The Playwrights Database
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Bacchae, The
Synopsis:
a fun production of the Bacchae with dire warnings about the dangers of binge drinking
Notes:
Original Playwright - Euripides. Version by Carl Grose, Anna Maria Murphy, Emma Rice And Kneehigh theatre
1st Produced:
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:
Off Beat Pantomime
Parts:
Male: 7 Female: 3 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Brief Encounter
Love is in the air! the forbidden passions of Brief Encounter have been refreshingly restaged by Kneehigh theatre in this glorious new production, which will give you a great reason to fall in love with theatre all over again. "I want to remember every minute. Always. Always to the end of my days" Set in the 1930s, a chance encounter at a railway station changes the lives of two people forever. When kind handsome doctor Alec removes a small piece of grit from the eye of wife and mother Laura, they embark on an illicit romance that is doomed to be thwarted by convention.
Notes:
David Lean's iconic 1945 movie, Brief Encounter, was written by Noel Coward and was based on one of his one-act plays, Still Life, written a decade earlier. Emma Rice, Artistic Director of Kneehigh theatre Company, has adapted this timeless tale of joy and heartache for the stage, interspersing the romantic action with nine Coward ditties.
1st Produced:
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:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 7 Female: 3 Other: -
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Cymbeline
Synopsis:
Twenty years after his two sons disappeared, King Cymbeline's only daughter Imogen plans to marry against his wishes. Enraged, Cymbeline banishes her childhood sweetheart Posthumus from court. He flees to Italy and makes a wager he'll soon regret. Cymbeline's new queen plots with her ghastly son Cloten. Emperor Caesar is on the war-path. And poor Joan (who's just got back from the Costa de Sol) hasn't got a clue what's going on! Kneehigh turn their unique storytelling style to one of Shakespeare's least performed plays. In a script packed with heart-stopping poetry and characteristic charm, their irreverent adaptation plays fast and loose with the Bard. the result is a wild, giddy and elemental adventure that swings from tragedy to comedy and back again. Never has confusion been such fun!
Notes:
Original Playwright - Shakespeare. Adapted by Emma Rice; written by Carl Grose
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
Parts:
Male: 6 Female: 3 Other: extras
Further Reference:
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Don John
Synopsis:
England, 1976. the Winter of Discontent. Cold hearts seek comfort and poor souls look for love. a woman nurses her dying father; a cleaner greedily devours her Open University course in the fight for a better life; a career woman seeks the path that her life never took, and the loyal friend, always in the shadows, fears he will disappear one day and no-one will notice. We are in the lonely hearts column of life. 'save me' is the silent call that drifts from their aching bodies. But wait. Help is at hand. Don John is here! Dangerous, naughty and irresistible, Don John is a vessel for all our desires - a delicious chancer. He enters our lives and leaves us changed. Oh yes, he leaves us, for Don John belongs to nobody but himself and the Devil! With a sensational score of specially commissioned music, Kneehigh bring their renowned brand of physical storytelling to this sexy tale.
Notes:
By Emma Rice words And poems by Anna Maria Murphy
1st Produced:
Stratford-Upon-Avon, Courtyard
2008
Organisations:
Kneehigh in assciation with the Royal Shakespeare 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: 5 Female: 3 Other: -
Further Reference:
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Itch, The
Synopsis:
Based on the Changeling. Suitable for 12s and over. Beatrice Joanna has got an itch. In fact she has several and she doesn't quite know how to scratch them. She's got a man she doesn't want, wants a man she can't have and, to top it all, loathes her servant with a passion. She embarks on a remedy of sex, lies and murder.
Notes:
Adapted by Emma Rice from The Changeling by Middleton & Rowley
1st Produced:
Merlin Theatre, Frome, Somerset
02 Jul 1999
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:
Piece
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Mallory Towers
Synopsis:
Darrell is the new girl at school. Will she be able to control her temper, save the school play and rescue a fellow pupil lost in the storm?
