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Alan Richardson

ALAN RICHARDSON  (1949 - )

 Nationality:    Scottish
email:    Click here to contact     Website:    Click here

Literary Agent:    n/a


Born in Edinburgh, UK, 28th May 1949. Has been actively involved in amateur theatre for more than thirty years as actor, director and playwright. Since his first play was written in 1973, he has won eight playwriting competitions including the Geoffrey Whitworth Trophy for the best original play entered in the British One Act festival. His one act plays have many awards at Drama festivals including several best actor/actress awards and are regularly performed not only in the UK, but also in the usa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Holland, France and Spain.

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below is a list of Alan Richardson's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

 Abbotsford Revisited         Auld Alliance         Badly Drawn         Bailie's Stratagem, The         Black Ring, The         Brodie The Broadsword         Broken Band, The         Comedy Of Marks, The         Farewell Ploy         Fine Gentleman         Inimitable Dickens, The         Liddesdale         Mr Perfect         Nicht o' the Blunt Claymore         Out Of Sight         Perfect Partners         Platform Party         Spy Who Came In For The Phone, The         Tale o' Twa Undertakers         Tell Tale         Tusitala - Teller of Tales         Universally Acknowledged         When A Man Knows         Wizard of the North, The         Worst Day of My Life, The

Abbotsford Revisited

Synopsis:
A new look at the life and times of Sir Walter Scott, whose poetry and historical novels romanticised Scotland's image. A dramatised reading in period costume featuring extracts from 'Waverley', 'Rob Roy', 'Ivanhoe', 'Kenilworth' and much more. --

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Company:
Mercators

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:
compilation, drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Auld Alliance

Synopsis:
A shipwreck, missing treasure and two romances. Intrigue and mystery, set against the background of the Napoleonic Wars.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1982

Company:
-

1st Published:
Brown, Son & Ferguson, 1979   -

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:
Full Length Scots Comedy/Drama

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Badly Drawn

Synopsis:
-

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

Booksellers:

Genre:
psychological thriller

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Bailie's Stratagem, The

Synopsis:
Bailie William Provan's scheme to become the next town Provost is hilariously hindered by political intrigue and romantic misunderstandings.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1989

Company:
-

1st Published:
Brown, Son & Ferguson, 1988   -

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:
Scots Comedy One Act

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Black Ring, The

Synopsis:
Five coach passengers stranded at a remote roadside Inn find themselves at the mercy of a notorious highwayman.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1978

Company:
-

1st Published:
Brown, Son & Ferguson, 1978   -

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:
Scots Comedy One Act

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Brodie The Broadsword

Synopsis:
After years of feuding, a peace treaty between Sir Archibald Brodie and his English neighbour seems a forlorn hope, but his wife, Lady Kate, is not to be thwarted.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1976

Company:
-

1st Published:
Brown, Son & Ferguson, 1977   -

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:
Full Length Scots Comedy Comedy

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Broken Band, The

Synopsis:
The day after the disastrous battle at Flodden, four Scottish survivors, face the dangerous journey home.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1996

Company:
-

1st Published:
Brown, Son & Ferguson, 1991   -

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:
Scots Drama One Act

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Comedy Of Marks, The

Synopsis:
Take a splash of Commedia Dell'Arte, blend with wry Scottish humour and mix into a Venetian setting for a hilarious brew.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1982

Company:
-

1st Published:
Brown, Son & Ferguson, 1984   -

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:
Full Length Scots Comedy Comedy

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  4            Other:  One non-speaking male

Further Reference:
-

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Farewell Ploy

Synopsis:
After years of feuding, a peace treaty between Sir Archibald Brodie and his English neighbour seems a forlorn hope, but his wife, Lady Kate is not to be thwarted.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1975

Company:
-

1st Published:
(Scottish Plays No. 64). Brown, Son & Ferguson, 1977   -

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:
Scots Comedy One Act

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Fine Gentleman

Synopsis:
A young gentleman goes midnight courting with the aid of a ladder, a convenient window, and a scheming maid.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1978

