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Don Taylor

DON TAYLOR

  (1936 - 2003)
Nationality:    British
email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    Micheline Steinberg Associates  

Don Taylor was an English writer, director and producer in Theatre, radio and television for over forty years. He is most noted for his television work, particularly in his early 1960s collaborations with playwright David Mercer.

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

         Achurch Letters, The         Antigone         Brotherhood         Burston Drum, The         Daughters of Venice         Doing the Beast         Exit the Old Brigade         Exorcism, The         Fat Man's Night         Grounds For Marriage         Helen         House Of Stairs, The         Iphigenia At Aulis         Long March to Jerusalem, A         Most People Live in Coulsdon         October Events         Oedipus at Colonus         Oedipus the King         Oedipus Tyrannos         Out On the Lawn         Real Circus, A         Retreat From Moscow         Road To the Sea, The         Roses of Eyam, The         Sam Foster Comes Home         Sisters         Summer In the Park         When the Barbarians Came         Women of Troy, The

Achurch Letters, The

Synopsis:
Bernard Shaw's relationship with an actress Jane Achurch and the events that led to the writing of Candida

Notes:
TV 1976

1st Produced:
Greenwich Theatre     1978

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Antigone

Antigone
the gods never move faster than when punishing men with the consequences of their own actions. Desperate to gain control over a city ravaged by civil war, Creon refuses to bury the body of Antigone's rebellious brother. Outraged, she defies his edict. Creon condemns the young woman, his niece, to be buried alive. the people daren't object but the prophet Teiresias warns that this tyranny will anger the gods: the rotting corpse is polluting the city. Creon hesitates and his fate is sealed. Sophocles' great tragic play Dramatises the clash between the family and the city and, with high poetry and deep tragedy, presents an irreconcilable but equally-balanced conflict. Sophoclean heroine Antigone has become a cultural archetype, the symbol of personal integrity and an icon of political freedom, whilst her co-protagonist Creon can be interpreted as either a civic saviour or a ruthless tyrant.

Notes:
Original Playwright - Sophocles. Televised 1986 by BBC

1st Produced:
-     1993

Organisations:
7:84 Theatre Company

1st Published:
Methuen Drama    978-1408173237

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  2            Other:  boy

Further Reference:
-

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Brotherhood

Synopsis:
-

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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Burston Drum, The

Synopsis:
On the 1st April, 1914, in the village of Burston, a group of children went on strike to protest at the unfair dismissal of their teachers. the Burston Drum tells the story in musical form.

Notes:
book by Ellen Dryden; lyrics by Don Taylor; music by Charles Young

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 1989   -

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:
Childrens Musical Musical

Parts:
Male:  14            Female:  11            Other:  extras

Further Reference:
-

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Daughters of Venice

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 1992   -

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:
Comedy

Parts:
Male:  9            Female:  22            Other:  extras

Further Reference:
-

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Doing the Beast

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
From J M Bridie

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Exit the Old Brigade

Synopsis:
Armed insurrection by the inhabitants of an Old Soldier's Home

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:
Comic Political Fantasy

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Exorcism, The

Synopsis:
terrifying climax culminating in a tragic report coming from the TV into a an empty brightly lit room

Notes:
disastrous unauthorised version produced At Comedy theatre, London in 1975 when Mary Ure died on second night

1st Produced:
-     1974

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 1981   -

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:
Ghost Story with Political Allegory

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Fat Man's Night

Synopsis:
About a gigantically fat eccentric, who lives by night and sleeps by day, and the alienated drifters he gathers around him

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:
Political Comedy

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Grounds For Marriage

Synopsis:
-

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:  5            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Helen

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Original Playwright - Euripides

1st Produced:
Jericho Arts Centre, Vancouver     06 Jun 1997

Organisations:
Modern Actors Staging Classics

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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House Of Stairs, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Thorndike, Leatherhead     1992

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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Iphigenia At Aulis

Iphigenia At Aulis
In a direct ans searching response to the Iraq invasion the production turns to the ancient greeks for amplification. Iphigenia was the daughter of the ancient Greek warrior Agamemnon, and Aulis is the place where she is brought to be sacrificed by her fathers. the idea is to appease the gods and win fair wins for a naval invasion of troy.

