Ayckbourn, Sir Alan

Ayckbourn, Sir Alan
born April 12, 1939, London, Eng.

British playwright.

He began acting with the Stephen Joseph Co. in Scarborough, Yorkshire, where he also wrote his earliest plays under the pseudonym Roland Allen (1959–61). Most of his plays premiered at the company's theatre, where he was artistic director beginning in 1970. He has written over 50 plays, mostly farces and comedies that deal with marital and class conflicts, including Relatively Speaking (1967), Absurd Person Singular (1972), the trilogy The Norman Conquests (1973), Intimate Exchanges (1982), and Communicating Doors (1995).

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▪ British playwright
born April 12, 1939, London, Eng.
 
 successful and prolific British playwright, whose works—mostly farces and comedies—deal with marital and class conflicts and point up the fears and weaknesses of the English lower-middle class. He wrote more than 50 plays and other entertainments, most of which were first staged at the Stephen Joseph Theatre-in-the-Round in Scarborough, Yorkshire.

      At age 15 Ayckbourn acted in school productions of William Shakespeare, and he began his professional acting career with the Stephen Joseph Company in Scarborough. When Ayckbourn wanted better roles to play, Joseph told him to write a part for himself in a play that the company would mount if it had merit. Ayckbourn produced his earliest plays in 1959–61 under the pseudonym Roland Allen.

      His plays—many of which were performed years before they were published—include Relatively Speaking (1968), Mixed Doubles: An Entertainment on Marriage (1970), How the Other Half Loves (1971), the trilogy The Norman Conquests (1973), Absurd Person Singular (1974), Intimate Exchanges (1985), Mr. A's Amazing Maze Plays (1989), Body Language (1990), Invisible Friends (1991), Communicating Doors (1995), Comic Potential (1999), The Boy Who Fell into a Book (2000), and the trilogy Damsels in Distress (2002). In 2002 he published a work of advice and instruction for aspiring playwrights and directors, The Crafty Art of Playmaking. Ayckbourn was knighted in 1997.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Ayckbourn, Sir Alan — (n. 12 abr. 1939, Londres, Inglaterra). Comediógrafo británico. Comenzó a actuar en la Compañía Stephen Joseph en Scarborough, Yorkshire, donde además escribió sus primeras piezas teatrales bajo el seudónimo de Roland Allen (1959–61). La mayoría… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Ayckbourn, Sir Alan —  (1939–) Prolific British playwright …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • Alan Ayckbourn — Sir Alan Ayckbourn, CBE (nacido el 22 de abril de 1929) es un popular y prolífico dramaturgo inglés. Contenido 1 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Alan — alán (ant.) m. *Perro alano. * * * alán. m. desus. perro alano. * * * (as used in expressions) Alanbrooke (de Brookeborough), Alan Francis Brooke, 1 vizconde Arthur, Chester A(lan) Ayckbourn, Sir Alan Bennett, Alan Dershowitz, Alan (Morton) …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • sir — /serr/, n. 1. a respectful or formal term of address used to a man: No, sir. 2. (cap.) the distinctive title of a knight or baronet: Sir Walter Scott. 3. (cap.) a title of respect for some notable personage of ancient times: Sir Pandarus of Troy …   Universalium

  • sir — (Voz inglesa.) ► sustantivo masculino Tratamiento honorífico empleado por los británicos. * * * sir (ingl.; pronunc. [ser]) m. *Tratamiento de respeto usado en Inglaterra delante de un nombre de hombre o para dirigirse a la persona de que se… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Alan — /al euhn/, n. a male given name: from a Celtic word meaning harmony. * * * (as used in expressions) Arthur Chester Alan Ayckbourn Sir Alan Bennett Alan Dershowitz Alan Morton Greenspan Alan Hazeltine Louis Alan Heeger Alan J. Hovhaness Alan Alan… …   Universalium

  • Alan Ayckbourn — Infobox Writer name = Sir Alan Ayckbourn CBE caption = pseudonym = birthdate = Birth date and age|df=yes|1939|4|12|def=yes birthplace = Hampstead, London deathdate = deathplace = occupation = Playwright and director nationality = British period …   Wikipedia

  • Philip Ayckbourn — (born 1962 in Stoke on Trent) is an English actor, director and playwright.Ayckbourn trained for three years at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). In 1998, he and fellow RADA alum Judi Armstrong founded Quorum Theatre Company. The company… …   Wikipedia

  • English literature — Introduction       the body of written works produced in the English language by inhabitants of the British Isles (including Ireland) from the 7th century to the present day. The major literatures written in English outside the British Isles are… …   Universalium

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