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David Watson

DAVID WATSON

  (1985 - )
Nationality:    English
email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    Casarotto Ramsay and Associates Ltd  

David Watson was 17 when his play JUST A BLOKE was produced as part of the Royal Court Theatre's Young Writers Festival 2002. Previously his plays OBSESSED and NO MORE FLOWERS were given semi-staged readings as part of the Birmingham Rep's Transmissions Season. In 2004, David represented the Royal Court at the Interplay Festival in Athens, and his play THE FIREWORKS PARTY was read at Birmingham Rep in the same year. In 2005 David was one of the writers selected for the Old Vic Theatre's 24 Hour Plays and the following year his play, ALL THEM THINGS THERE was read at Soho Theatre as part of their Core Cuts season. In 2007 David's play FLIGHT PATH was produced by Out of Joint / Bush Theatre (London and U.K. tour). In 2008 David was the recipient of a children's BAFTA for Best Secondary Learning Programme for his episode of L8er (Hi8tus and the BBC), in the same year his play ANY WHICH WAY, based on the testimonies of prisoners with whom he workshopped the script, had an acclaimed run at Only Connect Theatre. In 2009 David co-wrote THE FREEDOM PROJECT for Only Connect and this was followed by a Christmas show, BAD MAN CHRISTMAS, which was staged by prisoners in H. M. Wormwood Scrubs and ran for a week of public performances in the chapel of the prison. David's new play PENNY DREADFUL will be read as part of the Tricycle Theatre's Women, Power & Politics season later this year and he is currently under commission to the Birmingham Rep and the Royal Court Theatre. David is also writing a new musical for Only Connect Theatre and working on a new series of L8er for Hi8tus / BBC. David is currently the Pearson Playwright in residence 2009 / 2010 at the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith.

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

         All Them Things There         Any Which Way         Bad Man Christmas         Come to Where I am From         Fireworks Party         Flight Path         Freedom Project, The         Ghosts         I Was A Rat!         Just A Bloke         Led Easy         No More Flowers         Obsessed         Pancras Boys Club         Peckham: Soap Opera         Penny Dreadful         Pieces of Vincent         Present Tense         Realness, The         Redemption Over Hammersmith Broadway         Undercarriage         You Cannot Go Forward From Where You Are Right Now

All Them Things There

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Genre:
reading

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Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

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Any Which Way

Any Which Way
North London: a disused, vacuous church building, darkness. A man the size of a small bungalow holds a knife (equally well endowed) to my throat. Killing is an "easy ting" he tells me. I believe him. David Watson's Any Which Way brings the street to the stage in a full-throttle theatrical attack on London's knife-crime endemic. Hold onto your wine. Commissioned by Only Connect (a charity-company that works with ex-offenders, prisoners, and those at risk of facing a criminal future), Watson has penned a play as sharp and uncompromising as a knife's edge. Performed promenade style by a cast of ex-cons (the audience are manhandled, mishandled, barged and bundled without apology - in fact, ever deferent, those displaced actually apologised to the hefty, knife-wielding tanks that dislodged them), Any Which Way is so unsettling, so boldly delivered, and so criminally good that it deserves to be arrested, interrogated and handed a life-sentence.
- Ben Aitken, British theatre Guide

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Only Connect Theatre, Kings Cross, London     03 Nov 2008

Organisations:
Joanna Morgan Productions

1st Published:

Music:
-

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

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Bad Man Christmas

Synopsis:
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Notes:
staged by prisoners in H. M. Wormwood Scrubs and ran for a week of public performances in the chapel of the prison.

1st Produced:
H. M. Wormwood Scrubs, London     2009

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Genre:
Christmas show

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Come to Where I am From

Synopsis:
Sixty one playwrights from across the UK return to their home towns to write plays about the places that shaped them. At 14 theatres from Bristol to Belfast, Cardiff to Coventry and Nottingham to Newcastle, these plays will be performed by the playwrights themselves, coming home to tell their tale. Come To Where I'm From is a theatrical tapestry of the UK, woven by writers asking if home is really where the heart is.

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Organisations:
Paines Plough

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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:
short play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Fireworks Party

Synopsis:
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Notes:
part of Script Factory, A series of rehearsed readings which will showcase works-in-progress by some of the country's leading emerging playwrights.