Notes:
Music by Ian Ross; book by Emma Rice. Based on the "Mallory Towers" books by Enid Blyton
1st Produced:
Passenger Shed, Bristol
19 Jul 2019
Organisations:
Wise Children
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:
Musical
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Matter Of Life And Death, A
Synopsis:
It is 1945. A young airman jumps to certain death from his burning aircraft. Following an angelic blunder, caused by a classic English pea-souper. Peter Carter miraculously survives and finds June in the flesh. But things are not so simple. To stay alive, Peter is forced to take himself, and the heavenlv authorities, to the Universal Court of Appeal.
Notes:
written by Tom Morris And Emma Rice
1st Produced:
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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: 14 Female: 10 Other: -
Further Reference:
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Midnight's Pumpkin
Synopsis:
Night is falling and preparations are well underway for a Royal Ball, but with a guest list that includes an evil step-mother, ugly sisters and Prince Charming, you are in for a night of mischievous magic all before the clock strikes 12.
Notes:
adapted by Emma Rice; words by Anna maria Murphy
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:
Christmas Show
Parts:
Male: 4 Female: 3 Other: -
Further Reference:
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Nights At the Circus
Synopsis:
It's 1899 and all of Europe is agape at the arrival of the new century. the world crackles with possibilities and people dance to the irresistible rhythms of money, sex, love and freedom. Swinging above them all is a showbiz sensation: a fierce, vulgar, pant-droppingly sexy trapeze artist called Fevvers.
Notes:
In this dazzling homage to theatre Tom Morris And Emma Rice use A unique blend of story-telling, stage-craft And song to Dramatise Angela Carter's popular And highly-regarded novel.
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: 4 Female: 4 Other: extras
Further Reference:
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Noel Coward's Brief Encounter
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Cinema On The Haymarket
2008
Organisations:
Kneehigh
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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Oedipussy
Synopsis:
an outrageous no-holds barred subversion of the quintessential Greek tragedy - a tale of forbidden lust, accidental incest, violent murder and the ultimate dysfunctional family.
Notes:
adaptation by Emma Rice, written by Spymonkey AndCarl Grose
1st Produced:
Organisations:
Royal & Derngate, Northampton co-production with Spymonkey
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:
physical comedy
Parts:
Male: 2 Female: 2 Other: -
Further Reference:
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Pandora's Box
Synopsis:
Best known as Pabst's 1929 silent movie classic starring Louise Brooks, Pandora's Box is based on Wedekind's notorious Lulu plays. In a cracked music hall of singing and dancing, where fire-breathing lovers howl at the moon, Lulu dangles her legs over the side of a dark mattress, a cigarette smouldering between the fingers of one hand. Her powdered face is the only bright spot in a dark room and she is smiling. She is waiting for you. Recommended for ages 15+ Contains strong sexual imagery.
Notes:
Author Margaret Wilkinson. Conceived And created by Neil Murray And Emma Rice. Acclaimed visual theatre company, Northern Stage Ensemble And Kneehigh theatre has joined forces to create A grotesque cabaret - the tantalisingly sensual, darkly comic And monstrously musical world of Lulu. Commissioned by Hall for Cornwall
1st Produced:
Northern Stage (Previously Known As Newcastle Haymarket Playhouse)
23 Mar 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:
Adaptation
Parts:
Male: 7 Female: 3 Other: -
Further Reference:
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Rebecca
Synopsis:
Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. . .Rebecca is timeless; the book beloved by generations, and the iconic Alfred Hitchcock film is a classic of the genre. Now Rebecca bursts onto the stage! Emma Rice, the award- winning director, has created a spellbinding new production of Daphne du Maurier's masterpiece which conjures up Cornish romance and theatrical magic. Following the mysterious death of his first wife, Maxim de Winter returns to Manderley with his new young bride. Surrounded by memories of the glamorous Rebecca, the new Mrs De Winter is consumed by jealousy. She sets out to uncover the secrets of the house and a past fiercely guarded by the sinister housekeeper Mrs Danvers. All is not what it seems in Manderley. . .
Notes:
adapted by Emma Rice from book by Daphne Du Maurier
1st Produced:
Organisations:
Kneehigh
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: 5 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Red Shoes, The
Synopsis:
"One dance was not enough for our heroine, the Girl and one poem was not enough for me. As I wrote they danced their way out onto the page."
