Howard John Brenton

FRSL The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 600 Fellows, elec ...

(born 13 December 1942) is an English playwright and screenwriter. While little-known in the United States, he is celebrated in his home country and often ranked alongside contemporaries such as

Edward Bond Edward Bond (born 18 July 1934) is an English playwright, theatre director, poet, theorist and screenwriter. He is the author of some fifty plays, among them '' Saved'' (1965), the production of which was instrumental in the abolition of th ...

, Caryl Churchill, and David Hare.

Early years

Brenton was born in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...

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, son of policeman (later Methodist minister) Donald Henry Brenton and his wife Rose Lilian (née Lewis). He was educated at Chichester High School For Boys and read English Literature at

St Catharine's College, Cambridge St Catharine's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1473 as Katharine Hall, it adopted its current name in 1860. The college is nicknamed "Catz". The college is located in the historic city-centre of Cam ...

. In 1964 he was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal for Poetry.ADC Theatre Archives, Cambridge. While at Cambridge he wrote a play, ''Ladder of Fools'' which was performed at the ADC Theatre as a double bill with "Hello-Goodbye Sebastian" by John Grillo in April 1965, and at the

Oxford Playhouse Oxford Playhouse is a theatre designed by Edward Maufe and F.G.M. Chancellor. It is situated in Beaumont Street, Oxford, opposite the Ashmolean Museum. History The Playhouse was founded as ''The Red Barn'' at 12 Woodstock Road, North Oxf ...

in June of that year. It was described by Eric Shorter of ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' as "Actable, gripping, murky and moody: how often can you say that of the average new play tried out in London, let alone of an undergraduate's work..." Brenton's one-act play, ''It's My Criminal'', was performed at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal ...

(1966).

Career

In 1968 he joined the Brighton Combination as a writer and actor, and in 1969 joined Portable Theatre (founded by David Hare and Tony Bicat), for whom he wrote ''

Christie in Love ''Christie in Love'' is an early play by Howard Brenton concerning the life of serial killer John Christie, who murdered at least seven women between 1943 and 1953, after which he was caught, tried and hanged. Stage history The play, Brenton's ...

'', staged in the Royal Court's Theatre Upstairs (1969) and ''Fruit'' (1970). He is also the author of ''Winter, Daddykins'' (1966), ''Revenge'' for the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs; and the triple-bill ''Heads'', ''Gum & Goo'' and ''The Education of Skinny Spew'' (1969). These were followed by ''Wesley'' (1970); ''Scott of the Antarctic'' and ''A Sky-blue Life'' (1971); ''Hitler Dances'', ''How Beautiful With Badges'', and an adaptation of ''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604, according to available records. It was published in the ''First Folio'' of 1623. The play's plot features its ...

'' (1972). In 1973 Brenton and David Hare were jointly commissioned by

Richard Eyre Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre (born 28 March 1943) is an English film, theatre, television and opera director. Biography Eyre was born in Barnstaple, Devon, England, the son of Richard Galfridus Hastings Giles Eyre and his wife, Minna Ma ...

to write a "big" play for

Nottingham Playhouse Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It was first established as a repertory theatre in 1948 when it operated from a former cinema in Goldsmith Street. Directors during this period included Val May and F ...

. "The result was ''Brassneck'', which offered an exhilaratingly panoramic satire on England from 1945 to the present, depicting the meteoric ups and downs of a self-seeking Midlands family...from singing the Red Flag in 1945 to acting as a conduit for the Oriental drug market in the decadent Seventies." – Michael Billington (2007).Michael Billington, ''State of the Nation: British Theatre since 1945'', Faber (2007) ''Brassneck'' was followed a year later by Brenton's '' The Churchill Play'', again staged by Richard Eyre at the Nottingham Playhouse (1974), another 'state of the nation play' about the growing conflict between security and liberty, opening with the image of a dead Winston Churchill rising from his catafalque in Westminster Hall. Brenton's play "offered an imaginative vision of a future in which basic human freedoms would be curtailed by the state. As so often, a dramatist saw things that others did not". Brenton's next major success was '' Weapons of Happiness'', about a strike in a south London factory, commissioned by the National Theatre for its new Lyttelton Theatre and the first commissioned play to be performed at its South Bank home. Staged by Hare in July 1976, it won the ''Evening Standard'' award for Best Play. He gained notoriety for his play ''

The Romans in Britain ''The Romans in Britain'' is a 1980 stage play by Howard Brenton that comments upon imperialism and the abuse of power. It was the subject of a private prosecution brought by the conservative moral campaigner Mary Whitehouse for gross indecenc ...

