Alan Ayckbourn Books

Time of My Life charts the decline and fall of a successful family business founded and nurtured by Gerry and Laura Stratton. It is Laura's fifty-fourth birthday and Gerry has organized a small family dinner at their favourite restaurant. Domestically, all seems well. Glyn, their eldest son, has patched up his marriage with Stephanie; younger son Adam has a new girlfriend and is deeply in love. But, as we suspect, all this is surface stuff. For, as their evening proceeds, the play reveals skeletons from the past and a spectre of the future.

Adrian is about to introduce his fiancée Grace to his parents at a birthday party, but they are worried that Grace doesn't know about Adrian's alleged reputation. As more birthdays unfold, the truth about the suburban closet Lothario is revealed...

A comedy in four parts about an unremarkable man and the remarkable women who loved him. From his first encounters as a young man in 1925 to an unexpected reunion late in life, Anthony Spates' romantic progress is charted against the backdrop of an equally remarkable old manor house in this hilarious and gently touching comedy.

Two people contemplating suicide, Henry Bell, who's lost his job to a rival, and Karen Knightly, who's lost her lover to his wife, decide to obtain revenge on each other's nemesis

How Ms Poopay Dayseer, a twenty-first century Specialist Sexual Consultant, whilst peddling her 'services' to an elderly hotel room client unexpectedly finds herself running for her life.

Stanley, Hazel, Warren and Rick make the weekly escape from their real life nightmares into a role-playing board game peopled by dragons and monsters. A safe world where the dangers are of their own imagining; where they are free to become heroes of their own devising.But how clear is the dividing line between what they choose to be and what they really are? What would it take for them to lose sight of it altogether?All it requires is Marcie. Loveable, understanding, sympathetic Marcie - destined to become the new demon to haunt their wildest dreams.

Includes the plays Absurd Person Singular, Absent Friends, and Bedroom Farce.

Now we don't want to start Christmas like this, do we? Cheating at snakes and ladders, fighting over comic books, a bungled infidelity beneath the tree. Christmas has arrived in the Bunker household along with family and friends. But as the children lurk just out of sight, it's the adults who are letting the side down. I couldn't.

This is a student edition of five one-act plays by Britain's most popular playwright. Ayckbourn's series of plays for 4-5 actors typify his black comedies of human behaviour. The plays are alternately naturalistic, stylised and farcical, but underlying each is the problem of loneliness. The Mother Figure shows a mother unable to escape from baby talk; in The Drinking Companion, an absentee husband attempts seduction without success; in Between Mouthfuls, a waiter oversees a fraught dinner encounter. A garden party gets out of hand in Gosforth's Fete, whilst A Talk in the Park is a revue style curtain call piece for the five actors. Whether the comedies concern marital conflict, infidelity or motherhood and take place on a park bench or at a village fete, the characters are familiar and their cries for help instantly recognisable. Principally he is respected as a radical re-inventor of form - Dominic Dromgoole.

Colin must be comforted in his grief over the death of his fiancée so his friends, who never met the girl, arrange a tea party for him. Understandably they are on edge wondering what to say, but there is more to their Diane and Paul, John and Evelyn, and Marge and her husband are perpetually out of circulation with trivial illnesses are all kept together by a mixture of business and cross-marital emotional ties. By the time Colin arrives for tea, their tenseness contrasts dramatically with his air of cheerful relaxation. He is the only happy one among them and his happiness and insensitive analyses of their troubles causes each of them to break down.

Being the cautionary tale of Guy, a man who couldn't say no to wine, women or song - and of his consequent rise and fall in the world of amateur operatics."...a serious comic masterpiece: brilliantly constructed, ruthlessly observant, hilarious and hard as nails." John Peter, Sunday Times."...a magnificent comedy: symmetrically shaped, psychologically acute and painfully, heartbreakingly funny." Michael Billington, The Guardian."...humour, pathos and unnerving insight into human idiosyncrasy." Francis King, Sunday Telegraph.

In this comedic morality play by Alan Ayckbourn, Jack McCraken, newly appointed head of a family furniture business, aims to bring honesty and integrity. However, he soon discovers that the other stakeholders have their own hidden agendas, leading to humorous and satirical situations.

The story follows Algy Waterbridge, a cantankerous author struggling to complete his thirty-third crime novel amidst distractions from his forgetful wife and an overzealous PA. Tensions escalate during a disastrous newspaper interview, leading to a surreal experience where Algy's fictional characters begin to invade his reality. This blending of fiction and real life challenges Algy's grasp on both his narrative and personal relationships, creating a compelling exploration of creativity and chaos.

The story revolves around Elspeth and Arthur's seemingly mundane forty-year marriage, which is celebrated at an anniversary party. However, their children perceive a deeper truth about their parents' relationship, hinting at hidden complexities beneath the surface of their ordinary lives. As the celebration unfolds, the contrast between public perception and private reality becomes a focal point, exploring themes of family dynamics and the secrets that often lie within long-term relationships.

The play juxtaposes wartime experiences with the challenges of lockdown, offering a heartfelt exploration of love's resilience in the face of adversity. Through a blend of humor and tenderness, it highlights the enduring connections that transcend time and hardship, showcasing Alan Ayckbourn's signature storytelling style in his 85th work.

Melanie believes she has foreseen the future. But has she really? Or is it all in her mind?True or false, she has seen events which threaten the life of one she secretly loves, and she feels they are in terrible danger. What can she possibly do or say to prevent things happening, and who will even believe her?

Ein Stück über den manipulativen Einfluss der Massenmedien und die Gier des Publikums nach Sensation. Um sich zu profilieren konfrontiert eine ehrgeizige Fernsehjournalistin einen Ex-Bankräuber mit seinem Opfer.

Unverzichtbares Handbuch für jeden, der sich für das Schreiben und Inszenieren von Theaterstücken interessiert. Alan Ayckbourn, einer der meistgespielten Theaterautoren der Gegenwart, gibt zum ersten Mal Einblick in alle Kunstgriffe seines Handwerks. Von nützlichen Ratschlägen zum Schreiben (Wo fängt man an? Wie macht man weiter? Was ist eine Komödie? Was funktioniert eine Tragödie?) bis zu Tipps für das Regieführen (Arbeit mit Schauspielern und Technikern, wie bekommt man die Proben in den Griff) ist das Buch ein vollständiger Leitfaden für Anfänger wie auch ein Auffrischungslehrgang für den Fortgeschrittenen. Eingängig und ungemein unterhaltsam geschrieben, mit einer Vielzahl an Anekdoten zum Wie, Wann, Wo und vor allem Warum. In zwei Teile untergliedert 'Schreiben' und 'Inszenieren', enthält das Buch eine ausführliche Anleitung über das Entwerfen eines Theaterstücks. Klar geschrieben, mit nützlichen Beispielen und einer Reihe von Anekdoten, decken seine 101 Regeln alles ab, von der 'Initialidee', über das Schreiben und Erstellen von Plots, Schauplätzen, Figuren und Dialogen, bis hin zum Umgang mit 'Stars', Produzenten, schwierigen Schauspielern, exzentrischen Bühnentechnikern und der Presse.