Andrea Dunbar
Encyclopedia
Andrea Dunbar was a British playwright best known for Rita, Sue and Bob Too
, an autobiographical drama about the sexual adventures of teenage girls living in a run-down part of Bradford, Yorkshire. Shelagh Delaney
described Dunbar as "a genius straight from the slums".
Comprehensive School (now Buttershaw Business and Enterprise College).
, directed by Max Stafford-Clark
. It won the Young Writers' Festival, and was later extended and performed in New York. The play described the experiences of a pregnant teenager with an abusive drunken father. On 26 March 1980 she was featured on the BBC's Arena
arts documentary programme.
Dunbar was quickly commissioned to write a follow-up work, creating Rita, Sue and Bob Too, first performed in 1982. The play explored similar themes to The Arbor, in this case depicting the lives of two teenage girls who are both having an affair with the same married man. Dunbar's third play, Shirley (1986), placed greater emphasis on the central character.
Rita, Sue and Bob Too was adapted for the cinema and was filmed in 1986 by Alan Clarke
. The film created considerable controversy on the Buttershaw estate
, where Dunbar lived, because of its negative portrayal of the area. She was threatened by several residents. Nevertheless, Dunbar stayed on the estate.
As a single mother, Dunbar spent 18 months in a refuge for battered women and became an increasingly heavy drinker. In 1990 she died of a brain haemorrhage at the age of 29 after becoming ill in the Beacon pub on Reevy Road. In 2007 her eldest daughter Lorraine, known as Samaya Rafiq since converting to Islam and a heroin addict at the time, was convicted of manslaughter for causing the death of her child by gross neglect after the child ingested methadone.
.
A film entitled The Arbor, directed by Clio Barnard, was released in 2010 about her life. The film uses actors lip-synching to interviews with Dunbar and her family, and concentrates on the strained relationship between Dunbar and her daughter Lorraine. The film was nominated for a BAFTA award for Outstanding Debut by a British Director.
Rita, Sue and Bob Too
Rita, Sue and Bob Too is a 1986 British film directed by Alan Clarke about two West Yorkshire teenaged schoolgirls who have a sexual fling with a married man. It was adapted by Andrea Dunbar, based on two of her stage plays; Rita Sue and Bob Too and The Arbor...
, an autobiographical drama about the sexual adventures of teenage girls living in a run-down part of Bradford, Yorkshire. Shelagh Delaney
Shelagh Delaney
Shelagh Delaney, FRSL was an English dramatist and screenwriter, best-known for her debut work, A Taste of Honey ....
described Dunbar as "a genius straight from the slums".
Early life
Dunbar lived on Brafferton Arbor in Bradford, with seven brothers and sisters; her parents had worked in the textile industry. Dunbar attended ButtershawButtershaw
Buttershaw is a residential area of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It is bounded by Horton Bank Top to the north, Wibsey to the east, Woodside to the South and Shelf to the west....
Comprehensive School (now Buttershaw Business and Enterprise College).
Career
Dunbar began her first play The Arbor in 1977 at the age of 15, writing it as a classroom assignment for CSE English. Encouraged by her teacher she was helped to develop the play to performance standard. It was premiered in 1980 at London's Royal Court TheatreRoyal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
, directed by Max Stafford-Clark
Max Stafford-Clark
Maxwell Robert Guthrie Stewart Stafford-Clark is an English Theatre Director.-Life and career:He went to school at Felsted and Riverdale Country School in New York City. He has worked as a theatre director since he left Trinity College, Dublin.His directing career began as associate director of...
. It won the Young Writers' Festival, and was later extended and performed in New York. The play described the experiences of a pregnant teenager with an abusive drunken father. On 26 March 1980 she was featured on the BBC's Arena
Arena (TV series)
Arena is a British television documentary series, made and broadcast by the BBC. It has run since 1 October 1975, and over five hundred episodes have been made. Arena covers all manner of subjects, from profiles of notable people such as Bob Dylan to the Ford Cortina car...
arts documentary programme.
Dunbar was quickly commissioned to write a follow-up work, creating Rita, Sue and Bob Too, first performed in 1982. The play explored similar themes to The Arbor, in this case depicting the lives of two teenage girls who are both having an affair with the same married man. Dunbar's third play, Shirley (1986), placed greater emphasis on the central character.
Rita, Sue and Bob Too was adapted for the cinema and was filmed in 1986 by Alan Clarke
Alan Clarke
Alan Clarke was a television and film director, producer and writer, born in Wallasey, Merseyside, England.Most of Clarke's output was for television rather than cinema, including work for the famous play strands The Wednesday Play and Play for Today...
. The film created considerable controversy on the Buttershaw estate
Buttershaw
Buttershaw is a residential area of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It is bounded by Horton Bank Top to the north, Wibsey to the east, Woodside to the South and Shelf to the west....
, where Dunbar lived, because of its negative portrayal of the area. She was threatened by several residents. Nevertheless, Dunbar stayed on the estate.
Personal life
Andrea Dunbar first became pregnant at age 15, but the baby was stillborn at 6 months.She later had three children by three different fathers. The first, Lorraine, was born in 1979. A year later, in 1980, Lisa was born, both while Andrea was still a teenager.As a single mother, Dunbar spent 18 months in a refuge for battered women and became an increasingly heavy drinker. In 1990 she died of a brain haemorrhage at the age of 29 after becoming ill in the Beacon pub on Reevy Road. In 2007 her eldest daughter Lorraine, known as Samaya Rafiq since converting to Islam and a heroin addict at the time, was convicted of manslaughter for causing the death of her child by gross neglect after the child ingested methadone.
Depictions
In 2000 Dunbar's life and her surroundings were revisited in the play A State Affair by Robin SoansRobin Soans
Robin Soans is an actor, and a playwright specialising in verbatim and documentary plays. These plays include Across the Divide ; A State Affair which looked at life on a Bradford estate, produced by Out of Joint theatre company; The Arab Israeli Cookbook ; Talking to Terrorists Robin Soans (born...
.
A film entitled The Arbor, directed by Clio Barnard, was released in 2010 about her life. The film uses actors lip-synching to interviews with Dunbar and her family, and concentrates on the strained relationship between Dunbar and her daughter Lorraine. The film was nominated for a BAFTA award for Outstanding Debut by a British Director.