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Simon Reade

SIMON READE

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

Literary Agent:    Berlin Associates  

Simon is a playwright, director and producer whose credits include adaptations of Private Peaceful (both the play and film adaptations), Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Moon Tiger, Ted Hughes' Tales From Ovid, Midnight's Children and Pride and Prejudice (which enjoyed a sell out run at The Regents Park Open Air Theatre). He is currently producer at Filter Theatre and Poonamalee Productions and was Artistic Director at Bristol Old Vic and Literary Manager at the RSC.

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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.
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below is a list of Simon Reade's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         Aladdin And the Enchanted Lamp         Alice's Adventures In Wonderland         Back To Methuselah         Elephant In The Garden         Epitaph For the Official Secrets Act         Magic Vessels         Midnight's Children         Moon Tiger         Mozart Question, The         Not the End Of the World         Owl Who Was Afraid Of the Dark, The         Pride And Prejudice         Private Peaceful         Pure Woman, The         Room With A View, A         Scarecrow And His Servant, The         Sherlock Holmes: The Final Curtain         Strindberg's Apartment         Tales from Ovid         Toro! Toro!         Twist of Gold
Aladdin And the Enchanted Lamp

Aladdin And the Enchanted Lamp
a classic family show, with centuries of pantomime tradition as well as Arabian Nights' reinvention as its antecedent. the director Aletta Collins and I have taken Philip Pullman's retelling of it and retold it again as Drama. It's fun to present a play that tells a story with which we think we're familiar and then surprises us.
Simon Reade

Notes:
adapted from the stories of Philip Pullman in new Adaptation by Simon Reade And Aletta Collins

1st Produced:
Old Vic, Bristol, UK >>>     02 Dec 2005

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Oberon Books >>>, 2006   

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 Show

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  4            Other:  doubling, extras

Further Reference:

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Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

Alice's Adventures In Wonderland
When Alice falls down a mysterious rabbit hole she stumbles upon a magical fantasy world where anything can happen . . . Take tea with the Mad Hatter, meet the White Rabbit, grin with the Cheshire Cat, and play croquet with the Queen of Hearts, but whatever you do . . . don't lose your head! Lewis Carroll's classic characters spring to life in an enchanting show for the whole family, bursting with music, madness and mystery. Simon Reade's adaptation of Lewis Carroll's much-loved fantasy classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a witty and brilliantly inventive re-working, which won the TMA Award for Best Show for Young People.

Notes:
from book by Lewis Carroll

1st Produced:
Old Vic, Bristol, UK >>>     26 Nov 2004

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in Six Plays for Young Performers, Methuen Drama (December 15, 2010)   

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:
Pantomime

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  2            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:

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Back To Methuselah

Synopsis:
Listen, I will tell you a great secret. I am very subtle; and I have thought and thought and thought. Back to Methuselah was first published in 1921 and first performed a year later. David Fielding's abridgement makes it possible to play this five-part visionary epic over one evening. It was specially commissioned for the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2000 revival to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Shaw's death.

Notes:
Original Playwright - George Bernard Shaw. Abridged by David Fielding And Simon Reade

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Oberon, London,    

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:  20+

Further Reference:

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Elephant In The Garden

Elephant In The Garden
1945. Dresden, Germany. Lizzie, her mother - and an elephant from the zoo, flee the Allied fire-bombing in the end-game of the Second World War. Escaping the Allies' advance from the West - and also the advancing Russian armies from the East - this extraordinary trio of refugees meet: a downed RAF officer, cowering in a barn; a homeless school choir on the run and their Countess saviour, harbouring them from the Nazis; and the mechanised American cavalry, appearing over the horizon. It is Lizzie's story - but Marlene, the elephant, is the heroine. Plodding, obdurate, opportunistic, loadbearing, indestructible, cheering - Marlene embodies the stubbornness of the human will and how it will do everything to survive.

Notes:
An Elephant in the Garden is Simon Reade's new adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's best-selling children's novel.