Company:
-

1st Published:
(Scottish Plays No. 99). Brown, Son & Ferguson, 1980   -

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:
Scots Comedy One Act

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Inimitable Dickens, The

Synopsis:
A drama-documentary featuring the life and works of Charles Dickens

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    2007

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:
Dramatised Reading

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  flexible

Further Reference:
-

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Liddesdale

Synopsis:
An innocent family become unwittingly involved in a violent feud between the powerful Border families of Scott and Elliot.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1986

Company:
-

1st Published:
(Scottish Plays No. 106). Brown, Son & Ferguson, 1980   -

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:
Scots Drama One Act

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Mr Perfect

Synopsis:
A wickedly irreverent glimpse at the beguiling world of blind dates, personal ads, introduction agencies and single clubs.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    2003

Company:
-

1st Published:
New Theatre Publications (2006)   978-1840945591

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:
comedy One Act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  2            Other:  (One non-speaking male)

Further Reference:
-

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Nicht o' the Blunt Claymore

Synopsis:
A family with Jacobite sympathies are obliged to act as hosts to a Hanoverian rebel-hunter.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1974

Company:
-

1st Published:
Brown, Son & Ferguson, 1975   -

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:
Full Length Scots Comedy Comedy

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Out Of Sight

Synopsis:
Pop star Steve Byron is about to launch his much heralded new album at a press conference, but a female fan uncovers a shocking truth that could end his career and send him to prison.

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

Booksellers:

Genre:
drama One Act

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Perfect Partners

Synopsis:
a dating agency run by a couple about to divorce are investigated by a journalist

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1991

Company:
-

1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 1992   -

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:
comedy One Act

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Platform Party

Synopsis:
It's the last night of another drama festival, but before the exasperated adjudicator can declare the winners, there are speeches galore, the raffle and problems with the new lighting board.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1984

Company:
-

1st Published:
Brown, Son & Ferguson, 1984 (Revised 2005)   -

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:
comedy One Act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  Supernumeraries (Unlimited)

Further Reference:
-

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Spy Who Came In For The Phone, The

Synopsis:
It's London, back in the swinging 1960's. Newly-weds Chris and Sally Taylor are moving into their new flat. Ron, a telephone engineer with a passion for paperwork is installing a new telephone. But the Taylors hadn't ordered a new phone, and once they start getting some very strange calls, they soon wish they didn't have this one. They encounter a glamorous Russian spy, not to mention Dracula, John Wayne and a yellow zebra, and an ordinary day becomes crazier by the minute. A play for everybody who hates filling out forms.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    2004

Company:
-

1st Published:
New Theatre Publications (2008)   978-1840946895

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:
comedy One Act

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Tale o' Twa Undertakers

Synopsis:
Two brothers run rival funeral parlours in the same street.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1974

Company:
-

1st Published:
(Scottish Plays No. 84). Brown, Son & Ferguson, 1979   -

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:
Scots 'Black' Comedy One Act

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Tell Tale

Synopsis:
Careless talk jeopardises a Jacobite plot to capture Edinburgh Castle. Based on a true incident in the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1991

Company:
-

1st Published:
Brown, Son & Ferguson, 1990   -

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:
Scots Drama One Act

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Tusitala - Teller of Tales

Synopsis:
A drama-documentary featuring the life and works of Robert Louis Stevenson

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    2003

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:
Dramatised Reading

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  flexible

Further Reference:
-

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Universally Acknowledged

Synopsis:
A drama-documentary featuring the life and works of Jane Austen.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    2004

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:
Dramatised Reading

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  flexible

Further Reference:
-

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When A Man Knows

Synopsis:
A businessman is held captive by an unknown woman.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    2003

Company:
-

1st Published:
New Theatre Publications (2004)   978-1840944778

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:
drama One Act

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Wizard of the North, The

Synopsis:
A drama-documentary featuring the life and works of Sir Walter Scott.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    2002

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:
Dramatised Reading

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  flexible

Further Reference:
-

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Worst Day of My Life, The

Synopsis:
Charlie's day in hospital begins very well, but when three female visitors arrive unexpectedly at the same time, his hitherto secret life is hilariously revealed.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    2006

Company:
-

1st Published:
New Theatre Publications (2007)   978-1840946222

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  4            Other:  -

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.