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Diane Samuels

DIANE SAMUELS

  (1960 - )
Nationality:    English
email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    n/a

Diane Samuels was born and raised in Liverpool. She currently lives in London where she has been writing extensively as a playwright and author since the early 1990s. Kindertransport won the Verity Bargate and Meyer-Whitworth Awards, and was first produced by Soho Theatre Company in 1993. Subsequently it has been translated into many languages, performed in the West End, Off Broadway and all over the world, revived in 2007 in an acclaimed production by Shared Experience Theatre Company. It is now a set text for English Literature GCSE. Her other plays include the True-Life Fiction of Mata Hari, Palace Theatre, Watford, 2002; Cinderellas Daughter, Trestle Theatre tour, 2005; and "3 Sisters on Hope Street" (with Tracy-Ann Oberman), based on Chekhovs Three Sisters, inspired by the Jewish community of her upbringing, and co-produced by the Liverpool Everyman/Playhouse and Hampstead Theatres in 2008. Her short play Calais was performed at the Liverpool Everyman as part of the Everyword short play festival in 2008. In 2010, Mrs Gorsky was workshopped at the National Theatre Studio and End of Romance, inspired by the life of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, given a performed reading as part of the Mary Shelley Festival in Bournemouth. In 2011, Diane took part in Battersea Arts Centre's One on One Festival with an interactive writing installation, "In Your Own Words". Diane has also written widely for BBC radio, plays including Swine, Doctor Y, Watch Out for Mister Stork and Hen Party. For younger audiences, her plays include One Hundred Million Footsteps for Quicksilver Theatre Company; Chalk Circle, Frankies Monster and "How To Beat a Giant" at the Unicorn Theatre. Diane has wide experience of teaching creative writing, lecturing at the universities of Birmingham, Reading, Oxford, Goldsmiths' college, London and running workshops for organizations as diverse as IATE (Institute for Arts in therapy and Education), Alternatives, Theatre Royal Haymarket and the National Gallery. From 2008 20 2011 she was Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the University of Westminster. She runs a regular writers group and is writer-in-residence at Grafton Primary School in Islington, north London. Diane was one of a creative team awarded a Science on Stage and Screen Award by the Wellcome Trust in 2001. the resulting work, "PUSH", was performed at the People Show Studios in London in June 2003. Her short story, "Rope" was broadcast as one of the 2002 winners of BBC Radio 4's online short story competition and in 2011 she wrote and recorded "Essay: Inter-rail Postcards" for BBC Radio 3. As Pearson Creative Research Fellow 2004/5 at the British Library, she completed research into magic and her booklet "A Writer's Magic Notebook" was published in 2006.

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

         100 Million Footsteps         3 Sisters On Hope Street         A-Z Of Mrs P         Beyond Midnight         Bonekeeper         Calais         Chalk Circle         Cinderella's Daughter         End Of Romance         Forever and Ever         Frankie's Monster         How To Beat A Giant         Kindertransport         Monster Garden         Mrs Gorky         One Hundred Million Footsteps         Poppy + George         Push         Salt of the Earth         Toilet Of Venus         True Life Fiction Of Mata Hari, The         Turncoat         Watch Out for Mr Stork

100 Million Footsteps

Synopsis:
Leo is minding the sheep when he is told that he has been chosen by the Great Sun to lead an army of children.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Macrobert Arts Centre, Stirling     17 May 1997

Organisations:
Quicksilver Theatre

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
Childrens play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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3 Sisters On Hope Street

3 Sisters On Hope Street
A funny, vibrant and moving version of Chekhov's Three Sisters, set amongst the Jewish community in wartime Liverpool. Liverpool, 1946: A year after the sudden death of their father, sisters Gertie, May and Rita Lasky share their once grand home on Hope Street with their asthmatic brother Arnold, Auntie Beil and old family friend Dr Nate. Each sister continues her search for meaning amidst hte shattered remains of their city, in a rapidly changing world

Notes:
by Diane Samuels And Tracy-Ann Oberman, After Chekhov

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Nick Hern Books, London >>>, 2008   978-1854595768

Music:
-

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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A-Z Of Mrs P

Synopsis:
Tells the true journey of the eccentric Phyllis Pearsall, who got lost on the way to a party - and spent the next five years of her life walking the streets of London creating the A-Z. The A-Z of Mrs P starts off in the 1930s and explores both the streets of London and the eccentric Mrs Pearsall, a Bohemian artist, as she builds her famous business, mapped against her own troubled family saga.

Notes:
book by Diane Samuels, music and lyrics by Gwyneth Herbert adapted from book by Neil Marcus (based on the autobiographies of Phyllis Pearsall). Workshopped at National, London, May 2012

1st Produced:

Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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Genre:
musical adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Beyond Midnight

Synopsis:
CinderElla is dead. the law decrees that her widowed husband must remarry. He still has the glass slipper - can it work for him again?