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Poonamallee 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:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Epitaph For the Official Secrets Act

Synopsis:
The Official Secrets Act was rushed through parliament one evening in 1911 in response to the perceived threat of a German invasion. Ninety years later, the resulting breakdown of the relationship between the individual and the state has been captured in this absurd but often frighteningly accurate look at this draconian legislation - its ultimate demise heralded by the ratification of the European Human Right Act.

Notes:
written by Paul Greengrass And Simon Reade

1st Produced:

Organisations:
RSC

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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Magic Vessels

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
written by Simon Reade and Alison Reid

1st Produced:
Bateman's Trust, Chennai    

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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Midnight's Children

Midnight's Children
Midnight's Children is a complex work combining three main tales: the turbulent history of twentieth-century India, Pakistan and Bangladesh: the saga of a Muslim family: the story of one man, Saleem Sinai, whose telepathic powers allow him to communicate with other children born at the stroke of midnight on August 15 1947.

Notes:
Dramatised By Salman Rushdie, Simon Reade And Tim Supple. From novel by Rushdie

1st Produced:
Barbican, London >>>     18 Jan 2003

Organisations:

1st Published:
Vintage (2 Jan. 2003)   

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:  9+            Female:  9+            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Moon Tiger

Moon Tiger
Claudia Hampton is a popular historian, a strong, beautiful and difficult woman. Now in her seventies, she is plotting her greatest work - a history of the world. She looks back over her life growing up between the wars and remembers the people who have shared its triumphs and tragedies. There is Gordon, her adored brother; Jasper, the charming, untrustworthy lover and Father of her daughter, and Tom, her one great love, both found and lost during the El Alamein campaign when she worked as a war correspondent. Against a background of world events, Claudia's own remarkable story provokes a sharp combination of sadness, shock and amusement.

Notes:
from novel by Penelope Lively

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Theatre Royal Bath 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:
adapation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Mozart Question, The

Mozart Question, The
Paolo Levi, the greatest violinist in the world refuses to play Mozart. Why? Michael Morpurgo's extraordinary story takes us from Venice to the horrors of the Nazi gas chambers. A moving, inspirational tale for young and old.

Notes:
adapted from the stories of Michael Morpugo. Rights held by Berlin Associates literary@berlinassociates.com

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:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Not the End Of the World

Not the End Of the World
Forty days below the decks of a ship in relentless storms. Squalid conditions, a cargo of animals, and the man in charge claims he is acting on God's orders. Written for an ensemble cast, Not the End of the World tells the exhilarating and gripping story of the world's first natural disaster, and the making of the world's first Middle Eastern religious fanatic.

Notes:
adapted from Geraldine McCughrean's novel Not the End of the World which was A winner of the Whitbread Award 2004.

1st Produced:
Bristol: Old Vic, UK, Eur >>>     09 Mar 2007

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:  6            Female:  6            Other:  1c

Further Reference:

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Owl Who Was Afraid Of the Dark, The

Synopsis:
is a play for young children from toddlers upwards. In its original production it also became something of a cult for older siblings, students and cool parents. Jill Tomlinson wrote it at the end of the 1960s, so it's a story which has been read by, or recited to, every generation now living. Like the owlet, Plop, we've all sought to overcome our fear of the dark at one time or another in our lives.

Notes:
adapted from the stories of Jill Tomlinson

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Oberon Books >>>, 2006   

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:  2            Female:  1            Other:  much doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Pride And Prejudice

Pride And Prejudice
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. . .the ultimate romantic comedy, Jane Austen's story of the five Bennet sisters and their relentless pursuit of suitable husbands is one of the best-loved novels ever written. When feisty Elizabeth Bennet meets handsome bachelor Mr Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited. When she later discovers that he has scuppered the relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, the family's lives are turned upside down as Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and pokes gentle fun at the affectations and etiquette of provincial middle-class life.

