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David Henry Wilson

DAVID HENRY WILSON  (1937 - )

 Nationality:    British
email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    The Agency (London) Ltd  


David Henry Wilson was born in London, and educated at Dulwich College and Pembroke College, Cambridge. After graduating, he lived and worked in France for two years, and Ghana for four years, before becoming a lector at Cologne University. In 1967 he was appointed Akademischer Oberrat at the new university of KonstANZ, where he founded and ran the university theatre, as well as a literary magazine. He has been involved in theatre since the age of five, when he appeared in a pierrot troupe run by his grandfather, and was already writing, directing and acting in his own plays as a schoolboy. As well as plays, he writes children's books, many of which have been translated into several languages (particularly the Jeremy James series) and novels, the best known being The Coachman Rat. He is also a translator from French and German, and his work ranges from the children's novels of Kirsten Boie to travel guides by Peter Sager, art history by Werner Hofmann, and literary theory by the late Wolfgang Iser. He is married, has three grown-up children, and lives in Somerset, England.

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below is a list of David Henry Wilson's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

 All The World's A Stage         Apple, The         Are You Normal, Mr Norman?         Biscuit, The         Dawn, The         Death Artist, The         Death of a Giant         Doves And Smiths         Escapologist, The         Excellent Beauty         Fourth Prisoner, The         Gas And Candles         Him A-Layin' Bare         How To Avoid A Tragedy         How To Make Your Theatre pay         Iago, The Villain of Venice         If Yer Take A Short Cut Yer Might Lose The Way         Jones v Jones         Lady Macbeth on the Underground         Lear's Fool         Make-Up Artist, The         Maxitweet the Cocoa         Monster Man         Morning Stone, The         On Stage, Mr Smith         People in Cages         Shylock's Revenge         Tragedy of Lady Macbeth         Wall, The         Wendlebury Day         We're Looking For Mary Pickford         Who Cares?

All The World's A Stage

Synopsis:
a 30-minute play in which a large cast of children are left to choose their own parts, with chaotic consequences

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Coventry Cathedral, UK    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 1968   -

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:
Childrens 30 min One Act

Parts:
Male:  13            Female:  7            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Apple, The

Synopsis:
Mary offers William an apple, and an old man recalls a similar world-shattering event

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Please contact the author's agent,    -

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:
One Act

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Are You Normal, Mr Norman?

Synopsis:
in which Mr Norman visits a demon dentist

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Samuel French Inc, NY, 1984   -

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:
inc other short plays One Act

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Biscuit, The

Synopsis:
Mr Godfrey, trapped in a cage, is confronted by two grotesques who hold him responsible for their condition.

Notes:
The grotesques may be male or female

1st Produced:
Rosemary Branch Theatre, London    2001

Organisations:
Hydrae

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:
One Act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Dawn, The

Synopsis:
An elderly couple are subjected to a mysterious and frightening interrogation about their past lives. Only when their son appears do they learn the terrible truth about their own predicament.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Act Inn, London    1975

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Please contact the author's agent,    -

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:
full length Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Death Artist, The

Synopsis:
a 30-minute play in which a rich old man must face the truth about himself and his end

Notes:
subsequently published And produced in UK And USA

1st Produced:
KonstANZ    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in Are You Normal, Mr Norman ?Samuel French Inc, NY,    -

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:
One Act

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Death of a Giant

Synopsis:
Two disabled ex-soldiers try to make a new life for themselves by creating a giant

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Please contact the author's agent,    -

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:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Doves And Smiths

Synopsis:
a tragedy, in which an elderly couple flee from the carnage in their country, and join up with other refugees and aid workers

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
unperformed    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Please contact the author's agent,    -

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:
full length Tragedy

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  huge cast

Further Reference:
-

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Escapologist, The

Synopsis:
Can Escalini escape from the chains placed on him by a black "customer"?

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in Are You Normal, Mr Norman ?Samuel French Inc, NY,    -

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:
One Act

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Excellent Beauty

Synopsis:
a 30-minute battle between the sexes

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Please contact the author's agent,    -

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:
One Act

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Fourth Prisoner, The

Synopsis:
Three prisoners prepare in their different ways for death, but who is or was the fourth prisoner?

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in Are You Normal, Mr Norman ?Samuel French Inc, NY,    -

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:
One Act

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Gas And Candles

Synopsis:
set in the late 1970s, when a pair of pensioners draw attention to their plight by staging a mock siege.

