Caryl Churchill
Encyclopedia
Caryl Churchill is an English
dramatist known for her use of non-naturalistic
techniques and feminist themes, the abuses of power, and sexual politics. She is acknowledged as a major playwright
in the English language
and a leading female writer. Her early work developed Brecht
's modernist
dramatic and theatrical techniques of ‘Epic theatre
’ to explore issues around gender
and sexuality
. From A Mouthful of Birds
(1986) onwards, she began to experiment
with forms of dance-theatre, incorporating techniques developed from the performance
tradition initiated by Artaud
with his 'Theatre of Cruelty
'. This move away from a clear Fabel
dramaturgy towards increasingly fragmented and surrealistic
narratives characterizes her work as postmodernist
.
, England
, the daughter of Jan, a fashion model, and Robert Churchill, a political cartoonist. After World War II
her family emigrated to Montreal
, Canada
at ten years old, where she attended Trafalgar School for Girls. She returned to England to attend university, and graduated from Lady Margaret Hall, a women’s college of the Oxford University, in 1960 with a B.A. degree in English Literature
. She also began her career there.
Her four earliest plays, Downstairs (produced 1958),You've No Need to be Frightened, Having a Wonderful Time (1960), and Easy Death (produced 1962) were performed by Oxford-based theatrical ensembles-student drama groups.
, North London, where she lives.
It was while raising a family in 1960s and ’70s that Churchill began to write short radio dramas and then television plays for BBC
radio
including The Ants (1962), Not, Not, Not, Not Enough Oxygen (1971), and Schreber's Nervous Illness (1972). She also wrote television
plays for the BBC, including The After Dinner Joke (1978) and Crimes (1982). These, as well as some of her radio plays, have been adapted for the stage.
views are very apparent in the play, which is a critique of the values that most capitalist
s take for granted: being aggressive, getting ahead, doing well. She served as resident dramatist at the Royal Court Theatre
from 1974–1975, and later began collaboration with theatre companies such as Joint Stock Theatre Company
and Monstrous Regiment (a feminist theatre union) which used an extended workshop period in their development of new plays. Churchill continued to use an improvisation
al workshop setting in the development of some of her plays.
"During her tenure as resident dramatist at London’s Royal Court Theatre, Churchill wrote Objections to Sex and Violence (1974), which, though not well-reviewed, led to her successful association with David Hare and Max Stafford-Clark’s Joint Stock Company and with Monstrous Regiment, a feminist group."
Her first play to receive wide notice was Cloud Nine
(1979), "a farce about sexual politics", set partly in a British colony
in the Victorian era
, which examines the relationships involved in colonisation
, and utilizes cross-gender casting for comic and instructive effect. The play became successful in the United States and in Britain, and won an Obie Award
in 1982 for best play of the year.
In time Churchill's writing became less and less inhibited by the conventions of realism, and the feminist themes were also developed. She won another Obie Award
for best play with Top Girls
(1982), "which deals with women’s losing their humanity in order to attain power in a male-dominated environment", has an all-female cast, and focuses on Marlene, who has sacrificed a home and family life to achieve success in the world of business. Half the action takes place at a celebratory dinner where Marlene mixes with historical and fictional women who achieved success in a man's world, but always at some cost; the other half in Marlene's family, where the cost is being paid.
"Softcops (produced 1984), a surreal play set in 19th-century France about government attempts to depoliticize illegal acts, was produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company."
Serious Money
(1987), "a comedy about excesses in the financial world", is a verse play that takes a satirical
look at the stock market
and received enormous acclaim, partly because it played immediately after the stock market crash
of 1987.
Icecream (1989) investigates Anglo-American stereotypes.
In The Skriker
(1994), Churchill utilises an associative dream logic which some critics found to be nonsensical. The play, a visionary exploration of global ecology made through gender, storytelling, distorted language and modern urban life, follows an ancient and shapeshifting death portent (The Skriker) in her search for love, revenge and human understanding.