Notes:
Based on the novel by Jane Austen

1st Produced:

Organisations:
heatre Royal Bath 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:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  10            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Private Peaceful

Private Peaceful
Set before and during the First World War, is a story that grips people of all ages. Michael Morpurgo's original novel has become part of the contemporary publishing phenomenon of cross-over literature, existing in an adult's as well as a children's cover. In this one-man play, it now takes on a different form again, as a play for everyone, however old or young. I've changed the ending from the original novel (with Michael's blessing): because we spend the performance with one young man as he lives through the last night of his life, while reliving his short but eventful past, I felt we needed to complete the journey with him.
Simon Reade

Notes:
adapted from the stories of Michael Morpugo. Rights held by Berlin Associates literary@berlinassociates.com

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Oberon Books (2006) >>>
Samuel French London   

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:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Pure Woman, The

Synopsis:
Thomas Hardy is in his winter years, yet he has an affair of the heart with Gertrude Bugler, the young Dorset woman playing Tess of the d'Urbervilles in the local Hardy Players' production. It drives Hardy's second wife - Florence, in her middle-age - into a jealous rage. Within this highly theatrical love triangle a deeply moving portrait of a marriage is played out. Based on true events.

Notes:
based on Christopher Nicholson's novel Winter

1st Produced:
Dorchester Arts     27 Sep 2018

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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Room With A View, A

Synopsis:
When Lucy Honeychurch and chaperone Charlotte Bartlett find themselves in Florence with rooms without views, their fellow guests Mr Emerson and son George step in to remedy the situation. An illicit kiss with the unsuitable George could change Lucy's life forever but, once back in England, how will her experiences in Italy affect her marriage plans? One of E.M.Forster's most celebrated novels, this elegant Edwardian comedy, with its cast of vivid characters, is widely recognised as one of the finest novels of the twentieth century. The award-winning Merchant Ivory film adaptation in 1985 was voted number nine in The Guardian's list of the best romantic films of all time.

Notes:
adapted from novel by E M Forster

1st Produced:
Chichester, festival Theatre     29 Nov 2016

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:  5            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Scarecrow And His Servant, The

Scarecrow And His Servant, The
Outrageously zany and filed with non-stop surprises, Simon Reade's theatrical adaptation of the Scarecrow and His Servant, renowned author Philip Pullman's fictional children's tale, is an enchanting play for young readers and performers. Delve into the magical world of Scarecrow as you accompany him as Jack, his trusty help-mate, and together you can embark on adventures that will make your head spin. From dodging dangerous bandits and surviving terrifying shipwrecks, to soaring through the skies with wild birds, this play is a roller-coaster ride of never-ending escapades. But when the river-polluting Buffaloni tyrants catch up with you for a final showdown, who will come to your rescue and save the day?

Notes:
Adaptation By Simon Reade From Book By Philip Pullman; music And lyrics by Chris Larner

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:  1            Female:  1            Other:  extras

Further Reference:

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Sherlock Holmes: The Final Curtain

Synopsis:
Sherlock Holmes lives in retirement on the South Coast. He keeps bees, occasionally casts his fly fishing rod even plays his Stradivarius when the rheumatism allows. All too aware that he's older and slower, he's concerned that he might have lost touch, paranoid that he is an easy target for his enemies: there have been so many over the years. He never truly believed Moriarty - his arch nemesis - died at the Reichenbach Falls. So when Mary Watson (wife of his former associate Dr John Watson) tracks hi down to tell him she has seen her long-dead son, James, through the window of 221B Baker Street, apparently alive and well, Holmes is determined to solve the mystery and confront his own demons at the same time.

Notes:
Author Simon Reade (after Arthur Conan Doyle).

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Kenny Wax Ltd

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:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Strindberg's Apartment

Synopsis:
Staged on an architect's plan of an apartment block that occupies the full space of the auditorium, a 20-strong company create the entire community of Drottninggatan 85, Stockholm. Sit right at the heart of the action in this apartment-block-without-walls as the intertwining events unfold simultaneously. One moment we follow the kidnap of a young girl, then a chance encounter between two estranged brothers; we inspect the remains of the fire that has devastated the workers downstairs, then hear the confession of a woman who burns with passion for her son-in-law; yet we must all attend the chilling silence of the infamous Ghost Supper. This bold production weaves together August Strindberg's five mini-masterpieces the Storm, After the Fire, the Ghost Sonata, the Pelican and the Black Glove into an exhilarating spectacle. Featuring live music, the faction theatre co. creates a visually stunning evocation of lost love, death and desire, in the world premiere of a unique and radical adaptation by Simon Reade.

