Ray Harrison Graham
Encyclopedia
Ray Harrison Graham is an English playwright
, screenwriter
, and director
from a Jamaica
n family, and was born in Oxford
in 1962. For many years, his parents ran the renowned Elm Tree public house, on the Cowley Road, in East Oxford. He attended Oxford Boys Upper School and later graduated from the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art
, in London
.
Ray initially trained as an actor
at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art
, which was to have a bearing on his directing and writing style. He directed his first plays at the Pegasus Theatre (home of the Oxford Youth Theatre
), in East Oxford, in his teens. He devised his first piece in 1982, titled A WAY OF LIFE, under the benevolent eye of the noted theatre manager there, Fred Ritchings. A further devised piece, YOP! played to packed houses at the Pegasus Theatre in 1983.
s. Following detailed director's notes, then presents complex scenarios to the actors. The resulting scenes are reworked with copious notes after each run. The script is fixed by Ray one to two weeks before opening night. In the early days, a written play text would only emerge following the show's stage run. However this did not preclude actors being given sections of dialogue penned by Harrison Graham as the piece developed. As his experience increased, he learnt the playwright's craft of producing complete scripts following shorter series of impro workshops with his cast. The brilliance of Ray Harrison Graham's recent work lies in his ability to produce these texts with the same natural dynamics as those he once produced after exhaustive workshop sessions.
actress Sarah Scott in 1985, to tour the UK with his production of Children of a Lesser God
. This collaboration with Sarah Scott saw the beginning of Ray's exploration on themes of disability
, particularly deafness. Ray and Sarah performed a number of signed songs for Channel 4
around this time, introducing the form to a mainstream UK audience for the first time.
In 1988, Ray began work on a major new work, GARY, involving both hearing and deaf actors. This premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in 1989, winning a Fringe First award. The piece returned to London, playing at the Arts Theatre
in London's West End
, in 1990. This may or may not be the first work by a black Briton to be staged in the West End theatre
.
Ray Harrison Graham's groundbreaking drama SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL resulted from a collaboration with Graeae Theatre Company
at the Oval House Theatre
and then the Tricycle Theatre
in 1996. This went on to take a coveted Rasberry Ripple Award the same year. The Guardian
's theatre review pages said of the play, "It is rare and rewarding to find a piece as dense and intelligent as this."
Success followed on Television, with Ray Harrison Graham writing and directing two BAFTA winning plays (Strong Language for Channel 4
in 2000, and Lion Mountain for the BBC
in 2003). His other television work includes writng a and directing the highly praised Rush series for Channel 4
. Four series of this drama were aired in the UK between 1998 and 2003, telling the story of a group of deaf friends who first met at colloege in series one. The series won plaudits and awards from around the world, though curiously the producers never entered it for BAFTA.
Ray Harrison Graham is a judge in the 2011 Deaffest
film and television award festival and, amongst other projects, is currently devising and directing a stage play, involving young people excluded from mainstream school, which will play at Croydon's Warehouse Theatre
in July 2011.
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...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, and director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
from a Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n family, and was born in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
in 1962. For many years, his parents ran the renowned Elm Tree public house, on the Cowley Road, in East Oxford. He attended Oxford Boys Upper School and later graduated from the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art
Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art
The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, formerly the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art, was a drama school, and originally a singing school, in London. It was one of the leading drama schools in Britain, and offered comprehensive training for those intending to pursue a...
, in London
London
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...
.
Ray initially trained as an actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art
Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art
The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, formerly the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art, was a drama school, and originally a singing school, in London. It was one of the leading drama schools in Britain, and offered comprehensive training for those intending to pursue a...
, which was to have a bearing on his directing and writing style. He directed his first plays at the Pegasus Theatre (home of the Oxford Youth Theatre
Oxford Youth Theatre
The Oxford Youth Theatre is based in Oxford, England. It was founded in 1962 and established the Pegasus Theatre in 1975.- History :...
), in East Oxford, in his teens. He devised his first piece in 1982, titled A WAY OF LIFE, under the benevolent eye of the noted theatre manager there, Fred Ritchings. A further devised piece, YOP! played to packed houses at the Pegasus Theatre in 1983.