"The prolific Churchill continued to push boundaries into the late 1990s. In 1997 she collaborated with the composer Orlando Gough to create Hotel, a choreographed opera or sung ballet set in a hotel room. Also that year her surrealistic short play This Is a Chair was produced."
Her 2002 play, A Number
, addresses the subject of human cloning
. Her adapted screenplay of A Number
was shown on BBC TV in September 2008. Her latest play, Drunk Enough To Say I Love You (2006), takes a critical look at what she sees as the submissiveness of Britain to America in foreign policy.
In 2010, Churchill was commissioned to write the libretto
for a new short opera by Orlando Gough
as part of the Royal Opera House
's ROH2 OperaShots initiative. The resulting work A ring a lamp a thing, played for 5 performances in the Linbury Studio Theatre at the Royal Opera House.
Thyestes
and her version of August Strindberg
's A Dream Play
, premiered at the National Theatre in 2005. Her career is examined in the Reputations strand on TheatreVoice.
held a 70th Birthday retrospective of her work by presenting readings of many of her most famous plays directed by notable playwrights including Martin Crimp
and Mark Ravenhill
.
. In January 2009, Churchill wrote a ten minute history of Israel, ending with the Israeli attack on Gaza
, to be performed free at the Royal Court Theatre
, with a collection for Medical Aid for Palestinians
. The play, Seven Jewish Children
— a play about Gaza, was then published online, for free download and use. Churchill stated: "Anyone can perform it without acquiring the rights, as long as they do a collection for people in Gaza at the end of it". A full performance is also available online from The Guardian's website. This play has been criticised as being anti-semitic, though Churchill has denied the accusation. She has said that Seven Jewish Children
, is not just a theatre event, it is a political event.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
dramatist known for her use of non-naturalistic
Naturalism (theatre)
Naturalism is a movement in European drama and theatre that developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It refers to theatre that attempts to create a perfect illusion of reality through a range of dramatic and theatrical strategies: detailed, three-dimensional settings Naturalism is a...
techniques and feminist themes, the abuses of power, and sexual politics. She is acknowledged as a major playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and a leading female writer. Her early work developed Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
's modernist
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
dramatic and theatrical techniques of ‘Epic theatre
Epic theatre
Epic theatre was a theatrical movement arising in the early to mid-20th century from the theories and practice of a number of theatre practitioners, including Erwin Piscator, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Vsevolod Meyerhold and, most famously, Bertolt Brecht...
’ to explore issues around gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
and sexuality
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
. From A Mouthful of Birds
A Mouthful of Birds
A Mouthful of Birds is a 1986 play with dance by Caryl Churchill and David Lan, with choreography by Ian Spink. Drawing its themes from The Bacchae of Euripides, it is a meditation on possession, madness and female violence.-Synopsis:...
(1986) onwards, she began to experiment
Experimental theatre
Experimental theatre is a general term for various movements in Western theatre that began in the late 19th century as a retraction against the dominant vent governing the writing and production of dramatical menstrophy, and age in particular. The term has shifted over time as the mainstream...
with forms of dance-theatre, incorporating techniques developed from the performance
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
tradition initiated by Artaud
Antonin Artaud
Antoine Marie Joseph Artaud, more well-known as Antonin Artaud was a French playwright, poet, actor and theatre director...
with his 'Theatre of Cruelty
Theatre of Cruelty
The Theatre of Cruelty is a surrealist form of theatre theorised by Antonin Artaud in his book The Theatre and its Double. "Without an element of cruelty at the root of every spectacle," he writes, "the theatre is not possible...
'. This move away from a clear Fabel
Fabel
Fabel is a critical term and a dramaturgical technique pioneered by the twentieth-century German theatre practitioner Bertolt Brecht.Fabel should not be confused with 'fable', which is a form of short narrative...
dramaturgy towards increasingly fragmented and surrealistic
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
narratives characterizes her work as postmodernist
Postmodern theater
Postmodern theatre is a recent phenomenon in world theatre, coming as it does out of the postmodern philosophy that originated in Europe in the middle of the twentieth century. Postmodern theatre emerged as a reaction against modernist theatre...
