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William Norfolk

WILLIAM NORFOLK  

 Nationality:    n/a
email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    n/a

I see you are attempting to gather as much information as possible about plays and playwrights, and I would like to contribute what I can to your project. I happen to have been involved with a community theater group in St. Louis, Missouri, which was active from the 1940's to today with only one gap. The founder was my grandmother, Irma Schira (Shira?) Tucker, who was the artistic director until her death. Mrs. Tucker's focus was on obscure plays and playwrights, one of whom was William Norfolk, who has several entries in your database. The theater group often provided world premieres in this limited market, and I believe his plays were in that category. I know of only one Norfolk play that I can verify as being performed as a premiere, "The Lights are Warm and Colored," about Lizzie Borden, ca. 1968-1969. Because of the rarity of Norfolk performances, I suspect that some of your other database entries which give the first performance as "St. Louis," were most likely performed by this theater group, but I have no good evidence to back my claim. I do know that most local community theater groups avoided such challenging material like the plague! The group's name changed over the years as their host, sponsor, or venue changed. They were first the YMCA Players, performing in the downtown St. Louis YMCA, then the George Williams Players, and finally (to this day), the City Players of St. Louis. I believe they were known as the City Players when Norfolk's play was performed. If you wish to link to a YouTube performance of the Norfolk play, see below. It was created from an audio recording made by the cast shortly after the play closed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mQITM8pfpg Unfortunately, most archive records, playbills, costumes, etc. of the City Players were lost in an hotel fire sometime ago, so it would be impossible to find much additional data. Luckily, I kept the audio recording myself, and it survived.
musicat@doorbell.net - Laddie Chapman (http://www.youtube.com/user/shermanbay )

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

         Birds And the Well Wishers, The         Caramba's Revenge         Charlatan, The         Friend Of the Family, A         Hunting Pink         Laughing Song         Lights Are Warm and Coloured, The         Nine Floors, Not Counting the Mezzanine         Old Quebec         Ships That Go Bump In the Night         Succession Of Tuesdays, A         This Time there'll Be No Walk Home         Truth, The And nothing But the Truth         Turn On the Roundabout, A         We've Minds Of Our Own

Birds And the Well Wishers, The

Synopsis:
an over anxious landlady tries to match up her seemingly lonely lodgers

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Scarborough    1962

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

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Genre:
One Act

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Caramba's Revenge

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 1998   -

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

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Genre:
Black Comedy Comedy

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  6            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Charlatan, The

Synopsis:
A doctor's treatment of a young woman's blindness ends in scandal in the Vienna of 1777.

Notes:
written 1979

1st Produced:
St Louis    1981

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 1991   -

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

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Friend Of the Family, A

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
St Louis    c1968

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

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Genre:
Short Play One Act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Hunting Pink

Synopsis:
a glimpse at the broken relationship of a mother, her son, and her daughter

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1975

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 1973   -

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

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Genre:
One Act

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Laughing Song

Synopsis:
about three failures

Notes:
part of trilogy Songs For Sinning Lovers

1st Produced:
-    1978

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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Lights Are Warm and Coloured, The

Synopsis:
events still follow woman several years after her acquittal following the murder of her father and stepmother. A new treatment of the Lizzie Borden murder case.

Notes:
Pitlochry Festival 1979

1st Produced:
St Louis    1969

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 1980   -

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:  6            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Nine Floors, Not Counting the Mezzanine

Synopsis:
a clash of realities between a clairvoyant and a client

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Scarborough    1961

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 1962   -

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:  1            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Old Quebec

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 1986   -

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:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Ships That Go Bump In the Night

Synopsis:
two days in the life of a group whose paths cross in a Spanish holiday resort

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1977

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:
-

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Succession Of Tuesdays, A

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Derby    1964

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:  4            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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This Time there'll Be No Walk Home

Synopsis:
a tired old lady chooses death to continuing loneliness

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1964

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:
-

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Truth, The And nothing But the Truth

Synopsis:
loosely based on the Wallace murder case

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:
Mystery

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Turn On the Roundabout, A

Synopsis:
the relationship between a headstrong old man and his grandson and wife

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1974

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:
-

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We've Minds Of Our Own

Synopsis:
a duologue at the top of a mountain

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1961

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in Nine Floors, French, London, 1961   -

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:  -            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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