'', first staged at the National Theatre in October 1980, which drew parallels between the Roman invasion of Britain in 54BC and the British military presence in Northern Ireland. But the politics of his play were ignored. Instead a display of moral outrage focused on a scene of attempted anal rape of a Druid priest (played by

Greg Hicks Greg Hicks (born 27 May 1953) is an English actor. He completed theatrical training at Rose Bruford College and joined The Royal Shakespeare Company in 1976. He was nominated for a 2004 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in the category "Best Act ...

), caught bathing by a Roman centurion (Peter Sproule). This resulted in a private prosecution by

Mary Whitehouse Constance Mary Whitehouse (; 13 June 1910 – 23 November 2001) was a British teacher and conservative activist. She campaigned against social liberalism and the mainstream British media, both of which she accused of encouraging a more permis ...

against the play's director, Michael Bogdanov. But Whitehouse's prosecution was withdrawn by her own legal team when it became obvious that it would not succeed. The theme of Brenton's 1985 political comedy ''Pravda'', a collaboration with David Hare who also directed, was described by Michael Billington in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' of 3 May 1985 as "the rapacious absorption of chunks of the British press by a tough South African entrepreneur, Lambert Le Roux....superbly embodied by

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...

who utters every sentence with precise Afrikaans over-articulation as if the rest of the world are idiots." The target of the satire was generally accepted to be the Australian international newspaper proprietor

Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...

and his

News International News Corp UK & Ireland Limited (trading as News UK, formerly News International and NI Group) is a British newspaper publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate News Corp. It is the current publisher of ...

empire, but the play's main question mark was about the dangers for society and the state of monopolistic media ownership. Brenton was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, th ...

in 2017.

Personal life

He married Jane Margaret Fry in 1970. They have two sons.

Works

Plays

* ''Ladder of Fools'', Cambridge University Actors, ADC Theatre, Cambridge (1965) * ''Winter, Daddykins'',

Lantern Theatre, Dublin A lantern is an often portable source of lighting, typically featuring a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle or a wick in oil, and often a battery-powered light in modern timesto make it easier to carry and ...

(1965) * ''It's My Criminal'',

(1965) * ''

'', Portable Theatre,

Royal Court Theatre Upstairs The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, Englan ...

(1969) * ''Gum and Goo'', Brighton Combination (1969); RSC at the Open Space Theatre (1971) * ''Revenge'', Royal Court Theatre Upstairs (1969) * ''Heads'',

University of Bradford The University of Bradford is a public research university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. A plate glass university, it received its royal charter in 1966, making it the 40th university to be created in Britain, bu ...

Drama Group (1969); Inter-Action at the Ambience-in-Exile Lunch Hour Theatre Club (1970) * ''The Education of Skinny Spew'',

Drama Group (1969); Inter-Action at the Ambience-in-Exile Lunch Hour Theatre Club (1970) * ''Fruit'' (1970) * ''Wesley'', Bradford Festival (1970) * ''Scott of the Antarctic'', Bradford Festival (1971) * ''Hitler Dances'',

Traverse Theatre The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 1963 by John Calder, John Malcolm, Jim Haynes and Richard Demarco. The Traverse Theatre company commissions and develops new plays or adaptations from contemporary p ...

Workshop (1972) * ''

'' (adaptation), Northcott Theatre (1972) * ''

Magnificence Magnificence may refer to: *Magnificence (history of ideas) *Magnificence, one of Catherine de' Medici's court festivals in 16th-century France * ''Magnificence ''(play), 1973 play by Howard Brenton See also *Magnificent (disambiguation) *The Mag ...

'', Royal Court (1973) * ''Brassneck'', written with David Hare,

(1973) * '' The Churchill Play'', Nottingham Playhouse (1974); revived by the RSC 1978 and 1988 * '' The Screens'', an abridgement of

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels '' The Thief' ...

's '' Les Paravents'',

Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a f ...

studio (1973) * ''The Saliva Milkshake'', Soho Poly Lunchtime Theatre (1975) * '' Weapons of Happiness'', National Theatre, Lyttelton (1976); winner of the Evening Standard award 1976; revived by the

Finborough Theatre The Finborough Theatre is a fifty-seat theatre in the West Brompton area of London (part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) under artistic director Neil McPherson. The theatre presents new British writing, as well as UK and world pr ...

, 2008 * '' Epsom Downs'', Joint Stock Theatre Company (1977) * ''Deeds'', written with Trevor Griffiths,

Ken Campbell Kenneth Victor Campbell (10 December 1941 – 31 August 2008) was an English actor, writer and director known for his work in experimental theatre. He has been called "a one-man dynamo of British theatre". Campbell achieved notoriety in the ...

, and David Hare, Nottingham Playhouse (1978) * ''Sore Throats'', RSC

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by M ...