.
Background
Churchill was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the daughter of Jan, a fashion model, and Robert Churchill, a political cartoonist. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
her family emigrated to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
at ten years old, where she attended Trafalgar School for Girls. She returned to England to attend university, and graduated from Lady Margaret Hall, a women’s college of the Oxford University, in 1960 with a B.A. degree in English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
. She also began her career there.
Her four earliest plays, Downstairs (produced 1958),You've No Need to be Frightened, Having a Wonderful Time (1960), and Easy Death (produced 1962) were performed by Oxford-based theatrical ensembles-student drama groups.
Career
In 1961 she married David Harter, a barrister, and began raising three sons, Joe, Paul, and Rick, in IslingtonIslington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
, North London, where she lives.
It was while raising a family in 1960s and ’70s that Churchill began to write short radio dramas and then television plays for BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
including The Ants (1962), Not, Not, Not, Not Enough Oxygen (1971), and Schreber's Nervous Illness (1972). She also wrote television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
plays for the BBC, including The After Dinner Joke (1978) and Crimes (1982). These, as well as some of her radio plays, have been adapted for the stage.
Themes and plays
She wrote Owners, a two-act, 14-scene play about obsession with power, her first stage play and "her first major theatrical endeavour", in 1972 which was produced in London the same year. Churchill's basic socialistSocialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
views are very apparent in the play, which is a critique of the values that most capitalist
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
s take for granted: being aggressive, getting ahead, doing well. She served as resident dramatist at the Royal Court Theatre
Royal 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...
from 1974–1975, and later began collaboration with theatre companies such as Joint Stock Theatre Company
Joint Stock Theatre Company
The Joint Stock Theatre Company was founded in London 1974 by David Hare, Max Stafford-Clark and David Aukin. The director William Gaskill was also an important part of the company. It was primarily a new work company....
and Monstrous Regiment (a feminist theatre union) which used an extended workshop period in their development of new plays. Churchill continued to use an improvisation
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
al workshop setting in the development of some of her plays.
"During her tenure as resident dramatist at London’s Royal Court Theatre, Churchill wrote Objections to Sex and Violence (1974), which, though not well-reviewed, led to her successful association with David Hare and Max Stafford-Clark’s Joint Stock Company and with Monstrous Regiment, a feminist group."
Her first play to receive wide notice was Cloud Nine
Cloud Nine (play)
Cloud Nine is a two-act play written by British playwright Caryl Churchill after workshops with the Joint Stock Theatre Company in late 1978 and first performed at Dartington College of Arts, Devon, on 14 February 1979....
(1979), "a farce about sexual politics", set partly in a British colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
in the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
, which examines the relationships involved in colonisation
Colonisation
Colonization occurs whenever any one or more species populate an area. The term, which is derived from the Latin colere, "to inhabit, cultivate, frequent, practice, tend, guard, respect", originally related to humans. However, 19th century biogeographers dominated the term to describe the...
, and utilizes cross-gender casting for comic and instructive effect. The play became successful in the United States and in Britain, and won an Obie Award
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
in 1982 for best play of the year.
In time Churchill's writing became less and less inhibited by the conventions of realism, and the feminist themes were also developed. She won another Obie Award
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
for best play with Top Girls
Top Girls
Top Girls is a 1982 play by Caryl Churchill. It is about a woman named Marlene, a career-driven woman who is employed at the 'Top Girls' employment agency. The play examines issues of gender discrimination present in the Thatcherite society that it is set in...
(1982), "which deals with women’s losing their humanity in order to attain power in a male-dominated environment", has an all-female cast, and focuses on Marlene, who has sacrificed a home and family life to achieve success in the world of business. Half the action takes place at a celebratory dinner where Marlene mixes with historical and fictional women who achieved success in a man's world, but always at some cost; the other half in Marlene's family, where the cost is being paid.
