Sir Alan Ayckbourn CBE (born April 12, 1939) is a popular and prolific English playwright. He is frequently cited^{[citation needed]} as the second most-performed English language playwright, after William Shakespeare. Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq... Template:Unsourced A playwright, also known as a dramatist, is someone who writes dramatic literature or drama. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Life

Ayckbourn was born in London. His mother Irene Worley was a writer of short stories who published successfully under the name of "Mary James". His father, Irene's second husband Horace Ayckbourn, was a distinguished orchestral violinist, at one time deputy leader of the London Symphony Orchestra. His parents, who separated shortly after World War II, never formally married, and Ayckbourn's mother divorced her first husband in order to marry again in 1948^[1]. London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... It has been suggested that London (orchestra) be merged into this article or section. ... This article is becoming very long. ...

Ayckbourn wrote his first play at prep school when he was about 10. While attending prep school as a boarder his mother wrote to him to tell him she was getting married to Cecil Pye, who was a bank manager, and when he was at home for the holidays his new family consisted of his mother, his stepfather and Christopher, his stepfather's son by an earlier marriage. It seems Cecil and Irene were not a happy couple. Paul Allen has compared characters and themes in Ayckbourn's mature plays with his childhood experience of several unconventional relationships and an unhappy marriage^[2].

He attended Haileybury, and while studying there he toured Europe and America with the school Shakespeare company. On leaving school at 17 his theatrical career started immediately, with an introduction to Sir Donald Wolfit by his French master. Ayckbourn joined Wolfit on tour as an assistant stage manager and actor. Coat of arms of Haileybury College This article refers to the school in England. ... World map showing Europe Political map (neighboring countries in Asia and Africa also shown) Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ... United States is the current Good Article Collaboration of the week! Please help to improve this article to the highest of standards. ... Donald Wolfit (1902-1968) was an English actor-manager, knighted in 1957 for his services to the theatre. ... Stage management is a sub-discipline of stagecraft. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

By 1957, Ayckbourn was acting with the director Stephen Joseph at Scarborough. In 1959 he played Stanley in the second production of writer-director Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party. This article is on the English seaside resort. ... Harold Pinter Pinter redirects here. ...

After Ronnie Barker played Lord Slingsby-Craddock in the London production of Ayckbourn's Mr Whatnot in 1964, Ayckbourn collaborated on the scripts of Barker's television series for LWT Hark at Barker (in which Barker played Lord Rustless). Ayckbourn used the pseudonym "Peter Caulfield" because he was under exclusive contract to the BBC at the time. The London production of another early play, Relatively Speaking in 1967 helped to launch Richard Briers' career, and also featured Michael Hordern and Celia Johnson. Ronnie Barker Ronald William George Barker OBE (September 25, 1929 – October 3, 2005), popularly known as Ronnie Barker and (as a writer) Gerald Wiley , was an English comic actor and writer. ... London Weekend Television (LWT) was (and for legal formalities still is; see below) the ITV contractor for London and the South East, Friday 7:00pm (1968-1982)/5:15pm (1982-2002) to Monday, 5:59am. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest public broadcasting corporation in the world. ... Richard Briers, CBE (born on January 14, 1934) is a popular English actor whose career encompasses the theatre, television, film and radio. ... Sir Michael Hordern (October 3, 1911-May 2, 1995) was a British actor, knighted in 1983 for his services to the theatre. ... Dame Celia Johnson (1908-1982) was an English actress, famous for her role in the 1945 film, Brief Encounter, opposite Trevor Howard. ...

Ayckbourn has written and produced some seventy plays in Scarborough and London and is the artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. Almost all of his plays receive their first performance at this theatre. More than 25 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. The Stephen Joseph Theatre is a theatre in the round in Scarborough that was founded by Stephen Joseph and was the first theatre in the round in Britain. ... // West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre in London, or sometimes more specifically for shows staged in the large theatres of Londons Theatreland . Along with New Yorks Broadway Theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of theatre in the... The Royal National Theatre from Waterloo Bridge The Royal National Theatre is a building complex and theatre company located on the South Bank in London, England immediately east of the southern end of Waterloo Bridge. ... Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon The Royal Shakespeare Company is a British theatre company, one of the most influential in the country. ... Relatively Speaking was a game show that aired in syndication from September 5, 1988 - June 23, 1989. ...

