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Matthew Dunster

MATTHEW DUNSTER

  
Nationality:    English
email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    Knight Hall Agency Ltd  

Matthew Dunster is a director, playwright and actor. His new play CHILDReN's CHILDReN will premiere at almeida Theatre in May 2012 to be directed by Jeremy Herrin. Matthew is also under commission to the Young Vic and in the summer of 2012 he will be directing a MIDSUMMeR NIGHT's DReaM for the Regent's Open air Theatre. In March 2012 he directed SaTURDaY NIGHT SUNDaY MORNING at the Royal exchange, Manchester, which he also adapted from Alan Sillitoe's iconic novel. His production of MOGaDISHU which opened at the Royal exchange, Manchester in February 2011, and later transferred to the Lyric Hammersmith toured the UK in Spring 2012. His reimagining of Hans Christian anderson's the MOST INCReDIBLe THING, a collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys and chorographer Javier de Frutos, opened at Sadler's Wells in March 2011 and March 2012. In 2011 Matthew directed the TWO GeNTLeMeN OF VeRONa, at Royal & Derngate, Northampton and DOCTOR FaUSTUS for the Globe 2011 summer season. His production of Drew Pautz's play LOVe the SINNeR opened at the National Theatre in May 2010. His adaptation of 1984 opened at the end of February 2010 at the Royal exchange in Manchester. the world premiere of Matthew's play YOU CaN See the HILLS opened at the Royal exchange, Manchester in 2008. an excEllent run followed at the Young Vic in autumn 2008 which was extended till May 2009. Matthew's direction of MaCBeTH wowed audiences and critics alike during its run at the Royal exchange, Manchester in early 2009 Directing includes: the FRONTLINe, the Globe; TeSTING the eCHO, Out of Joint; the MeMBeR OF the WeDDING, SOMe VOICeS, Young Vic; LOVe aND MONeY, Young Vic and Royal exchange (nominated for Olivier award for Outstanding achievement In an affiliate Theatre); CRUISING, the Bush; PROJeCT D: I'm MeDIOCRe, the Work; PORT aUTHORITY, Liverpool everyman. Writing for Stage: YOU USeD TO, TeLL Me, the GLaZIeR, TWO CLOUDS OVeR eDeN, the BaND, YOU CaN See the HILLS. Writing for BBC R4: DePTH OF FIeLD and POOR eCHO. Directing for R4: LOVe aND MONeY. He has collaborated as a writer with choreographer Jane Mason. Matthew is an associate artist at the Young Vic.

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

         1984         Band, The         But the Living Are Wrong In the Distinctions they Make. . .         Children's Children         Crow         Fahrenheit Twins, The         Glazier, The         I Know Where the Dead Are Buried         Ignition 1         Imogen         Love Girl and the Innocent, The         Man In A Box         Project B         Project C: On Principle         Project D: I'm Mediocre         Project E: An Explosion         Saturday Night And Sunday Morning         Tale of Two Cities, A         Tell Me         Those Who Trespass         Two Clouds Over Eden         You Can See the Hills         You Used To
1984

1984
War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. Winston Smith rewrites history for the Ministry of Truth, but when hes handed a note that says simply I love you by a woman he hardly knows, he decides to risk everything in as earch for the real truth. In a world where cheap entertainment keeps the proles ignorant but content, where a war without end is always fought and the government is always watching, can Winston possibly hold onto what he feels inside? Or will he renounce everything, accept the Partys reality and learn to love Big Brother?

Notes:
adaptation of George Orwell's 1984

1st Produced:

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Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  4            Other:  1 boy, doubling, extras

Further Reference:
http://www.Theatrerecord.org/, Theatre Record Vol XXX (2010) Page 0260

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Band, The

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But the Living Are Wrong In the Distinctions they Make. . .

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Forum 28, Barrow-In-Furness     05 Mar 1997

Organisations:
Northern Stage

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

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Genre:
piece

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Children's Children

Children's Children
Michael and Gordon have been best friends since acting college. Now, 20 years later, Michael is Mr Saturday Night TV but failing actor Gordon is struggling with enormous debts. Meanwhile Gordon's daughter effie couldn't care less about her Dad's problems - she is far more interested in the film that her cool boyfriend is making and setting up an ecologically sound clothing label. When Gordon asks Michael to lend him a large sum of money it sets in motion a series of events that reveal irreparable cracks in the characters' relationships.

