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John Retallack

JOHN RETALLACK

  
Nationality:    British
email:    Click here to contact     Website:    Click here

Literary Agent:    n/a

John Retallack was born in Oxford and is the founder and director of Company of Angels. He has written and directed a number of plays in recent years including Risk (2007), Virgins (2006), Ballroom (2004), Club A.~ylum (2002), the Wild Girl (2002), and Hannah and Hanna (2001). He was director o~ Oxford Stage Company from 1989 to 1999 and founding director of Actors Touring Company (ATC) from 1977 to 1985. He has toured and worked in many countries including Europe, India,Japan and America.

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

         Apples         Arlo         Ballroom         Berlin Berlin         Bridge To the Stars, A         Club Asylum         Common Ground         Don Juan         Foundling, The         Girlfriends         Hannah and Hanna         Hitler's Childhood         Junk         Plague, The         Quixote         Risk         Sweetpeter         Toll Bridge, The         Truant         Ubu the Vandalist         Virgins         Wild Girl, The
Apples

Apples
A dazzling, tragicomic love story of adolescence based on the astonishing debut novel by Richard Milward. Shameless, ruthless and intensely poetic, Apples articulates what it is like to be young.

Notes:
a stage version of Richard Milward's debut novel Apples

1st Produced:
Middlesbrough Empire Nightclub     02 Jun 2010

Organisations:
Northern Stage and Company of Angels

1st Published:
Oberon Books, 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:  3            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Arlo

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Public Reading for Company of Angels Theatre Cafe     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

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Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Ballroom

Synopsis:
the sparkle and dazzle, the style and energy of ballroom dancing drive this show. It's a story of youth told by older people, who once lived lives as passionate, jealous and competitive as the young. Desires and dreams are reawakened as dancers flood the ballroom, spinning round the actors with provocative glamour. Laughter, regret and sexual tension charge the performances as the ghosts of the actors' young selves dance before them.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Hastings: White Rock Theatre     01 Jul 2004

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:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  4            Other:  3 voices

Further Reference:
-

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Berlin Berlin

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
adaptation from Robert Musils The Man Without Qualities

1st Produced:
Nuffield Theatre, Lancaster     Mar 1981

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:
musical play

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Bridge To the Stars, A

Synopsis:
A lonely young boy forms a secret society, but the stakes are raised with the arrival of a new member.

Notes:
part of the National Connections Festival, from the book by Henning Mankell

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Llanelli Youth 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

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Genre:
short play One Act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Club Asylum

Synopsis:
The piece opens with the awakening of the spirit of St Mungo, who points out that his founding of the city of Glasgow came about because he was also an asylum seeker. He then witnesses the racist persecution of a young girl by a group of Glasgow youths. From here the piece ranges far and wide, exploring both the appalling dilemmas faced by asylum seekers and the grievances of local residents who felt insufficiently warned by the city council of the impending influx of these unfortunate folk in 2000. Ultimately, a succession of dance routines executed to a very contemporary soundtrack makes a case for better communication and understanding of asylum seekers.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Tron Theatre, Glasgow, UK >>>     08 Feb 2002

Organisations:
Company of Angels with macrobert Arts Centre, Stirling

1st Published:
in Company of Angels, Oberon, London, 2007   

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:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Common Ground

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Cardboard Citizens tour for homeless people in London     2003

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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Don Juan

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
adaptation from Byrons poem

1st Produced:
ATC National tour     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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Foundling, The

Synopsis:
Unfolding detective style, the play dynamically moves from past to present, revealing characters' secrets - from the poignant testimony of a young mother in 1866, giving up her baby to save herself from abject poverty and social disgrace to the complex and difficult choices faced by a pregnant 15 year old girl in the 21st century. Unearthing an important and little known part of children's history, John Retallack's evocative play is rooted in the history of Thomas Coram's 18th century the Foundling Hospital, charting family history to the present day.

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:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Girlfriends

Synopsis:
Here Howard explains what motivated him to write Girlfriends. . . Since my first musical The Hired Man was dominated by men, I felt I needed to redress the balance by finding a subject in this second piece that would be mainly about women, so when I read Mary Lee Settle's brilliant autobiographical account of her wartime experiences in the WAAF, All the Brave Promises, I suspected I might have found my subject. All the Brave Promises itself would not easily have adapted to a dramatic form, so I began to research the subject in a general way, reading WAAF diaries, plundering the RAF archives for every scrap they had on the WAAF, talking to ex-WAAF and reading the scanty published material that exists on the subject. Eventually, in collaboration with John Retallack, a story and form began to emerge for Girlfriends. . . . .