Notes:
By Simon Reade, After August Strindberg

1st Produced:

Organisations:
the faction 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:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Tales from Ovid

Synopsis:
takes 10 stories from Ovid's Metamorphoses, as translated by Ted Hughes, and adapts them for the stage. This is an evening that stands as astern warning about the dangers of excess and desire: Myrrha's illicit lust for her father, which sees her entombed in a tree like a mummy; the desire of both Echo and Narcissus, which is so strong that it destroys them; Midas's foolishness and greed; and Tereus's rape of Philomela, which leads to a gruesome revenge.
Lyn Gardner, Guardian

Notes:
adapted from Ted Hughes's versions of the Metamorphoses by Simon Reade And Tim Supple

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:  5            Female:  6            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:

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Toro! Toro!

Toro! Toro!
young Antonito liberates his favourite bull from the ritualised killing of the bullfight as he tries to escape the Spanish Civil War.

Notes:
adapted from the stories of Michael Morpugo. Rights held by Berlin Associates literary@berlinassociates.com

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 TYA

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Twist of Gold

Twist of Gold
With famine gripping Ireland, Sean and Annie have just one chance of survival - they must find their father. Leaving their dying mother behind, they travel across rough seas to America. With only the gold torc that Annie wears as a necklace to protect them, they embark on a long and dangerous journey. But will they ever be reunited with their family? Twist of Gold is an epic adventure, a classic novel by the masterful storyteller and author of War Horse, Michael Morpurgo.

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 TYA

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  doubling; extras

Further Reference:
-

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reade-simon.php Simon Reade
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The Playwrights Database
contact doollee


Simon Reade

SIMON READE

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

Literary Agent:    Berlin Associates  

Simon is a playwright, director and producer whose credits include adaptations of Private Peaceful (both the play and film adaptations), Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Moon Tiger, Ted Hughes' Tales From Ovid, Midnight's Children and Pride and Prejudice (which enjoyed a sell out run at The Regents Park Open Air Theatre). He is currently producer at Filter Theatre and Poonamalee Productions and was Artistic Director at Bristol Old Vic and Literary Manager at the RSC.

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 Simon Reade's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         Aladdin And the Enchanted Lamp         Alice's Adventures In Wonderland         Back To Methuselah         Elephant In The Garden         Epitaph For the Official Secrets Act         Magic Vessels         Midnight's Children         Moon Tiger         Mozart Question, The         Not the End Of the World         Owl Who Was Afraid Of the Dark, The         Pride And Prejudice         Private Peaceful         Pure Woman, The         Room With A View, A         Scarecrow And His Servant, The         Sherlock Holmes: The Final Curtain         Strindberg's Apartment         Tales from Ovid         Toro! Toro!         Twist of Gold
Aladdin And the Enchanted Lamp

Aladdin And the Enchanted Lamp
a classic family show, with centuries of pantomime tradition as well as Arabian Nights' reinvention as its antecedent. the director Aletta Collins and I have taken Philip Pullman's retelling of it and retold it again as Drama. It's fun to present a play that tells a story with which we think we're familiar and then surprises us.
Simon Reade

Notes:
adapted from the stories of Philip Pullman in new Adaptation by Simon Reade And Aletta Collins

1st Produced:
Old Vic, Bristol, UK >>>     02 Dec 2005

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Oberon Books >>>, 2006   

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 Show

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  4            Other:  doubling, extras

Further Reference:

Top of Page Top of Page

Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

Alice's Adventures In Wonderland
When Alice falls down a mysterious rabbit hole she stumbles upon a magical fantasy world where anything can happen . . . Take tea with the Mad Hatter, meet the White Rabbit, grin with the Cheshire Cat, and play croquet with the Queen of Hearts, but whatever you do . . . don't lose your head! Lewis Carroll's classic characters spring to life in an enchanting show for the whole family, bursting with music, madness and mystery. Simon Reade's adaptation of Lewis Carroll's much-loved fantasy classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a witty and brilliantly inventive re-working, which won the TMA Award for Best Show for Young People.