Methodology
It was during his time at Pegasus tTheatre that Ray developed his particular style of creating theatre pieces. His command of acting technique, predominantly realistic in style, based on Constantin Stanislawski's writings, meant that he was able to give detailed and rigorous direction to his improvising actors. Ray Harrison's method of working starts with an initial period of exploring characters through improvisationImprovisation
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...
s. Following detailed director's notes, then presents complex scenarios to the actors. The resulting scenes are reworked with copious notes after each run. The script is fixed by Ray one to two weeks before opening night. In the early days, a written play text would only emerge following the show's stage run. However this did not preclude actors being given sections of dialogue penned by Harrison Graham as the piece developed. As his experience increased, he learnt the playwright's craft of producing complete scripts following shorter series of impro workshops with his cast. The brilliance of Ray Harrison Graham's recent work lies in his ability to produce these texts with the same natural dynamics as those he once produced after exhaustive workshop sessions.
Career Highlights
Ray teamed up with West End theatreWest End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
actress Sarah Scott in 1985, to tour the UK with his production of Children of a Lesser God
Children of a Lesser God (play)
Children of a Lesser God is a play by Mark Medoff, published in 1980 focusing on the conflicted professional and romantic relationship between deaf former student, Sarah Norman, and her teacher, James Leeds. The play was specially written for the Deaf actress Phyllis Frelich, based to some extent...
. This collaboration with Sarah Scott saw the beginning of Ray's exploration on themes of disability
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
, particularly deafness. Ray and Sarah performed a number of signed songs for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
around this time, introducing the form to a mainstream UK audience for the first time.
In 1988, Ray began work on a major new work, GARY, involving both hearing and deaf actors. This premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in 1989, winning a Fringe First award. The piece returned to London, playing at the Arts Theatre
Arts Theatre
The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. It now operates as the West End's smallest commercial receiving house.-History:...
in London's West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
, in 1990. This may or may not be the first work by a black Briton to be staged in the West End theatre
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
.
Ray Harrison Graham's groundbreaking drama SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL resulted from a collaboration with Graeae Theatre Company
Graeae Theatre Company
Graeae Theatre Company is a British organisation composed of artists and managers with physical and sensory disabilities. It was founded in 1980 by Nabil Shaban and Richard Tomlinson and named after the Graeae of Greek mythology...
at the Oval House Theatre
Oval House Theatre
Ovalhouse formerly called Oval House Theatre is an Off-Westend theatre led by joint Directors of Theatre Rebecca Atkinson-Lord and Rachel Briscoe in the London Borough of Lambeth...
and then the Tricycle Theatre
Tricycle Theatre
The Tricycle Theatre is located on Kilburn High Road in Kilburn in the London Borough of Brent, England. During the last 30 years, the Tricycle has been presenting plays reflecting the cultural diversity of its community; in particular Black, Irish, Jewish, Asian and South African works, as well as...
in 1996. This went on to take a coveted Rasberry Ripple Award the same year. The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
's theatre review pages said of the play, "It is rare and rewarding to find a piece as dense and intelligent as this."
Success followed on Television, with Ray Harrison Graham writing and directing two BAFTA winning plays (Strong Language for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
in 2000, and Lion Mountain for the 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...
in 2003). His other television work includes writng a and directing the highly praised Rush series for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. Four series of this drama were aired in the UK between 1998 and 2003, telling the story of a group of deaf friends who first met at colloege in series one. The series won plaudits and awards from around the world, though curiously the producers never entered it for BAFTA.
Ray Harrison Graham is a judge in the 2011 Deaffest
Deaffest
Deaffest, is the UK’s only Deaf-led film and television festival, which celebrates the talents of Deaf filmmakers and media artists from all over the world. It is hosted by Light House Media Centre in Wolverhampton...
film and television award festival and, amongst other projects, is currently devising and directing a stage play, involving young people excluded from mainstream school, which will play at Croydon's Warehouse Theatre
Warehouse Theatre
The Warehouse Theatre is a professional producing theatre with one hundred seats in the centre of the London Borough of Croydon, south London, England based in an oak-beamed former cement Victorian warehouse...
in July 2011.
External links
- Redbird Media page on Ray Harrison Graham
- Deaffest website
- Warehouse Theatre, Croydon