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BETTINE MANKTELOW |
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Nationality: English Email: Click here to contact Website: n/a |
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Literary Agent: n/a |
Bettine Manktelow has been in theatrical ventures either professional of amateur all her life, starting off as a repertory actress at the age of fifteen. Her first play, which was not published, was presented in Singapore to an audience of sophisticated ex-pats. As it was a kitchen-sink drama it was greeted with hoots of laughter. At the time Bettine did not realise she had a flare for comedy! Subsequent plays, however, even when dramatic or thrilling always managed to have interntional comical lines and/or comical characters. Her career as a playwright did not take off until the 1970s when she was directing for an amateur company in Ramsgate, Kent. By sheer luck one of her plays was taken up by a professional company in Folkestone and a director from French's was there to see it. He liked it, and it was published. This was "They Call it Murder." Since then Bettine has written and had published twenty plays, mostly published by Samuel French but also by Jasper Publishing. She now lives in Deal and continues to write and direct a new play on an annual basis.
Plays by Bettine Manktelow
Branwell | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | - - - | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Samuel French, London, 1977 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #22287 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Historical biography One Act | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 1 | Female | 3 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | The Bronte family are seen on a windy autumn evening at a time when they have returned to the Parsonage from their various posts as governesses and tutor and before the three sisters achieve fame. The play deals with the brother Branwell as he begins a life of dissipation and the vain efforts of his sisters to save him from self-destruction | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Charity Begins | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | - - - | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Samuel French, London, 2007 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #67989 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | comedy One Act | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | 4 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | A day in a Women's Charity Office where a smug lady manager goes off with her equally smug compatriot leaving the office to a new volunteer to cope with a rather odd visitor. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Couples | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | - - - | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Samuel French, London, 1981 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #22288 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Play/Drama | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 5 | Female | 6 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | takes place in an hotel bedroom over a period of ten years with each act a separate interlinking story : Party games, The Brighton line and Squatters rights | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Curtain Call | ||
| 1st Produced: | Kilshawe Theatre | 1999 | ||||
Company: | Guild Players | |||||
| 1st Published: | Samuel French, London, | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #22289 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | 2 acts Comedy | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 3 | Female | 5 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | A day in the life of a harassed theatre manager as he prepares for an important visit from someone from the Arts Council in respect of a grant. The manager has to grapple with his lovelorn secretary and her romance with the Front of House Manager, a disgruntled backstage crew on the verge of a strike and the temperamental lady director of the local amateurs. That's not to mention the intervention of the dictatorial husband of the said lady director who also happens to be Chair of the Theatre Trust! Sparkling dialogue and comic situations occur before the curtain falls on a resolved situation with the theatre manager winning the day. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Curtain Up on Murder | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | - - - | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Samuel French, London, 1998 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #22290 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Thriller | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 3 | Female | 5 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | An amateur dramatic company are rehearsing a thriller in a theatre at the end of a Pier when they find they are locked in and gradually the members are being killed off. Is it one of their number or is there somebody else locked in the empty theatre who will not stop till they are all dead? | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Death Walked In | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | - - - | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Samuel French, London, 1979 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #22291 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Play/Drama | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 3 | Female | 4 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | struggles to run a small country hotel are complicated by rakish son in law, aged gardener and country bred maid in a case of mistaken identity and cyanide | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Girl in a Wheelchair, The | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | - - - | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Jasper Publishing Ltd 2006 | ISBN/ASIN: | 978-1-905993-02-4 | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #67991 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Play - One Act, Comedy | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | 6 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | Suitable for schools | |||||
Synopsis: | Girl in a Wheelchair is a one-act comedy about the problems faced by a godmother dealing with a spoiled teenager who, following an accident, is determined not to walk until her mother returns from her third honeymoon. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Holy Deadlock | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | - - - | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Jasper Publishing Ltd 1998 | ISBN/ASIN: | 1-904416-28-4 | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #45634 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Play - Full Length, Mystery | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 1 | Female | 3 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | Full-length mystery play from this established writer. Long suffering Meg, a down-trodden housewife for many years, learns to her horror that her bullying husband may have murdered her aunt, and has now, possibly, committed a second. Finally she discovers that he is planning a third murder - hers! Can it really be all in her mind? 'Full of clever plot twists keeping the audience guessing and involved'. East Kent Mercury. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Midnight Raiders, The | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | - - - | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Jasper Publishing Ltd 2006 | ISBN/ASIN: | 978-1-905993-03-1 | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #67990 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Play - One Act, Drama | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 4 | Female | 4 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | An historical drama suitable for youth or adult groups. One Set. The Midnight Raiders is set on the Kent coast in 1817 at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. A mysterious traveller arrives at a local hostelry seeking shelter. That same night there has been a shipwreck on the Goodwin Sands and two survivors, a young lady and her maid, are also brought to the inn. Thereafter the plot unravels and it becomes clear to the traveller that he has chanced on a ring of smugglers and wreckers, determined to thwart and destroy anyone who stands in their way. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Murder Weekend | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | - - - | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Samuel French, London, 2004 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #45631 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Play/Drama | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 3 | Female | 6 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | Livia, a romantic short story writer, and her husband Stan, arrive at a country hotel for a "Murder Mystery weekend. They are joined by Patsy and her husband Ashley, who have won the weekend in a competition and Vi and Dorothy. Each receives an anonymous "Murder Mystery" game envelope. Someone has left extra notes for Patsy and Stan exposing Livia's and Ashley's illicit affair. Next, Shelley, the chambermaid, mysteriously disappears and everyone is left to determine whether this is all part of the game. However, intrigue and suspicion deepens when one last uninvited guest arrives. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Old Inn, The | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | - - - | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Jasper Publishing Ltd 1998 | ISBN/ASIN: | 1-904416-60-8 | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #45635 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Play - Full Length, Thriller | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 3 | Female | 5 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | Full length thriller from this established playwright. In the Public Bar of a Fenland pub, the characters are not all that they seem, many having their own, personal, agendas. Full of deception and intrigue - not to mention the secret that lies hidden in the cellar. . . | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Proscenophobia | ||
| 1st Produced: | Astor Centre Arts Theatre Deal Kent | 2001 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Samuel French, London, 2003 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #45632 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Play/Drama | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 2 | Female | 4 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | The action of this clever whodunit takes place in the dressing-room of a provincial theatre during a performance of a thriller. The star, Addie, is attempting a comeback and is understudied by her best friend Millie. Their constant bickering backstage belies a long history of friendship - which includes each one of them having been married to the same charming impresario, Ed Bigg, many years ago. Suspense builds when Addie begins to feel unwell and, for the first time, Millie must take her place in the dramatic and violent last act of the play. In a startling twist, the violence becomes real - and Millie is dead. Was it suicide? Was it murder? Who put a real bullet in the gun she was using? With everyone a potential suspect, the tension doesn't let up until the final revelation unveils not only the murderer but the price some actors pay to practice their art. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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School for Murder | ||
| 1st Produced: | Kilshawe Theatre, Deal | 2006 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Jasper Publishing Ltd 2007 | ISBN/ASIN: | 978-1-905993-42-0 | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #85322 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Play - Full Length, Murder Mystery | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 1 | Female | 6 | ||
Parts other: | 1 walk on male | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | The scene is an isolated guest house where a course for aspiring writers is being held. There are four eccentric guests, a landlady with a secret and a tutor who isn't what he seems. This comedy-thriller promises surprises all the way. 1M 6F, plus one walk on part. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Spygame | ||
| 1st Produced: | Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury | 17 Jul 2008 | ||||
Company: | New Deal Theatre Company | |||||
| 1st Published: | ISBN/ASIN: | 978057311424-3 | ||||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #104691 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Comedy-thriller | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 3 | Female | 4 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | This well-written thriller revealed an entertaining and underlying psychological depth. Dover Express. "..this play crackled with both suspense and humour.." Kentish Gazette | |||||
| Prospective contestants for a TV reality show gather in a country house, aiming to win a large cash prize but only if they survive the rigours of the ultimate Spygame. This excellent play offers seven good acting roles and will grip your audience until the totally unexpected ending. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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They Call It Murder | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | - - - | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Samuel French, London, 1977 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #22292 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Tragic Drama Tragedy | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 3 | Female | 4 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | despite his lowly origins Mr Dalyrymple has done well but now he is elderly and ailing who will get his money? | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Treasure Island | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | - - - | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Jasper Publishing Ltd 2007 | ISBN/ASIN: | 978-1-905993-34-5 | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #67992 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Play - Full-length, Drama, Classic/Costume | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 11 | Female | 2 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | Suitable for schools | |||||
Synopsis: | This exciting adventure story by Robert Louis Stevenson has been adapted by Bettine Manktelow keeping much of the original dialogue and faithfully following the plot. Jim Hawkins is a boy living in an Inn on the Cornish coast when he is swept into an exciting adventure which takes him to the Caribbean searching for lost treasure and threatened by ruthless pirates. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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White Cliffs, The | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | - - - | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Samuel French, London, 2005 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #45633 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Play/Drama | |||||
| Parts: | Male | 2 | Female | 5 | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | It is 1948 and Britain is still recovering from World War II. To "The White Cliffs", a Midlands boarding-house, comes a group of concert performers, who are touring with a Summer Revue and they are in for an eventful week. Mrs Murdoch, the landlady, hides her war-traumatized son Danny away in the house; the disappearance of one of the performers and a suspicious accident occurring to another, lead Jane (one half of "The Joysticks", a comedy and music duo) to seek Danny out &The solution to the mystery proves to be as moving as it is intriguing, with a very human situation at its root. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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