Notes:
aka The Perfect Pension Plan. The Mill Sonning Berkshire 18 Feb 2000

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
The Dramatic Publishing Company, Chicago,    -

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:
full length Comedy

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Him A-Layin' Bare

Synopsis:
When the chimpANZee couple George and Mary acquire a new neighbour, the mighty gorilla Gary, their lives are changed for ever

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
South London Theatre Centre    1971

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Please contact the author's agent,    -

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:
full length Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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How To Avoid A Tragedy

Synopsis:
a 30-minute, happy-ending romp through Shakespeare's four great tragedies

Notes:
winner of the Hydrae Prize 2003

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Please contact the author's agent,    -

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:
One Act

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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How To Make Your Theatre pay

Synopsis:
a 30-minute "hilarious, Ionesco-style satire" (Time Out) in which the Council's Mr Rouse runs logimetric rings round a hapless theatre manager, to the horror of the boobicous Raquel Bardot.

Notes:
First produced by the Wessex Actors Company, subsequently At the Union Theatre, Southwark

1st Produced:
Wessex Actors Company    -

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:
farce One Act

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Iago, The Villain of Venice

Synopsis:
a full-length sequel to Othello

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Please contact the author's agent,    -

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:  large cast

Further Reference:
-

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If Yer Take A Short Cut Yer Might Lose The Way

Synopsis:
An elderly couple look for truth and love in a skeleton and in the glamorous world of TV

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in Are You Normal, Mr Norman ?Samuel French Inc, NY,    -

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:
One Act

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Jones v Jones

Synopsis:
The disintegration of a marriage

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Please contact the author's agent,    -

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:
full length Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Lady Macbeth on the Underground

Synopsis:
a one-hour play in which Marie - an out-of work actress - interviews passengers on the Underground, and gradually reveals the funny and sad details of her own life

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Please contact the author's agent,    -

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:
60 min play One Act

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  flexible

Further Reference:
-

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Lear's Fool

Synopsis:
exploring one of Shakespeare's most enigmatic characters

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Please contact the author's agent,    -

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:
60 min plat One Act

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Make-Up Artist, The

Synopsis:
a 30-minute play in which a young, ambitious actor is gradually transformed into an old has-been

Notes:
subsequently published And produced in UK And USA

1st Produced:
KonstANZ    1980

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
The Dramatic Publishing Company, Chicago,    -

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:
One Act

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Maxitweet the Cocoa

Synopsis:
a 75-minute large-cast play with music, for primary school children. Mr and Mrs Tweet find that their lives are changed for ever when their nest is taken over by the biggest baby bird you've ever seen.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Taunton Junior School    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Please contact the author's agent,    -

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 with music

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Monster Man

Synopsis:
a 75-minute, large-cast play with music, for primary school children. The insects stop fighting one another when their common enemy Man appears on the scene.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Taunton Junior School    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Please contact the author's agent,    -

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 with music

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

Further Reference:
-

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Morning Stone, The

Synopsis:
As their mother lies dying in hospital, two brothers return home and - with the aid of the elder brother's girlfriend - unravel the complex truths about their past.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
unperformed    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Please contact the author's agent,    -

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:
full length Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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On Stage, Mr Smith

Synopsis:
a 30-minute play in which Mr Smith applies for a course in theatrepeutics with the mysterious Mr Abrams, only to find himself enacting his own life

Notes:
subsequently published And produced in UK And USA

1st Produced:
KonstANZ    1975

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
The Dramatic Publishing Company, Chicago,    -

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:
One Act

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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People in Cages

Synopsis:
Have you ever felt trapped? By your job, your family, your background, your circumstances? Then you may recognize the killer, the babes, the couple, the green man, or even the sinister keeper who presides over this strange exhibition. Four short comedies-behind-bars that can be performed separately or as a complete programme.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Please contact the author's agent,    -

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:
comedies One Act

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Shylock's Revenge

Synopsis:
a full-length sequel to The Merchant of Venice (Shakespearian-sized cast)

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Hamburg University    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Please contact the author's agent,    -

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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Tragedy of Lady Macbeth

Synopsis:
exploring one of Shakespeare's most enigmatic characters

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Please contact the author's agent,    -

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:
61 min plat One Act

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  minimum

Further Reference:
-

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Wall, The

Synopsis:
John-John and Doll are busy writing on the wall when they are accosted by a strange old man

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
KonstANZ    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in Are You Normal, Mr Norman ?Samuel French Inc, NY,    -

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:
One Act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Wendlebury Day

Synopsis:
Tom Wendlebury mixes his life and his fantasies in "a solo, virtuoso piece. . .[an] awe-inspiring concoction" (The Scotsman).

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Edinburgh Fringe    1977

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in Are You Normal, Mr Norman ?Samuel French Inc, NY,    -

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:
One Act

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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We're Looking For Mary Pickford

Synopsis:
Two ancient children rebel against their mother, and break out into an unexpectedly claustrophobic and frightening world

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Please contact the author's agent,    -

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:  3            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Who Cares?

Synopsis:
in which two pensioners prepare to donate their meagre savings to charity, while the unions take on management, management takes on the unions, the media meddle and the Prime Minister muddles. Then tragedy strikes, the innocent suffer, the guilty play innocent, but who cares?

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Please contact the author's agent,    -

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:
full length Farce

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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