(1978) * '' The Life of Galileo'', translation from

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a ...

, National Theatre, Olivier (August 1980) * ''

'', National Theatre, Olivier (October 1980) * ''A Short Sharp Shock'', written with Tony Howard, Royal Court at the

Theatre Royal Stratford East The Theatre Royal Stratford East is a 460 seat Victorian producing theatre in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham. Since 1953, it has been the home of the Theatre Workshop company, famously associated with director Joan Littlewood, whos ...

(1980) * ''

Thirteenth Night In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The interval can be also described as a compound sixth, spanning an octave ...

'', RSC Donmar Warehouse (1981) * ''

Danton's Death ''Danton's Death'' (''Dantons Tod'') was the first play written by Georg Büchner, set during the French Revolution. History Georg Büchner wrote his works in the period between Romanticism and Realism in the so-called Vormärz era in German ...

'', translation from

Georg Büchner Karl Georg Büchner (17 October 1813 – 19 February 1837) was a German dramatist and writer of poetry and prose, considered part of the Young Germany movement. He was also a revolutionary and the brother of physician and philosopher Ludwig Büch ...

, National Theatre, Olivier (July 1982) * ''

Conversations in Exile ''Gedichte im Exil'' is a 1937 collection of lyric poems by the German author Bertolt Brecht, on the subject of his exile from Germany after the Nazis took power. It was adapted for the stage as ''Conversations in Exile'' by the English playwrig ...

'', adapted from

Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...

, Foco Novo (1982) * ''The Genius'', Royal Court (1983) * ''Sleeping Policemen'', written with

Tunde Ikoli Tunde is a unisex name, originally a diminutive form of a Yoruba name for a native of Nigeria which also means "returns". Hence, when ''Tunde'' is combined with other Yoruba words such as ''Baba'' (father) or ''Yeye/Iya/Mama'' (mother) to form '' ...

, Foco Novo, Hemel Hempstead then Royal Court (1983) * ''

Bloody Poetry ''Bloody Poetry'' is a 1984 play by Howard Brenton centring on the lives of Percy Shelley and his circle. The play had its roots in Brenton's involvement with the small touring company Foco Novo and was the third, and final, show he wrote for t ...

'', Foco Novo,

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. Roxana Silbert has been the artistic director sin ...

(1984); Royal Court (1987) * ''

Pravda ''Pravda'' ( rus, Правда, p=ˈpravdə, a=Ru-правда.ogg, "Truth") is a Russian broadsheet newspaper, and was the official newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, when it was one of the most influential papers in the ...

'', written with David Hare, National Theatre, Olivier (1985); winner of the Evening Standard Award 1985 * ''

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is ...

'', Royal Court (1988) * ''H.I.D. (Hess is Dead)'', RSC,

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325-seat producing house with an international reputation, which takes its name from the street on which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a di ...

(1989) * ''Iranian Nights'' with

Tariq Ali Tariq Ali (; born 21 October 1943) is a Pakistani-British political activist, writer, journalist, historian, filmmaker, and public intellectual. He is a member of the editorial committee of the ''New Left Review'' and ''Sin Permiso'', and cont ...

, Royal Court (1989) * ''Moscow Gold'' with Tariq Ali, RSC

Barbican Theatre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exh ...

(1990) * ''Berlin Bertie'', Royal Court (1992) * ''

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The wiktionary:erudite, erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a ...

'' Parts 1 and 2, translation from

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...

, RSC Swan Theatre,

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-w ...

(September 1995); RSC

The Pit The Pit may refer to: Places * The Pit, a commonly used name for a mosh pit * The Pit (arena), the main indoor arena at the University of New Mexico * The Pit (memorial), "Яма" the Holocaust memorial in Minsk, Belarus * Elder 'The Pit' Stadiu ...

(September 1996) * ''Ugly Rumours'', with Tariq Ali,

Tricycle Theatre The Kiln Theatre (formerly the Tricycle Theatre) is a theatre located in Kilburn, in the London Borough of Brent, England. Since 1980, the theatre has presented a wide range of plays reflecting the cultural diversity of the area, as well as n ...

(1998) * ''Collateral Damage'' with Tariq Ali and Andy de la Tour, Tricycle Theatre (1999) * ''Snogging Ken'' with Tariq Ali and Andy de la Tour, Almeida Theatre (2000) * ''Kit's Play'', RADA Jerwood Theatre, (2000) * '' Paul'', National Theatre, Cottesloe (November 2005

Olivier nomination for Best Play * '' In Extremis (play), In Extremis'',

Shakespeare's Globe Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays, in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames. The original theatre was built in ...