Major successes include Absurd Person Singular, The Norman Conquests trilogy, Bedroom Farce, Just Between Ourselves, A Chorus Of Disapproval, Woman In Mind, A Small Family Business, Man Of The Moment and House & Garden. His plays have won numerous awards, including seven London Evening Standard Awards. They have been translated into over 30 languages and are performed on stage and television throughout the world. Absurd Person Singular is a 1972 play by Alan Ayckbourn. ... The Norman Conquests Trilogy is a series of plays by Alan Ayckbourn. ... Woman in Mind is a play by Alan Ayckbourn, first staged in 1993. ... House and Garden are a diptych of plays written by the English playwright Alan Ayckbourn, first performed in 1999. ...

Plays by Ayckbourn have also been filmed, in French and English. Four of his plays have been staged on Broadway, attracting two Tony nominations. In 1991, he received a Dramalogue Critics Award for his play Henceforward…. Broadway theatre[1] is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. ... What is popularly called the Tony Award® but is formally the Antoinette Perry Award is an annual American award celebrating achievements in theater, including musical theater. ...

Although his plays have received major West End productions almost from the beginning of his writing career, and hence have been reviewed in British newspapers, Ayckbourn's work was for years routinely dismissed as being too slight for serious study. Recently, scholars have begun to view Ayckbourn as an important commentator on the lifestyles of the British suburban middle class, and as a stylistic innovator who experiments with theatrical styles within the boundaries set by popular tastes. National newspapers Traditionally newspapers could be split into quality, serious-minded newspapers (usually reffered to as Broadsheets due to their large size) and tabloid, less serious newspapers. ... Housing subdivision near Union, Kentucky, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. ... The middle class (or middle classes) comprises a social group once defined by exception as an intermediate social class between the nobility and the peasantry. ...

In February 2006 he suffered a stroke, and states on his website that "I am making a good recovery from my recent stroke. I received an overwhelming number of get-well cards and good wishes. I was extremely touched by the love and concern shown by so many friends, acquaintances and occasionally complete strangers", adding "Rest assured I'll be back." For other uses, see Stroke (disambiguation). ...

Career

Honours and awards

• 1973: Evening Standard Award
• 1974: Evening Standard Award
• 1977: Evening Standard Award
• 1981: Honorary degree of Doctor of letters (Litt. D.) from University of Hull
• 1985: Evening Standard Award for best comedy, for A Chorus of Disapproval
• 1986: Laurence Olivier Award for best comedy, for A Chorus of Disapproval
• 1987: Evening Standard Award
• 1987: Plays and Players Award
• 1987: Honorary degree of (Litt. D.) from Keele University
• 1987: Honorary degree of (Litt. D.) from University of Leeds
• 1987: Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
• 1989: Evening Standard Award
• 1990: Evening Standard Award

