Richard Bean
Encyclopedia
Richard Bean, born in East Hull
in 1956, is an English
playwright
.
at Loughborough University of Science and Technology and graduated with a 2-1 BSc Hons, and went on to become an occupational psychologist, having previously worked in a bread plant for a year and a half after leaving school
.
Between 1989 and 1994, Bean also worked as a stand-up comedian
and went on to be one of the writer
s and performers of the sketch show Control Group Six (BBC Radio
) which was nominated for a Writers Guild Award
.
for Stephen McNeff's opera
Paradise of Fools, premiered at the Unicorn Theatre
.
His first full-length play Of Rats and Men, set in a psychology lab, was mounted at the Canal Cafe Theatre
in 1996 and went on to the Edinburgh Festival
. He adapted it for BBC Radio
, starring Anton Lesser
, and it was nominated for a Sony Award.
Subsequent plays include:
Co-winner of the George Devine Award for UNDER THE WHALEBACK 2003 (Shared with Gary Owen)
Co-Winner of Pearson New Play of the Year Award for HONEYMOON SUITE 2003 (Also shared with Gary Owen)
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
in 1956, is an English
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...
.
Early years
Bean studied Social PsychologySocial psychology
Social psychology is the scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. By this definition, scientific refers to the empirical method of investigation. The terms thoughts, feelings, and behaviors include all...
at Loughborough University of Science and Technology and graduated with a 2-1 BSc Hons, and went on to become an occupational psychologist, having previously worked in a bread plant for a year and a half after leaving school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
.
Between 1989 and 1994, Bean also worked as a stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
and went on to be one of the writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
s and performers of the sketch show Control Group Six (BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
) which was nominated for a Writers Guild Award
Writers' Guild of Great Britain
The Writers' Guild of Great Britain, established in 1959, is a trade union for professional writers. It is affiliated with both the Trades Union Congress and the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds .-Activities:...
.
Theatre career
In 1995 he wrote the librettoLibretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
for Stephen McNeff's opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
Paradise of Fools, premiered at the Unicorn Theatre
Unicorn Theatre
The Unicorn Theatre is a producer of professional theatre for children in Britain. It is based in a RIBA Award–winning centre in Tooley Street, in the London Borough of Southwark, opened in 2005...
.
His first full-length play Of Rats and Men, set in a psychology lab, was mounted at the Canal Cafe Theatre
Canal Cafe Theatre
The Canal Cafe Theatre is a 60-seat fringe theatre venue in Little Venice, London, specialising in comedy performances.-Location:The theatre is above the Bridge House pub in Little Venice, on the corner of Westbourne Terrace Road and Delamere Terrace, at the meeting point of the Grand Union and...
in 1996 and went on to the Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
. He adapted it for BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
, starring Anton Lesser
Anton Lesser
Anton Lesser is a British actor. He attended Moseley Grammar School and the University of Liverpool before going to RADA in 1977 where he was awarded the Bancroft Gold Medal as the most promising actor of his year....
, and it was nominated for a Sony Award.
Subsequent plays include:
- ToastToast (play)Toast is a play written in 1999 by English playwright Richard Bean. It premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London in 1999. The play tells the story of seven men who all work in a bread factory in Hull...
, a hit at the Royal Court Upstairs CircleRoyal Court TheatreThe 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...
in February 1999. (At The Ambassador's in the West End.) - Mr England, a National Theatre Studio production at the Crucible TheatreCrucible TheatreThe Crucible Theatre is a theatre built in 1971 and located in the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. As well as theatrical performances, it is home to the most important event in professional snooker, the World Snooker Championship....
Sheffield, October 2000 - The Mentalists at the National Theatre, Lyttelton LoftRoyal National TheatreThe Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, July 2002 - Under the Whaleback at the Royal Court, Theatre Upstairs, April 2003 http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/news/interviews/view/item71782/Richard-Bean/ http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/whaleback-rev.htm
- Smack Family Robinson at the Live Theatre, Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, May 2003 http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/smack-rev.htm - The God Botherers at the Bush TheatreBush TheatreThe 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...
, November 2003 http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/godbotherers-rev.htm - Honeymoon Suite (English Touring Theatre http://www.ett.org.uk/Creative_Learning/Publications/Honeymoon_Suite.html) at the Royal Court, January 2004 http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/honeymoonsuite-rev.htm
- Harvest at the Royal Court Theatre, September 2005 http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/harvest-rev.htm
- The HypochondriacLe Malade imaginaireThe Imaginary Invalid is a three-act comédie-ballet by the French playwright Molière. It was first performed in 1673 and was the last work he wrote. In an ironic twist of fate, Molière collapsed during his fourth performance as Argan on 17 February and died soon after...
, a new version of Moliére's play, at the Almeida TheatreAlmeida TheatreThe 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...
, November 2005 http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/hypochondriac-rev.htm - Up On Roof for Hull Truck TheatreHull Truck TheatreThe Hull Truck Theatre is a theatre in Kingston upon Hull, England which presents high quality drama productions.It also tours its productions on a regular basis....
, March 2006 http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/11851 - In the Club at the 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...