"Softcops (produced 1984), a surreal play set in 19th-century France about government attempts to depoliticize illegal acts, was produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company."
Serious Money
Serious Money
Serious Money is a satirical play written by Caryl Churchill first staged in London in 1987. Its subject is the British stock market, specifically the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange...
(1987), "a comedy about excesses in the financial world", is a verse play that takes a satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
look at the stock market
Stock market
A stock market or equity market is a public entity for the trading of company stock and derivatives at an agreed price; these are securities listed on a stock exchange as well as those only traded privately.The size of the world stock market was estimated at about $36.6 trillion...
and received enormous acclaim, partly because it played immediately after the stock market crash
Stock market crash
A stock market crash is a sudden dramatic decline of stock prices across a significant cross-section of a stock market, resulting in a significant loss of paper wealth. Crashes are driven by panic as much as by underlying economic factors...
of 1987.
Icecream (1989) investigates Anglo-American stereotypes.
In The Skriker
The Skriker
The Skriker is a 1994 play by Caryl Churchill that tells the story of an ancient fairy who, during the course of the play, transforms into a plethora of objects and people as it pursues Lily and Josie, two teenage mothers whom it befriends, manipulates, seduces and entraps...
(1994), Churchill utilises an associative dream logic which some critics found to be nonsensical. The play, a visionary exploration of global ecology made through gender, storytelling, distorted language and modern urban life, follows an ancient and shapeshifting death portent (The Skriker) in her search for love, revenge and human understanding.
"The prolific Churchill continued to push boundaries into the late 1990s. In 1997 she collaborated with the composer Orlando Gough to create Hotel, a choreographed opera or sung ballet set in a hotel room. Also that year her surrealistic short play This Is a Chair was produced."
Her 2002 play, A Number
A Number
A Number is a 2002 play by English playwright Caryl Churchill which addresses the subject of human cloning and identity, especially nature versus nurture...
, addresses the subject of human cloning
Human cloning
Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of a human. It does not usually refer to monozygotic multiple births nor the reproduction of human cells or tissue. The ethics of cloning is an extremely controversial issue...
. Her adapted screenplay of A Number
A Number
A Number is a 2002 play by English playwright Caryl Churchill which addresses the subject of human cloning and identity, especially nature versus nurture...
was shown on BBC TV in September 2008. Her latest play, Drunk Enough To Say I Love You (2006), takes a critical look at what she sees as the submissiveness of Britain to America in foreign policy.
In 2010, Churchill was commissioned to write the libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
for a new short opera by Orlando Gough
Orlando Gough
Orlando Gough is a British composer, educated at Oxford, and noted for projects written for ballet, contemporary dance and theatre. Collaborators have included Siobhan Davies, Alain Platel, Shobana Jeyasingh and Ashley Page of The Royal Ballet. He is artistic director of The Shout, which he...
as part of the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
's ROH2 OperaShots initiative. The resulting work A ring a lamp a thing, played for 5 performances in the Linbury Studio Theatre at the Royal Opera House.
Translations
She has also published a translation of Seneca'sSeneca the Younger
Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero...
Thyestes
Thyestes
In Greek mythology, Thyestes was the son of Pelops and Hippodamia, King of Olympia, and father of Pelopia and Aegisthus. Thyestes and his twin brother, Atreus, were exiled by their father for having murdered their half-brother, Chrysippus, in their desire for the throne of Olympia...
and her version of August Strindberg
August Strindberg
Johan August Strindberg was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg's career spanned four decades, during which time he wrote over 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography,...
's A Dream Play
A Dream Play
A Dream Play was written in 1901 by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg. It was first performed in Stockholm on 17 April 1907. It remains one of Strindberg's most admired and influential dramas, seen as an important precursor to both dramatic Expressionism and Surrealism.-Plot:The primary...
