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Roger Hall (playwright)
Sir Roger Leighton Hall (born 17 January 1939) is one of New Zealand's most successful playwrights, arguably best known for comedies that carry a vein of social criticism and feelings of pathos. Biography Early years Hall was born in Woodford, Essex, England, and educated at London's University College School from 1952 until 1955, when he embarked on a career in insurance. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1957 and continued to work in insurance, also performing in amateur theatre in the city of Wellington. He continued to act while attending Wellington Teachers’ College and Victoria University of Wellington; fellow actor John Clarke praised his impression of then Prime Minister Keith Holyoake as the template for all others. Hall began writing plays for children while teaching, which included a spell at Berhampore School, Wellington. He became a naturalised New Zealander in 1980. Career Hall began writing for television in the 1960s – over the next four decades his telev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Woodford, London
Woodford is a town in East London, within the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located north-east of Charing Cross. Woodford historically formed an ancient parish in the county of Essex. It contained a string of agrarian villages and was part of Epping Forest. From about 1700 onwards, it became a place of residence for affluent people who had business in London; this wealth, together with its elevated position, has led to it being called the ''Geographical and social high point of East London''. Woodford was suburban to London and after being combined with Wanstead in 1934 it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1937. It has formed part of Greater London since 1965 and comprises the neighbourhoods of Woodford Green, Woodford Bridge, Woodford Wells and South Woodford. The area is served by two stations on the Central line of the London Underground: Woodford and South Woodford. History Toponymy Woodford appears in the 1086 Domesday Book as ''Wdefort'', although i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Middle-Age Spread
''Middle-Age Spread'' is a 1977 play written by New Zealand playwright Roger Hall that premiered at the Circa Theatre in Wellington, New Zealand. The play was later staged at the London West End Lyric Theatre in 1978, winning the Laurence Olivier Award Comedy of the Year. Film adaptation The play was adapted by Keith Aberdein, released in 16 mm film format in 1979, directed by John Reid, with Grant Tilly, Donna Akersten, Dorothy McKegg, and Bridget Armstrong Bridget Armstrong (born 1937, Dunedin) is a New Zealand actress. She appeared on stage, film and TV several times, including ''The Lost Tribe (The Goodies)''; as Nurse Rosemary Layton, in the ''Edgar Wallace Mysteries'' ' episode, ''We Shall See'' .... References Further reading * External links * 1977 plays Comedy plays Laurence Olivier Award-winning plays Plays by Roger Hall West End plays New Zealand plays New Zealand plays adapted into films {{1970s-play-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stephen Lovatt
Stephen Lovatt (born 27 May 1964) is a New Zealand actor, best known internationally for his portrayal of character Max Hoyland on the Australian soap ''Neighbours''. Career Since training as an actor at Toi Whakaari, the New Zealand Drama School, graduating in 1986, Lovatt has acted on stage, television and feature films. Aside from his award-winning theatre work, his New Zealand roles include 30 episodes of soap '' Shortland Street'', Eve's father in ''Being Eve'', an episode of ''Mataku'' and local television success ''Go Girls''. He has also acted in many fantasy shows that were filmed in New Zealand; he co-starred as one of the adventurers in Jules Verne adaptation ''Mysterious Island'', and had guest parts in '' Legend of the Seeker'', the short-lived ''Cleopatra 2525'', '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' and spin-off shows '' Young Hercules'', playing the God Morpheus and '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' where he played Phalangus and also the God of the Underworld, Hades i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The End Of The Golden Weather
''The End of the Golden Weather'' is a play by Bruce Mason about a boy's loss of innocence in Depression-era New Zealand. It was written for solo performance by the author but can be performed by an ensemble and was made into an award-winning feature film directed by Ian Mune in 1991. It was workshopped in 1959 and first performed for the public in 1960. The script was published in 1962 and again in 1970 after Mason had performed it more than 500 times.Mason, Bruce ''The End of the Golden Weather A voyage into a New Zealand childhood'', New Zealand University Press and Price Milburn, Wellington, 1962, 95pp, SBN 7055 0010 1 In 1963 he performed it at the Edinburgh Festival. Set in the fictitious beachfront township of Te Parenga on Auckland's North Shore in the 1930s, the main character is a nameless boy of about 12 (called Geoff in the film), based on the young Mason and a man from his childhood. The play is in four parts: :''Sunday at Te Parenga'' :''The night of the riots'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bruce Mason
Bruce Edward George Mason (28 September 1921 – 31 December 1982) was a significant playwright in New Zealand who wrote 34 plays and influenced the cultural landscape of the country through his contribution to theatre. In 1980, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. The Bruce Mason Playwriting Award, one of the most important playwrighting accolades in New Zealand, is named in his honour. Mason was also an actor, critic, and fiction writer. Mason's most well known play is ''The End of the Golden Weather'', a classic work in New Zealand theatre, which he performed solo more than 500 times in many New Zealand towns. It was made into a feature film directed by Ian Mune in 1991. Another significant play is ''The Pohutukawa Tree'' written during the 1950s and 1960s. ''The Pohutukawa Tree'' was Mason's first major success and explored Māori and Pākehā themes, a common thread in most of his works. Theatre was an avenue for Mason to highlight social and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dunedin
Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. The city has a rich Scottish people, Scottish, Chinese people, Chinese and Māori people, Māori heritage. With an estimated population of as of , Dunedin is both New Zealand's seventh-most populous metro and urban area. For historic, cultural and geographic reasons the city has long been considered one of New Zealand's four main centres. The urban area of Dunedin lies on the central-eastern coast of Otago, surrounding the head of Otago Harbour, and the harbour and hills around Dunedin are the remnants of an extinct volcano. The city suburbs extend out into the surrounding valleys and hills, onto the isthmus of the Otago Peninsula, and along the shores of the Otago Harbour and the Pacific Ocean. Archaeological evidence points to lengthy o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Skellern
Peter Skellern (14 March 1947 – 17 February 2017) was an English singer-songwriter and pianist who rose to fame in the 1970s. He had two top twenty hits on the UK Singles Chart - " You're a Lady" (1972), which typifies his signature use of brass bands and choral arrangements for a nostalgic and romantic feel, and " Hold On to Love" (1975). In the 1980s, Skellern formed the band Oasis with Julian Lloyd Webber and Mary Hopkin and established a musical comedy partnership with Richard Stilgoe in cabaret. Over his career, Skellern wrote and performed music for film, television and stage, notably writing and starring in ''Happy Endings'', a 1981 BBC anthology series of comic musical plays. Skellern's songs have been recorded by Andy Williams, Davy Jones, Brigitte Bardot, Ringo Starr and Jack Jones, amongst others. After developing an inoperable brain tumour, Skellern was ordained as a deacon and priest of the Church of England in October 2016. He died four months later. Career P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Footrot Flats
''Footrot Flats'', a comic strip by New Zealand cartoonist Murray Ball, ran from 1976 to 1994 in newspapers (unpublished strips continued to appear in book form until 2000). Altogether there are 27 numbered books (collecting the newspaper strips, with additional material), a further 8 books collecting the Sunday newspaper strips, and 5 smaller "pocket" books of original material, plus various related publications. The strips inspired a stage musical, an animated feature film called ''Footrot Flats: the Dog's Tail Tale'', and a theme park in Auckland, New Zealand. The strip reached its peak of popularity in the mid-1980s, with the books selling millions of copies in Australasia. The comic's protagonist is a border-collie sheepdog known as "the Dog", owned by Wal Footrot, who runs a sheep and cattle farm called Footrot Flats near the fictional rural town of Raupo in New Zealand. The comic depicts the trials and tribulations of Wal, the Dog and other characters, human and animal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Philip Norman (author)
Philip Norman (born 13 April 1943) is an English author, novelist, journalist and playwright. He is best known for his biographies of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Buddy Holly and Elton John. His other books include similar studies of John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton. Early years Norman was born in London but grew up in Ryde, on the Isle of Wight. He attended Ryde School, and his father, Clive Norman, ran the Seagull Ballroom on Ryde Pier. He describes his childhood in the book ''Babycham Night''. Relatives of his produced the eponymous sparkling perry in Shepton Mallet. Career Journalism Norman began working as a staff writer for ''The Sunday Times'' in 1965. In addition to writing the newspaper's Atticus column, he gained notice during the late 1960s and over the following decade for his profiles of public figures such as Elizabeth Taylor, P.G. Wodehouse and Muammar Gaddafi, and of musical artists, including James Brown, Little Richard, the Beach ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Williams (actor)
Michael Leonard Williams (9 July 1935 – 11 January 2001) was a British actor who played both classical and comedy roles. He was best known for co-starring in the sitcom '' A Fine Romance'' with his wife Dame Judi Dench, and for voicing Dr. Watson in the long running Sherlock Holmes adaptations for BBC Radio. Early life and career Williams was born in Liverpool, Lancashire. Personal life Williams married Judi Dench on 5 February 1971, the same year that they co-starred in a stage production of John Webster's ''The Duchess of Malfi''. They had one daughter, Tara Cressida Williams (b. 1972), known as Finty Williams, who is also an actress. Williams was also godfather to the actor Rory Kinnear. He was the President of the Roman Catholic Actors' Guild. Shortly before his death from lung cancer at the age of 65, Williams was appointed a Knight of St Gregory (KSG) by Pope John Paul II for his contribution to Catholic life in Britain. The honour was officially bestowed up ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gwen Taylor
Gwen Taylor (born 19 February 1939) is an English actress who has appeared in many British television programmes. She is known for her roles as Amy Pearce in the sitcom ''Duty Free'' (1984–1986); Barbara Liversidge in the sitcom '' Barbara'' (1999–2003); Peggy Armstrong in the drama series '' Heartbeat'' (2005–2009), Anne Foster in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' (2011–2012), and Vi Highway in BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2021–present). She was nominated for the 1990 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for her role as Rita Simcock in the comedy series ''A Bit of a Do'' (1989). Her film appearances include '' Monty Python's Life of Brian'' (1979) and '' The Lady in the Van'' (2015). Biography Taylor was born in Crich, Derbyshire. Her initial career was in banking, but when she was an assistant area manager for the National Provincial Bank in Derby she became increasingly interested in amateur dramatics. Her first professional acting role wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Sitcom
A British sitcom or a Britcom is a situational comedy programme produced for British television. Most British sitcoms are recorded on studio sets, while some have an element of location filming. A handful are made almost exclusively on location (for example, '' Last of the Summer Wine'') and shown to a studio audience prior to final post-production. A subset of British comedy consciously avoids traditional situation comedy themes, storylines, and home settings to focus on more unusual topics or narrative methods. ''Blackadder'' (1983–1989) and '' Yes Minister'' (1980–1988, 2013) moved what is often a domestic or workplace genre into the corridors of power. A later development was the mockumentary genre exemplified by series such as ''The Office'' (2001–2003). Early years ;''Pinwright's Progress'' Written by Rodney Hobson, '' Pinwright's Progress'' (1946–1947) was the world's first regular half-hour televised sitcom. Broadcast live by the BBC from Alexandra Palace, it wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
