#douglas maxwell

[reviewsphere]

The Hound of the Baskervilles @ Glasgow's Tron

THEATRE REVIEW: The Hound of the Baskervilles @ Glasgow's Tron ⭐⭐⭐ @TronTheatre @northernstage #ArthurConanDoyle

With a plinkety-plonkety recording of “How much is that doggy in the window?” raising a smile pre-show, you’d be forgiven for expecting a lighthearted take of Arthur Conan Doyle’s shaggiest of shaggy dog stories (his third of only four crime novels featuring the pipe-smoking detective and his tweed-suited sidekick which was first serialised in The Strand Magazine at the turn of the twentieth…

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[willstafford]

Lashing Out

THE WHIP HAND

The Door, Birmingham REP, Wednesday 6th September, 2017

  Dougie (Jonathan Watson) is gathering family members to celebrate his 50th birthday – he has an agenda, a presentation to make.  The venue is his ex-wife’s house and Dougie is welcomed by her second husband, Lorenzo (Richard Conlon) who is a bit of a liberal and a smoothie with a penchant for artisanal ale.  Running tech…

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[traversetheatre]

With just one week left until The Silent Treatment opens at the Traverse, watch Lung Ha's Theatre Company's beautifully captured trailer ahead of the show -the last thing we want to do is keep quiet about it!

[puddel]

But beware that bitterness. Bitterness is like cocaine. It’s a talent-reducer that while it’s sucking away your zest it’s telling you that you’re better than everyone else. Open up!  Be an enthusiast. It shows confidence in your own work.

Douglas Maxwell, “A playwright’s guide to becoming a playwright” [https://www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/content/default.asp?page=s474]

[qmunicate]

Arts review: Yer Granny

Arts review: Yer Granny

Dir. By Graham McLaren, King’s Theatre, 26-30 May This version of the Spanish play La Nona by Roberto Cossa adapted by Douglas Maxwell saw its debut at The King’s in Glasgow with a very enthusiastic reception from the audience. This generation play, situated in a working class environment, is full of dynamic dialogue, especially tailored to fit a 1970s Scottish family where all of us find…

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[borderlinetheatre]

OUR BAD MAGNET

Following the monumental success of Douglas Maxwell's Decky Does a Bronco with Grid Iron Theatre in 2000 (Edinburgh Festival Fringe First Award, Barclaycard Stage Award for Ensemble Acting, nominated for Barclaycard Stage Award for Best Touring Production), we teamed up with Tron Theatre to co-produce a tour of our fellow Ayrshire lad's play, Our Bad Magnet, in 2001.

Originally produced as "a penniless student production" one year earlier at the Tron Theatre, we revived the production with the same cast and crew. We kicked things off at the Edinburgh Fringe in The Assembly Rooms before culminating in a five date run at The Tron. Barrie Hunter returned to perform for us after previously appearing several years before in Dario Fo's Trumpets & Raspberries.

A deliciously funny black comedy about a group of three friends from a small town in the West of Scotland. Eager to please Alan, cool and competitive Paul and discontented Fraser have been friends for years. Then Giggles come along. A troubled outsider with an amazing gift for inventing fairy stories, Giggles add a certain edge to their, so far, conventional seaside lives. Then he completely disappears, in mysterious circumstances. Twenty years later the three friends come together in an uneasy reunion. The story follows their progress as they try to unlock childhood secrets and face up to shared, and very different memories. Of course Giggles plays his part...

"A sharply constructed, well performed piece of dark comedy” - Evening News “Wonderfully vivid... a big, bursting talent with plenty to say and energy to burn.” - The Scotsman "★★★★. Douglas Maxwell has now proved himself an excellent writer about boyhood... an excellent play and production. It's just that, in terms both of themes and narrative... a fine piece of work" - Divento "Our Bad Magnet is terrific... audiences are in for something exceptional." - Sunday Herald "Our Bad Magnet's four male characters are skilfully drawn, with insight and affection for their failings and strengths... The world of the male human when they're just with their own sex is reflected clearly and entertainingly." - Edinburgh Guide "It is one of the best new plays I have ever seen. Brilliantly written, thoughtfully directed and beautifully acted." - Ricky Ross

We toured this production:

13 Aug 01 to 27 Aug 01 - The Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh 22 Sep 01 - Beacon Arts Centre (formerly Arts Guild Theatre), Greenock 18 Sep 01 - Eden Court Theatre, Inverness 11 Sep 01 - Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh 7 Sep 01 - Motherwell Theatre, Motherwell 28 Aug 01 to 1 Sep 01 - Dundee Repertory Theatre, Dundee 25 Sep 01 to 29 Sep 01 - The Tron, Glasgow Director - Jim Twaddal Design - Alan Reid Costume - Fleur Woolford  Performer - Stephen Duffy Performer - Barrie Hunter Performer - Alasdair Macrae Performer - Gary McKinnis

Actor Stephen Duffy conducted an interview with The Scotsman about performing in the play which can be found here. Read Our Bad Magnet on Google Books. Discover more about Douglas Maxwell (and buy his plays) at Oberon Books, while also check out his NTS feature on how to be a playwright.

[deadrabbitohno]

In Scotland, we're a bit of a small pond and all the fish turn on each other every now and then cos there's very little else to do. We tend to hype up the hip new playwright, then moan about how much hype there is and that the play wasn't really that hip it was just hype, then we hate their second play which we blame on not living up to hype and wax lyrical about how we all preferred their first play which they'll never really better. Then the writer turns 40 and we put them on a wee iceberg and push them off into the sunset as they mutter something about Ibsen not writing his best work till he was in his 90's. Then we find a hip new play to get hysterical about.

Douglas Maxwell