Anna Maria Murphy
Notes:
adapted by Anna Maria Murphy, Emma Rice And Kneehigh theatre from Hans Christian Anderson
1st Produced:
Sterts, Liskeard, Cornwall
2000
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: 3 Female: 2 Other: doubling
Further Reference:
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Romantics Anonymous
Synopsis:
Two extremely shy people fall in love
Notes:
Music by Michael Kooman; lyrics by Christopher Dimond; book by Emma Rice Based on the movie "Les Etmotifs Anonymes" screenplay by Jean-Pierre Ameris; Philippe Blasband
1st Produced:
Sam Wannamaker Playhouse, London
20 Oct 2017
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:
Musical
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Steptoe & Son
Synopsis:
Two Men. Two World Wars. Two lives knitted together as tight as a thrice darned sock. Bound together by birth, business and bloody bad luck, Albert and Harold Steptoe wake up every morning to the same old, same old, sickening sight of each other. Do they even notice the world turning as they cling on? there are ladies if they would only look around them, and space travel& and Cliff Richard! Adapted from the legendary scripts of Galton and Simpson, this new co-production with West Yorkshire Playhouse charts the surprising dance of Father and son, This is for anyone who has had a parent, anyone who has had a child, anyone who has wanted to tear the walls down and run across the fields naked. Darkly comic, and deeply moving, this is a 20th century icon, re imagined for the new generation.
Notes:
Steptoe & Son by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, Adapted and Directed by Emma Rice
1st Produced:
Organisations:
Kneehigh 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:
adaptation
Parts:
Male: 2 Female: 1 Other: -
Further Reference:
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Tristan And Yseult
Synopsis:
a tale of extra marital ardour about the unloved as well. Harks back to the earliest, oral versions of an ancient Cornish story.
Notes:
written by Carl Grose, Anna Maria Murphy, Emma Rice And Kneehigh theatre
1st Produced:
Restormel Castle, Lostwithiel, Cornwall
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:
Devised Piece
Parts:
Male: 4 Female: 2 Other: musicians 7 chorus
Further Reference:
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Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The
Synopsis:
the Umbrellas of Cherbourg traces the story of French auto mechanic Guy Fouchier who's fallen in love with 17-year-old Genevieve Emery, an employee in her widowed mother's chic umbrElla shop. On the evening before Guy leaves for a two-year tour of combat in Algeria, he and Genevieve vow to remain lovers. After discovering she's carrying Guy's child, she must choose between waiting for his return or accepting an offer of marriage from a wealthy diamond merchant.
Notes:
Kneehigh, directed And Adapted by Emma Rice, music by Michel Legrand, lyrics translated by Sheldon Harnickthe film the Umbrellas of Cherbourg, directed by Jacques Demy, was released in 1964 starring 19-year-old Catherine Deneuve. the film went on to be nominated for five Academy Awards And won the 1964 Palme d'Or At the Cannes Film Festival. the Academy Award-nominated song I Will Wait for You has been recorded by many Artists including Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Tony Bennett And Liza Minnelli.
1st Produced:
Organisations:
Kneehigh
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:
Piece
Parts:
Male: 5 Female: 5 Other: ensemble
Further Reference:
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Wild Bride, The
Synopsis:
in this story of truth, love and heartbreak we meet our young heroine who, having escaped the clutches of both the devil and her father, sets out into the wilderness on a brave journey of discovery.
Notes:
Adapted by Emma Rice, text And lyrics by Carl Grose, music by Stu Barker
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:
Piece
Parts:
Male: 3 Female: 3 Other: -
Further Reference:
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Wooden Frock, The
Synopsis:
instead of a slipper, there is a ring - a far more potent sexual symbol.
Notes:
adapted by Tom Morris, Emma Rice And Kneehigh theatre from original sources
1st Produced:
Leeds Wyp Courtyard
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:
Adaptation
Parts:
Male: 3 Female: 3 Other: doubling
Further Reference:
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