Christine Denniston (born 30 December 1963) is a playwright, author and dance teacher and one of Britain's leading exponents of the

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...

. She graduated in

theoretical physics Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experim ...

from the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. In April 2012, her one-act musical ''Before the Law'', co-written with

Gwyneth Herbert Gwyneth Herbert (born 26 August 1981) is a British singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Initially known for her interpretation of jazz and Swing (genre), swing jazz standard, standards, she is now established ...

, was awarded second place in the inaugural Sidney Brown Memorial Award for Most Promising New Work which is run by Mercury Musical Developments (MMD), the organisation which supports new musical theatre writing. ''Before the Law'' was adapted from ''A Hand Witch of the Second Stage'' by Peter Barnes. It is the companion piece to ''After Lydia'', a one-act musical based on

Terence Rattigan Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan (10 June 191130 November 1977) was a British dramatist and screenwriter. He was one of England's most popular mid-20th-century dramatists. His plays are typically set in an upper-middle-class background.Geoffrey Wan ...

’s play of the same name, which was commissioned by Sounds of England and was also a collaboration with Gwyneth Herbert. ''After Lydia'' was given a 45-minute reading at

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club that has operated in Soho, London, since 1959. History The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was set up and managed by musicians Ronnie Sco ...

in London on Monday 14 March 2011, starring

Rebecca Caine Rebecca Caine (born 25 November 1959) is a Canadian soprano, and musical theatre performer. Life and career Caine was born in Toronto, Ontario and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. She is the daughter of Australian s ...

, Andrew C. Wadsworth, Simon Green and Daniel Fraser, with Stefan Bednarczyk as musical director. Directed by

Maria Friedman Maria Friedman ( Freedman; born 19 March 1960) is a British actress and director of stage and screen, best known for her work in musical theatre. She is an eight-time Olivier Award nominee, winning three. Her first win was for her 1994 one-wo ...

, it also had a staged reading at the

Watermill Theatre The Watermill Theatre is a repertory theatre in Bagnor, Berkshire. It opened in 1967 in Bagnor Mill, a converted watermill on the River Lambourn. As a producing house, the theatre has produced works that have subsequently moved on to the We ...

Bagnor, Berkshire Bagnor is a village close to the town of Newbury in the English county of Berkshire and situated on the banks of the River Lambourn. At the 2011 census the population of the hamlet was included in the civil parish of Speen. It is best known ...

in August 2012.

Musical theatre

* ''Before the Law'' by Herbert & Denniston, adapted from ''A Hand Witch of the Second Stage'' by Peter Barnes ** Music and lyrics by Gwyneth Herbert • Book by Christine Denniston • Sidney Brown Memorial Award workshop and showcase at the

Theatre Royal Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dru ...

, directed by Matt Ryan, musical director Peter White * ''After Lydia'' by Herbert & Denniston, adapted from a play by Terence Rattigan ** Music and lyrics by Gwyneth Herbert • Book by Christine Denniston • Workshop and staged readings at The Watermill, Newbury, directed by Maria Freidman, musical director Stefan Bednarczyk • Selected for the

New York Musical Theatre Festival The New York Musical Festival (NYMF) was an annual three-week summer festival that operated from 2004 to 2019. It presented more than 30 new musicals a year in New York City's midtown theater district. More than half were chosen by leading theate ...

* ''Cake'' by Saward & Denniston ** Music by Tim Saward • Lyrics and book by Christine Denniston • Selected for the LOST Theatre Five Minute Festival *''Beyond the Moon'' by Bruce & Denniston ** Music and lyrics by Michael Bruce • Book by Christine Denniston • Workshop and staged reading at

The Drill Hall RADA Studios (formerly The Drill Hall) is a theatrical venue in Chenies Street in Bloomsbury, just to the east of Tottenham Court Road in the West End of London. Owned by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), the building contains rehearsal ...

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...

, London, produced by Spekulation Entertainment

Publications

* Denniston, Christine (2007). ''The Meaning of Tango: The Story of the Argentinian Dance'', Anova Books. , 9781906032166, 206 pp.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denniston, Christine 1963 births Living people 21st-century British dramatists and playwrights 21st-century British women writers Alumni of the University of Cambridge British female dancers British women dramatists and playwrights Dance teachers Tango dancers Place of birth missing (living people)