, August 2007 http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/intheclub-rev.htm - The English Game, a comedy about amateur cricketers at the Yvonne Arnaud TheatreYvonne Arnaud TheatreThe Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford, Surrey presents in-house productions which often tour and transfer to London's West End. Other performances include opera, ballet and pantomime. Named after the actress Yvonne Arnaud, the company has two performance venues, a main theatre and the smaller Mill...
, GuildfordGuildfordGuildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, May 2008 (a production directed by Sean HolmesSean HolmesSean Holmes is a British theatre director and, from spring 2009, artistic director of London’s Lyric Hammersmith.-Early career:Sean Holmes took a masters degree at King's College, London and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in text and performance...
which also toured to the Northcott TheatreNorthcott TheatreThe Northcott Theatre is a theatre situated on the Streatham Campus of the University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, England.-History:The Northcott is the seventh building in Exeter to be used as a theatre....
Exeter, West Yorkshire PlayhouseWest Yorkshire PlayhouseThe West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, England is a theatre which opened in March 1990 as part of the regeneration of the Quarry Hill area of the city...
Leeds, the Oxford Playhouse, the Rose Theatre, KingstonRose Theatre, KingstonThe Rose Theatre, Kingston is a theatre on Kingston High Street in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The theatre seats 899 around a wide, lozenge shaped stage....
and The LowryThe LowryThe Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex situated on Pier 8 at Salford Quays, in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is named after the early-20th century painter, L. S. Lowry, known for his paintings of industrial scenes in North West England...
Salford QuaysSalford QuaysSalford Quays is an area of Salford in Greater Manchester, England, near the end of the Manchester Ship Canal. Previously the site of Manchester Docks, it became one of the first and largest urban regeneration projects in the United Kingdom following the closure of the dockyards in...
). - England People Very NiceEngland People Very NiceEngland People Very Nice is a play by Richard Bean. It opened at the National Theatre in February 2009. The play, directed by Nicholas Hytner, is about four waves of immigrants - French Huguenot, Irish, Jewish and Bangladeshi - that have arrived in the district of Bethnal Green, East London, over...
, at the National TheatreRoyal National TheatreThe Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, February 2009, directed by Nicholas HytnerNicholas HytnerSir Nicholas Robert Hytner is an English film and theatre producer and director. He has been the artistic director of London's National Theatre since 2003.-Biography:...
, about four waves of immigration - French Huguenot, Irish, Jewish and Bangladeshi - in east London’s Bethnal Green http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/englandpeople - The Big Fellah, produced by Out of Joint and the Lyric HammersmithLyric HammersmithThe Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on King Street, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, which takes pride in its original, "groundbreaking" productions....
, directed by Max Stafford-ClarkMax Stafford-ClarkMaxwell Robert Guthrie Stewart Stafford-Clark is an English Theatre Director.-Life and career:He went to school at Felsted and Riverdale Country School in New York City. He has worked as a theatre director since he left Trinity College, Dublin.His directing career began as associate director of...
and touring (UK) Autumn 2010. Set in New York and spanning three decades from 1972 to 2001, it follows an Irish American New York fireman who is recruited by the IRA, who want to use his Bronx apartment as a safehouse. http://www.outofjoint.co.uk/prods/bigfellah.html - The HereticThe Heretic (play)The Heretic is a British black comedy play by Richard Bean about climate change and its sceptics. In 2011 it premiered at the Royal Court Theatre receiving positive reviews directed by Jeremy Herrin starring Juliet Stevenson, James Fleet, Lydia Wilson and Johnny Flynn.-Synopsis:University lecturer...
at the Royal Court TheatreRoyal Court TheatreThe 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...
in LondonLondonLondon 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...
directed by Jeremy HerrinJeremy HerrinJeremy Herrin is an English theatre director and currently the Deputy Artistic Director of the Royal Court Theatre in London. He trained as a theatre director at both the Royal Court and the National Theatre...
in 2011 - One Man, Two GuvnorsOne Man, Two GuvnorsOne Man, Two Guvnors is a play by Richard Bean. It opened at the National Theatre in June 2011. The play, directed by Nicholas Hytner, starred James Corden and is an English adaptation of Servant of Two Masters , a 1743 Commedia del Arte comedy by the Venetian playwright Carlo Goldoni...
at the Lyttelton Theatre, National TheatreRoyal National TheatreThe Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
directed by Nick Hytner in 2011
Awards
- Critics' Circle Theatre Awards 2005: Best New Play for Harvest; George Devine Award for "Under the Whaleback"; Pearson Play of the Year Award for "Honeymoon Suite".
Co-winner of the George Devine Award for UNDER THE WHALEBACK 2003 (Shared with Gary Owen)
Co-Winner of Pearson New Play of the Year Award for HONEYMOON SUITE 2003 (Also shared with Gary Owen)
External links
- 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 - British Theatre GuideBritish Theatre GuideThe British Theatre Guide is an on-line database of specially commissioned reviews of theatre productions throughout the United Kingdom, together with theatre-related news reports, interviews with leading theatre practitioners, obituaries and comprehensive annual obituary listings.It also...
for reviews and background information - "Richard Bean: Hot new playwright", British Theatre Guide interview 2001
- "Richard Bean: Blurred Boundaries" (The English Game), Daily Telegraph interview 10 May 2008