Notes:
written by Howard Goodall, Richard Curtis and John Retallack

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Faber Music   

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:
musical

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  12            Other:  band of 6

Further Reference:

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Hannah and Hanna

Synopsis:
tackles the issue of refugees living in Britain by fixing on the stories of two 16 year old girls - Hannah, the bolshy Margate karaoke singer whose fascist boyfriend has beaten up Hanna, the sad-eyed exile from Kosovo's brother

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Company of Angels and Channel Theatre Company

1st Published:
in the Drama Book, English and media Centre, 2002   

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:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Hitler's Childhood

Synopsis:
inspired by Alice Miller's study of the Fuhrer's formative years, is a further improvement and continues the themes of violently disturbed childhood and ethnic cleansing

Notes:
by Niklas Radstrom, Adaptedby John Retallack, Translated by Frank Gabriel Perry.

1st Produced:
Young Vic, London     18 Oct 1995

Organisations:
part of Making The Future

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:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Junk

Synopsis:
Tar loves Gemma, but Gemma doesn't want to be tied down - not to anyone or anything. GEmma wants to fly. But no one can fly forever. One day, somehow, finally you have to come down.

Notes:
adaptation of Melvin Burgess's novel

1st Produced:
Oxford Playhouse     23 Jan 1998

Organisations:
Oxford Stage Co

1st Published:
Methuen Drama   

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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Plague, The

Synopsis:
a portrait of a community's response to irrational and inexplicable mass destruction remains as resonant as ever.
Allan Radcliffe, List

Notes:
From La Peste By Albert Camus

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:  9            Female:  5            Other:  children

Further Reference:
-

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Quixote

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
written by John Retallack and Richard Curtis. From Cervantes. (ist performed 02 Feb 1980)

1st Produced:
Warehouse Theatre Croydon, London     26 Jan 1983

Organisations:
a Theatre Company, London

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:  4            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Risk

Synopsis:
Bloody kids are all over the show in Company Of Angels's latest gymnastically inclined attempt to give voice to da yoof. To do this, writerldirector John Rettalack and Co-director/choreographer Andy Howitt throw into the mix a quintet of highly-strung teens. Just as one wise guy moves up a notch from petty thieving to biting the hand that feeds him, another sees the world through the internet, but is unable to connect. A once model student falls in with a bad crowd, a girl swaps natural highs for bottled bliss, and a boy too sensitive for fisticuffs fights back another way. In their quest to get out of it, all crash, and to some extent get burnt. Eventually, though, they learn the error of their ways. Told through a series of monologues, each punctuated by some highly-charged chorus work and trademark Howitt dance moves, Risk is a well-fashioned piece of theatre.
Neil Cooper, the Herald

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in Company of Angels, Oberon, London, 2007   

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:
dance/ballet

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Sweetpeter

Sweetpeter
deals with the issue of slavery in a lyrical, mythical way combining verse and music

Notes:
written by John Retallack And Usifu Jalloh. part of Young Europe, A mini festival of three new European plays

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Company Of Angels and Polka Theatre

1st Published:
Methuen Drama   

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:
Young Audiences

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  1            Other:  muscian

Further Reference:
-

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Toll Bridge, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
adaptation of Aidan Chambers novel

1st Produced:
Reading at Soho Theatre     2002

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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Truant

Synopsis:
How do you find your limits without breaking the rules? Teenagers need to play truant from their parents to establish their own identity, their own personal values. But what happens when parents play truant from their children, when they avoid their parental duties?

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Community Halls And Schools In Scotland     01 Oct 2011

Organisations:
National Theatre of Scotland and Company of Angels

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:
Young Audiences

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Ubu the Vandalist

Synopsis:
Alfred Jarry's Ubu is the grossest creation in modem drama. Egged on by Ma Ubu. he slaughters his way to the PoUsh crown and then indulges in an orgy ot greed and blood. letting. squealing and jerk­ ing across the stage like a mechanical toy that halil run amok.

Notes:
Adapted by John Retallack and the company from Ubu Roi by Alfred Jarry, translated by Cyril Connolly

1st Produced:
Edinburgh Festival     02 Aug 1982

Organisations:
The Actors Touring Company London

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:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Virgins

Synopsis:
How do you explore your sexuality when you are still living at home with your parents? How do your parents sustain their love life with you in the house? And why do we find it so difficult to talk about?

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Junction Theatre, Cambridge     2006

Organisations:
Company Of Angels and the Junction, Cambridge

1st Published:
in Company of Angels, Oberon, London, 2007   

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:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Wild Girl, The

Synopsis:
A little girl cannot speak but she can imitate the sounds that the animals make.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
London Primary Schools     2002

Organisations:
Company Of Angels and Quicksilver 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:
classroom play Youth Audience

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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