Peter Whelan (3 October 1931 – 3 July 2014) was a British

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 ...

. Whelan was born and raised in

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...

, England. As a student from 1951–55 Whelan was an inspirational figure in the newly-formed Drama Society at the experimental University College of North Staffordshire, later

Keele University Keele University, officially known as the University of Keele, is a public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, Keele ...

. At Keele he met his wife Frangcon Price, who also excelled in drama as a student and in her later career. They married in 1958. His works includes seven plays for the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

, most of which are

period piece A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swas ...

s based on real historical events. The first of these was ''Captain Swing'' in 1979. Another was ''

The Herbal Bed ''The Herbal Bed'' (1996) is a play by Peter Whelan, written specifically for the Royal Shakespeare Company. The play is set in the year 1613 and is about Susanna Hall, daughter of William Shakespeare, who is accused of adultery with local haberd ...

'', about a court case involving

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's daughter. It was first produced at the RSC's The Other Place theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in 1996 and was revived at The Duchess Theatre from April to October 1997. In 2008, his play ''

The School of Night The School of Night is a modern name for a group of men centred on Sir Walter Raleigh that was once referred to in 1592 as the "School of Atheism". The group supposedly included poets and scientists Christopher Marlowe, George Chapman, Matthew ...

'', originally produced at The Other Place theatre, in November 1992, made its US debut at the

Mark Taper Forum The Mark Taper Forum is a 739-seat thrust stage at the Los Angeles Music Center designed by Welton Becket and Associates on the Bunker Hill section of Downtown Los Angeles. Named for real estate developer Mark Taper, the Forum, the neighboring ...

in Los Angeles. It fictionalizes the relationships between Shakespeare,

Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe, also known as Kit Marlowe (; baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the Elizabethan playwrights. Based upon the ...

Thomas Kyd Thomas Kyd (baptised 6 November 1558; buried 15 August 1594) was an English playwright, the author of ''The Spanish Tragedy'', and one of the most important figures in the development of Elizabethan drama. Although well known in his own time, ...

and

Sir Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellion ...

as well as the events leading up to Marlowe's death. In January 2018, his play ''Sleepers in the Field'' had its world premiere at

The Questors Theatre The Questors Theatre is a theatre venue located in the London Borough of Ealing, west London. It is home of The Questors, a large theatre company which hosts a season of around twenty productions a year and is a member of the ''Little Theatre Gui ...

, in Ealing, London. Important papers of his are stored in the

Borthwick Institute for Archives The Borthwick Institute for Archives is the specialist archive service of the University of York, York, England. It is one of the biggest archive repositories outside London. The Borthwick was founded in 1953 as The Borthwick Institute of Histori ...

in the Library of the

University of York , mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £8.0 million , budget = £403.6 million , chancellor = Heather Melville , vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery , students ...

Plays

* ''Double Edge'' (1975) co-written with Leslie Darbon * ''Captain Swing'' (1979) * ''

The Accrington Pals The Accrington Pals, officially the 11th (Service) Battalion (Accrington), East Lancashire Regiment, was a pals battalion of Kitchener's Army raised in and around the town of Accrington during the First World War. History Recruiting was initi ...

'' (1981) * ''Clay'' (1982) * ''A Cold Wind Blowing Up'' (1983) co-written with Leslie Darbon * ''World's Apart'' (1986) * ''The Bright and Bold Design'' (1991) * ''

'' (1992) * ''Shakespeare Country'' (1993) * ''The Tinder Box'' (1995) * ''The Divine Right'' (1996) * ''

'' (1996) * ''Nativity'' (1997) co-written with Bill Alexander * ''Overture'' (1997) * ''A Russian in the Woods'' (2001) * ''The Earthly Paradise'' (2004) * ''Sleepers in the Field'' (2009)

References

External links

Peter Whelan talks about the childhood influences that led to him becoming a playwright. Video Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whelan, Peter 1931 births 2014 deaths People from Stoke-on-Trent Alumni of Keele University Royal Army Educational Corps soldiers English male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights 20th-century English male writers British republicans