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Keith Johnstone

KEITH JOHNSTONE

  (1933 - )
Nationality:    British
email:    Click here to contact     Website:    Click here

Literary Agent:    n/a

Keith Johnstone is one of the few internationally recognized authorities in the field of improvisation, great chunks of which he created, including improvisation forms that include Theatresports, Micetro Impro (or Maestro Impro), Gorilla Theatre, and the Life Game . Theatresports is known worldwide, and London's Improbable Theatre Co. (directed by Phelim McDermott) recently toured Great Britain with the Life Game to excEllent reviews. His books Impro, and Impro For Storytellers, have been translated into many languages. Keith leads master classes in improvisation for a variety of groups from Stage Performers, to Clinic Clowns, to Psychotherapists. Since November 1998 Keith has held workshops in San Francisco, Brisbane, Sydney, Seattle, Vienna, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, London, Hong Kong, Austin (Texas), and Tokyo. He founded the Theatre Machine improvisation group, the International Theatresports Institute, and was the Co-founder of Calgary's Loose Moose Theatre.

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

         Brixham Regatta, And For Children         Caught In the Act         Clowning         Cord, The         Crusoe         Defeat Of Giant Big Nose, The         Eleven Dead Men At Hola Camp         Fisch, Der         For Children         Frog Wife         Geronimo         Gloomy Go Round         I Want To Get Into You         Instant theatre         Invitation, The         Last Bird, The         Lifegame         Marg         Martians, The         Moby Dick: A Sir And Perkins Story         Nigger Hunt, The         Performing Giant, The         Philoctetes         Robinson Crusoe         Shot By An Elk         they Came By Night         Time Machine, The         Wakefield Mystery Cycle
Brixham Regatta, And For Children

Synopsis:
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Notes:
production without decor

1st Produced:

Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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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:
One act

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
Wearing - the London Stage 58.148

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Caught In the Act

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
London     1966

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   

Music:
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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:
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Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Clowning

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
London     1965

Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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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:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Cord, The

Synopsis:
Teenage John is still attached to his mother by the umbilical cord and he now wants his own life

Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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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 Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Crusoe

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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Music:
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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 Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Defeat Of Giant Big Nose, The

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
On Welsh Tour     1966

Organisations:
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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

Booksellers:

Genre:
Childrens Youth audience

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Eleven Dead Men At Hola Camp

Synopsis:
largely improvised piece of documentary theatre about the brutal treatment of African detainees during the Mau mau guerilla campaign in Kenya

Notes:
Written by Keith Johnstone And William Gaskell, songs by Wole Soyinka

1st Produced:

Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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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:
documentary play

Parts:
Male:  12            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
Wearing - the London Stage 59.157

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Fisch, Der

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
Tobingen     1971

Organisations:
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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

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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For Children

Synopsis:
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Notes:
production without decor

1st Produced:

Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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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:
One act

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Frog Wife

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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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:
Children's Play Youth audience

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Geronimo

Synopsis:
thelma picks Paul up in a bar and takes him home. She tells him her fantasy is performing oral sex with a man tied to her bed.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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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:
Short Play One act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Gloomy Go Round

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
London     1959

Organisations:
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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

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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I Want To Get Into You

Synopsis:
a stranger turns up on Casey's doorstep claiming to be her soul

Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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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

Booksellers:

Genre:
Short Play One act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Instant theatre

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
London     1966

Organisations:
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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

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Invitation, The

Synopsis:
Two waifs arrive at the Gates of Heaven

Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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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

Booksellers:

Genre:
Short Play One act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Last Bird, The

Synopsis:
In a repressive society two youths attack a crippled man.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Aarhus, Denmark     1973

Organisations:
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1st Published:
Playwrights, Toronto, 1981   

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 Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Lifegame

Synopsis:
each night a different guest is interviewed on stage about their life. as their story unfolds, it's spontaneously transformed into a piece of theatre - never seen before, never to be seen again.
Press Release

Notes:
Devised by Phelim McDermott from improvisational work of Keith Johnstone

1st Produced:

Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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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:
Devised Piece

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  2            Other:  extras

Further Reference:
-

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Marg

Synopsis:
a professor finds a strange woman in his rooms. She does not know who she is or why she is there

Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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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:
Short Play One act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Martians, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Little Theatre club, London WC2     13 Feb 1967

Organisations:
Theatrescope

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:
one act play

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Moby Dick: A Sir And Perkins Story

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Little Theatre club, London WC2     01 May 1967

Organisations:
Theatrescope

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:
full length Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
National Library of Scotland ref: Traverse - Dep.256/Box 36/5

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Nigger Hunt, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
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1st Produced:
London     1959

Organisations:
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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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Performing Giant, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
music by Marc Wilkinson

1st Produced:
London     1966

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  1            Other:  extras

Further Reference:
-

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Philoctetes

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Original Playwright - Sophocles

1st Produced:

Organisations:
National Theatre 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:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  -            Other:  chorus

Further Reference:
-

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Robinson Crusoe

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Calgary, Alberta     1976

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Shot By An Elk

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Kingston, Ontario     1974

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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they Came By Night

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
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1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
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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

Booksellers:

Genre:
full length Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Time Machine, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
London     1967

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Wakefield Mystery Cycle

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Victoria, British Columbia     1968

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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