Bryony Lavery
Encyclopedia
Bryony Lavery is a British
dramatist, known for her successful and award-winning 1998 play Frozen
. In addition to her work in theatre, she has also written for television and radio. She has written books including the biography Tallulah Bankhead
and The Woman Writer's Handbook, and taught playwriting at Birmingham University.
Having begun her career as an actress, she decided that she was fed up with playing poor parts in plays, such as the left arm of a sofa, and decided to write plays with better parts for women. Early in her career she founded a theatre company called Les Oeufs Malades with actor Gerard Bell, she also founded Female Trouble, More Female Trouble and served as artistic director
of Gay Sweatshop.
Her plays have a feminist undertone in them and she has even written plays (like More Light which has only one male speaking role) with almost entirely female casts. She has written more than twenty plays since 1976.
In addition to her original plays and adaptations, she has authored translations of foreign works such as her 2007 version of Chekhov
's Uncle Vanya
.
She has written five plays for the National Theatre Connections
series.
Frozen (play)
triggered a controversy and discussion about artistic sources and plagiarism and was the subject of a piece by Malcolm Gladwell
published in The New Yorker
and also collected in his book What the Dog Saw.
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
dramatist, known for her successful and award-winning 1998 play Frozen
Frozen (play)
Frozen is a play by Bryony Lavery that tells the story of the disappearance of a 10-year-old girl, Rhona. The play follows Rhona's mother and killer over the years that follow. They are linked by a doctor who is studying what causes men to commit such crimes...
. In addition to her work in theatre, she has also written for television and radio. She has written books including the biography Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Brockman Bankhead was an award-winning American actress of the stage and screen, talk-show host, and bonne vivante...
and The Woman Writer's Handbook, and taught playwriting at Birmingham University.
Having begun her career as an actress, she decided that she was fed up with playing poor parts in plays, such as the left arm of a sofa, and decided to write plays with better parts for women. Early in her career she founded a theatre company called Les Oeufs Malades with actor Gerard Bell, she also founded Female Trouble, More Female Trouble and served as artistic director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
of Gay Sweatshop.
Her plays have a feminist undertone in them and she has even written plays (like More Light which has only one male speaking role) with almost entirely female casts. She has written more than twenty plays since 1976.
In addition to her original plays and adaptations, she has authored translations of foreign works such as her 2007 version of Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
's Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897 and received its Moscow première in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski....
.
She has written five plays for the National Theatre Connections
National Theatre Connections
Connections is the National Theatre in London's annual youth theatre scheme....
series.
Frozen (play)
Frozen (play)
Frozen is a play by Bryony Lavery that tells the story of the disappearance of a 10-year-old girl, Rhona. The play follows Rhona's mother and killer over the years that follow. They are linked by a doctor who is studying what causes men to commit such crimes...
triggered a controversy and discussion about artistic sources and plagiarism and was the subject of a piece by Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell, CM is a Canadian journalist, bestselling author, and speaker. He is currently based in New York City and has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996...
published in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
and also collected in his book What the Dog Saw.
Selected writings
- The Two Marias (1988)
- Her Aching Heart (1992)
- The Pink PaperPink PaperThe Pink Paper is a UK publication covering gay and lesbian issues. Founded in 1987 as a newspaper, since June 2009 it has been available only on the Internet....
s Play of the Year
- The Pink Paper
- Peter Pan (1991) - a pantomimePantomimePantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
- Goliath (1997)
- More Light (1997) - National Theatre Connections
- FrozenFrozen (play)Frozen is a play by Bryony Lavery that tells the story of the disappearance of a 10-year-old girl, Rhona. The play follows Rhona's mother and killer over the years that follow. They are linked by a doctor who is studying what causes men to commit such crimes...
(1998)- Nomination/Tony Award for Best PlayTony Award for Best PlayThe Tony Award for Best Play is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theatre, including musical theatre, honoring productions on Broadway in New York. It currently takes place in mid-June each year.There was no award in the Tony's first year...
- Eileen Anderson Central Television Award
- TMATMA AwardsThe TMA Awards, established in 1991, are presented annually by the Theatrical Management Association in recognition of creative excellence and outstanding work in United Kingdom theatres...
Best New Play Award
- Nomination/Tony Award for Best Play
- The Magic Toyshop (2001)
- A Wedding Story (2000)
- Illyria (play)Illyria (play)Illyria is a play by Bryony Lavery, written in 2002 and published along with a collection of other plays in the book "Plays One" in 2007.The title of the play descends from Shakespeare's play "Twelfth Night", which is also set in a country called "Illyria"...
(2002) - NT Connections - Last Easter (2004)
- Stockholm (2007) - Frantic Assembly
- Red Sky (2007, play) - NT Connections
- It Snows (2008, play) - NT Connections
- Breathing Underwater (1998 radio play) - BBC Radio 7
- Kursk (2009, play) - Young Vic
- Beautiful Burnout (2010) - Frantic Assembly / National Theatre of Scotland
Background
Lavery was raised in Yorkshire. She was married until her early thirties, but now identifies as gayGay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
.