John Godber
Encyclopedia
John Harry Godber is an English dramatist, known mainly for his observational comedies. In the 'Plays and Players Yearbook' for 1993 he was calculated as the third most performed playwright in the UK behind William Shakespeare
and Alan Ayckbourn
. He has a wife and 2 children.
, near Pontefract
. He trained as a teacher of drama at Bretton Hall College, affiliated to the University of Leeds, and became artistic director of Hull Truck Theatre Company in 1984. Before venturing into plays, he was head of drama at Minsthorpe High School
, the school that he attended as a student, and later wrote for TV series Brookside
and Grange Hill
. Whilst at Minsthorpe he taught future actors Adrian Hood (Preston Front, Up n Under film) and Chris Walker (Doctors, Coronation Street). A 1993 survey for 'Plays and Players' magazine cited Godber as the third most performed playwright in the UK, after Shakespeare and Alan Ayckbourn.In 2005 won 2 BAFTAs for 'Odd Squad', written and directed on location in Hull and screened by BBC children's television. His plays are performed across the world; Bouncers being the most popular.
In 2004 he was made Professor of Popular Theatre at Liverpool Hope University
. He has been Professor of Drama at Hull University
for three years.
His earlier style utilises an interest in German Expressionism
, an economic and physical style inspired by this and the inspiration of Bretton Hall Head of School (Drama) John Hodgson. His later and more naturalistic style reflects Godber's growth as a member of the middle classes and an Ayckbournesque
world of Drama. He says that the 'new Godber' is perhaps a writer like Tim Firth
.
He is married to the writer and actress Jane Thornton (also known as) Jane Clifford and Jane Godber.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
and Alan Ayckbourn
Alan Ayckbourn
Sir Alan Ayckbourn CBE is a prolific English playwright. He has written and produced seventy-three full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, where all but four of his plays have received their...
. He has a wife and 2 children.
Biography
Godber was born in Upton, West YorkshireUpton, West Yorkshire
Upton is a village and civil parish in West Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 3,541.It is situated south of Badsworth and north of North Elmsall and is part of the SESKU area...
, near Pontefract
Pontefract
Pontefract is an historic market town in West Yorkshire, England. Traditionally in the West Riding, near the A1 , the M62 motorway and Castleford. It is one of the five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield and has a population of 28,250...
. He trained as a teacher of drama at Bretton Hall College, affiliated to the University of Leeds, and became artistic director of Hull Truck Theatre Company in 1984. Before venturing into plays, he was head of drama at Minsthorpe High School
Minsthorpe Community College
Minsthorpe Community College is a secondary school in South Elmsall, West Yorkshire, England. It is specifically for students aged eleven to eighteen. It is situated on Minsthorpe Lane, in the Minsthorpe district north of the town...
, the school that he attended as a student, and later wrote for TV series Brookside
Brookside
Brookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
and Grange Hill
Grange Hill
Grange Hill is a British television drama series originally made by the BBC. The show began in 1978 on BBC1 and was one of the longest running programmes on British television...
. Whilst at Minsthorpe he taught future actors Adrian Hood (Preston Front, Up n Under film) and Chris Walker (Doctors, Coronation Street). A 1993 survey for 'Plays and Players' magazine cited Godber as the third most performed playwright in the UK, after Shakespeare and Alan Ayckbourn.In 2005 won 2 BAFTAs for 'Odd Squad', written and directed on location in Hull and screened by BBC children's television. His plays are performed across the world; Bouncers being the most popular.
In 2004 he was made Professor of Popular Theatre at Liverpool Hope University
Liverpool Hope University
Liverpool Hope University is a university in Liverpool, England. Two of its three founding colleges were established in 1844 and 1856, the third opening in the 1960s. It is the only ecumenical university in Europe. Based on two campuses, the main campus is located in Childwall and the second...
. He has been Professor of Drama at Hull University
University of Hull
The University of Hull, known informally as Hull University, is an English university, founded in 1927, located in Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire...
for three years.
His earlier style utilises an interest in German Expressionism
German Expressionism
German Expressionism refers to a number of related creative movements beginning in Germany before the First World War that reached a peak in Berlin, during the 1920s...
, an economic and physical style inspired by this and the inspiration of Bretton Hall Head of School (Drama) John Hodgson. His later and more naturalistic style reflects Godber's growth as a member of the middle classes and an Ayckbournesque
Alan Ayckbourn
Sir Alan Ayckbourn CBE is a prolific English playwright. He has written and produced seventy-three full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, where all but four of his plays have received their...
world of Drama. He says that the 'new Godber' is perhaps a writer like Tim Firth
Tim Firth
Tim Firth is an English dramatist, screenwriter and songwriter.Tim Firth was born, and has lived all his life in, the North West of England on the border of Cheshire and Lancashire...
.
He is married to the writer and actress Jane Thornton (also known as) Jane Clifford and Jane Godber.
Filmography
- Grange HillGrange HillGrange Hill is a British television drama series originally made by the BBC. The show began in 1978 on BBC1 and was one of the longest running programmes on British television...
(1978) TV series - Toys of Age (1979) (TV)
- BrooksideBrooksideBrookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
(1982) TV series - The Rainbow Coloured Disco Dancer (1983) (TV)
- Crown CourtCrown CourtThe Crown Court of England and Wales is, together with the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal, one of the constituent parts of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
(1983) TV - The RitzThe Ritz (TV series)The Ritz was a six part BBC Television series that aired in 1987. It was a Comedy/Drama set in a night club, where three bouncers Chike played by Paul Rider, Skodge played by Andrew Dunn and Kenny played by Andrew Livingstone helped to protect the newly formed Ritz night club from a rival club...
(1987) TV series - My Kingdom for a Horse (1991) TV series
- ChalkfaceChalkfaceChalkface literally means a cliff or quarry exposing chalk, e.g. the White Cliffs of Dover.To work "at the chalkface" means to work in education, specifically in a school. This term, believed to have originally been coined by Ted Wragg for his Times Educational Supplement column, should be seen as...
(1991) TV series - ShakersShakersThe United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, known as the Shakers, is a religious sect originally thought to be a development of the Religious Society of Friends...
(1993) (TV) - Bloomin' Marvellous (1997) TV series
- Up 'n' UnderUp 'n' UnderUp 'n' Under is a comedy by English playwright John Godber, first staged at the Hull Truck Theatre in 1984. The sequel, Up 'n' Under II, followed in 1985....
(1998) - Bouncers! (2000) (TV)
- Thunder RoadThunder RoadThunder Road is the title of a 1958 drama–crime film about running moonshine in the mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee in the early 1950s. It was directed by Arthur Ripley and starred Robert Mitchum, who also produced the film, co-wrote the screenplay, and is rumored to have directed much of the...
(2001) (TV) - Portas, Os (2005) (TV)
External links
- John Godber official website
- http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article667464.eceTimesTimesThe Times is a UK daily newspaper, the original English language newspaper titled "Times". Times may also refer to:In newspapers:*The Times , went defunct in 2005*The Times *The Times of Northwest Indiana...
Interview with Godber. Trade Secrets. December 16, 2006]. Accessed 2010-04-15