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Jane Thornton

JANE THORNTON

  (1961 - )
Nationality:    British
email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    Alan Brodie Representation Ltd  represented by Kara Fitzpatrick

Jane Thornton's stage writing credits include SAY IT WITH FLOWERS (Hull Truck Theatre), ALL the FUN OF the FIGHT (Wakefield Theatre Royal), SOLD, (co-written with John Godber), I Want THAT HAIR and WUtheRING HEIGHTS (Hull Truck Theatre), SHAKERS and SHAKERS the MUSICAL (co-written with John Godber) and AMID the STANDING CORN (Joint Stock). For television, she co-wrote the BAFTA winning ODDSQUAD (BBC), BLOOMIN' MARVELLOUS, SHAKERS, CHALKFACE and IT's HAPPY HOUR AGAIN. Jane has also written extensively for radio including two series of SPREAD A LITTLE HAPPINESS (Watershed Productions/BBC) which starred SurAnne Jones, Debra Stephenson and JoAnne Froggatt and which was co-written with John Godber, and DREAMING IN English and BULLY (BBC). She is currently writing a new Afternoon Play for BBC Radio 4, the GIFT, which will be produced by Mary Ward Lowery. Jane is also currently working on the SCULPTOR's SURPRISE, a new play for Wakefield Theatre Royal and MOLLIE OF the MIDFIELD, and education play for York Theatre Royal. Jane also works as an actor and has appeared in the original productions of UP 'N' UNDER, HAPPY JACK, SEPTEMBER IN the RAIN and APRIL IN PARIS as well as CORONATION STREET, HEARTBEAT and HOLLYOAKS.

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

         All the Fun Of the Fight         Amid the Standing Corn         Back To the Walls         Bouncers         Bully         Dracula         Everyday Heroes         Handle With Care         I Want That Hair         Lost         Say It With Flowers         Shakers         Shakers Re-stirred         Sold         Thick as a Brick         Wuthering Heights

All the Fun Of the Fight

Synopsis:
the 1984 miners' strike may have been a battle for jobs and coal, but it was principally fought by women - one iron lady versus thousands of wives and mothers who mounted protests, established soup kitchens and joined picket lines in defence of their community. Jane Thornton was there, and vividly recalls leaping over a garden fence to avoid being trampled by a police charge. She first wrote about the experience in Amid the Standing Corn, but her new play applies a historical perspective to examine how the lives of these domestic heroines have developed since the coal industry collapsed. they have grown older for one thing. Women in their 40s and 50s at the height of the struggle are entering their 60s and 70s now, and their experiences are already begin-fling to seem like remote history. the area may no longer have any pits, but it does have shiny retail outlets. Thornton's play presents elderly sisters Joan and Gwen awkwardly cradling complicated drinks in an American coffee franchise. Thornton has a good ear for pensioners' conversation: "Blueberries - they're American an' all. Whatever happened to currants?" Yet gradually the grumbling sisters slough off the years as their memories return to the era before regeneration and retail parks.
- Alfred Hickling, Guardian

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Theatre Royal And Opera House, Wakefield, West Yorkshire     12 Oct 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

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Genre:
Play/Drama

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

Further Reference:
-

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Amid the Standing Corn

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Soho Poly, London     1985

Organisations:
Joint Stock

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:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Back To the Walls

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

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Bouncers

Synopsis:
Bursting with imagination and wit and presented by just four actors, Bouncers is an outrageous and hilarious parody of the disco scene. the four brutish bouncers of the title portray over twenty different characters as we are invited for a night out on the town. We see them as giggly girls and lads on the make preparing for the big night out as we follow their progress to the disco floor. there, we also meet an entire cross-section of disco-goers, including Hooray Henrys, pogoing punks and drunken slobs! the evening's events arc set against the tatty glitzy glamour, flashing lights and pulsating beat of the night-club scene.

Notes:
written by John Godber And Jane Thornton

1st Produced:
Edinburgh     01 Aug 1984

Organisations:
Yorkshire Actor's Company

1st Published:
Chappell, London, 1987   -

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:  4            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Bully

Synopsis:
the compelling story bravely delves into the darker side of school life. . .

Notes:
author: Yvonne Coppard

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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Dracula

Synopsis:
A new adaptation of the most chilling story of all time. True to Stoker's original novel, Dracula is a fast-moving multi-layered masterpiece of fear. As a sudden and mysterious storm whips the coast of England, a young woman sleepwalks along the edge of a cliff. In the teeth of the gale, a ship crashes through the harbour entrance, abandoned except for an immense dog and fifty boxes of grave dust. the Transylvanian Count Dracula has arrived in England. Immortal only as long as he is able to drink the blood of the living, he pursues his victims with brutally devastating effect. From the remote wilderness of Yorkshire to a vast ruined castle near to London whose windows omit no light, the race to end Dracula's lustful power is underway, if only there is still time . ..

