Composers and their stage works 


Alan Ayckbourn

Born in London, 12 April 1939. Educated at Haileybury, Hertford, 1952-56. Married Christine Roland in 1959; two sons. Stage manager and actor, Donald Wolfit's company, in Edinburgh, Worthing, Leatherhead, Scarborough, and Oxford, 1956-57; actor and stage manager, Stephen Joseph Theatre-in-the-Round, Scarborough, Yorkshire, 1957-62; associate director, Victoria Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, 1962-64; drama producer, BBC Radio, Leeds, 1964-70. Since 1970 artistic director, Stephen Joseph Theatre-in-the-Round; associate director, National Theatre, London, 1986-88; professor of contemporary theatre, Oxford University, 1991-92. Recipient: Evening Standard award, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990; Olivier award, 1985; Plays and Players award, 1987. D.Litt.: University of Hull, Yorkshire, 1981; University of Keele, Staffordshire, 1987; University of Leeds, 1987. C.B.E. (Commander, Order of the British Empire), 1987.

Agent: Casarotto Ramsay Ltd., National House, 60-66 Wardour Street, London WIV 3HP, England.

Stage Plays

  1. The Square Cat (as Roland Allen) (produced 1959)
  2. Love after All (as Roland Allen) (produced 1959)
  3. Dad's Tale (for children; as Roland Allen) (produced 1960).
  4. Standing Room Only (as Roland Allen) (also director: produced 1961)
  5. Xmas v. Mastermind (produced 1962)
  6. Mr. Whatnot (also director: produced 1963; revised version produced 1964). 1992
  7. Relatively Speaking (as Meet My Father, produced 1965; as Relatively Speaking, produced 1967) 1968
  8. The Sparrow (also director: produced 1967)
  9. How the Other Half Loves (also director: produced 1969). 1972
  10. Countdown, later called Mixed Doubles (produced 1969). 1970
  11. Ernie's Incredible Illucinations (for children; produced 1971). 1969
  12. The Story So Far (also director: produced 1970; revised version, as Me Times Me Times Me, produced 1971; revised version, as Family Circles, produced 1978)
  13. Time and Time Again (also director: produced 1971). 1973
  14. Absurd Person Singular (also director: produced 1972)
  15. Mother Figure (produced 1973)
  16. The Norman Conquests: Table Manners, Living Together, Round and Round the Garden (also director: produced 1973). 1975
  17. Absent Friends (also director: produced 1974). In Three Plays, 1977
  18. Confusions: Mother Figure, Drinking Companion, Between Mouthfuls, Gosforth's Fete, A Talk in the Park (also director: produced 1974). 1977
  19. Jeeves, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, adaptation of works by P.G. Wodehouse (produced 1975)
  20. Bedroom Farce (also director: produced 1975)
  21. Just Between Ourselves (also director: produced 1976)
  22. Ten Times Table (also director: produced 1977)
  23. Joking Apart (also director: produced 1978)
  24. Men on Women on Men, music by Paul Todd (produced 1978)
  25. Sisterly Feelings (also director: produced 1979)
  26. Taking Steps (also director: produced 1979)
  27. Suburban Strains, music by Paul Todd (also director: produced 1980). 1982.
  28. First Course, music by Paul Todd (also director: produced 1980)
  29. Second Helping, music by Paul Todd (also director: produced 1980)
  30. Season's Greetings (also director: produced 1980; revised version, also director: produced 1982). 1982
  31. Way Upstream (also director: produced 1981). 1983
  32. Making Tracks, music by Paul Todd (also director: produced 1981)
  33. Me, Myself, and I, music by Paul Todd (also director: produced 1981). 1989.
  34. Intimate Exchanges (also director: produced 1982). 2 vols., 1985
  35. A Trip to Scarborough, adaptation of the play by Sheridan (also director: produced 1982)
  36. Incidental Music (produced 1983)
  37. It Could Be Any One of Us (also director: produced 1983)
  38. The Seven Deadly Virtues, music by Paul Todd (also director: produced 1984).
  39. A Cut in the Rates (televised 1984). 1991
  40. The Westwoods (also director: produced 1984)
  41. A Game of Golf (produced 1984)
  42. A Chorus of Disapproval (also director: produced 1984). 1986
  43. Woman in Mind (also director: produced 1985). 1986.
  44. Boy Meets Girl, music by Paul Todd (also director: produced 1985).
  45. Girl Meets Boy, music by Paul Todd (also director: produced 1985).
  46. Mere Soup Songs, music by Paul Todd (also director: produced 1986).
  47. Tons of Money, adaptation of the farce by Will Evans and Valentine (also director: produced 1986). 1986.
  48. A Small Family Business (also director: produced 1987). 1988.
  49. Henceforward (also director: produced 1987).1988.
  50. Vaudeville (produced 1988).
  51. Mr. A's Amazing Maze Plays (for children) (also director: produced 1988). 1989.
  52. Man of the Moment (also director: produced 1988). 1990.
  53. The Revengers' Comedies (also director: produced 1989). 1991.
  54. Invisible Friends (for children) (also director: produced 1989). 1991.
  55. Body Language (also director: produced 1990).
  56. This Is Where We Came In (for children) (also director: produced 1990).
  57. Callis to 5 (for children) (also director: produced 1990).
  58. My Very Own Story (for children) (also director: produced 1991).
  59. Wildest Dreams (also director: produced 1991).
  60. Time of My Life (also director: produced 1992). 1993.
  61. Between the Lines, music by Paul Todd (produced 1992).
  62. Dreams From a Summer House, music by John Pattison (produced 1992).
  63. Wolf at the Door, adaptation of a play by Henry Becque. 1993.
  64. Communicating Doors (produced Scarborough 1994)
  65. Haunting Julia (produced Scarborough )
  66. The Musical Jigsaw Play (a musical with John Pattison - 1994)
  67. A Word From Our Sponsor (a musical with John Pattison - 1995)
  68. House (companion play to Garden) - 2000
  69. Garden (companion play to House) - 2000

Television Plays:

Other:

Critical Studies: 

  1. Theatre in the Round by Stephen Joseph, 1967
  2. The Second Wave by John Russell Taylor, 1971
  3. Post-War British Theatre by John Elsom, 1976, revised edition, 1979
  4. The New British Drama by Oleg Kerensky, 1977
  5. Alan Ayckbourn by Michael Billington, 1983, revised edition, 1990
  6. File on Ayckbourn, edited by Malcolm Page, 1989
  7. Alan Ayckbourn: A Casebook by Bernard F. Dukore, 1991
  8. The Full Room, an A-Z of Contemporary Playwriting by Dominic Dromgoole - Methuen 2000