, premiered at the National Theatre in 2005. Her career is examined in the Reputations strand on TheatreVoice.
Retrospective
The 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...
held a 70th Birthday retrospective of her work by presenting readings of many of her most famous plays directed by notable playwrights including Martin Crimp
Martin Crimp
Martin Andrew Crimp is a British playwright.Sometimes described as a practitioner of the "in-yer-face" school of contemporary British drama, Crimp though rejects the label...
and Mark Ravenhill
Mark Ravenhill
Mark Ravenhill is an English playwright, actor and journalist.His most famous plays include Shopping and Fucking , Some Explicit Polaroids and Mother Clap's Molly House . He made his acting debut in his monologue Product, at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe...
.
Of course it's possible to trace recurring themes in Churchill's work - alienation between parent and child, the possibility and failure of revolution. But it is the variety of her work that is most striking. As Von Mayenburg says: "With each play, she discovers new genres and forms. She then discards them and moves on, opening up possibilities for other playwrights to explore. I think many people writing today don't even realise they've been influenced by her. She's changed the language of theatre. And very few playwrights do that."
Palestine
Churchill is a patron of the Palestine Solidarity CampaignPalestine Solidarity Campaign
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign is a campaign in the United Kingdom promoting solidarity with the Palestinian people. It was founded in 1982 during the build-up to Israel's invasion of Lebanon.The campaign states:...
. In January 2009, Churchill wrote a ten minute history of Israel, ending with the Israeli attack on Gaza
2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict
The Gaza War, known as Operation Cast Lead in Israel and as the Gaza Massacre in the Arab world, was a three-week bombing and invasion of the Gaza Strip by Israel, and hundreds of rocket attacks on south of Israel which...
, to be performed free at the Royal Court Theatre
Royal 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...
, with a collection for Medical Aid for Palestinians
Medical Aid for Palestinians
Medical Aid for Palestinians is a British charity that offers medical services in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Lebanon and, advocates for the universal right to health.-Aim and history:...
. The play, Seven Jewish Children
Seven Jewish Children
Seven Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza is a controversial six-page, 10-minute play by British playwright Caryl Churchill, written in response to the 2008-2009 Israel military strike on Gaza, and first performed at London's Royal Court Theatre on 6 February 2009...
— a play about Gaza, was then published online, for free download and use. Churchill stated: "Anyone can perform it without acquiring the rights, as long as they do a collection for people in Gaza at the end of it". A full performance is also available online from The Guardian's website. This play has been criticised as being anti-semitic, though Churchill has denied the accusation. She has said that Seven Jewish Children
Seven Jewish Children
Seven Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza is a controversial six-page, 10-minute play by British playwright Caryl Churchill, written in response to the 2008-2009 Israel military strike on Gaza, and first performed at London's Royal Court Theatre on 6 February 2009...
, is not just a theatre event, it is a political event.
Prizes and awards
Churchill received many prizes and awards during her career.- 1958 Sunday Times/National Union of Students Drama Festival Award Downstairs
- 1961 Richard HillaryRichard HillaryFlight Lieutenant Richard Hope Hillary was a Battle of Britain pilot who died during World War II...
Memorial Prize
- 1981 Obie AwardObie AwardThe Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
for Playwriting Cloud Nine
- 1982 Obie Award for Playwriting Top Girls
- 1983 Susan Smith Blackburn PrizeSusan Smith Blackburn PrizeThe Susan Smith Blackburn Prize established in 1978, is for English-language women playwrights. Named for Susan Smith, alumna of Smith College, who died of breast cancer.-Winners:* 1978-79 Mary O'Malley* 1979-80 Barbara Schneider...
(runner-up) Top Girls
- 1984 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Fen
- 1987 Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy of the Year Serious Money
- 1987 Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy of the Year Serious Money
- 1987 Obie Award for Best New Play Serious Money
- 1987 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Serious Money
- 1988 Laurence OlivierLaurence OlivierLaurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
/BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Award for Best New Play Serious Money
- 2001 Obie Sustained Achievement Award
Dramas
- Downstairs (1958)
- You've No Need to be Frightened (1959?)