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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:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Flight Path

Flight Path
Jonathan's a bright boy with a great future and people expect things of him. Especially now that his Dad's walked out, Mum's got her career, and Danny - his brother with Down's Syndrome and a love of creative swearing - needs looking after. But his best friend needs him too. they're partners in crime and, anyway. it's hard work burgling houses all on your own. A lot can happen in a year. Especially when it's the most important year of your life.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Bush Theatre, London, Eur >>>     12 Sep 2007

Organisations:
Out Of Joint

1st Published:

Music:
-

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Freedom Project, The

Synopsis:
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Notes:
co-writer

1st Produced:
Only Connect Theatre, Kings Cross, London     2009

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
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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:  -

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Ghosts

Ghosts
Helen Alving spent years creating the illusion of a happy marriage to a successful, charming man. Long after his death, she is still trapped by the emotional after-effects of the truth - that he was a serial adulterer and a reckless alcoholic. Stifled by obligations and expectations, Helen resolves to exorcise the ghosts of the past and free herself from the regrets that haunt her. But when her artist son Oswald returns home, it becomes clear that he has already paid the price for his father's past. Some legacies are impossible to escape. Some ghosts can never be laid to rest.

Notes:
Original Playwright - Henrik Ibsen in a version by David Watson from a literal translation by Charlotte Barslud

1st Produced:
Holme, Manchester     18 Nov 2016

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
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Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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I Was A Rat!

Synopsis:
I Was A Rat! insists a scruffy page boy who turns up one evening on the doorstep of old married couple Bob and Joan. But what is he now? A terrifying monster rampaging in the sewers? A money-spinning fairground freak? A champion wriggler and a downy card? Or just an ordinary boy, though a little ratty in his habits? Philip Pullman's glorious and gripping story is brought to life on the professional stage for the first time in the UK. Combining humour, fantasy, and adventure this moving and darkly comic tale slowly reveals its connection to one of the most famous fairy tales of all time. Full of music, fantastic physical performances and unforgettable images I Was A Rat! will surprise, delight and move audiences of all ages.

Notes:
Adapted and directed by Teresa Ludovico. English version by David Watson from book by Philip Pullman.

1st Produced:
Birmingham: The Old Rep     12 Feb 2013

Organisations:
Birmingham Repertory Theatre Company in association with Nottingham Playhouse, Ipswich New Wolsey and Teatro Kismet (Italy)

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:
physical theatre

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  2            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:

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Just A Bloke

Synopsis:
D you reckon you re dark, then, for not having any breakfast or any sleep, is that it? Lisa's always had a thing about her cousin Jake and she wants to get out of Birmingham. So visiting him seems like a good idea. But he's not the Jake she knew

Notes:
Young Writers Festival 2002. Programme 2

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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

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

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Led Easy

Synopsis:
This is not one but three short plays that Cardboard Citizens tour around the country to homeless hostels and day centres. Together they run about an hour but there is much more than that to this carefully structured programme. Each of the three plays presents the story of a different individual, a story like those of the people who are their audience, a story about the kinds of things that happen that cause the problems which end up with people becoming homeless. the first play, which provides the title for the trilogy, is about young graffiti artist Leo, nickname Da Vinci. He is a gentle soul who, since primary school, has been under the influence of his irresponsible street-wise mate Switchy, who promises excitement. From throwing fireworks and bunking off school it escalates to Switchy killing his dog and putting the blame on Leo who gets thrown out by the parents who never listen to him. the second play takes Emma, a recently graduated young woman volunteer who 'wants to make a difference' and shows her inept intervention in a hostel, especially regarding a Polish resident, where her idealism is no match for the bureaucracy and cynicism around her. the third looks at the life of older woman Eve, just out of prison. She's been into drink and drugs and had her baby taken from her, but now wants to stay clean. Her baby is now grown up and married and her husband makes contact. She wants to see her daughter but, surrounded by other users and with no idea of where to get help, she snaps under the stress.
- Howard Loxton, British theatre Guide

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Toynbee Hall Studios And Touring Homeless Hostels     16 Nov 2009

Organisations:
Cardboard Citizens

1st Published:
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Music:
-

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Genre:
three short plays

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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No More Flowers

Synopsis:
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Notes:
Birmingham Rep's Transmissions Season

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:
semi-staged reading

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Obsessed

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Birmingham Rep's Transmissions Season

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:
semi-staged reading

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Pancras Boys Club

Synopsis:
Today is fight day. Lenny trains fighters. Samson can't lose, but Andrew can't win. Ray puts his hopes and dreams in a bottle, but Michael is not what he seems. And Kevin shouldn't trust him either. Switchy is after Elias. Dwayne and Leon have their brother's back's. Mark has the power, but the Prime Minister of Jamaica has toothache. . .A play about boxing, identity, and pepper sauce.

