The Plays

Alan Bennett is a British playwright born in 1934 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. Bennett went to Leeds Modern School where he was awarded with a scholarship to Exeter College, Oxford. At Oxford he received an undergraduate degree in history. His career started as a junior lecturer in History at Magdalen College. During this time he enjoyed success with his comedy revue Beyond the Fringe in 1960 (Britannica, 2012). Bennett continues to write plays now in his late 70s, People being one of his most recent pieces. 

            Bennett usually writes plays along with a theme or as a commentary on a topic. “In The History Boys it was private education; in The Habit of Artbiography; in People, though, I’m not sure.” (London Review of Books, 2012) Although Bennet is not sure what theme comes up from People he said it sprung from “a sense of unease when going round a National Trust house and being required to buy into the role of reverential visitor” (London Review of Books, 2012). Bennett himself has visited National Trust homes and pulled upon his own experience of these places to write the play, People. The character of Dorothy, who Bennett admits “and for whom I almost invariably feel slightly sorry” (London Book Review 2012), tells the audience how she feels towards her visitors and towards her situation. People is set in a crumbling stately home, owned by Dorothy. Dorothy Stacpoole is an ex-model and aristocrat who has the choice of “auctioning off her house, letting the National Trust open it to visitors, or selling it to a shady consortium.” (BBC, 2012). Dorothy lives in the house with her companion Iris, even though they’re freezing and the house is falling apart they choose to live there. While Dorothy is deciding what to do with the home, she lets a porn film use the house as their set, much to the chagrin of her sister, the archdeacon of Huddersfield. Dorothy’s sister June would like to see the house sold to the Trust, but Dorothy “hates that idea, mostly because she recoils from the idea of all those visitors.” (Daily Mail, 2012). After a lot of back and forth and visits from all parties interested in the home Dorothy lets the house be given to the trust.

sources: Masters, Tim. "Alan Bennett Play People 'gives National Trust a Bloody Nose'" BBC News. BBC, 11 Aug. 2012. Web. 24 Mar. 2013.

Letts, Quentin. "People Has Good a Theme but Does Plod in Places." Mail Online. N.p., 8 Nov. 2012. Web. 24 Mar. 2013.

William Shakespeare wrote the play Twelfth Night.  Shakespeare was born in 1564 to a successful middle-class glove maker in Stratford Upon Avon. Shakespeare attended grammar school and later pursued a career as an actor and a playwright. Upon arriving in London in 1590 he was soon met by critical acclaim, and he eventually became part-owner of the Globe Theatre. Shakespeare’s career bridged the reigns of Elizabeth I (ruled 1558-1603) and James I (ruled 1603-1625), James I even bestowed the title of the King’s Men on Shakespeare’s acting company. Twelfth Night was most likely written in the middle of Shakespeare’s career, in the year 1601. Some critics consider it to be his best comedy. Twelfth Night is filled with disguises, deception, illusion, madness and the power of love to make us humans do crazy things.

 The play is set in the kingdom of Illyria, where a nobleman Duke Orsino is in woeful love with the lady Olivia who does not return these feelings. Olivia is in mourning over the death of her brother and therefore refuses to take any marriage proposals. During this time, on the coast a storm has caused a shipwreck which leaves Viola and her brother Sebastian separated and alone in a strange land. Olivia believes her brother to be dead so she tries to find work in this strange land. Viola hears of Orisino’s courtship to Olivia from a friendly sea captain and wishes to work for Olivia. But, Lady Olivia refuses to talk with strangers so Viola dresses up as a boy and takes the name of Cesario in order to go work for Duke Orsino. Soon after beginning work Viola finds herself falling for Duke Orsino. As Cesario, Viola is sent to Olivia’s home and soon after Olivia falls in love with Cesario.  Thus completes the love triangle, Duke Orsino loves Olivia who loves Cesario who’s actually Viola who’s in love with Duke Orsino. Throughout the plot the audience is introduced to other characters that add comic relief and complete their own subplot of love and humiliation. Meanwhile Sebastian is still alive and he in turn believes his sister is dead. Sebastian is accompanied by his protector Antonio whom he found during the shipwreck, they both look  around Illyria for work and company. Sir Andrew is another character whom is also in love with Antonio. Upon finding out about Olivia’s affections for Cesario, Antonia challenges Cesario to a duel, but it’s actually Viola’s brother Sebastian he confronts.  Olivia enters amid the confusion and seeing Sebastian, who she thinks is Cesario, she asks him to marry her. Although Sebastian has  never seen Olivia before he notices she is wealthy and beautiful so he agrees. While this happens Antonio has been arrested and he sees Cesario, who he mistakes for Sebastian. Antonio asks Cesario for his help, but obviously she does not know who he is. Viola then realizes that perhaps her brother is still alive if she is being mistaken for him.  

sources: "Twelfth Night." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/twelfthnight/summary.html>.

The 39 Steps began as a novel in 1951 written by John Buchan, it was then turned into a film by Alfred Hitchcock and finally Patrick Barlowe wrote a stage adaptation, based on the original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon for a two-actor version. Patrick Barlowe is an English actor, comedian and playwright, he was born in 1947. Barlowe works as part of a two part performance company called the National Theatre of Brent. The groups has performed on stage, on television and on radio.  “The 39 Steps premiered in June 2005 at the West Yorkshire Playhouse” (Wikipedia, 2013). The play quickly became a success and since September 2006 has been playing at the Criterion Theatre in Picadilly.

             The 39 Steps takes a total of 4 actors to perform, one male toe play Richard Hannay, one female to play to play the 3 women he has romantic fiascos with and two other very versatile actors to play all the other characters in the show. The play is full of quick changes and must have hundreds of cues, some of the actors even have to play more than one character on stage at a time. The main character Richard Hannay is a visitor to London in the 1930s. Following a show of “Mr Memory” he meets Annabella Smith who is running away from secret agents. Before her untimely death Annabella tells him about her spy mission and how she needs to complete the 39 steps to stop them. Richard Hannay then embarks on the adventure of a lifetime, pursued by police and spies alike, to find out what the 39 steps are and ultimately to break the spy ring.

sources: "Patrick Barlow." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Mar. 2013. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Barlow>.

IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026029/plotsummary>.

Peter Morgan is a British playwright and film writer. Morgan was born in London England in 1963. Throughout the 1990s Morgan wrote scripts for television. He has also received an Academy Award nomination for his film The Queen (2006). The Queen (2206) has won a Golden Globe, the film showed how “the death of princess Diana impacted Blair and the Royal family. The play the Audience was written in the last five years and includes current references to pop culture and politics.

The Audience is a new play, opening this year. The premise of the film is set around the weekly audiences Queen Elizabeth II gives to her prime ministers. The play also offers insight to the life of the Queen and her childhood. The play shows Queen Elizabeth through the years and chronicles her changes as well as how her Prime Ministers have changed her and England. For 60 years the Queen has taken a weekly audience with each of her prime minister, from Churchill to Cameron. “From young mother, to grandmother these private audiences chart the arc of the second Elizabethan Age.” (London Theatreland, 2013). These audiences are private and confidential, the audience watching The Audience gets an inside view of the royal life and English politics. 

sources: "GIELGUD THEATRE." London Theatreland. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. <http://www.london-theatreland.co.uk/theatres/gielgud-theatre/the-audience.php>

"Helen Mirren to Play the Queen Again in Theatre Production The Audience." The Telegraph. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2013. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-news/9557607/Helen-Mirren-to-play-the-Queen-again-in-theatre-production-The-Audience.html>.