- Having a Wonderful Time (1960)
- Easy Death (1960)
- The Ants, radio drama (1962)
- Lovesick, radio drama (1969)
- Identical Twins (1960)
- Abortive, radio drama (1971)
- Not Not Not Not Not Enough Oxygen, radio drama (1971)
- Owners (1972)
- Schreber's Nervous Illness, radio drama (1972) - based on Memoirs of My Nervous Illness
- The Hospital at the Time of the Revolution (written 1972)
- The Judge's Wife, radio drama (1972)
- Moving Clocks Go Slow (play), (1973)
- Turkish DelightTurkish DelightTurkish delight or lokum is a family of confections based on a gel of starch and sugar. Premium varieties consist largely of chopped dates, pistachios and hazelnuts or walnuts bound by the gel; the cheapest are mostly gel, generally flavored with rosewater, mastic, or lemon...
, television drama (1973) - Objections to Sex and Violence (1975)
- Light Shining in Buckinghamshire (1976)
- Vinegar TomVinegar Tom (play)Vinegar Tom is the title of a 1976 feminist play by British playwright Caryl Churchill. The play examines gender and power relationships through the lens of 17th century witchcraft trials in England. It tells its story in part through features of the epic theater associated with German playwright...
(1976) - Traps (1976)
- The After-Dinner JokeThe After-Dinner JokeThe After-Dinner Joke is a television play in the epic form written by the English playwright Caryl Churchill for the BBC1 Play for Today series which was broadcast on 14 February 1978....
, television drama (1978) - Seagulls (written 1978)
- Cloud NineCloud Nine (play)Cloud Nine is a two-act play written by British playwright Caryl Churchill after workshops with the Joint Stock Theatre Company in late 1978 and first performed at Dartington College of Arts, Devon, on 14 February 1979....
(1979) - Three More Sleepless Nights (1980)
- Top GirlsTop GirlsTop Girls is a 1982 play by Caryl Churchill. It is about a woman named Marlene, a career-driven woman who is employed at the 'Top Girls' employment agency. The play examines issues of gender discrimination present in the Thatcherite society that it is set in...
(1982) - Crimes, television drama (1982)
- Fen (1983)
- Softcops (1984)
- A Mouthful of BirdsA Mouthful of BirdsA Mouthful of Birds is a 1986 play with dance by Caryl Churchill and David Lan, with choreography by Ian Spink. Drawing its themes from The Bacchae of Euripides, it is a meditation on possession, madness and female violence.-Synopsis:...
(1986) - A Heart's Desire (1987)
- Serious MoneySerious MoneySerious Money is a satirical play written by Caryl Churchill first staged in London in 1987. Its subject is the British stock market, specifically the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange...
(1987) - Ice Cream (1989)
- Hot Fudge (1989)
- Mad ForestMad ForestMad Forest: A Play from Romania is a play by English playwright Caryl Churchill. The three acts occur, respectively, shortly before, during, and shortly after the Romanian Revolution of 1989...
(1990) - Lives of the Great Poisoners (1991)
- The SkrikerThe SkrikerThe Skriker is a 1994 play by Caryl Churchill that tells the story of an ancient fairy who, during the course of the play, transforms into a plethora of objects and people as it pursues Lily and Josie, two teenage mothers whom it befriends, manipulates, seduces and entraps...
(1994) - Blue Heart (1997)
- Hotel (1997)
- This is a Chair (1999)
- Far AwayFar Away (play)Far Away is a 2000 play by British playwright Caryl Churchill. The play has four characters: Harper, Young Joan, Joan, and Todd and is based on the premise of a world in which everything in nature is at war. It is published by Nick Hern Books-Plot summary:...
(2000) - Thyestes (2001) - translation of SenecaSeneca the YoungerLucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero...
