The Playwrights Database
JOSEPH TRAYNOR (1985 - )
Nationality: Britishemail: Click here to contact Website: Click here
Literary Agent: n/a
I started my descent into the realm of Theatre (or the realm of madness, for the two must be linked) at the tender age of seven when I was inspired by both my love of gothic literature and film, and the voice of Michael Crawford on the original recording of "Phantom of the Opera". It has been an ongoing learning experience. My primary focus in my writing was always to do something more with the material, something that no writer before had thought of. Here I am 14 years later and there is finally an end to my yellow brick road. . .or is it a new beginning?
- Joseph Traynor
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below is a list of Joseph Traynor's plays - click on a Play Title for more information
Blood of Dracula, The Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Dracula: Unbound Frankenstein Madness In Wonderland Phantom of the Opera, The Phantom of the Opera, The: Ressurection Shock Horror When the Clown LaughsBlood of Dracula, The
Synopsis:
In the distant land of Transylvania a great evil is waiting to be unleashed upon this world. He has wandered the centuries alone waiting for his stolen love to return to him. the waiting will soon be at an end and Dracula will be unleashed upon the world to appease his appetite for blood!
Notes:
I remember seeing "the horror of Dracula" As A kid. For those unfamiliar with this version it was the 1958 remake from Hammer Horror starring Christopher Lee And Peter Cushing. It was An experience I will never forget. It was A dark, erotic, gothic film, full of As much Action set pieces As it was blood. I'll never forget the climax with Van Helsing running Along A dining table And tearing the curtains down to expose his nemesis, Dracula to the ray's of the sun. Spectacular! When it came to writing "the Blood of Dracula" (and it's sequel "Dracula: Unbound) I wanted to bring the spirit of the best vampire films to the stage, to write something gothic, frightening, romantic, exciting. Essentially my goal with this musical is to make the Audience feel what I felt when I first saw the Dracula films of Universal And Hammer Horror: Frightened, excited. . .and create An unquenchable thirst for blood!
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Genre:
Horror
Parts:
Male: 9 Female: 7 Other: -
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Top of PageDr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Synopsis:
Behind the fog of Victorian London Dr Henry Jekyll seeks to separate the good and evil within man in the hope that he might be free of his own secret desires. But his experiment instead unleashes upon London his evil twin in the form of Edward Hyde. Soon everyone around Jekyll is caught in the middle of this battle for one mans salvation.
Notes:
What I've done in numerous drafts of the script And three years hard work is show Jekyll's own evils, instead of painting him As the saint And Hyde As the sinner. the two Are the same, the exception being that Hyde Acts upon these impulses And Jekyll tries to deny them. It is A story of dark And light, of human weakness And sorrow. But At its heart is A love story. Jekyll wants to make the world better for his love, Kathryn, but to do that he must rid himself of the desires he feels he is cursed with. We get to see that love flourish And then fall Apart. Our emotions must be roused And we must connect with the characters. This version has been written with A modern And mature Audience in mind. the staging should be subtle in its Approach, especially in the darker parts of the script. Often what is hinted At is much more effective than what we Actually see. This play has been written for two Actors to play both Jekyll And Hyde, Although the script can be changed for one Actor to play both parts. This ultimately may be more effective And satisfying for the Audience And A great challenge for the Actor concerned.
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Genre:
Horror
Parts:
Male: 8 Female: 4 Other: -
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Top of PageDracula: Unbound
Synopsis:
Evil never dies they say. they were right. Forces are at work in Transylvania. Two men with one agenda: To bring the Prince of Darkness back to life. If they succeed Dracula will be unleashed, unbound and the world will overflow with blood!
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Genre:
Horror
Parts:
Male: 7 Female: 5 Other: -
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Top of PageFrankenstein
Synopsis:
Victor Frankenstein is obsessed with death. He is obsessed with the notion of cheating death's curse, granting mankind immortality. His obsession will be his curse when he creates a monster instead of a man. And this monster, rejected by the world and his creator, will seek his revenge!
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Genre:
Horror
Parts:
Male: 9 Female: 5 Other: -
Further Reference:
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Top of PageMadness In Wonderland
Synopsis:
A one-act musical by Joseph Traynor and Ryan Letizia, loosely based on the books by Lewis Carroll, concerns Alice's adventures in a lunatic asylum called Wonderland.
Notes:
Book by Joseph Traynor, Lyrics by Ryan Letizia
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Genre:
Musical / Black Comedy One Act
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
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Top of PagePhantom of the Opera, The
Synopsis:
they say that he lives in the cellars of the opera. they say that he has a death's head and fire for eyes. they call him "the phantom of the Opera"! When a scarred musical genius falls in love with a young opera singer, Christine Daa'e, he swears that he will make her the toast of Paris that she might one day return his love. It is a tale of obsession, sorrow, betrayal, murder and mayhem. But essentially it is a tale of love. Can a monster be loved for what lies within? Or will he always be "the phantom of the Opera?"