Notes:
Adaptation of the novel by Bram Stoke by John Godber and Jane Thornton.

1st Produced:
Spring St, Hull     25 Oct 1995

Organisations:
Hull Truck Theatre

1st Published:
Josef Weinberger, 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:  6            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Everyday Heroes

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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Handle With Care

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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I Want That Hair

Synopsis:
Forty-year old Becky is overweight, under-paid, and at a crossroads in her life, with a husband who takes her for granted. This reflects itself in her reluctance to re-invent what was her mother's hairdressing business, despite threats from the trendy salon across the street. She is convinced that she and her long-time assistant Heidi will see the new salon off. But things take a sudden turn for the worse when Heidi admits she has been offered a job at the rival salon. Will this change Becky's life, or will her self-pity leave her reaching for the chocolates? Funny, touching and effortlessly liberating, it will have you asking yourself - are you really happy being you?

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Josef Weinberger, 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:
Comedy

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Lost

Lost
It's the first day of Scarborough's summer season and Tom and Chelsea have holiday jobs at the Court Hotel. they love their work  they could watch it all day, especially guests Len and Betty whose fifty year old marriage has run aground on holiday. So when the septuagenarian Palm Court Boys band are delayed, Tom and Chelsea must fill the entertainment slot with their take on Len and Betty's tribulations.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
John Godber Company

1st Published:
Josef Weinberger Ltd (2013) >>>    978- 0 85676 324 3

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:
one act play

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Say It With Flowers

Say It With Flowers
Fresh off the back of their latest amateur Dramatics production, the Parish Players learn that circumstances beyond their control are forcing them to abandon the Parish Hall. Without anywhere to stage their plays, they decide to pull on their gardening gloves and enter the regional Village in Bloom' competition in order to express their artistic flair. But not everyone is keen on the idea, and the seeds are quickly sown for a hilarious yet touching exploration of a village's competitive streak, when opposing forces collide and relationships suddenly sit on opposite sides of the fence in a world where not everything is coming up roses.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Hull Truck Theatre Company

1st Published:
Josef Weinberger Ltd (2010) >>>    978-0856763076

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:
Comedy

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Shakers

Synopsis:
Every town has its local trendy cocktail bar where everyone wants to be seen, from the local check-out girls to the chinless wonders, from the yuppies to the local lads tittering at the thought of a `long comfortable screw'. We are given a wickedly funny glimpse of this world by the four long-suffering waitresses who work there. Rushed off their feet, underpaid and overworked, they try to smile and help the difficult customers whilst coping with their own personal problems. A fascinating and often hilarious view of the reality which lurks behind the plastic palms and the pina coladas

Notes:
written with John Godber

1st Produced:
Spring Street, Hull     31/1985

Organisations:
Hull Truck Theatre Company

1st Published:
Chappell, London, 1987   -

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:
Comedy

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Shakers Re-stirred

Synopsis:
In a not-so-chic London bar called Shakers, we meet Carol, Adele, Nicky and Mel, four friends who have taken to waitressing in desperation but who also have wit and resilience enough to never let any of the colorful characters they come across escape their satire unscathed. In theatrically heightened moments, the women play the roles of men and women alike, covering not only their nights at Shakers but also the lives of four other working women in London. Always at the source of their satire are the men who take them for granted or, worse, abuse them. Against this backdrop of postmodern London life are kaleidoscopic scenes of hilarity and depravity. In intertwining plot threads we follow the waitresses as they confront a possible new owner for the bar and at the same time we follow four shopgirls getting ready for a night on the town. Tart-tongued and irreverent, the lives of all of these women are put in painful perspective by the doubling of their roles which draws attention to the economic and social prejudices affecting all women, not just the fighters we meet at Shakers. Four struggling waitresses try to have a go of it against their customers, bosses and dates alike, using humor, role playing and all out rage to ward off the hopelessness that was Thatcher's London.

Notes:
written with John Godber

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Warner Chappell Plays, London, 1993   -

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:
Comedy

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Sold

Synopsis:
tells the story of Anja, a young Moldovan girl who is sold to traffickers by a cousin, raped a hundred times and forced to work in a London brothel until she can repay the £20,000 her captors say she owes them.

Notes:
written by John Godber And Jane Thornton

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:  2            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Thick as a Brick

Synopsis:
Touring Production

Notes:
written by John Godber, music by John Pattison; lyrics by Jane Thorton

1st Produced:
Greenwich, London     2001

Organisations:
Hull Truck 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:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Wuthering Heights

Synopsis:
deft economical adaptation of classic novel retaining the period piece feel.

Notes:
from novel by Emily Bronte

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:  3            Female:  2            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:
-

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