's tragedy - A NumberA NumberA Number is a 2002 play by English playwright Caryl Churchill which addresses the subject of human cloning and identity, especially nature versus nurture...
(2002) - A Dream PlayA Dream PlayA Dream Play was written in 1901 by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg. It was first performed in Stockholm on 17 April 1907. It remains one of Strindberg's most admired and influential dramas, seen as an important precursor to both dramatic Expressionism and Surrealism.-Plot:The primary...
(2005) - translation of August StrindbergAugust StrindbergJohan August Strindberg was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg's career spanned four decades, during which time he wrote over 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography,...
's play - Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?Drunk Enough to Say I Love You? is a 2006 political play with seven scenes by Caryl Churchill. It addresses the application of power by the United States mostly since the Vietnam war.-Plot summary:...
(2006) - Seven Jewish Children — a play about GazaSeven Jewish ChildrenSeven Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza is a controversial six-page, 10-minute play by British playwright Caryl Churchill, written in response to the 2008-2009 Israel military strike on Gaza, and first performed at London's Royal Court Theatre on 6 February 2009...
(2009)
See also
- David LanDavid LanDavid Lan is an English playwright, filmmaker and theatre director.Born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1952, he emigrated to London in 1972. Since 2000 he has been artistic director of the Young Vic theatre in London's South Bank.-Career:...
- Ian SpinkIan SpinkIan Spink is an Australian-British choreographer.Born in Melbourne, he trained at the Australian Ballet School. After graduating in 1968, he danced and choreographed for The Australian Ballet, Australian Dance Theatre and the Dance Company of New South Wales.In 1974 he was offered a grant to tour...
- Bertolt BrechtBertolt BrechtBertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
and his epic theatreEpic theatreEpic theatre was a theatrical movement arising in the early to mid-20th century from the theories and practice of a number of theatre practitioners, including Erwin Piscator, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Vsevolod Meyerhold and, most famously, Bertolt Brecht... - Antonin ArtaudAntonin ArtaudAntoine Marie Joseph Artaud, more well-known as Antonin Artaud was a French playwright, poet, actor and theatre director...
and his Theatre of CrueltyTheatre of CrueltyThe Theatre of Cruelty is a surrealist form of theatre theorised by Antonin Artaud in his book The Theatre and its Double. "Without an element of cruelty at the root of every spectacle," he writes, "the theatre is not possible... - Pina BauschPina BauschPhilippina "Pina" Bausch was a German performer of modern dance, choreographer, dance teacher and ballet director...
- Postmodern theatrePostmodern theaterPostmodern theatre is a recent phenomenon in world theatre, coming as it does out of the postmodern philosophy that originated in Europe in the middle of the twentieth century. Postmodern theatre emerged as a reaction against modernist theatre...
- Dance theatre
- Performance artPerformance artIn art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
- Experimental theatreExperimental theatreExperimental theatre is a general term for various movements in Western theatre that began in the late 19th century as a retraction against the dominant vent governing the writing and production of dramatical menstrophy, and age in particular. The term has shifted over time as the mainstream...
- Political theatrePolitical theatreIn the history of theatre, there is long tradition of performances addressing issues of current events and central to society itself, encouraging consciousness and social change. The political satire performed by the comic poets at the theatres, had considerable influence on public opinion in the...
- Michel FoucaultMichel FoucaultMichel Foucault , born Paul-Michel Foucault , was a French philosopher, social theorist and historian of ideas...
Further reading
- Churchill, Caryl. (2009) Seven Jewish ChildrenSeven Jewish ChildrenSeven Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza is a controversial six-page, 10-minute play by British playwright Caryl Churchill, written in response to the 2008-2009 Israel military strike on Gaza, and first performed at London's Royal Court Theatre on 6 February 2009...
. London: Nick Hern BooksNick Hern BooksNick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nick Hern in 1988.-History:...