(2006

revived 2007 * '' Never So Good (play), Never So Good'', National Theatre, Lyttelton (2008

* '' Anne Boleyn (play), Anne Boleyn'', Shakespeare's Globe (2010) * ''

'', National Theatre, Olivier (2010), a translation from

* '' The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists'', Liverpool Everyman and Chichester Festival Theatre (2010) * ''

55 Days ''55 Days'' is an English history play by Howard Brenton, centred on the 1649 trial and execution of Charles I of England following the English Civil War. It premiered at the Hampstead Theatre from 18 October to 24 November 2012, in a production ...

'',

(2012) * '' AIWW: The Arrest of Ai Weiwei'', Hampstead Theatre (2013) * '' Drawing the Line'', Hampstead Theatre (2013) * '' Doctor Scroggy's War'', Shakespeare's Globe (2014) * ''Ransomed'', Salisbury Playhouse (2015) * ''

Lawrence After Arabia ''Lawrence After Arabia'' is a 2016 play by the British playwright Howard Brenton, centred on T. E. Lawrence and his 1922 retreat from public life at the home of his friends George Bernard Shaw and his wife Charlotte. Its premiere production ran ...

'',

Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Martin ...

(2016) * ''The Shadow Factory'', NST City Theatre, at the University of Southampton, (2018) * ''Jude'', Hampstead Theatre (2018)

Libretto

*''Playing Away'', libretto for Ben Mason's football opera,

Opera North Opera North is an English opera company based in Leeds. The company's home theatre is the Leeds Grand Theatre, but it also presents regular seasons in several other cities, at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, the Lowry Centre, Salford Quays a ...

and Munich Biennale (1994); revived

Bregenz Festival Bregenzer Festspiele (; Bregenz Festival) is a performing arts festival which is held every July and August in Bregenz in Vorarlberg (Austria). It features a large floating stage which is situated on Lake Constance. History The Festival becam ...

(2007)

Radio

*''Nasser's Eden'' (1998)

Screenplays

* ''Lushly'' (1972) * ''The Saliva Milkshake'', BBC (1975) * ''The Paradise Run'', Thames TV (1976) * ''Desert of Lies'', BBC

Play for Today ''Play for Today'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stag ...

(1984) * '' Dead Head'', BBC 4-part series (1986) * '' Spooks'', BBC drama series (2002–2005), fourteen episodes; BAFTA Best Drama Series 2003 **"Traitor's Gate" **"The Rose Bed Memoirs" **"Mean, Dirty, Nasty" (with

David Wolstencroft David Wolstencroft (born 16 July 1969), is an American-born British screenwriter and author. He is best known as creator of the BAFTA award-winning TV spy drama '' Spooks'' and its spin-off series, '' Spooks: Code 9''. Early life Wolstencroft wa ...

) **"Nest of Angels" **"Blood & Money" **"I Spy Apocalypse" **"Smoke & Mirrors" **"Project Friendly Fire" **"The Sleeper" **"Who Guards the Guards" (with Rupert Walters) **"Celebrity" **"Road Trip" **"The Russian" **"Diana"

Books

*''Diving for Pearls'' (novel), Nick Hern Books (1989) *''Hot Irons'' (diaries, essays, journalism), Nick Hern Books (1995) ; reissued in an expanded version, Methuen (1998)

Awards

* ''Evening Standard'' Award for – **Best Play 1976, for ''Weapons of Happiness'' **Best Play 1985, for ''

'' *Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Award for best new play 2011, for '' Anne Boleyn (play), Anne Boleyn''

Sources

*''The Second Wave'' by

John Russell Taylor John Russell Taylor (born 19 June 1935) is an English critic and author. He is the author of critical studies of British theatre; of critical biographies of such figures in film as Alfred Hitchcock, Alec Guinness, Orson Welles, Vivien Lei ...

Methuen Methuen may refer to: *Methuen (surname) *Methuen, Massachusetts, a U.S. city **Methuen High School **Methuen Mall *Baron Methuen, a British title of nobility *Methuen Cove, South Orkney Islands *Methuen Publishing, Methuen & Co. Ltd., a British p ...

1978 reprint *Who's Who in the Theatre, 17th Edition, Gale (1981) *''Brenton: Plays One'',

1986 * Theatre Record and its annual Indexes *Howard Brenton's CV for ''Never So Good'' RNT programme 2008

References

External links

*
"A life in theatre: Howard Brenton" 10-07-2010

* ttp://www.theartsdesk.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1827:theartsdesk-qanda-howard-brenton&Itemid=80/ Comprehensive career Q&A on theartsdesk.com17 July 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Brenton, Howard 1942 births Living people Alumni of St Catharine's College, Cambridge English male dramatists and playwrights English male screenwriters English television writers Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature British male television writers Writers from Portsmouth