Notes:
written by Paula B Stanic, Ben Musgrave And David Watson.

1st Produced:
Only Connect Theatre     2009

Organisations:
Only Connect

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
Comedy/ Drama

Parts:
Male:  12            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Peckham: Soap Opera

Synopsis:
the lives and loves of Peckham locals will be played out in an omnibus of ten 5 minute episodes. Each episode will be performed by actors from the local community. Somewhere between Peckham High Street and Rye Lane: after an immigration raid at Lashanna's underground hair salon, Ravi encourages her to relocate to the basement beneath Amir's corner shop (unbeknownst to Amir of course). Above ground Ed scouts for a job, though Amir puts him off the scent. Across the way Glenda, Job Centre co-worker Elaine and Joey make a discovery which may force them into a morning commute to Lewisham. While over at the station, Linda loses her cat, but falls for a dapper stranger whose pin-striped garms are new to the Rye.

Notes:
Part of Royal Court's Open Court season. Author Bola Agbaje (lead writer). Author Rachel De-lahay (lead writer) with Brad Birch, Alice Birch, Adam Brace, Robin French, Lucy Kirkwood, Chloe Moss, David Watson and Roy Williams

1st Produced:
Royal Court, London     02 Sep 2013

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:
5 min play

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Penny Dreadful

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
part of the Tricycle Theatre's Women, Power & Politics season

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:
reading

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Pieces of Vincent

Pieces of Vincent
A hopeful young man, a teacher in love, a pregnant woman, A fearful policeman, a boy on a mission, a pianist in the rain. A wounded man, a grandmother. . .And Vincent. Nine lives fractured by the events of one tragic day. David Watson's thrilling new play tells the story of Vincent, a man estranged from his family and adrift in London. Reunited temporarily with his lost love, he finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. As Vincent's life changes forever, his destiny begins to affect a cast of characters across the country, from a remote house in County Down to the South Bank at sunset. A miniature epic about love, passion and violence in contemporary Britain. With a radical staging, and merging film and live action, Pieces of Vincent receives its world premiere in a bold new production directed by Clare Lizzimore.

Notes:

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Pieces Productions

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Present Tense

Synopsis:
the return of the toughest creative challenge in town. A group of playwrights, directors, film-makers, poets and musicians have one week to respond to the most important news story of the moment. Some of the UK's most exciting talent convenes to select the most momentous story on the news agenda. they each have one week to create a piece of work that responds to the story they choose. As the news changes, they will be forced to adapt their work, until it is performed for you the public on Sunday 27 April 2008 - exactly one week after they began.

Notes:
written by Justin Butcher, Katie Douglas, Jack Thorne, David Watson

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:
Piece

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Realness, The

Synopsis:
When some people won't believe you've changed, and others don't want to let you change, it isn't easy to make a new start. Jay Johnson is fresh out of prison and determined never to go back inside, but for all his efforts to stay on track, he finds himself making a detour in the wrong direction. Finally he's faced with the hardest choice of his life and only then does he understand what he has to do to change things for real.

Notes:
With an upbeat score ranging from rap to reggae, gospel to grime, The Realness is a new musical with book by Maureen Chadwick & David Watson and music & lyrics by Kath Gotts. The show was directed by Big House Artistic Director Maggie Norris (whose idea it was) and featured video design by Tony Award-winning Mic Pool, music tracks produced by Semothy Jones (Plan B) and choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille (Some Like It Hip-Hop).

1st Produced:
Hackney Downs Studios. 17, Amhurst Terrace, London E8 2Bt     13 Nov 2014

Organisations:
The Big House and Big Broad Productions

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:  7            Female:  7            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Redemption Over Hammersmith Broadway

Synopsis:
1950s London. An aspiring actress wants to break new ground. A Roman Catholic priest falls in love. A fading comic battles for his soul

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith     24 May 2011

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:
Surreal drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Undercarriage

Undercarriage
What are the turning points in our lives? What makes us who we are?

Notes:
the Rep Asked young writers from Across the globe to respond creatively to these questions - the result? A selection of 360 degree plays, And Afterwards you'll get the unique chance to tell them what you think - As they Are All unfinished, you'll play A vital role in shaping what they'll become.

1st Produced:
Birmingham: Rep, UK, Eur >>>     18 Mar 2008

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:
One Act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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You Cannot Go Forward From Where You Are Right Now

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
a Play, a Pie and a Pint

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:
short play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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