. Download only. - Churchill, Caryl. (2008) Churchill Plays: Four. London: Nick Hern BooksNick Hern BooksNick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nick Hern in 1988.-History:...
. ISBN 9781854595409. - Churchill, Caryl. (2006) Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?Drunk Enough to Say I Love You? is a 2006 political play with seven scenes by Caryl Churchill. It addresses the application of power by the United States mostly since the Vietnam war.-Plot summary:...
. London: Nick Hern BooksNick Hern BooksNick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nick Hern in 1988.-History:...
. ISBN 9781854599599. - Churchill, Caryl. (2004) A NumberA NumberA Number is a 2002 play by English playwright Caryl Churchill which addresses the subject of human cloning and identity, especially nature versus nurture...
. London: Nick Hern BooksNick Hern BooksNick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nick Hern in 1988.-History:...
. ISBN 9781854597434. - Churchill, Caryl. (2003) Far Away. London: Nick Hern BooksNick Hern BooksNick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nick Hern in 1988.-History:...
. ISBN 9781854597442. - Churchill, Caryl. (1999) This is a Chair. London: Nick Hern BooksNick Hern BooksNick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nick Hern in 1988.-History:...
. ISBN 9781854593443. - Churchill, Caryl. (1997) Churchill Plays: Three. London: Nick Hern BooksNick Hern BooksNick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nick Hern in 1988.-History:...
. ISBN 9781854593429. - Churchill, Caryl. (1996) Light Shining in Buckinghamshire. London: Nick Hern BooksNick Hern BooksNick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nick Hern in 1988.-History:...
. ISBN 9781854593115. - Churchill, Caryl. (1994) The SkrikerThe SkrikerThe Skriker is a 1994 play by Caryl Churchill that tells the story of an ancient fairy who, during the course of the play, transforms into a plethora of objects and people as it pursues Lily and Josie, two teenage mothers whom it befriends, manipulates, seduces and entraps...
. London: Nick Hern BooksNick Hern BooksNick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nick Hern in 1988.-History:...
. ISBN 9781854592750. - Churchill, Caryl. (1990) Mad ForestMad ForestMad Forest: A Play from Romania is a play by English playwright Caryl Churchill. The three acts occur, respectively, shortly before, during, and shortly after the Romanian Revolution of 1989...
. London: Nick Hern BooksNick Hern BooksNick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nick Hern in 1988.-History:...
. ISBN 97818545908442. - Churchill, Caryl. (1990) Churchill: Shorts. London: Nick Hern BooksNick Hern BooksNick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nick Hern in 1988.-History:...
. ISBN 9781854590855. - Churchill, Caryl. (1989) Cloud NineCloud Nine (play)Cloud Nine is a two-act play written by British playwright Caryl Churchill after workshops with the Joint Stock Theatre Company in late 1978 and first performed at Dartington College of Arts, Devon, on 14 February 1979....
. London: Nick Hern BooksNick Hern BooksNick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nick Hern in 1988.-History:...
. ISBN 9781854590909. - Churchill, Caryl. (1989) Icecream. London: Nick Hern BooksNick Hern BooksNick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nick Hern in 1988.-History:...
. ISBN 9781854590169. - Churchill, Caryl. (1989) Traps. London: Nick Hern BooksNick Hern BooksNick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nick Hern in 1988.-History:...
. ISBN 9781854590954. - Churchill, Caryl. (1997) Blue HeartBlue HeartBlue Heart is the third compilation album by singer Stella Parton. This is her first album since signing with Raptor Records.-Track listing:The track listing is as follows:#Smooth Talker#My Pride#Sleeping With The Enemy#Bound And Determined...
. London: Nick Hern BooksNick Hern BooksNick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nick Hern in 1988.-History:...
. ISBN 9781854593276. - Churchill, Caryl and Gough, Orlando. (1990) HotelHotelA hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
. London: Nick Hern BooksNick Hern BooksNick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nick Hern in 1988.-History:...
. ISBN 9781854593375. - http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsC/churchill-caryl.html