Notes:
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1st Produced:

Organisations:
Trestle Theatre Company

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
Youth Youth Audience

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Bonekeeper

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Tricycle Youth Theatre, London     1992

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Calais

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
part of the Everyword short play festival

1st Produced:

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
short play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Chalk Circle

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
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1st Produced:

Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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Genre:
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Further Reference:
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Cinderella's Daughter

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Trestle Theatre Tour     2005

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
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End Of Romance

Synopsis:
inspired by the life of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Performed Reading As Part Of The Mary Shelley Festival In Bournemouth    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
-

Parts:
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Further Reference:
-

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Forever and Ever

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-     1998

Organisations:
SNAP People's Theatre Trust

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
-

Parts:
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Frankie's Monster

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Based on the novel by Vivien Alcock

1st Produced:

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
-

Parts:
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Further Reference:
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How To Beat A Giant

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
SNAP People's Theatre Trust

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:
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Parts:
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Further Reference:
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Kindertransport

Kindertransport
Between 1938 and the outbreak of War, almost 10,000 unaccompanied German children were sent by their parents to foster homes in Britain while the parents were despatched to the death camps

Notes:
winner of the Verity Bargate Award 1994. The author's guide to Kindertransport, an invaluable and uniquely authoritative resource for anyone studying, teaching or performing the play. Since it was first staged by the Soho Theatre Company in London in 1993, Diane Samuels'Kindertransport has enjoyed huge success around the world, has been revived numerous times, and is widely studied in schools and colleges. The play tells the story of how nine-year-old Eva, a German Jewish girl, is sent by her parents on the Kindertransport to start a new life with a foster family in Britain just before the outbreak of World War Two. Over forty years later, she has changed her name to Evelyn and denied her roots. When her own daughter discovers some old letters and photos in the attic, she is forced to confront the truth about who she really is and to reveal a dark secret that she has done everything to keep hidden. In this author's guide to the play, Diane Samuels investigates the historical background, drawing on the personal testimony of those whose lives were transformed by the Kindertransport. She explores the creative process that shaped the play through successive drafts. And she presents detailed accounts from the actors, directors, a composer and designer who have contributed to the play's most notable productions. - Nick Hern Books, London (2014) >>>

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Soho Theatre Company

1st Published:
Nick Hern Books, London >>>, 1995   978-184595270

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
Flashbacks Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Monster Garden

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Heinemann,    -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Mrs Gorky

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Birmingham Rep Theatre    

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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One Hundred Million Footsteps

Synopsis:
An exciting adventure tale for young children on the subject of religious belief and violent intolerance

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Macrobert Arts Centre, Stirling     17 May 1997

Organisations:
Quicksilver 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:
TYA

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Poppy + George

Poppy + George
A romantic drama with music inspired by the days of music hall and beyond, from the author of the modern classic Kindertransport. It is 1919. The Great War is over and Poppy Wright arrives in London from the north of England to make her mark in the world. Deep in the heart of the East End she finds work in Smith's tailor and costumiers workshop, where she meets dashing chauffeur George, and falls in love. This is a time of change and opportunity, emerging from the losses of war, when all are questioning who they are and what roles they can play in forging a new, modern era. It's time to ditch the corset and discover who really wears the trousers. Poppy + George is a beguiling romance that draws on a world of female impersonators, popular song and double entendre.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
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1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
Drama, English, Full length plays, Historical, Modern drama (post-1945), Plays with music, Politics & war, Romance

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Push

Synopsis:
Push charts the rational and irrational responses of people caught in a state of unexplained physical suffering. Combining evocative imagery, documentary audio and video footage and live performance, a world is created where hopes and nightmares are at once familiar and utterly strange. A play about what it means to live with long-term pain.

Notes:
written by Diane Samuels and Alexa Wright (in collaboration with Sarah Woods and Cathrin Long)

1st Produced:
People Show Studios In London     05 Jun 2003

Organisations:
Artsadmin

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:
piece

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Salt of the Earth

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-     1993

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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Toilet Of Venus

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Part of Miniaturists 19 - Bringing you more of the best short plays by some of the most exciting playwrights in the UK today

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:
short play

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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True Life Fiction Of Mata Hari, The

Synopsis:
It is 1917. the First World War has taken its toll on 'gay Paree'. Everyone is struggling, not least the notorious exotic dancer, Mata Hari, formerly Margaretha Zelle from Holland. Arrested for passing French information to the Germans but steadfastly proclaiming her love for France, Mata Hari is interrogated by two Frechmen who are convinced that everything she says and does is a lethal fiction. For years Mata Hari has been seen as a femme fatale and a dangerous spy. But the 'truth' behind this remarkable woman is a good deal more complex, with many having their own motives for their version of her story. Why is everything about her not quite what it seems? And what really lies beneath her many masks?

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
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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:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Turncoat

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-     1994

Organisations:
Theatre Centre

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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Watch Out for Mr Stork

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Steam Industry

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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