David Eldridge (dramatist)
Encyclopedia
David Eldridge is an English
dramatist, born in Romford
, Greater London
, United Kingdom
(UK) in 1973.
His plays have been performed at major new writing institutions in the UK, including The Royal Court Theatre
, the Bush Theatre
, the Finborough Theatre
and the National Theatre
. His stage adaptation of the film Festen
transferred from the Almeida Theatre
to the West End and Broadway.
His play Market Boy, informed by his childhood working on a stall at Romford
Market, played at the National Theatre
's largest space, the Olivier in June 2006.
In July 2008 his play Under the Blue Sky was revived at the Duke of York's Theatre
starring Chris O'Dowd
, Catherine Tate
and Francesca Annis
.
In March 2011 his play The Knot of the Heart played at the Almeida Theatre
and starred Lisa Dillon
, for whom the role of Lucy was written.
In October 2011 he will be partaking in the Bush Theatre
's 2011 project Sixty Six where he has written a piece based upon the 1st Letter of John from the King James Bible
In February 2012 the Royal Court Theatre
will open his play In Basildon, directed by Dominic Cooke
. In April 2012 the Royal Exchange Theatre will open his new version of Miss Julie
by August Strindberg
, starring Maxine Peake
.
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, born in Romford
Romford
Romford is a large suburban town in north east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
, Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
, United Kingdom
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...
(UK) in 1973.
His plays have been performed at major new writing institutions in the UK, including 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...
, the Bush Theatre
Bush Theatre
The Bush Theatre is based in Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 above The Bush public house by Brian McDermott, and has since become one of the most celebrated new writing theatres in the world. An intimate venue renowned for its close-up...
, the Finborough Theatre
Finborough Theatre
The Finborough Theatre is a fifty seat theatre in the Earls Court area of London, United Kingdom , which presents new British writing, UK and premieres of new plays, primarily from the English speaking world including North America, Canada, Scotland and Ireland, music theatre, and rarely seen...
and the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
. His stage adaptation of the film Festen
The Celebration (Play)
Festen is a British stage adaptation of the Danish film of the same name . The adaptation is by English playwright David Eldridge...
transferred from the Almeida Theatre
Almeida Theatre
The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325 seat studio theatre with an international reputation which takes its name from the street in which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diverse range of drama and holds an annual summer festival of...
to the West End and Broadway.
His play Market Boy, informed by his childhood working on a stall at Romford
Romford
Romford is a large suburban town in north east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
Market, played at the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
's largest space, the Olivier in June 2006.
In July 2008 his play Under the Blue Sky was revived at the Duke of York's Theatre
Duke of York's Theatre
The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End Theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre, until her death in 1935. It opened on 10 September 1892 as the Trafalgar Square Theatre, with Wedding...
starring Chris O'Dowd
Chris O'Dowd
Chris O'Dowd is an Irish comedian and actor. He is best known for playing Roy Trenneman in British sitcom The IT Crowd...
, Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate is an English actress, writer, and comedian. She has won numerous awards for her work on the sketch comedy series The Catherine Tate Show as well as being nominated for an International Emmy Award and four BAFTA Awards...
and Francesca Annis
Francesca Annis
Francesca Annis is an English actress, known for her film and television appearances, most recently in the BBC series Wives and Daughters, Cranford, and Deceit.-Early life and education:...
.
In March 2011 his play The Knot of the Heart played at the Almeida Theatre
Almeida Theatre
The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325 seat studio theatre with an international reputation which takes its name from the street in which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diverse range of drama and holds an annual summer festival of...
and starred Lisa Dillon
Lisa Dillon
Lisa Dillon is Critics Circle Award-winning English actress.-Theatre:Whilst training at RADA, Dillon appeared in several training productions, including: Hamlet and The Tempest by William Shakespeare, The Devils by John Whiting, The Devil's Law Case by John Webster, Yentl by Leah Napolin and The...
, for whom the role of Lucy was written.
In October 2011 he will be partaking in the Bush Theatre
Bush Theatre
The Bush Theatre is based in Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 above The Bush public house by Brian McDermott, and has since become one of the most celebrated new writing theatres in the world. An intimate venue renowned for its close-up...
's 2011 project Sixty Six where he has written a piece based upon the 1st Letter of John from the King James Bible
In February 2012 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...
will open his play In Basildon, directed by Dominic Cooke
Dominic Cooke
Dominic Cooke is an English theatre director and playwright. He won the 2007 Laurence Olivier Award for best director for his revival of The Crucible while working at the RSC...
. In April 2012 the Royal Exchange Theatre will open his new version of Miss Julie
Miss Julie
Miss Julie is a naturalistic play written in 1888 by August Strindberg dealing with class, love, lust, the battle of the sexes, and the interaction among them...
by 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,...
, starring Maxine Peake
Maxine Peake
Maxine Peake is an English stage, film and television actress known for playing Veronica in Channel 4's Manchester-based drama series Shameless, Twinkle in Victoria Wood's sitcom Dinnerladies, and, most recently, barrister Martha Costello in BBC legal drama Silk.-Early life:Peake is the second of...
.
Plays
- Cabbage for Tea, Tea, Tea! (Exeter University, 1995)
- Sideways Moving (Edinburgh Fringe, 1995)
- Fighting for Breath (Finborough TheatreFinborough TheatreThe Finborough Theatre is a fifty seat theatre in the Earls Court area of London, United Kingdom , which presents new British writing, UK and premieres of new plays, primarily from the English speaking world including North America, Canada, Scotland and Ireland, music theatre, and rarely seen...
, 1995) - Serving It Up (Bush Theatre, 1996)
- Dirty (Theatre Royal Stratford EastTheatre Royal Stratford EastThe Theatre Royal Stratford East is a theatre in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham. Since 1953, it has been the home of the Theatre Workshop company.-History:...
, 1996) - A Week with Tony (Finborough TheatreFinborough TheatreThe Finborough Theatre is a fifty seat theatre in the Earls Court area of London, United Kingdom , which presents new British writing, UK and premieres of new plays, primarily from the English speaking world including North America, Canada, Scotland and Ireland, music theatre, and rarely seen...
, 1996) - Summer Begins (Donmar WarehouseDonmar WarehouseDonmar Warehouse is a small not-for-profit theatre in the Covent Garden area of London, with a capacity of 251.-About:Under the artistic leadership of Michael Grandage, the theatre has presented some of London’s most memorable award-winning theatrical experiences, as well as garnered critical...
, 1997) - Thanks Mum (Red Room/Battersea Arts CentreBattersea Arts CentreThe Battersea Arts Centre is a performance space near Clapham Junction in Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth that specialises in music and theatre productions.-History:...
, 1998) - Falling (Hampstead TheatreHampstead TheatreHampstead Theatre is a theatre in the vicinity of Swiss Cottage and Belsize Park, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. In 2009 it celebrates its 50 year anniversary.The original theatre was...
, 1999) - Under the Blue SkyUnder the Blue SkyUnder the Blue Sky is a three-act play written by David Eldridge. It premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London on 14 September 2000, directed by Rufus Norris.-Original West End Production:...
(Royal Court Theatre, 2000) - Killers (BBC Television, 2000)
- Michael & Me (BBC Radio 4, 2001)
- The Nugget Run (Short Film, 2002)
- Stratford, Ilford, Romford and All Stations to Shenfield (BBC Radio 4, 2003)
- M.A.D. (Bush Theatre, 2004)
- Incomplete and Random Acts of Kindness (Royal Court Theatre, 2005)
- Market Boy (National Theatre, 2006)
- The Picture Man (BBC Radio 3, 2008)
- The List (Arcola TheatreArcola TheatreArcola Theatre is a studio theatre in Dalston, in the London Borough of Hackney. The theatre's ambition is to create and present high-quality theatre with a social and political relevance to its multicultural local community as well as a wider audience....