Notes:
from book by Lewis Carroll

1st Produced:
Old Vic, Bristol, UK >>>     26 Nov 2004

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in Six Plays for Young Performers, Methuen Drama (December 15, 2010)   

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:
Pantomime

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  2            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:

Top of Page Top of Page

Back To Methuselah

Synopsis:
Listen, I will tell you a great secret. I am very subtle; and I have thought and thought and thought. Back to Methuselah was first published in 1921 and first performed a year later. David Fielding's abridgement makes it possible to play this five-part visionary epic over one evening. It was specially commissioned for the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2000 revival to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Shaw's death.

Notes:
Original Playwright - George Bernard Shaw. Abridged by David Fielding And Simon Reade

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Oberon, London,    

Music:
-

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Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  20+

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Elephant In The Garden

Elephant In The Garden
1945. Dresden, Germany. Lizzie, her mother - and an elephant from the zoo, flee the Allied fire-bombing in the end-game of the Second World War. Escaping the Allies' advance from the West - and also the advancing Russian armies from the East - this extraordinary trio of refugees meet: a downed RAF officer, cowering in a barn; a homeless school choir on the run and their Countess saviour, harbouring them from the Nazis; and the mechanised American cavalry, appearing over the horizon. It is Lizzie's story - but Marlene, the elephant, is the heroine. Plodding, obdurate, opportunistic, loadbearing, indestructible, cheering - Marlene embodies the stubbornness of the human will and how it will do everything to survive.

Notes:
An Elephant in the Garden is Simon Reade's new adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's best-selling children's novel.

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Poonamallee Productions

1st Published:

Music:
-

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Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Epitaph For the Official Secrets Act

Synopsis:
The Official Secrets Act was rushed through parliament one evening in 1911 in response to the perceived threat of a German invasion. Ninety years later, the resulting breakdown of the relationship between the individual and the state has been captured in this absurd but often frighteningly accurate look at this draconian legislation - its ultimate demise heralded by the ratification of the European Human Right Act.

Notes:
written by Paul Greengrass And Simon Reade

1st Produced:

Organisations:
RSC

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

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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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

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-

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Magic Vessels

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
written by Simon Reade and Alison Reid

1st Produced:
Bateman's Trust, Chennai    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

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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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

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Midnight's Children

Midnight's Children
Midnight's Children is a complex work combining three main tales: the turbulent history of twentieth-century India, Pakistan and Bangladesh: the saga of a Muslim family: the story of one man, Saleem Sinai, whose telepathic powers allow him to communicate with other children born at the stroke of midnight on August 15 1947.

Notes:
Dramatised By Salman Rushdie, Simon Reade And Tim Supple. From novel by Rushdie

1st Produced:
Barbican, London >>>     18 Jan 2003

Organisations:

1st Published:
Vintage (2 Jan. 2003)   

Music:
-

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Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  9+            Female:  9+            Other:  -

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Moon Tiger

Moon Tiger
Claudia Hampton is a popular historian, a strong, beautiful and difficult woman. Now in her seventies, she is plotting her greatest work - a history of the world. She looks back over her life growing up between the wars and remembers the people who have shared its triumphs and tragedies. There is Gordon, her adored brother; Jasper, the charming, untrustworthy lover and Father of her daughter, and Tom, her one great love, both found and lost during the El Alamein campaign when she worked as a war correspondent. Against a background of world events, Claudia's own remarkable story provokes a sharp combination of sadness, shock and amusement.

Notes:
from novel by Penelope Lively

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Theatre Royal Bath productions

1st Published:

Music:
-

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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:
adapation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

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Mozart Question, The

Mozart Question, The
Paolo Levi, the greatest violinist in the world refuses to play Mozart. Why? Michael Morpurgo's extraordinary story takes us from Venice to the horrors of the Nazi gas chambers. A moving, inspirational tale for young and old.

