl and seeks to marry his daughter to a wealthy older man.
- Michael Billington, Guardian

Notes:
Original Playwright - Moliere

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:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Nocturnal

Synopsis:
Two men live in the same apartment block. One likes long walks, Greek myths and foreign languages. the other likes making lists, fixing bikes and blackmail. One day they bump into each other in a local. Only this is no coincidence; one of them has been planning this moment for a very, very, very long time. Nocturnal explores the complex nature of friendship, stripping away to reveal the layers of polite behaviour to reveal the power struggles beneath human relationships.
-British theatre Guide

Notes:
Original Playwright - Juan Mayorga

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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On Insomnia And Midnight

Synopsis:
In a big city hotel room, a man and the maid are talking. But the more they talk, the more danger they face, and neither knows where it will lead. On Insomnia and Midnight is a tale to frighten chambermaids in the night

Notes:
Original Playwright - edgar Chias

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Royal Court Theatre and Festival Internacioal Cervantino

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Painter of Dishonour

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Original Playwright - Pedro Calderon De La Barca. Translated by by David Johnston and Laurence Boswell

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Absolute Classic 1995   

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:
translation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.Theatrerecord.org/, Theatre Record Vol XV (1995) Page 0920

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Poet In the City

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast    

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:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Priest, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Bbc    

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:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Quijote Cervantes, El

Synopsis:
-

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:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Shadow Of the Wedding,the

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Bbc    

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:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Shot, The

Synopsis:
the last few days in the life of and the suicide of satirist Mariano Jose de Larra

Notes:
Original Playwright - Antonio Buero Vallejo

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
aris and Phillips,    

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Silverface

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Original Playwright - Ramon Del Valle-Inclan

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Way To Heaven

Synopsis:
Way to Heaven (Himmelweg) is based on the notorious true story of the theresienstadt concentration camp, where the Nazis constructed a fake village to fool international inspectors and quell extermination rumors. Juan Mayorga's play begins years after the fact with an account by the Red Cross employee who was there, then leaps backward in time to show the creation and rehearsal of another very unusual play, one in which the Jewish prisoners are assigned roles (Mayor, Boy 1, etc.) and given lines to say to the inspectors. the facade, written by one of the most ironic figures ever to appear on a stage-a witty, cultured, humanistic Nazi Commandant-and the Jewish prisoner selected to play the Mayor, this 'play' will ultimately serve its purpose and the inspector will return with a positive review
- press release

Notes:
Original Playwright - Juan Mayorga. Way to Heaven has previously been produced At the Teatro Mara Guerrero, Madrid by the Centro Dramatico Nacional.

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Oberon Books, London, 2005   

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  3            Other:  boys

Further Reference:
-

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