Notes:
the first film version of "the Phantom of the Opera" was made by Universal in 1925 And it starred Lon Chaney, the "man of A thousand faces". This was my first taste of the story And, ultimately what made me fall in love with it. Shortly later I read Gaston Leroux's novel And was Amazed how close the Chaney film was to the source material. It was the perfect mix of mystery, romance, tragedy And horror that was lacking from subsequent film versions. the story has Also been Adapted time And time Again for the stage, not to mention one particular version which was named "the most popular musical of All time". Yet this is something that has never intimidated me. Partly because I knew that my version was going to be very different to Any that had come before And I could not see Any reason why An Audience would not go for A new, interesting version of the story, Albeit A much darker And mature one. My intention was Always to go back to the Chaney film, back to Leroux's novel which essentially is A horror story. I have delved into the darker overtones of the phantom's love for his holy grail Christine. It's A love that gives vent to lust, desire. It is A lust that leads to obsession And inevitably the phantom's deformity is not just skin deep, it burns into his soul making him "a monster, no longer A man". But I hope that my version can still play on the Audiences' emotions, Arouse it And still feel pity for my phantom. "the Phantom of the Opera" At its heart is About Acceptance, being loved for what we Are not necessarily what we Appear to be. It is All we can Ask for in life. I hope that my version of this Age-old story is Also Accepted.
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Genre:
Horror
Parts:
Male: 13 Female: 10 Other: -
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Top of PagePhantom of the Opera, The: Ressurection
Synopsis:
Eighteen years after the original "phantom of the opera" a young opera singer, Christina Destler is plagued with strange dreams, dreams of a masked man calling her to love him, dreams of a famous opera singer being murdered. What is the connection? the answer lies at the Paris opera house, within the cellars, beyond the lake where they say lives the phantom himself. But he died, didn't he?
Notes:
Long before Andrew Lloyd Webber Announced his next project would be A sequel to his most famous show "phantom of the opera" I had toyed with the idea of writing A sequel, going back to those dark cellars of the Paris opera house And continuing the story. I read A book, thought it would be A perfect story for the sequel And got to work. After A few days I had my script. I let it sit for nearly A year, went back to it And decided that this was not the story I wanted to tell. I wanted my sequel to "phantom" to be dark, mysterious, filled with excitement. I quickly came up with the story And got to work on the script. Finally I have the story wanted to tell. Darker, more frightening, more romantic And ultimately more tragic than my original. Everything A sequel should be. Whether it will be remembered in twenty years is up to the Audience. This is just A story I had to tell
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Genre:
Horror
Parts:
Male: 8 Female: 10 Other: -
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Top of PageShock Horror
Synopsis:
Vincent has a lot of problems. 1) He is a nervous wreck of a human being. 2) He has a severe drinking problem and 3) He's been seeing the ghost of his dead wife Lenore. Vincent and his best friend are sent by their employer to the foreboding Usher House to investigate the murder of the owner, Salieri Usher. Little does Vincent know that this night is going to change his life forever. It is a tale of mystery, romance, terror, thrills and. . .A cross dressing actor?!
Notes:
Shock Horror is A comedy horror musical based primarily on the films of Vincent Price, particularly "House on haunted hill" And the many, many Edgar Allan Poe films he made with the legendary b-movie producer/director Roger Corman. It is not A spoof or A parody of those films but rather A celebration. these films might have been cheaply made but they were stylish, gothic, scary And often darkly funny thanks to the late, great Vincent Price. So we've got everything Prices' movies had: A hero, A zero, A damsel in distress, ghosts, ghouls, murder, mayhem. "Shock Horror" is scary but At its heart A comedy. In staging it the golden rule is treat it like A very serious Drama And it will be both satisfying And incredibly funny for An Audience
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Genre:
Comedy Horror
Parts:
Male: 9 Female: 3 Other: -
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Top of PageWhen the Clown Laughs
Synopsis:
A house thought abandoned for twenty years. A house where a depraved serial killer was tracked and killed. A house bought by the Johnson family. A young man found in the basement after all these years, his face carved with a hideous grin. A man brought back into society who falls in love with the family's daughter. WHEN the CLOWN laughs is a cross between "Beauty and the beast" and the films of Dario Argento. A love story with a tragic and deformed protagonist
Notes:
WHEN the CLOWN LAUGHS is A story of Acceptance, deformity And Above All love. these Are All themes we can relate to. We have All At one point in our lives have been in love, we All crave Acceptance. Deformity is often not just skin deep but often found inside. there Are monsters in this world. I wanted to write something About the evil found in our homes, in our towns. Our lead protagonist is A young man deformed by his father, A depraved serial killer. All he wants is to be loved And Accepted. But the tragedy of the story, And its greatest question, is can evil be passed down from father to son? Will our tragic hero Elliot give in to the dark impulses he has hidden inside of him? Or can love conquer All in A world that equates ugliness with sin? It is my most personal work And I think my best to date
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Genre:
Horror
Parts:
Male: 8 Female: 7 Other: -
Further Reference:
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