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Peter Colley

PETER COLLEY  

 Nationality:    Canadian-British
email:    Click here to contact     Website:    Click here

Literary Agent:    n/a


English born Peter Colley is an award-winning Canadian writer based in Los angeles and Toronto. His stage plays have been produced in 25 countries, 48 of the 50 states in the U.S. and every province in Canada. He was nominated for the 2000 Humanitas Prize for screenwriting and was a semi-finalist for the 2006 and 2007 Eugene O'Neill playwriting awards. From his start as one of the youngest playwrights ever produced at Canada's National arts Centre, he has gone on to win one international, six national and four regional awards for writing. His plays have been translated into several languages (including sign-language for the deaf). One of his plays (I'll Be Back Before Midnight) was named in a Toronto Globe & Mail retrospective on Canadian theatre as "the most produced Canadian play ever". This play has grossed over $12 million worldwide. For his body of work, the Canadian press called Mr. Colley "a national treasure". Peter Colley has been published by Samuel French Inc., (New York and London), Baker's Plays of Boston, Macmillans, and Simon & Pierre. Two of his plays have been made into feature films, with Mr. Colley writing both screenplays. He has written extensively for CBS Television, as well as Fox Family Channel, British ITV, CBC Canada, WNET TV (New York). Peter Colley is also the creator of an educational software program for writers called Great Dialogue Software". This software has been sold in 35 countries (www.greatdialogue.com). member of Dramatist Guild of america.
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below is a list of Peter Colley's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

 Cagney!     Donnellys , The     Heads You Loose     Huron Tiger     I'll Be Back Before Midnight     Mark Of Cain, The     Murder In Noirville     Murderer In The Mirror (The Mark Of Cain), The     Stolen Lives     Vaudevillians, The     When The Reaper Calls     You'll Get Used To It! - The War Show

Cagney!

Synopsis:
The life of Hollywood star James Cagney

Notes:
Music And lyrics by Robert Creighton And Christopher McGovern; book by Peter Colley.additional songs by George M Cohan

1st Produced:
Florida Stage, Manalapan, Florida    2009

Company:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

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:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -    Female:  -    Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Donnellys , The

Peter Colley
The massacre of the "Black Donneilys" of Lucan occurred 105 years ago and this is a dramatization of that vigilantism born of fear and hatred. The action is augmented by song, rather in the manner of a Greek chorus.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Grand Theatre, London, Ontario.    1974

Company:
-

1st Published:
Playwrights Co-op, Toronto, 2000   978-0889240582

Music:
-

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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 with music

Parts:
Male:  16    Female:  8    Other:  flexible

Further Reference:
-

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Heads You Loose

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Blyth Memorial Community Hall, Blyth, Ontario    1982

Company:
Blyth Theatre Festival

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

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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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -    Female:  -    Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Huron Tiger

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Blyth Memorial Community Hall, Blyth, Ontario    1978

Company:
Blyth Theatre Festival

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -    Female:  -    Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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I'll Be Back Before Midnight

Peter Colley
a couple rents an old farmhouse with the hope that the peace and quiet will help the wife recover from a nervous breakdown, but the old owner tells them tales of murder and ghosts . . .

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Company:
-

1st Published:
Bakers Plays, Boston, Ma,    978-0874408409

Music:
-

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:  2    Female:  2    Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Mark Of Cain, The

Synopsis:
This is a psychological thriller about twins. Sean is cleaning up the cottage bequeathed to him by his foster parents for the purpose of selling it. His brother, an incarcerated mental patient, opposes his plan. In their youth, the twins had rebelled against ample doses of old time religion to become involved in satanism. It was the sacrifice of a girl in front of the cottage fireplace that put twin Michael away. Michael escapes, precipitating the evening of terror that is the play.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    -

Company:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

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:  2    Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Murder In Noirville

Synopsis:
Murder In Noirville is Peter Colley's homage to Hollywood's classic hardboiled film noirs of the 1940s and 1950s, complete with a musical underscore.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Orillia Opera House 20 Mississaga Street West, Orillia, Ontario L3V 3a6    03 Jul 2012

Company:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

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
Booksellers:

Genre:
Thriller

Parts:
Male:  -    Female:  -    Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Murderer In The Mirror (The Mark Of Cain), The

Synopsis:
young man and his new wife return to his summer cottage. His identical twin, a dangerous schizophrenic, breaks out of the asylum and arrives at the cottage to terrorize them.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Muskoka Festival    1984

Company:
-

1st Published:
Playwrights Co-op, Toronto,    -

Music:
-

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:  2    Female:  3    Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Stolen Lives

Synopsis:
Based on the true story of albert Walker, the notorious Canadian financial guru who disappeared with millions of dollars of his clients'money, and his 15 year-old daughter Sheena. they were not found for 6 years when they were discovered in England where Walker had murdered and Englishman for his identity, and was living with his fugitive daughter as husband and wife. This play explores the tangled psychology of a gifted con-man and his strangely dependent daughter

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Company:
-

1st Published:
Playwrights Co-op, Toronto, 2001   -

Music:
-

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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:  3    Other:  doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Vaudevillians, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
written by Peter Colley And Ileinar Piller. Music by David Warrack

1st Produced:
-    -

Company:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
musical comedy revue

Parts:
Male:  2    Female:  1    Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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When The Reaper Calls

Peter Colley
Two young rival academics spend a weekend at a cottage with their wives. One of them plays a trick on the other to prove a point, but the trick goes murderously wrong . . .

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    -

Company:
-

1st Published:
Playwrights Co-op, Toronto,
Samuel French Ltd, London 2006   978-0573114779

Music:
-

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:
Mystery comedy Mystery

Parts:
Male:  2    Female:  3    Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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You'll Get Used To It! - The War Show

Synopsis:
a chillingly dramatic and humorously earthy reflection of the complex experiences of war veterans

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Grand Theatre, London    1975

Company:
-

1st Published:
Playwrights Co-op, Toronto, 1997   -

Music:
-

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:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  6    Female:  2    Other:  doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Apart from very popular and world touring productions, many performing arts events are largely forgotten about in a matter of months. Traces may remain in various collections, but few collecting agencies, such as libraries, catalogue each flyer or program individually. Hence, unless one knows that an event took place at a certain time in a certain place, tracking down such an event as part of a research project is often a matter of chance. Where research needs to be carried out on high profile and well-documented productions only, this is not a problem. However, both the historian and the analyst will attest that the cultural, political, or sociological context in which a performing arts event takes place is also of major importance, as are the other events that took place in close proximity, either in place or time. A good overview of such productions provides us with a 'social document' that can greatly enhance cultural studies in ways that extend far beyond the narrow confines of theatre history. For instance, data such as this can be used to monitor the health of communities, particularly when used in association with data obtained from other social science disciplines. When one researches a particular playwright one might want to know about all the productions of plays by that author; if one wants to investigate what choices a particular audience had over a period of history and compare this to, say, an ethnic breakdown of the population, one would need to know broadly all the events that took place during that time. If one wanted to do a statistical analysis on the shift in popularity of a genre over one or more generations, it is important to have knowledge of most of the relevant major and minor performance events that took place. In this context, issues of aesthetic quality and the professionalism of a production - which will of course have an impact on such studies - are not the determining factors when deciding to include or exclude events, since all events are the raw material for such research.