Mike Bartlett (playwright) on:
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Michael Bartlett (born 7 October 1980) is an English
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
and screenwriter for film and TV series. His 2015 psychological thriller TV series, ''
Doctor Foster,'' starring
Suranne Jones
Sarah Anne Akers (née Jones; born 27 August 1978), known professionally as Suranne Jones, is an English actress and producer. She rose to prominence as Karen McDonald in ''Coronation Street'' between 2000 to 2004. Upon leaving, she furthered h ...
, won the New Drama award from
National Television Awards
The National Television Awards (often shortened to NTAs) is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted ...
.
Bartlett also won Best Writer from the Broadcast Press Guild Awards.
A BBC TV Film of Bartlett's play ''
King Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...
'' was broadcast in May 2017 and while critically acclaimed, generated some controversy.
Early life
Bartlett was born on 7 October 1980 in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, England. He attended
Abingdon School
Abingdon School is a day and boarding independent school for boys in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. The twentieth oldest independent British school, it celebrated its 750th anniversary in 2006. The school was described as "highly ...
, then studied English and Theatre Studies at the
University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
.
Career
Early work
In July 2005, Bartlett took part in the
Old Vic
Old or OLD may refer to:
Places
*Old, Baranya, Hungary
* Old, Northamptonshire, England
*Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD)
*OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...
's
New Voices 24 Hour Plays culminating in the performance of his play ''Comfort'' which had to be written and performed in 24 hours.
His radio play ''Not Talking'' was broadcast by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
on Saturday, 29 March 2007.
The play explored the issues surrounding conscientious objection in the UK during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and also at the problems of
bullying
Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an imba ...
within the armed forces. The play featured
Richard Briers
Richard David Briers (14 January 1934 – 17 February 2013) was an English actor whose five-decade career encompassed film, radio, stage and television.
Briers first came to prominence as George Starling in ''Marriage Lines'' (1961–66), but ...
and
June Whitfield
Dame June Rosemary Whitfield (11 November 1925 – 29 December 2018) was an English radio, television, and film actress.
Her big break was a lead in the radio comedy ''Take It from Here'', which aired on the BBC Light Programme in 1953. ...
.
Bartlett won the 2006 Tinniswood Award for ''Not Talking'' and the 2006 Imison Award for a drama by a writer new to radio on 18 October 2007.
In May 2007, while he held the position of "writer in residence" 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 non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, Englan ...
, his play ''My Child'' premiered there.
His play, ''Artefacts'', was performed at
The Bush Theatre
The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. The Bush Theatre strives to create a s ...
in London in 2008 before a national tour, produced by new writing specialists Nabokov. Also in 2008 he adapted his radio play ''Love Contract'' for the Royal Court Theatre.
In 2009 Bartlett's play ''
Cock'' premiered at the
Royal Court
A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...
directed by
James Macdonald. It won the 2010
Laurence Olivier Award
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...
for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre.
The National Theatre
In the summer of 2010 Bartlett's work was staged for the first time at the
National Theatre. ''
Earthquakes in London
''Earthquakes in London'' is a play by Mike Bartlett. It received its world premiere at the Royal National's Cottesloe Theatre on 4 August 2010, following previews from 29 July 2010. The production was directed by Rupert Goold in a co-product ...
'', directed by
Rupert Goold
Rupert Goold (born 18 February 1972) is an English director who works primarily in theatre. He is the artistic director of the Almeida Theatre, and was the artistic director of Headlong Theatre Company (2005–2013).
Early years
Goold was ...
, was described by
Michael Billington in the ''Guardian'' as an "epic, expansive play about climate change, corporate corruption, fathers and children".
Charles Spencer of the ''Daily Telegraph'' called it "the theatrical equivalent of a thrilling roller coaster ride", delivering "a rush of invention, humour and raw emotion".
In December 2010, Abingdon School and St Helen and St Katharine School performed the first ever amateur production of Bartlett's play ''Earthquakes in London'', less than three months after it finished its run at the National Theatre. The schools were given special permission to put the play on, as Bartlett is a former pupil of Abingdon. He attended the last night as guest of honour.
Also in 2010, Bartlett's play ''Love, Love, Love'' was premiered in a touring production. In 2012 it has its London premiere at the
Royal Court
A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...
.
Michael Coveney
Michael Coveney (born 24 July 1948) is a British theatre critic.
Education and career
Coveney was born in London and educated at St Ignatius’ College, Stamford Hill, and Worcester College, Oxford.
After graduation, he worked as a script re ...