Notes:
adapted from the stories of Michael Morpugo. Rights held by Berlin Associates literary@berlinassociates.com

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

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Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

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Not the End Of the World

Not the End Of the World
Forty days below the decks of a ship in relentless storms. Squalid conditions, a cargo of animals, and the man in charge claims he is acting on God's orders. Written for an ensemble cast, Not the End of the World tells the exhilarating and gripping story of the world's first natural disaster, and the making of the world's first Middle Eastern religious fanatic.

Notes:
adapted from Geraldine McCughrean's novel Not the End of the World which was A winner of the Whitbread Award 2004.

1st Produced:
Bristol: Old Vic, UK, Eur >>>     09 Mar 2007

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

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Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  6            Other:  1c

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Owl Who Was Afraid Of the Dark, The

Synopsis:
is a play for young children from toddlers upwards. In its original production it also became something of a cult for older siblings, students and cool parents. Jill Tomlinson wrote it at the end of the 1960s, so it's a story which has been read by, or recited to, every generation now living. Like the owlet, Plop, we've all sought to overcome our fear of the dark at one time or another in our lives.

Notes:
adapted from the stories of Jill Tomlinson

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Oberon Books >>>, 2006   

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:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  much doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Pride And Prejudice

Pride And Prejudice
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. . .the ultimate romantic comedy, Jane Austen's story of the five Bennet sisters and their relentless pursuit of suitable husbands is one of the best-loved novels ever written. When feisty Elizabeth Bennet meets handsome bachelor Mr Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited. When she later discovers that he has scuppered the relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, the family's lives are turned upside down as Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and pokes gentle fun at the affectations and etiquette of provincial middle-class life.

Notes:
Based on the novel by Jane Austen

1st Produced:

Organisations:
heatre Royal Bath Productions

1st Published:

Music:
-

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Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  10            Other:  -

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Private Peaceful

Private Peaceful
Set before and during the First World War, is a story that grips people of all ages. Michael Morpurgo's original novel has become part of the contemporary publishing phenomenon of cross-over literature, existing in an adult's as well as a children's cover. In this one-man play, it now takes on a different form again, as a play for everyone, however old or young. I've changed the ending from the original novel (with Michael's blessing): because we spend the performance with one young man as he lives through the last night of his life, while reliving his short but eventful past, I felt we needed to complete the journey with him.
Simon Reade

Notes:
adapted from the stories of Michael Morpugo. Rights held by Berlin Associates literary@berlinassociates.com

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Oberon Books (2006) >>>
Samuel French London   

Music:
-

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Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

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Pure Woman, The

Synopsis:
Thomas Hardy is in his winter years, yet he has an affair of the heart with Gertrude Bugler, the young Dorset woman playing Tess of the d'Urbervilles in the local Hardy Players' production. It drives Hardy's second wife - Florence, in her middle-age - into a jealous rage. Within this highly theatrical love triangle a deeply moving portrait of a marriage is played out. Based on true events.

Notes:
based on Christopher Nicholson's novel Winter

1st Produced:
Dorchester Arts     27 Sep 2018

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

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Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Room With A View, A

Synopsis:
When Lucy Honeychurch and chaperone Charlotte Bartlett find themselves in Florence with rooms without views, their fellow guests Mr Emerson and son George step in to remedy the situation. An illicit kiss with the unsuitable George could change Lucy's life forever but, once back in England, how will her experiences in Italy affect her marriage plans? One of E.M.Forster's most celebrated novels, this elegant Edwardian comedy, with its cast of vivid characters, is widely recognised as one of the finest novels of the twentieth century. The award-winning Merchant Ivory film adaptation in 1985 was voted number nine in The Guardian's list of the best romantic films of all time.

