James Saunders
Encyclopedia
James Saunders was a prolific English
playwright
born in Islington
, London
. His early plays led to him being considered one of the leading British exponents of the Theatre of the Absurd
.
, Barry Foster
and Liz Fraser
, at the New Arts
and the Criterion Theatre
in 1963. It gained him the 1963 Evening Standard
award (with Charles Wood
) for "Most Promising Playwright" . The play was also produced in New York the same year.
In 1975 he completed John Vanbrugh
's four-act fragment, A Journey to London, a play that had been sentimentalised by Colley Cibber
in 1728 as The Provok'd Husband. Saunders' version was first staged in Greenwich and successfully revived at the Orange Tree Theatre
in 1986.
Bodies, commissioned and first staged by Sam Walters
at the Orange Tree in 1977, was revived by Robin Lefévre at the Hampstead Theatre
in February 1978, and given a West End transfer in April 1979, starring Dinsdale Landen
, Gwen Watford
, David Burke and Angela Down.
(1979), starring Richard Beckinsale
(in the year that he died) playing an unsuccessful actor working in a flower shop. Beckinsale's co-star was Anna Calder-Marshall
.
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...
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...
born in Islington
Islington
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...
, 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...
. His early plays led to him being considered one of the leading British exponents of the Theatre of the Absurd
Theatre of the Absurd
The Theatre of the Absurd is a designation for particular plays of absurdist fiction, written by a number of primarily European playwrights in the late 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, as well as to the style of theatre which has evolved from their work...
.
Personal life
He was educated at Wembley County School and Southampton University. He married Audrey Cross.Plays
His play Next Time I'll Sing To You, written in 1962, was staged in the West End starring Michael CaineMichael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
, Barry Foster
Barry Foster (actor)
Barry Foster was a British actor who appeared in numerous film roles and is known for his leading role as a Dutch detective in the ITV drama series, Van der Valk, which spanned five series over 20 years from 1972....
and Liz Fraser
Liz Fraser
Liz Fraser is an English actress, mainly in comedy roles.- Life and career :Her birthdate is usually attributed as 1933, the year she gave when auditioning for her role in I'm All Right Jack, as the Boulting Brothers wanted someone younger for the part...
, at the New Arts
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:...
and the Criterion Theatre
Criterion Theatre
The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has an official capacity of 588.-Building the theatre:...
in 1963. It gained him the 1963 Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
award (with Charles Wood
Charles Wood
Charles Wood may refer to:*Charles Wood, 2nd Earl of Halifax , British politician and peer*Charles Wood, 3rd Earl of Halifax , British peer*Charles Wood, 1st Viscount Halifax , English politician...
) for "Most Promising Playwright" . The play was also produced in New York the same year.
In 1975 he completed John Vanbrugh
John Vanbrugh
Sir John Vanbrugh – 26 March 1726) was an English architect and dramatist, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restoration comedies, The Relapse and The Provoked Wife , which have become enduring stage favourites...
's four-act fragment, A Journey to London, a play that had been sentimentalised by Colley Cibber
Colley Cibber
Colley Cibber was an English actor-manager, playwright and Poet Laureate. His colourful memoir Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber describes his life in a personal, anecdotal and even rambling style...
in 1728 as The Provok'd Husband. Saunders' version was first staged in Greenwich and successfully revived at the Orange Tree Theatre
Orange Tree Theatre
The Orange Tree Theatre is a 172-seat theatre at 1 Clarence Street, Richmond in south west London, built specifically as a theatre in the round....
in 1986.
Bodies, commissioned and first staged by Sam Walters
Sam Walters
Sam Walters MBE is a British theatre director and Artistic Director of the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond, London, specialising in theatre-in-the-round productions...
at the Orange Tree in 1977, was revived by Robin Lefévre at the Hampstead Theatre
Hampstead Theatre
Hampstead 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...
in February 1978, and given a West End transfer in April 1979, starring Dinsdale Landen
Dinsdale Landen
Dinsdale James Landen was a British actor known mainly for his television appearances.Landen was born at Margate. He made his television debut in 1959 as Pip in an adaptation of Great Expectations and made his film debut in 1960, with a walk-on part in The League of Gentlemen...
, Gwen Watford
Gwen Watford
Gwendoline "Gwen" Watford was an English film, stage, and television actress. She married actor Richard Bebb in 1952....
, David Burke and Angela Down.
Television
Saunders' television work included Watch Me I'm a Bird (1964), and the BBC sitcom BloomersBloomers
Bloomers may refer to:* Bloomers , the undergarment named after Amelia Bloomer.* Bloomers , the 1979 BBC sitcom by James Saunders, starring Richard Beckinsale....
(1979), starring Richard Beckinsale
Richard Beckinsale
Richard Arthur Beckinsale was an English actor, best known for his roles as Lennie Godber in the popular BBC sitcom Porridge and Alan Moore in the British sitcom Rising Damp....
(in the year that he died) playing an unsuccessful actor working in a flower shop. Beckinsale's co-star was Anna Calder-Marshall
Anna Calder-Marshall
Anna Calder-Marshall is a British actress.Her husband is actor David Burke and her son is actor Tom Burke.-Filmography:-External links:...
.
Works
Stage plays include:- Moonshine (1955)
- The Ark (1959)
- A Slight Accident (one-act 1961)
- Double Double (1962)
- Next Time I'll Sing To You (1962)
- Who was Hilary Maconochie? (one-act 1963)
- A Scent of Flowers (1966)
- The Travails of Sancho Panza (1969)
- Games (one-act 1970)
- After Liverpool (one-act 1970)
- Hans Kolhaus (1972)
- A Journey to London (co-author, 1975)
- Bodies (1977)
- Over the Wall (one-act 1977)
- Random Moments in a May Garden (1980)
Sources
- Who's Who in the Theatre 14th Jubilee Edition, ed Freda Gaye, Pitman (1967)
- Who's Who in the Theatre 17th edition, ed Ian Herbert, Gale (Vols 1 and 2, 1981) ISBN 0810302349
- Theatre RecordTheatre RecordTheatre Record is a periodical that reprints reviews, production photographs, and other information about the British theatre.-Overview:Founded by Ian Herbert and published fortnightly since January 1981, Theatre Record is printed and published in England every two weeks.It reprints unabridged all...
and its annual Indexes - Halliwell's Television Companion by Leslie HalliwellLeslie HalliwellRobert James Leslie Halliwell was a British film encyclopaedist and television impresario who in 1965 compiled The Filmgoer's Companion, the first one-volume encyclopaedia devoted to all aspects of the cinema. He followed it a dozen years later with Halliwell's Film Guide, another monumental work...
and Philip PurserPhilip PurserPhilip Purser is a British television critic and novelist.A contributor to the News Chronicle in the 1950s, he was television critic of The Sunday Telegraph from its launch in 1961 until he was sacked in 1987 by Peregrine Worsthorne, the then editor...
, Grafton Books (1986) ISBN 0246128380
External links
- Biography
- James Saunders' English bibliography http://www.jamessaunders.org/jsbib.htm
- BBC Radio Plays by James Saunders