Notes:
Original Playwright - Euripides

1st Produced:

Organisations:
National Theatre, London

1st Published:
Methuen Publishing Ltd (12 Jul 1990)   978-0413642509

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  9            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Long March to Jerusalem, A

Synopsis:
Period 1212, story of the famous Children's CrUSAde led by the visionary boy Stephen

Notes:
An Adult play to be largely performed by children

1st Produced:
Palace Theatre, Watford     1977

Organisations:
Watford Theatre for Youth

1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 1978   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Epic Play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  very large mixed cast

Further Reference:
-

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Most People Live in Coulsdon

Synopsis:
-

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
National Library of Scotland ref: Traverse - Dep.256/Box 66/2

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October Events

Synopsis:
Multi media style, the events of the Hungarian and Suez crises, as experienced, day by day by a group of Oxford students

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:
Epic Play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Oedipus at Colonus

Synopsis:
Following Sophocles Oedipus the King and Oedipus Tyrannos, in this third and final play of the series we encounter Oedipus as an old, blind and penniless man, who, cared for by his daughter Antigone only, arrives at an olive grove outside Colonus after restlessly travelling the country. In this holy place, he has to face the false pretence of Creon and his son Polynices, who try to persuade him into coming back to thebes for their own selfish reasons. He is forced to tell his tantalizing story all over again until finally, with the help of King theseus, he is able to at last make his peace with this world. A unique chance to experience the gripping tragedy in a mixture of English, modern Greek and its original ancient Greek language! there will be subtitles for the Greek parts of the play

Notes:
Original Playwright - Sophocles

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:
translation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Oedipus the King

Synopsis:
Revival

Notes:
from Sophocles

1st Produced:

Organisations:
NYT

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Oedipus Tyrannos

Synopsis:
the play is about revealing the potential horrors beneath the surface-beauty of life, as of art, illusion and reality. It is also a meta-tragedy, a tragedy about tragedy. the proportional relationships in tragedy, however, differ between the ancient and the modern writer. Whereas Shakespeare and Pirandello use the awareness of illusion to explore theatricality, Sophocles uses theatricality to explore the moral, religious and metaphysical questions, raised by the suffering of Oedipus

Notes:
Original Playwright - Sophocles

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:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Out On the Lawn

Synopsis:
Middle class socialist publisher invites his friends to spend a blistering summer Sunday at a day long picnic in the grounds of his renovated house. good wine, good food, brilliant conversation and the threat of violence when the publisher's nineteen year old son returns from his friends in Germany

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Palace Theatre, Watford     1975

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:
Political Comedy

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Real Circus, A

Synopsis:
-

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
National Library of Scotland ref: Traverse - Acc.4850/20/4

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Retreat From Moscow

Synopsis:
idealistic socialist and his disillusioned daughter find their lives invaded by a bear like Muscovite enjoying the fruits of capitalism

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
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:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Road To the Sea, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 2005   -

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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Roses of Eyam, The

Synopsis:
period 1666, true story of a village stricken with plague through the arrival from London of a box of clothing

Notes:
TV 1973

1st Produced:
Northcott Theatre, Exeter     1970

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 1976   -

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:
Historical Drama

Parts:
Male:  12            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Sam Foster Comes Home

Synopsis:
Alienated educated working class hero finds it impossible to live at home with suburban family, or with loving but practical girlfriend

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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Sisters

Synopsis:
Three sisters have chosen to live a hermit's life on a remote Dorset smallholding. Two archaeologists working on nearby roman ruins, find out why

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Northcott Theatre, Exeter     1968

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:  2            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
National Library of Scotland ref: Traverse - Dep.256/Box 66/2

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Summer In the Park

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
written with Ellen Dryden

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 1991   -

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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When the Barbarians Came

Synopsis:
-

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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Women of Troy, The

Women of Troy, The
Following the fate of the women of Troy after the destruction of their city

Notes:
Original Playwright - Euripides. Revival

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Methuen Drama 2007   978-1408103869

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:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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