doollee banner
The Playwrights Database
contact doollee


Gary McNair

GARY MCNAIR

  
Nationality:    Scottish
facebook     twitter     email:    n/a     Website:    Click here

Literary Agent:    The Agency (London) Ltd  represented by Emily Hickman

Gary is a theatre maker based in Glasgow. He writes, directs and performs. Current: A GAMBLER's GUIDE TO DYING Show and Tell / Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh Festival, 6th - 30th August 2015 (times vary) Writer / Performer, part of the Made in Scotland showcase FESS UP Company of Angels Co-creator Credits: DONALD ROBERTSON IS NOT A STANDUP COMEDIAN Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh Festival, 2014 Developed as part of the NTS / The Arches Auteurs

Buy Plays with Doollee

Each page of doollee.com has links to play/book outlets, either directly to the Publisher, through Stageplays.com and Amazon to the second hand and 1st editions of AbeBooks. These links will automatically take you to the relevant area obviating the need for further search.
AbeBooks.co.uk   AbeBooks.com   Stageplays.com   amazon.com   amazon.co.uk   amazon.ca
whether you are a Playwright who wishes to make their entry definitive, an unlisted Playwright or a User with a tale to tell - we want to hear from you.
download WORD submission template

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

         After the Cuts         Ali Bawbag and the Four Tealeafs         Born to Run         Count Me In         Crossing the Lines         Crunch         Deficit Show, The         Demons         Donald Robertson Is Not A Stand Up Comedian         Gambler's Guide To Dying         How Soon is Nigh?         How To Choose?         Jean-Jacques Rousseau Show, The         Pie-Eyed Piper of Hamilton, The         Square Go         War on Christmas         What You Don't Know. . .

After the Cuts

Synopsis:
Jim and Frances are newly retired. They are very much still in love. Frances is diagnosed with cancer. She is told she has high chances of survival and that a simple operation would remove the tumour and see her likely make a full recovery. However, this is 2045 and Jim and Frances now live in post NHS Britain. Due to their meagre state pensions, they cannot afford the operation. Due to their age and condition they have been labelled as 'uninsurable'. With a lust for life and no options open to her for survival, Frances is forced to contemplate a more extreme solution. After every avenue is pursued, it is reluctantly now down to Jim, a retired mechanic and general 'fixer of things', his solution is truly a last resort- for him to perform the surgery at home himself. Darkly comic and deeply moving, The Deepest Cut shows us the lengths that two people, when failed by the system, will go to for love and for life.

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:
short play

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Ali Bawbag and the Four Tealeafs

Synopsis:
Ali is a very poor man, with a brother who is wealthy. He also has a wife who looks, let's face it, like a man. One day, Ali is in the woods  don't ask  when he sees a (budget) band of robbers. The leader says a magic password and a boulder rolls away from a rock face. Ali discovers, after they've gone, a cave full of riches, and his life is never the same again. A strange tale unfolds, involving Ali's greedy brother, his aspirational wife, the band of robbers, and more besides.

Notes:
written by Dave Anderson and Gary McNair

1st Produced:

Organisations:
A Play, 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:
Christmas Panto

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Born to Run

Synopsis:
Born to Run about extraordinary journeys the body and brain can go on when they are tested beyond the point of exhaustion

Notes:
Conceived And Written by, Based on An idea by Ron Peluso

1st Produced:

Organisations:
a Play, 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:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Count Me In

Synopsis:
Have you ever stopped to think about it? Not just left or right, red or blue, but how it came about in the first place, how the whole voting system works? In his latest show, Gary McNair investigates how we all live in a political system that none of us signed up to, we were just born into it. Do we have to like it or lump it? Or can we do something about it?

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
National Theatre of Scotland

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 One Act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Crossing the Lines

Synopsis:
The Arches and Playwrights' Studio, Scotland continue their collaboration to encourage artists of all kinds to engage with the work of contemporary Scottish playwrights. Pushing the boundaries of the theatrical experience, whilst firmly focusing on text, this occasional performance evening sees artists of any genre taking a piece of contemporary playwriting and illuminating it within a live setting, before moving to audience feedback and discussion. Previous work includes Gary McNair's radical take on David Greig's Midsummer [A Play with Songs] and Vanessa Coffey and Vicky Beesley's silent movie interpretation of Isabel Wright's Peep Show.

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:
Adventures of a textual nature

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Crunch

Synopsis:
Gary's got a good feeling about you. He believes that you've got it in you to be a winner. He believes that you've got what it takes to complete his five-step programme. He believes that you can be liberated from the tyranny of money forever. Brothers and sisters - will you join him? Is it a lecture? Is it a test? Is he really serious? Come along, find out the answers, and test your beliefs.

Notes:
supported by the National theatre of Scotland & developed At Oran Mor And the Arches, Glasgow

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Trigger

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:
Piece 60 min

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Deficit Show, The

Synopsis:
From the same team that brought you the Jean Jaques Rousseau Show and Demons comes a show that interrogates the deficit. What does it actually mean? How big is it, really? What can we do about it (apart from sell the NHS, obviously)? In this highly-charged political cabaret, Scotland's most formidable and upworthy collective come together to investigate the gaps in society; between rich and poor, between 'them and us' and between you and I.