Notes:
adapted from novel by E M Forster

1st Produced:
Chichester, festival Theatre     29 Nov 2016

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

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Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Scarecrow And His Servant, The

Scarecrow And His Servant, The
Outrageously zany and filed with non-stop surprises, Simon Reade's theatrical adaptation of the Scarecrow and His Servant, renowned author Philip Pullman's fictional children's tale, is an enchanting play for young readers and performers. Delve into the magical world of Scarecrow as you accompany him as Jack, his trusty help-mate, and together you can embark on adventures that will make your head spin. From dodging dangerous bandits and surviving terrifying shipwrecks, to soaring through the skies with wild birds, this play is a roller-coaster ride of never-ending escapades. But when the river-polluting Buffaloni tyrants catch up with you for a final showdown, who will come to your rescue and save the day?

Notes:
Adaptation By Simon Reade From Book By Philip Pullman; music And lyrics by Chris Larner

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

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Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  extras

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Sherlock Holmes: The Final Curtain

Synopsis:
Sherlock Holmes lives in retirement on the South Coast. He keeps bees, occasionally casts his fly fishing rod even plays his Stradivarius when the rheumatism allows. All too aware that he's older and slower, he's concerned that he might have lost touch, paranoid that he is an easy target for his enemies: there have been so many over the years. He never truly believed Moriarty - his arch nemesis - died at the Reichenbach Falls. So when Mary Watson (wife of his former associate Dr John Watson) tracks hi down to tell him she has seen her long-dead son, James, through the window of 221B Baker Street, apparently alive and well, Holmes is determined to solve the mystery and confront his own demons at the same time.

Notes:
Author Simon Reade (after Arthur Conan Doyle).

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Kenny Wax Ltd

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

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Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Strindberg's Apartment

Synopsis:
Staged on an architect's plan of an apartment block that occupies the full space of the auditorium, a 20-strong company create the entire community of Drottninggatan 85, Stockholm. Sit right at the heart of the action in this apartment-block-without-walls as the intertwining events unfold simultaneously. One moment we follow the kidnap of a young girl, then a chance encounter between two estranged brothers; we inspect the remains of the fire that has devastated the workers downstairs, then hear the confession of a woman who burns with passion for her son-in-law; yet we must all attend the chilling silence of the infamous Ghost Supper. This bold production weaves together August Strindberg's five mini-masterpieces the Storm, After the Fire, the Ghost Sonata, the Pelican and the Black Glove into an exhilarating spectacle. Featuring live music, the faction theatre co. creates a visually stunning evocation of lost love, death and desire, in the world premiere of a unique and radical adaptation by Simon Reade.

Notes:
By Simon Reade, After August Strindberg

1st Produced:

Organisations:
the faction Theatre company

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Tales from Ovid

Synopsis:
takes 10 stories from Ovid's Metamorphoses, as translated by Ted Hughes, and adapts them for the stage. This is an evening that stands as astern warning about the dangers of excess and desire: Myrrha's illicit lust for her father, which sees her entombed in a tree like a mummy; the desire of both Echo and Narcissus, which is so strong that it destroys them; Midas's foolishness and greed; and Tereus's rape of Philomela, which leads to a gruesome revenge.
Lyn Gardner, Guardian

Notes:
adapted from Ted Hughes's versions of the Metamorphoses by Simon Reade And Tim Supple

1st Produced:

Organisations:

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  6            Other:  doubling

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Toro! Toro!

Toro! Toro!
young Antonito liberates his favourite bull from the ritualised killing of the bullfight as he tries to escape the Spanish Civil War.

Notes:
adapted from the stories of Michael Morpugo. Rights held by Berlin Associates literary@berlinassociates.com

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

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Genre:
adaptation TYA

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Twist of Gold

Twist of Gold
With famine gripping Ireland, Sean and Annie have just one chance of survival - they must find their father. Leaving their dying mother behind, they travel across rough seas to America. With only the gold torc that Annie wears as a necklace to protect them, they embark on a long and dangerous journey. But will they ever be reunited with their family? Twist of Gold is an epic adventure, a classic novel by the masterful storyteller and author of War Horse, Michael Morpurgo.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

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Genre:
adaptation TYA

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  doubling; extras

Further Reference:
-

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