, 2009) - A Thousand Stars Explode in the SkyA Thousand Stars Explode in the SkyA Thousand Stars Explode in the Sky is a play collaboratively written by David Eldridge, Robert Holman and Simon Stephens. It premiered at the Lyric Hammersmith on 7 May 2010 and ran until 5 June 2010.- Summary :...
(written with Simon StephensSimon StephensSimon Stephens is an English playwright.Hailing originally from Stockport, Greater Manchester, he is now an increasingly significant voice in English theatre. His plays are often humane explorations of family life...
and Robert HolmanRobert HolmanRobert Holman is a British dramatist whose work has been produced since the 1970s at the RSC, the West End, Royal Court Theatre and elsewhere in the UK...
), (Lyric Hammersmith, 2010) - Like Minded People (BBC Radio 4, 2011)
- The Knot of the Heart (Almeida Theatre, 2011)
- The Secret Grief (BBC Radio 3, 2011)
- The Stock Da'wa (Hampstead Theatre, 2011)
- Something, Someone, Somewhere (Sixty Six Project/Bush Theatre/Westminster Abbey, 2011)
- In Basildon (Royal Court Theatre, 2012)
Adaptations/Versions
- Festen - adaptation of the Dogme film (Almeida Theatre/Lyric Theatre, 2004 / Music Box Theatre, New York, 2006)
- Our Hidden Lives - television adaptation of a book by Simon GarfieldSimon GarfieldSimon Frank Garfield is a British journalist and non-fiction author. He was educated at the independent University College School in Hampstead, London, and the London School of Economics, where he was the Executive Editor of The Beaver....
(BBC Television, 2005) - The Wild DuckThe Wild DuckThe Wild Duck is an 1884 play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen.-Plot:The first act opens with a dinner party hosted by Håkon Werle, a wealthy merchant and industrialist. The gathering is attended by his son, Gregers Werle, who has just returned to his father's home following a self-imposed...
- new version of a play by Henrik IbsenHenrik IbsenHenrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
(Donmar Warehouse, 2006) - John Gabriel BorkmanJohn Gabriel BorkmanJohn Gabriel Borkman is the penultimate composition of the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, written in 1896.-Plot:The Borkman family fortunes have been brought low by the imprisonment of John Gabriel who used his position as a bank manager to illegally speculate with his investors' money...
- new version of a play by Henrik Ibsen (Donmar Warehouse, 2007) - Babylone adaptation of the play Rue de Babylone by Jean-Marie Besset (Belgrade Coventry, 2009)
- The Lady from the SeaThe Lady from the SeaThe Lady from the Sea is a play written in 1888 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen.Kvinnan från havet is a ballet by choreographer Birgit Cullberg, and based on Ibsen's play...
- new version of a play by Henrik IbsenHenrik IbsenHenrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
(Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, 2010) - Miss JulieMiss JulieMiss Julie is a naturalistic play written in 1888 by August Strindberg dealing with class, love, lust, the battle of the sexes, and the interaction among them...
- new version of a play by 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,...
(Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, 2012)
External Links
- Independent on Sunday interview
- Oh, throw away your stopwatch
- Massive Attack David Eldridge on the Monsterists
- Telegraph interview
- David Eldridge & Rufus Norris Guardian interview
- Time Out interview
- Independent interview
- Under the Blue Sky in the West End
- David Eldridge, Simon Stephens & Robert Holman FT interview
- David Eldridge, Simon Stephens & Robert Holman Guardian interview
- Metro interview
- theatrevoice 19 March 2004 part 1
- theatrevoice 19 March 2004 part 2
- theatrevoice 9 June 2006
- theatrevoice 30 July 2008 part 1
- theatrevoice 30 July 2008 part 2
- theatrevoice 31 March 2011