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Crow

Synopsis:
Mythic and elemental; Ted Hughes' Crow is at once comic, bleak and beautiful, evoking a world at odds with itself. the central crow character is a scavenger, a collector, a scientist and an innocent, full of anarchic energy and violent comedy. With this irrepressible life, Hughes created a hungry chaos of feathers and dark dreams, a mythic everyman wondering how to fit into life.

Notes:
Ted Hughes (poem); Matthew Dunster (Dramaturgy)

1st Produced:
The Borough Hall At Greenwich Dance, London     21 Jun 2012

Organisations:
a Handspring Puppet Company UK production. Presented by Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (GDIF)

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

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Genre:
performance

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Fahrenheit Twins, The

Synopsis:
the parable of man's innate need to destroy is illustrated using carefully crafted physical theatre
- Philip Fisher, British theatre Guide

Notes:
from the novel by Michel Faber, Adapted by Told by An Idiot And Matthew Dunster

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.Theatrerecord.org/, Theatre Record Vol XXIX (2009) Page 1256

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Glazier, The

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-

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Further Reference:
-

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I Know Where the Dead Are Buried

Synopsis:
Do you trust your neighbours? Do you ever wonder what goes on behind closed doors? I Know Where the Dead are Buried peers through the window of a small community with sinister consequences. a new play by acclaimed playwright Matthew Dunster about rising racial tensions in a small northern town

Notes:
Manchester 24:7 theatre Festival

1st Produced:
Sachas Hotel, Manchester     21 Jul 2011

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
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Music:
-

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Genre:
short play 60 min

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Ignition 1

Synopsis:
Your chance to see sparks fly between actors and writers and new work fired up by their dynamic collaborations. Last year we piloted a brand-new formula for kickstarting new work by asking writers which actors they most wanted to write for and then giving them time and space to see what happened when those partnerships were realised. The artists who took part ranged from established playwrights and star actors to breakthrough talent in an amazing array of combinations. This year Ignition is back, bigger and better, following a season at the Royal Court, with a special buzz around its unique potential to make the unexpected happen. Three separate Ignitions every night for a week: some will be mad gambles, some will be brilliant improvisations, every one of them will be an event.

Notes:
written by Matthew Dunster, Jeremy Swift, Nirjay Mahindru, Paul Charlton, Nick Payne, David Dipper, Katie Douglas and Anders Lustgarten

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Genre:
collaborative piece

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Imogen

Imogen
London. 2016. A strange and unsettled time where men and the violence of gangs rules the streets. In a dangerous world we hear a new voice - Imogen's. Suffocated by her father's aggression - her man kicked out of town, her life under threat, poisoned by the drugs of her step-mother - she strikes out on her own to try and reach the man she loves. A thrillingly raw and modern adaptation of Shakespeare's Cymbeline, re-told and created by young Londoners. This production will employ modern costumes and staging.

Notes:
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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  9+            Female:  6            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Love Girl and the Innocent, The

Synopsis:
Nemov is a new arrival at the camp, sent straight from the army front line to take charge of the prisoners. Confronted with the systems hypocrisy, he is pushed to the limits. How long can he endure the barbarity and injustice of the camp; a system that thrives on power, corruption, and sexual amorality? When Nemov meets Lyuba, one of the women prisoners - a 'love girl', he is tempted further, and forced to confront himself and how far he must betray his own moral and emotional loyalties.

Notes:
Original Playwright - Alexander Solzhenitsyn, adapted by Matthew Dunster from a translation by Nicholas Bethell

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Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  12            Female:  4            Other:  originally written for over 50 performers

Further Reference:
-

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Man In A Box

Synopsis:
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Notes:
devised by Alecky Blythe And Mathew Dunster

1st Produced:
Nt Studio    

Organisations:
-

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:
Piece

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Project B

Synopsis:
Three individuals are forced to set sail across the sea of their own natures.

Notes:
written by the Work theatre Collective: Darryl Clark, Matthew Dunster, Tracy O'Flaherty, Jim Pyke, Alice Selwyn

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Work Theatre Collective

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:
Piece

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Project C: On Principle

Synopsis:
a man puts himself centre-stage in the war against terror by posing as a children's clown. a woman, sold on the perfection of God, sells armed security to make His world a safer place. a war survivor's struggle to face a compromised past spoils her best friend's european celebration. and two women fight about the end of a love affair, freedom, dog-walking and having the requisite entreprneurial balls. Here in New Britain, New europe and the New World Order everyone needs a little bit of help.

