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The Norman Conquests
''The Norman Conquests'' is a trilogy of plays written in 1973 by Alan Ayckbourn. Each of the plays depicts the same six characters over the same weekend in a different part of a house. ''Table Manners'' is set in the dining room, ''Living Together'' in the living room, and ''Round and Round the Garden'' in the garden. The plays were first performed in Scarborough, before runs in London and on Broadway. A television version was first broadcast in the UK during October 1977. Outline The small scale of the drama is typical of Ayckbourn. There are only six characters, namely Norman, his wife Ruth, her brother Reg and his wife Sarah, Ruth's sister Annie, and Tom, Annie's next-door-neighbour. A seventh unseen and unheard character is in the house, upstairs: the bedridden mother of Reg, Ruth and Annie. The plays are at times wildly comic, and at times poignant, in their portrayals of the relationships among the six characters. Each play is self-contained, and they may be watched ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, where all but four of his plays have received their first performance. More than 40 have subsequently been produced in the West End, at the Royal National Theatre or by the Royal Shakespeare Company since his first hit '' Relatively Speaking'' opened at the Duke of York's Theatre in 1967. Major successes include ''Absurd Person Singular'' (1975), ''The Norman Conquests'' trilogy (1973), '' Bedroom Farce'' (1975), ''Just Between Ourselves'' (1976), '' A Chorus of Disapproval'' (1984), ''Woman in Mind'' (1985), ''A Small Family Business'' (1987), '' Man of the Moment'' (1988), ''House'' & ''Garden'' (1999) and ''Private Fears in Public Places'' (2004). His plays have won numerous awards, includi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Matthew Warchus
Matthew Warchus (born 24 October 1966) is a British theatre director, filmmaker, lyricist, and playwright. He has been the Artistic Director of London's The Old Vic since September 2015. Personal life Warchus is married to American actress Lauren Ward, who originated the role of Miss Honey in the Stratford-upon-Avon, London, and Broadway productions of ''Matilda the Musical''. Ward and Warchus met when he directed her in the 2001 revival of ''Follies'' on Broadway. They have three children. Career Warchus attended Selby High School. He studied music and drama at Bristol University and has directed for the National Youth Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Donmar Warehouse, Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal National Theatre, Opera North, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Welsh National Opera, English National Opera and in the West End. He won the Globe's Most Promising Newcomer Award for ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in the West End, the Evening Standard Best Director award, and Olivier Award no ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Troughton
David Troughton (born 9 June 1950) is an English actor. He is known for his Shakespearean roles on the British stage and for his many roles on British television, including Dr Bob Buzzard in ''A Very Peculiar Practice'' and Ricky Hanson in ''New Tricks''. Early life and family David Troughton was born in Hampstead, London. He comes from an acting family of Jewish ancestry. He is the son of Patrick Troughton, elder brother of Michael Troughton, and father of actors Sam Troughton and William Troughton. He attended Orange Hill Grammar School in Edgware with his brother Michael. Another son is the Warwickshire cricketer Jim Troughton. Troughton is also an uncle of the actor Harry Melling. Career His memorable performances include King Richard in ''Richard III'' (RSC, 1996), Bolingbroke in ''Richard II'' (RSC, 2000) and Duke Vincentio in ''Measure for Measure'' ( Théâtre de Complicité, 2004). On television, his roles have included Ham Peggotty in ''David Copperfield''; gues ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 it was a few years later, when he narrated ''Roobarb'' (1974–76) and '' Noah and Nelly in... SkylArk'' (1976–77) and played Tom Good in the BBC sitcom '' The Good Life'' (1975–78), that he became a household name. He starred as Martin in ''Ever Decreasing Circles'' (1984–89), and had a leading role as Hector in '' Monarch of the Glen'' (2000–05). From the late 1980s, with Kenneth Branagh as director, he performed Shakespearean roles in ''Henry V'' (1989), ''Much Ado About Nothing'' (1993), ''Hamlet'' (1996) and ''As You Like It'' (2006). Early life Briers was born on 14 January 1934 in Raynes Park, Surrey, the son of Joseph Benjamin Briers and his second wife Morna Phyllis, daughter of Frederick Richardson, of the Indian Civil Se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Penelope Wilton
Dame Penelope Alice Wilton (born 3 June 1946), styled Penelope, Lady Holm between 1998 and 2001, is an English actress. She is known for starring opposite Richard Briers in the BBC sitcom ''Ever Decreasing Circles'' (1984–1989); playing Homily in ''The Borrowers'' (1992) and ''The Return of the Borrowers'' (1993); and for her role as the widowed Isobel Crawley in the ITV drama ''Downton Abbey'' (2010–2015). She also played the recurring role of Harriet Jones in ''Doctor Who'' (2005–2008) and Anne in Ricky Gervais' Netflix dark comedy '' After Life''. Wilton has had an extensive career on stage, receiving six Olivier Award nominations. She was nominated for ''Man and Superman'' (1981), '' The Secret Rapture'' (1988), '' The Deep Blue Sea'' (1994), ''John Gabriel Borkman'' (2008) and ''The Chalk Garden'' (2009), before winning the 2015 Olivier Award for Best Actress for ''Taken at Midnight''. Her film appearances include ''Clockwise'' (1986), ''Cry Freedom'' (1987), ''Ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom Conti
Tommaso Antonio Conti (born 22 November 1941) is a Scottish actor, theatre director, and novelist. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1979 for his performance in '' Whose Life Is It Anyway?'' and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1983 film ''Reuben, Reuben''. Early life Tommaso Antonio Conti was born on 22 November 1941 in Paisley, Renfrewshire, the son of hairdressers Mary McGoldrick and Alfonso Conti. He was brought up Roman Catholic, but is now antireligious. His father was Italian, while his mother was born and raised in Scotland to Irish parents. Conti was educated at independent Catholic boys' school Hamilton Park and at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, both in Glasgow. Career Conti is a theatre, film, and television actor. He began working with the Dundee Repertory in 1959. He appeared on Broadway in '' Whose Life Is It Anyway?'' in 1979, and in London, he played the lead in '' Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell'' at the Gar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thames Television
Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a Broadcast license, franchise holder for a region of the British ITV (TV network), ITV television network serving Greater London, London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broadcast from 9:25 Monday morning to 5:15 Friday afternoon (7:00 Friday night until 1982) at which time it would hand over to London Weekend Television (LWT). Formed as a joint company, it merged the television interests of British Electric Traction (trading as Associated-Rediffusion) owning 49%, and Associated British Picture Corporation—soon taken over by EMI—owning 51%. Like all ITV franchisees, it was a broadcaster, a producer and a commissioner of television programmes, making shows both for the local region it covered and, as one of the History of ITV#The Big Four and Big Five, "Big Five" ITV companies, for networking nationally across the ITV regions. After its loss of franchise i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Circle In The Square Theatre
The Circle in the Square Theatre is a Broadway theater at 235 West 50th Street, in the basement of Paramount Plaza, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is one of two Broadway theaters that use a thrust stage that extends into the audience on three sides. History Previous locations The original Circle in the Square was founded by Theodore Mann, José Quintero, Jason Wingreen, Aileen Cramer and Emily Stevens in 1951 and was located at 5 Sheridan Square (a former nightclub) in Greenwich Village. The original Circle in the Square did not have a theater license, but Mann was able to get a cabaret license; the production staff and off duty actors served as waiters if anyone insisted on ordering food or drinks. Many of the theater personnel, both acting and technical, lived on the premises. Even classical performances took place here: Pianist Grete Sultan, who later became a well-known interpreter of New Music and was John Cage's close friend, performed the ''Go ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theatre In The Round
A theatre in the round, arena theatre or central staging is a space for theatre in which the audience surrounds the stage. Theatre-in-the-round was common in ancient theatre, particularly that of Greece and Rome, but was not widely explored again until the latter half of the 20th century. The Glenn Hughes Penthouse Theatre in Seattle, Washington was the first theatre-in-the-round venue built in the United States. It first opened on May 19, 1940 with a production of ''Spring Dance'', a comedy by playwright Philip Barry. The 160-seat theatre is located on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle and is on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1947, Margo Jones established America's first professional theatre-in-the-round company when she opened her Theater '47 in Dallas. The stage design as developed by Margo Jones was used by directors in later years for such well-known shows as the Tony Award-winning musical ''Fun Home'', the original stage production of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amelia Bullmore
Amelia Mary Bullmore (born 31 January 1964) is an English actress, screenwriter and playwright. She is known for her roles in ''Coronation Street'' (1990–1992), '' I'm Alan Partridge'' (2002), '' Ashes to Ashes'' (2008–2009), ''Twenty Twelve'' (2011–2012) and ''Scott & Bailey'' (2011–2014). Bullmore began writing in 1994. Her writing credits include episodes of ''This Life'', '' Attachments'', ''Black Cab'', and ''Scott & Bailey.'' Early life and education Bullmore was born in Chelsea, London, to Jeremy Bullmore, an advertising executive, and Pamela Bullmore (née Green), a gardening writer. She has two older brothers, neuropsychiatrist and neuroscientist Edward Bullmore and documentary filmmaker Adam Bullmore. She studied drama at Manchester University. Career Acting Bullmore was part of a cabaret group named Red Stockings, along with Helen Edmundson. While performing at the Contact Theatre in Manchester, a casting director for ''Coronation Street'' saw her per ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Ritter (actor)
Simon Paul Adams (20 December 1966 – 5 April 2021), known professionally as Paul Ritter, was an English actor. He had roles in films including ''Son of Rambow'' (2007), ''Quantum of Solace'' (2008), ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' (2009), ''The Eagle'' (2011), and ''Operation Mincemeat'' (2021), as well as television programmes including ''Friday Night Dinner'' (2011–2020), '' Vera'', ''The Hollow Crown'', ''The Last Kingdom,'' ''Chernobyl'', ''Belgravia'' and '' Resistance.'' Early life Ritter was born Simon Paul Adams on 20 December 1966 in Gravesend, Kent. His father Ken Adams, a toolmaker, worked at various power stations; his mother Joan ( Mooney) was a school secretary. His family were Catholic and he had four older sisters. Adams attended Gravesend Grammar School where he acquired an A Level in Theatre Studies. He went on to study Modern Languages at St John's College, Cambridge. After graduating, he went to the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg, Germ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amanda Root
Amanda Root (born 1963) is an English stage and screen actress and a former voice actress for children's programmes. Root is known for her starring role in the 1995 BBC film adaptation of Jane Austen's ''Persuasion'', her role in the British TV comedy ''All About Me'', as Miranda, alongside Richard Lumsden in 2004, and for voicing Sophie in ''The BFG''. She trained for the stage at Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. Life and career Root was born in Chelmsford, Essex. She began her career at the Leeds Playhouse in 1983 when she played Essie in Bernard Shaw's '' The Devil's Disciple''. She was a remarkably complete actress even in her early twenties, when physically she looked little more than a child. With her dark soulful eyes she could command a stage, and the Royal Shakespeare Company saw her talent very early on. She worked regularly with the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon and London from 1983 to 1991, including playing the role of Juliet to Daniel Day-Lewis's Romeo; a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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