, writing for ''Whatsonstage.com'', called it "one of the most ambitious, and most accomplished, domestic dramas in a long while".
In 2011 Bartlett returned to the National Theatre, this time on its largest stage (the Olivier), with ''
13'', another contemporary epic. In a favourable review in the ''Guardian'',
Michael Billington explained, "Bartlett is saying that we live in a Britain where the old tribal loyalties are increasingly irrelevant. The real divide is between a popular protest movement, fed on Facebook and Twitter, that hungers for a change of direction, and an entrenched governmental system that clings precariously to the status quo."
Ian Shuttleworth
Terence Ian Shuttleworth (born 6 July 1963 in Belfast, UK) is a Northern Irish theatre critic and author. He was joint senior theatre critic for the ''Financial Times'' from May 2007 until March 2019. He was editor and publisher of ''Theatre Recor ...
of the ''Financial Times'' noted that this was a play in which "sprawl wins out": "Both here and in ''Earthquakes'' Bartlett is groping towards some sense of a need to reconcile the worldly and the numinous. In this society, in the 21st century, that may be an admirable impulse for an individual, but in this case it is not proving a useful approach for a playwright."
In 2012 Bartlett adapted ''
Chariots of Fire
''Chariots of Fire'' is a 1981 British historical sports drama film directed by Hugh Hudson, written by Colin Welland and produced by David Puttnam. It is based on the true story of two British athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell, a de ...
'' for the stage. It premiered at
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 since ...
before transferring to the West End. He also adapted the
Euripides
Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian
Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful e ...
play ''Medea'', in a touring production he directed himself; it starred
Rachael Stirling
Rachael Atlanta Stirling (born 30 May 1977).. is an English stage, film and television actress. She has been nominated twice for the Laurence Olivier Award for her stage work. She played Nancy Astley in the BBC drama ''Tipping the Velvet'', and ...
in the title role.
Television and further plays
Later in 2012, ITV1 premiered the Crime drama
''The Town'' starring Andrew Scott and Martin Clunes. Bartlett was subsequently nominated for a
BAFTA award for best "Breakthrough Talent" in the TV Craft category in the 2013 awards in relation to ''The Town''.
In October 2013 Bartlett won Best New Play at The National Theatre Awards for his play ''Bull'', beating plays from both
Alan Ayckbourn
Sir Alan Ayckbourn (born 12 April 1939) is a prolific British playwright and director. He has written and produced as of 2021, more than eighty full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of ...
and Tom Wells.
In 2014 his play ''King Charles III'' premiered at the Almeida. It subsequently transferred to
Wyndham's Theatre
Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c.1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the archit ...
and in January 2015 won the Critics' Circle Award for Best Play of 2014. It premiered in Australia at the
Sydney Theatre Company
Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is an Australian theatre company based in Sydney, New South Wales. The company performs in The Wharf Theatre at Dawes Point in The Rocks area of Sydney, as well as the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Thea ...
in April 2016.
In March 2015 his play ''
Game
A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...
'' premiered at the
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 diver ...
in London, England.
In April 2015 Bartlett's plays were awarded two additional Olivier Awards, his play ''King Charles III'' won Best New Play, and his play ''Bull'', directed by
Clare Lizzimore and produced by
Supporting Wall at the Young Vic Theatre, won Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre.
Barlett's five-part television drama series ''
Doctor Foster'' was broadcast in September and October 2015. The series achieved an average of 9.51 million viewers, and was one of the most viewed television drama series of the year. In addition to being a critical success, the drama won two awards at the
2016 National Television Awards in the categories of ''Best New Drama'' and ''Drama Performance'' for
Suranne Jones
Sarah Anne Akers (née Jones; born 27 August 1978), known professionally as Suranne Jones, is an English actress and producer. She rose to prominence as Karen McDonald in ''Coronation Street'' between 2000 to 2004. Upon leaving, she furthered h ...
. A second series commenced showing in September 2017.
In December 2015, Polly Hill, the Controller of
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
Drama Commissioning, announced a six 60-minute episode television series entitled ''Press'' that had been written by Bartlett. Commenting about the series, Bartlett said "From exposing political corruption to splashing on celebrity scandal, editors and journalists have enormous influence over us, yet recent events have shown there’s high-stakes and life-changing drama going on in the news organisations themselves. I’m hugely excited to be working with the BBC to make ''Press'', a behind-the-scenes story about a group of diverse and troubled people who shape the stories and headlines we read every day". In October 2016, Hill, now the Head of Drama at