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Russell Raintree

RUSSELL RAINTREE  

 Nationality:    English
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Literary Agent:    n/a


Russell Raintree was born and raised in Leeds, England. He began writing in 1986 and after sending his first play 'Stranger on a First Night' to the BBC scripts dept he was invited to London by Tony Dinner (then Head of the Scripts' dept at the BBC) who told him to 'leave his job as a salesman and take up writing full time.' This sentiment was echoed shortly afterwards by Margaret 'Peggy' Ramsay and Rod Hall, then at A.P Watt Ltd, who, after reading this play, also invited Russell to London, took him out to dinner and called his play 'a Masterpiece ' and 'one of the best plays he'd ever read'. . .Russell has written several stage plays, including 'The Final Accolade', 'Writings on the Wall', and two screenplays, 'No Saving Grace' and his recently completed screenplay for a film entitled 'The Candle Still Burns'. His first play 'Stranger on a First Night' was first performed at The Leeds Civic Theatre in 1986. Followed in 1987 by his second play 'At Fort Felix', again staged at The Leeds Civic Theatre and later at The Dewsbury Arts Centre. His latest and believed to be his most powerful play 'The Puppet Man' a tense, psychological thriller was staged at The Carriageworks, Millennium Square Leeds in November 2008. During the last twenty years spent writing, Russell has written several other plays, , screenplays and a film script.

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

 At Fort Felix         Final Accolade, The         Puppet Man, The         Stranger On A First Night         Writings On The Wall

At Fort Felix

Synopsis:
This outrageous comedy centres around Glenda and her 'Family from Hell'. It is the eve of her 40th birthday and she has arranged a quiet, intimate dinner party for her friend from work Phyllis and her fiance Rodney. Unfortunately, due to her evil little brother Danny, having spiked the family's tea with huge quantities of laxative, her embarrassing family are unable to go out for the evening as planned! So, Glenda has to suffer the 'horror' of her family. Just when it seems nothing else can go wrong, it does. As with the arrival of her 'slightly the worse for drink' boyfriend Harry, untimely appearance of her gay policeman uncle Jack, and a most unexpected kissogram, the evening ends in complete disaster for poor Glenda, and her dinner party turns into her worst nightmare!

Notes:
Written as a stage play but could be adapted for TV. It was successfully staged twice at The Civic Theatre Leeds where it played to full houses!

1st Produced:
The Civic Theatre Leeds    1989

Organisations:
Hunter Knight Productions

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:
Play/comedy drama

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  5            Other:  2 Soldiers (Non Speaking)

Further Reference:
-

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Final Accolade, The

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Puppet Man, The

Synopsis:
Efian is a devious and manipulative lawyer with an extremely wealthy wife. Danny, an Al Jolson impersonator, is an insecure, convicted murderer on the run. Erika, a Vicar's daughter, is an ex-stripper and recovering alcoholic who now works as a secretary. So what, you might ask yourself, are they all doing under the same roof? All will be revealed in this tense, bizarre psychological thriller. . .

Notes:
The play revolves around a devious, manipulative lawyer named Efian who believes he can bend the will of an escaped convict to meet his own perverse ends, but with unexpected and deadly consequences!

1st Produced:
The Carriageworks Leeds    Nov 2008

Organisations:
Russell Raintree Productions

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/Psychological Thriller

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Stranger On A First Night

Synopsis:
This, my first ever play, brings together through a lonely-hearts ad, Janice & Donald. An ill-matched pair who, one might think, would be better advised catching different trains and heading in separate directions on alternate days! Janice has a mother who's always on the telephone to her checking if she's okay, an intimidating, over-protective big brother Roy , who used to be in the SAS, but now prefers amateur dramatics, a sister who's stronger in the glamour department than she is - and a fearsome dog called Barney. . . Donald on the other hand is mild where she is extrovert, has a failed marriage and runs a shop that sells motor cycle spare parts. Not quite the most promising love match one might imagine. With the intervention of big brother Roy and sister Madge, this tragic-comedy proceeds to an exciting and rather unexpected climax!

Notes:
Janice is one of my most favourite characters and first of my many tragic heroines! 'Stranger On A First Night' was successfully performed in 1986 at The Civic Theatre Leeds.

1st Produced:
The Civic Theatre Leeds    1986

Organisations:
Premiere Productions

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/comedy drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  1 brief f cameo

Further Reference:
-

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Writings On The Wall

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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