The Evening Standard Awards are presented annually for oustanding achievements in London Theatre. ... The Evening Standard Awards are presented annually for oustanding achievements in London Theatre. ... The Evening Standard Awards are presented annually for oustanding achievements in London Theatre. ... An honorary degree (Latin: honoris causa ad gradum, not to be confused with an honors degree) is an academic degree awarded to an individual as a decoration, rather than as the result of matriculating and studying for several years. ... The University of Hull, also known as Hull University, is an English university in the East Riding of Yorkshire which was founded in 1927. ... The Evening Standard Awards are presented annually for oustanding achievements in London Theatre. ... The Laurence Olivier Awards, previously known as The Society of West End Theatre Awards, were renamed in honour of British actor Laurence Olivier, Baron Olivier in 1984, having first been established in 1976. ... The Evening Standard Awards are presented annually for oustanding achievements in London Theatre. ... An honorary degree (Latin: honoris causa ad gradum, not to be confused with an honors degree) is an academic degree awarded to an individual as a decoration, rather than as the result of matriculating and studying for several years. ... Keele Hall, formerly the ancestral home of the Sneyd family, is now part of Keele University Keele University is a well respected British university centrally located by the village of Keele just outside Newcastle-under-Lyme in north Staffordshire. ... An honorary degree (Latin: honoris causa ad gradum, not to be confused with an honors degree) is an academic degree awarded to an individual as a decoration, rather than as the result of matriculating and studying for several years. ... Parkinson Building, University of Leeds The University of Leeds, England, is one of the largest universities in the United Kingdom and the most popular by applicants, with 52,444 applicants in 2003 for 7,228 places (UCAS). ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are... The Evening Standard Awards are presented annually for oustanding achievements in London Theatre. ... The Evening Standard Awards are presented annually for oustanding achievements in London Theatre. ...

Works

Plays

Some of Ayckbourn's early play are unavailable for production.

An event is described as standing room only when it is so well-attended that all of the chairs in the venue are occupied leaving only flat spaces of pavement or flooring for other attendees to stand. ... Relatively Speaking is a 1965 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn, originally titled Meet My Father. ... The Sparrow is a 1967 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. ... Absurd Person Singular is a 1972 play by Alan Ayckbourn. ... The Norman Conquests Trilogy is a series of plays by Alan Ayckbourn. ... Absent Friends is a 1974 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. ... Confusions is a 1977 play by Alan Ayckbourn, it consists of five interlinked one act plays, Mother Figure, Drinking Companion, Between Mouthfuls, Gosforths Féte and A Talk in The Park. ... Jeeves (1975) a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Alan Ayckbourn, based on the novels of P.G. Wodehouse. ... Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born March 22, 1948) is a highly successful British composer of musical theatre. ... By Jeeves is a musical based loosely on the stories of PG Wodehouse, by Andrew Lloyd-Webber (music) and Alan Ayckbourn (lyrics and story). ... Bedroom Farce is a 1975 comedic play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. ... Joking Apart is a 1978 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. ... Seasons Greetings is a 1980 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. ... Way Upstream is a play by Alan Ayckbourn. ... Woman in Mind is a play by Alan Ayckbourn, first staged in 1993. ... The play Henceforward. ... Body Language is a 1990 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. ... Wildest Dreams is a 1991 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. ... Communicating Doors is a 1994 play by Alan Ayckbourn. ... Comic Potential by Alan Ayckbourn is a romantic sci-fi comedy. ... House and Garden are a diptych of plays written by the English playwright Alan Ayckbourn, first performed in 1999. ... Ivory consular diptych of Areobindus, Byzantium, 506 AD, Louvre museum A diptych is any object with two flat plates attached at a hinge. ... House and Garden are a diptych of plays written by the English playwright Alan Ayckbourn, first performed in 1999. ... House and Garden are a diptych of plays written by the English playwright Alan Ayckbourn, first performed in 1999. ... Virtual Reality is a 2000 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. ... This article lacks information on the importance of the subject matter. ... RolePlay is a 2001 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn, the third in a trilogy of plays called Damsels In Distress (Gameplan and Flatspin being parts one and two. ... Sugar Daddies is a 1927 short comedy film starring James Finlayson, and a pre-teamed Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. ... If I Were You is a single from Hoobastanks 2006 album Every Man for Himself. ...

Books

• Ayckbourn, Alan (2003). The Crafty Art of Playmaking. USA: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1-4039-6229-4.

References

• Allen, Paul (2001). Alan Ayckbourn: Grinning at the Edge. Methuen. ISBN 0-413-73120-0.
• Allen, Paul (2004). A Pocket Guide to Alan Ayckbourn's Plays. Faber & Faber. ISBN 0-571-21492-4.

Notes

External links

• The official Alan Ayckbourn website
• Alan Ayckbourn at www.contemporarywriters.com
• Alan Ayckbourn Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing