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Darren Rapier

DARREN RAPIER

  (1967 - )
Nationality:    British
email:    Click here to contact     Website:    Click here

Literary Agent:    Andrew Mann Ltd  

Darren Rapier trained at Rose Bruford College, graduating in 1995. He has worked professionally as an actor, writer and director in film, television, radio and Theatre. Plays he has written include Extensions of Love at the Oval House, Smoke at the Union Theatre, large scale community plays and children's plays. He is a current writer on BBC1's Doctors and has also written for BBC Asian Network's Silver Street. As an actor he has recently been in the devised show This is Mine at Camden people's Theatre, Little Howard for CBBC and the feature film the Be All and End All. Last year he wrote and directed the short comedy Blind Man's Bluff, which is currently touring festivals. Darren has directed and produced large and small scale work for companies such as the Royal Albert Hall, Greenwich and Lewisham Young people's Theatre, the National Youth Theatre, Half Moon Young People's Theatre and his own company. He is the artistic director of Spanner in the Works, a production and workshop company specialising in Drama projects in all media for schools, hospitals and museums as well as more traditional performance spaces.

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

         1001 Arabian Nights         Beans And the Magic Book, The         Boom         Clara and the Nutcracker         Extensions Of Love         Gallery, The         Little Mermaid, The         Payback         People In Glasshouses         Raiding Paradise         Smoke         Snow Queen, The         Thieftaker, The         Vital Statistics         Worlds Apart

1001 Arabian Nights

Synopsis:
the play is 'epic' in structure, with characters playing many parts. the audience are constantly reminded they are watching actors and that they are merely characters in action. Each time a character comes up in a story Shahrazad quickly 'casts' it. At first the King, Executioner and Mother do not want to be involved, but by the time we get to the Tale of Sindbad they are eager to have parts. Shahrazad sometimes makes sure the king has a small or demeaning part, especially where he is keen to be in it, without knowing what part is coming up. there should be groans of disappointment when others get good parts as well. the individual stories may be flagged up with banners/projections or announcements - possibly even in Brechtian style telling the outcome of the scene at the beginning.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Secombe Theatre, Cheam, Surrey    Dec 2007

Organisations:
In the Wings

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:
Epic Play with Music

Parts:
Male:  3 (minimum) or 25 separate parts            Female:  3 (minimum) or 28 separate parts            Other:  Various children/ dancers

Further Reference:
-

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Beans And the Magic Book, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
South East Tour    2001

Organisations:
In the Wings 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:
Children's Show with music

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  Various children and dancers

Further Reference:
-

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Boom

Synopsis:
As the country claws its way out of economic recession and the crown wavers, under the abdication of the king, the South East evolves from countryside to suburb. During the biggest housing boom ever seen, the local boroughs are transformed forever. 'Boom!' casts a net in that changing sea, as the landscape, social attitudes, leisure and employment trends begin to give way to the thrust of modernism. Tensions run high between the developers, land owners and new residents. With war looming in Europe and riots up and down the country, people flee to the tranquillity of the peripheries of the City. But what will this sudden influx of newcomers mean and how will it affect the borough's future? Using original songs, in the style of the time, BOOM explores the comedy and Drama of people's changing lives as the 'sub-urban' landscape we know today begins to take shape.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
South East Tour    2000

Organisations:
Bexley London Borough

1st Published:
Tualen Press, 2008   978-0-9556798-2-7

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 with Music

Parts:
Male:  14            Female:  27            Other:  Various children

Further Reference:
-

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Clara and the Nutcracker

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
from the original ETA Hoffman/ Alexandre Dumas story

1st Produced:
Charles Cryer Theatre in Carshalton    Dec 2007

Organisations:
In the Wings

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:
Children's show with music

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  Various children/ dancers

Further Reference:
-

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Extensions Of Love

Synopsis:
A single unintentional action leads LENA KERN to be the victim of the unwanted affections of AMANDA JUDD. Everything she tries to do merely reinforces AMANDA's obsession, until her life is completely destroyed by love.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Undiscovered Prod

1st Published:
Tualen Press, 2011   580-0007748722

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:
Drama, 90 min

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Gallery, The

Synopsis:
A comedy, set in an Art gallery, art critic and artist argue over the value of a piece of work

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Union 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:
Short Comedy, 15 min One Act

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Little Mermaid, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Based on the original story

1st Produced:
Charles Cryer Theatre, Carshalton    Dec 2006

Organisations:
In the Wings

1st Published:
Tualen Press, 2007   978-0-9556798-0-1

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:
Children's show with music

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  Various children/ dancers

Further Reference:
-

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Payback

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Greenwich and Lewisham Young People's theatre    2007

Organisations:
Greenwich and Lewisham Young People's 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:
Play for Young People - Drama

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  4            Other:  1 (Male, doubles)

Further Reference:
-

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People In Glasshouses

Synopsis:
the future, fewer years than you'd think. Land is scarce and has become a valuable commodity. Dotted around the country are a few "Glass Houses", no longer in gardens but protected from the masses at the top of corporate buildings. they vary in size, but all are split into small plots of allotted land inside. But the world of the Glass House is changing. Whereas once favoritism, nepotism and elitism assured you a "plot for life", now the custodian of each plot is selected by committee or boards, one false move and you're back down there with all the others, where a sandwich over a window box is the nearest you'll get to a picnic. We join this Glass House in the aftermath of a fight, in which everyone nearly lost their place in the micro-utopian bubble

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Doom Productions

1st Published:
Tualen Press, 2007   978-0-95567-980-3

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:
Absurd Comedy, 90 min Absurd

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Raiding Paradise

Synopsis:
In 1927 two phenomena arrived on the Island of Bali that would change the way the world looked at the Island, and the way the Island looked at the world, forever. the first was the moving picture, the second was Walter Spies. No one person has contributed as much to the legend of this 'Island Paradise'. In his own lifetime he was known as the 'personification of the island itself', he played host to some of the world's leading personalities and became an expert on everything from cremation ceremonies to Orchids. He tried to preserve a culture he felt inherently artistic and at one with nature, but harmony is difficult to maintain. Spies' own life ended tragically when, while being transported as an enemy National, his ship was torpedoed by the Japanese. Bali fared better, the aftermath of the war brought an end to it's Colonial status and saw the birth of the Indonesian Republic. Does discovery mean preservation or destruction? Are we preserving, or simply raiding paradise?

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
the Barn theatre    1995

Organisations:
RBC

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:
90 min Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Smoke

Synopsis:
1860's London, amidst the onslaught of the Railways: the lives of Mrs. Mill and her two daughters are suddenly shattered, when they are informed their house lies directly in the path of yet another new line. As the vast machinery of the railway company engulfs them, they are forced to take unorthodox action, to try and hold on to what they believe is their right to stay. the play has a deliberate Victorian meloDrama/ Dickensian feel, however this is designed to highlight the contemporary resonances within the story. In true 'epic' style it uses comedy and music to juxtapose the action and reveal the deeper message.

Notes:
book And music by Darren Rapier; music by Nick Murray Brown

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Spanner in the Works

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:  5            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Snow Queen, The

Synopsis:
An adaption of the famous story for 3- 8 year olds, with music.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
the Charles Cryer Theatre, Carshalton    Dec 2005

Organisations:
In the Wings

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:
Children's show with music

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  Various children/dancers

Further Reference:
-

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Thieftaker, The

Synopsis:
When bucklemaker Jonathan Wild leaves his wife and family in Wolverhapton, to seek his fortune in London, he soon finds himself in debt and behind bars at the Poultry Compter. Far from being a setback, this experience sets him up with enough contacts to build a criminal empire throughout London and beyond. Soon Wild is earning money both sides of the law, from his public 'retrieval of stolen goods' office and by 'fencing' stolen goods. He is well respected by some and despised by others. At the pinnacle of his career, as the self styled 'Thieftaker General of Great Britain and Ireland' Wild captures and condemns one of the most notorious criminals in London, Jack Sheppard. But his days are numbered; the moralising politicians and authorities are after his blood. Following an attack, which nearly kills him, Wild finds himself in the dock at the Old Bailey fighting for his life.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Bridge Lane Theatre Battersea, London    08 Jun 1994

Organisations:
Full Scale Productions

1st Published:
Tualen Press, 2009   978-0-9556798-3-4

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:
Epic play with music

Parts:
Male:  7 (min) 30            Female:  3 (min) 7            Other:  -

Further Reference:
Theatre Record Vol XIV (1994) Page 0755

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Vital Statistics

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Stages Of Sound 2

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:
comedy radio play Ten Min

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Worlds Apart

Synopsis:
Arriving in England ten years late has taken its toll on Vincent and Conny. As Anglo-Indians their lives were shattered by Partition and now England, manifested in the guise of a beautiful young girl, threatens to push them even further apart.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Spanner In the Wrks 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:
Drama, 90 min

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
Theatre Record Vol XXV (2005) Page 0803

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