Notes:
written by Davey Anderson, Dave Anderson, Alan Bissett, Catrin Evans, Keiran Hurley, Brian James, Kirstin McLean, David Maclennan, Gary Mcnair and A J Taudvin

1st Produced:

Organisations:
A Play, A Pie and a Pint. OTT

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:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Demons

Synopsis:
To celebrate Oran Mor's 250th play a group of Scottish writers collaborated to produce the Jean-Jacques Rousseau Show. Those writers were Dave Anderson, Davey Anderson, Alan Bissett, Catrin Evans, Mike Gonzalez, Sean Hardie, Kieran Hurley, David MacLennan, Gary McNair, Amanda Monfrooe and Julia Taudevin. Joined Now By David Greig and Lewis Hetherington, they have got together again to write this companion piece - Demons. A modern day variety show of songs, scenes, comedy, tragedy and polemic.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
a Play, a Pint and a Pie

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:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Donald Robertson Is Not A Stand Up Comedian

Donald Robertson Is Not A Stand Up Comedian
As a solo performer, people often compare Gary's work to stand up comedy. He never knows quite how to take that. So, when given the chance to experiment with form on the Auteurs Project, he decided to find out more about comedy. He delved into the world of stand up. He watched 103 stand ups in clubs and countless more on recorded media. He travelled to London, New York and Dundee. He met with legends, wannabes and academics. He read 21 biographies, watched 12 documentaries. He's done it all  apart from getting up there and trying it himself. Until tonight. During his exploration of comedy, he met a boy called Donald. Gary would like to tell you Donald's story.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
National Theatre of Scotland

1st Published:
Oberon Books (2014) >>>    978-1783191680

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:
60 min piece

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Gambler's Guide To Dying

Gambler's Guide To Dying
What are the odds of living an extraordinary life? This is the story of one boy's granddad who won a fortune betting on the 1966 World Cup and, when diagnosed with cancer, gambled it all on living to see the year 2000. An intergenerational tale of what we live for and what we leave behind.

Notes:
part of the 2015 Made In Scotland showcase

1st Produced:
Traverse Theatre " 10 Cambridge Street, EH1 2ED (Traverse 2) Edinburgh Festival Fringe     06 Aug 2015

Organisations:
Show And Tell

1st Published:
Oberon Books (2015) >>>    978-1783199556

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:
piece

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

How Soon is Nigh?

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
The Arches/ The Traverse     2010

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

How To Choose?

Synopsis:
Try to visualise each of the steps which have brought you to this moment. The squirms of regret at making the wrong turn. The waves of smugness at getting it right. All of the life choices, and the imperceptible instinctive decisions, that brought you here. This is the story of a man who takes logical thinking too far by investing in a machine that can make his choices for him. This September as the nation is faced with a momentous decision as part of the Scottish Independence Referendum, we dig a little deeper into the question of how we choose. Can we ever know what the right decision is?

Notes:
written by Davey Anderson and Gary McNair As part of the Flip Side series, produced by Trigger

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Trigger

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:
piece

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:

Top of Page Top of Page

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Show, The

Synopsis:
To celebrate the 250th play commissioned and produced by A Play A Pie and A Pint at Oran Mor we look back to 1762 and the publication of Jean Jaques Rousseau's the Social Contract. You may be asked to sign a document while sipping your drink and nibbling your pie before the show goes up. . .

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
a Play, a Pint and a Pie

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:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Pie-Eyed Piper of Hamilton, The

Synopsis:
The Mayor is very worried: the City has become a victim of its own success. With great wealth has come great excess. And with great excess has come danger. Danger from vermin. OK - let's be honest. We're talking about RATS! Yes, we've got RATS! He's also concerned about finding a suitable husband for his "Beautiful" Daughter. . .It's a pantomime! His first problem seems to have a solution. There's a peasant from a little hamlet called Hamilton who's famed for working miracles in pest control, but he comes with issues. . . The "Play, a Pie & a Pint" team are back with a Summer Panto (no, really!) with all the traditional ingredients, some plot twists, and added RATS.

Notes:
By Dave Anderson with Gary McNair

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Play, a Pie & 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:
Summer Panto

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Square Go

Synopsis:
Square Go is a riotous and entertaining new play for young audiences currently being developed by writers Gary McNair and Kieran Hurley, director Gareth Nicholls and composer Michael-John McCarthy.

Notes:
by Gary McNair and Kieran Hurley

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:
Work in Progress

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

War on Christmas

Synopsis:
Step into the shoes of an enthusiastic young Santa working one of Glasgow's poorest grottos, as he embarks on a journey to find the true meaning of the season. But be warned: A Christmas Carol this is not. Invoking equal parts glitter and chaos, McNair invites audiences to work themselves into a festive frenzy in a night of song, silliness and social commentary that will have you saying 'Humbug!' to that John Lewis advert. War on Christmas mixes the best bits of traditional Christmas entertainment with a decent helping of satire, aiming squarely at a decidedly adult- if not entirely grownup- audience.

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:
comic piece

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

What You Don't Know. . .

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Trigger     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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page