Notes:
written by the Work theatre Collective: Matthew Dunster, Tracy O'Flaherty, Drew Pautz, Jim Pyke, Alice Selwyn, Liz White

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Work Theatre Collective

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:
Piece

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.Theatrerecord.org/, Theatre Record Vol XXIV (2004) Page 1466; http://www.Theatrerecord.org/, Theatre Record Vol XXV (2005) Page 0302

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Project D: I'm Mediocre

Synopsis:
What do we wish for ourselves? Is mediocrity championed as celebrity? What are we allowed to wish for? Who is consigned to the dustbin marked 'mediocre'? the Work present a highly comic and complex study of modern lives: reality TV and other prisons; scary cartoons and sniffing liquid paper; a social protest and a formal experiment; Sean Penn and Jamie Oliver . . . noisy toys and toast.

Notes:
written by the Work theatre Collective: Matthew Dunster, Tracy O'Flaherty, Drew Pautz, Jim Pyke, Alice Selwyn, Liz White

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Work Theatre Collective

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:
Piece

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Project E: An Explosion

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
written by the Work theatre Collective: Matthew Dunster, Tracy O'Flaherty, Drew Pautz, Jim Pyke, Alice Selwyn, Liz White

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Work Theatre Collective

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:
Piece

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Saturday Night And Sunday Morning

Synopsis:
Rebellious young factory worker arthur Seaton has reasons to drink, reasons to fight and several girls on the go. But when the fun and risk of Saturday night turns to the hangover and bruises of Sunday morning, arthur starts to understand the real meaning of love.

Notes:
Don't let the bastards grind you down' Alan Sillitoe's iconic novel is transformed into A spectacular new stage version by Matthew Dunster

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
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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:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  5            Other:  with doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Tale of Two Cities, A

Tale of Two Cities, A
A bold new adaptation of Dickens' classic from one of Britain's foremost directors, tying into contemporary issues of global war, refugees, extremism. How much more do those in power think Europe's poor can take? When will the people take to the streets of the cities and roar enough is enough?

Notes:
adapted from the novel by Charles Dickens

1st Produced:
Oberon Books (2017) >>>     07 Jul 2017

Organisations:
-

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:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  10            Female:  5            Other:  2 girls

Further Reference:
-

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Tell Me

Synopsis:
Liam is inert, absent, mentally and physically crippled; his brother Nial is a whirlwind of energetic resentment who increasingly rants apocalyptically about the Book of Revelations. Which is the more damaged and why? home is a run-down council flat where Mum is a TV-addicted valium drudge and Dad a sentimental woman-hater. the play is a shocking tour de force of writing which won the Manchester evening News award for Best New Play

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

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:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.Theatrerecord.org/, Theatre Record Vol XV (1995) Page 0776; http://www.Theatrerecord.org/, Theatre Record Vol XVIII (1998) Page 0285

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Those Who Trespass

Those Who Trespass
The developers have had their way - an old way of living has been cleared away for Water City, a futuristic, secure, development, where you can live and work and shop. Even the affordable housing is reassuringly expensive. But in the shadow of the glass and steel, some people feel like everything is being taken away. Those Who Trespass explores the differences between two groups of people; the mistrust, the fear and the tragic collision when these two groups come together.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Arts Educational Schools, London     17 May 2016

Organisations:
-

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:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  9+            Female:  9+            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Two Clouds Over Eden

Synopsis:
In a garden that seems impossible to leave, a family reels backwards through countless games and fights and dangerous flirtations to a time of lost innocence and hope. there are exotic fruits to be picked from the branches and childhood pets buried in the flowerbeds. Is it a paradise or a prison? Matthew Dunster's new play gives an exhilarating twist to Dramatic storytelling and offers a unique insight into family life.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

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:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.Theatrerecord.org/, Theatre Record Vol XX (2000) Page 0164

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You Can See the Hills

You Can See the Hills
"I look at the pictures of James Dean on my wall and I reckon you know maybe I mean he died young and if he had come back I mean why not why not me?" Growing up's hard to do, and in a Pennine town it isn't any easier, as adolescent adam tries desperately to navigate his way through secondary school, first love, plenty of lust, and swimming survival lessons, all the while waiting to discover if the boy can ever become a man in Matthew Dunster's crackling, candid and captivating coming-of-age Drama.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

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Genre:
monologue

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.Theatrerecord.org/, Theatre Record Vol XXVIII (2008) Page 1188; http://www.Theatrerecord.org/, Theatre Record Vol XXIX (2009) Page 0463

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You Used To

Synopsis:
the modern world seen through the old world.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Northern Stage (Previously Known As Newcastle Haymarket Playhouse), Newcastle Upon Tyne     13 Sep 1996

Organisations:
-

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:
Piece

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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