Alan Ayckbourn (b. 1939)

Back to list

LINKS

Durham 21: Interview with Alan Ayckbourn
http://www.durham21.co.uk/archive/archive.asp?ID=743#link2

Alan Ayckbourn provides a brief discussion of his influences and his approach to playwriting in this interview with Durham 21, a British news and entertainment Web site.

Alan Ayckbourn Resource Guide
http://members.lycos.co.uk/ayckbourn

Created in conjunction with Ayckbourn, this site provides comprehensive information on the playwright’s career.

The Stephen Joseph Theatre: Alan Ayckbourn
http://www.sjt.uk.com/aa.htm

The Stephen Joseph Theatre, where Ayckbourn has served as artistic director since 1971, offers this biography of the playwright. The site also provides information on the theater company and a bibliography of works by and about Ayckbourn.

BIOGRAPHY

Born in London in 1939, Alan Ayckbourn grew up in several Sussex towns. Working at various times as a stage manager, sound technician, lighting technician, scene painter, prop maker, actor, writer, and director, Ayckbourn learned every facet of theater and honed his skills to become one of Great Britain’s most successful playwrights. As Ayckbourn developed as an actor and sought more challenging roles, his mentor Stephen Joseph encouraged him to write a play and cast himself in the lead role—advice that may have contributed to the development of Ayckbourn’s appreciation for intricate plots and farcical comedy.

Ayckbourn draws from his somewhat dysfunctional upbringing and middle-class insecurities for writing material. Exploiting failed relationships, class conflicts, and misunderstandings, Ayckbourn’s plays often start with a peculiar situation that snowballs into an intricate and idiosyncratic comedy. His theatrical innovations, demonstrated in such plays as House & Garden, which is staged simultaneously in two auditoriums, captivate the audience’s attention and push stages to new possibilities.

Ayckbourn’s successes include Absurd Person Singular (1972), The Norman Conquests (1973), Bedroom Farce (1975), Just Between Ourselves (1976), A Chorus of Disapproval (1984), Woman in Mind (1985), A Small Family Business (1987), Man of the Moment (1988), and Things We Do for Love (1997). His plays have won numerous awards—including seven London Evening Standard Awards and two Tony nominations. They have been translated into thirty-five languages and have earned international critical acclaim. In 1997, Ayckbourn was knighted for being one of Britain’s most accomplished and prolific playwrights.

Back to list