Nick Darke

Nick Darke born Nicholas Temperley Watson Darke (August 29 1948 - June 10 2005) was best known as playwright but also known as a writer, poet, beachcomber, politician, broadcaster, film maker and chairman of St Eval Parish Council.

Darke was born at St Eval, near Padstow in Cornwall, and lived most of his life in Porthcothan. He attended Newquay grammar school and trained as an actor at the Rose Bruford College in Kent. He wrote over 25 stage plays which have been performed both within Cornwall and nationally.

Many of his plays reflect Cornish society and culture such as the tin mining, countryside, fishermen and the quirky nature of country living. During the early part of his career he worked regularly with the Cornish theatre company Kneehigh Theatre.

His last work was The Wrecking Season (2004) which he wrote and narrated, and was a documentary charting the lives of Cornish beachcombers, of which he himself was one.

He was made a Bard of the Cornish Gorsedd in 1996 taking the Bardic name Scryfer Gwaryow ('Writer of Plays'). [1]

He died in 2005 aged 56. He had been unwell since suffering a stroke in January 2001. His son Henry and wife Jane Darke continue his legacy in film. The Art of Catching Lobsters, written and directed by Jane Darke, is a moving account of her husband's death and the grieving process, and was premiered on BBC4 on September 27th 2007. It will also be shown at the 2007 Cornwall Film Festival

Works

• Laughing Gas (2005) a comedy script about the life of Humphry Davy that was left unfinished when he died, and was subsequently completed by Cornish actor Carl Grose and produced by the Truro-based production company o-region. [2]
• The Wrecking Season (2004)
• The Bench (1999) (TV)
• Farmers Arms (1983) (TV)

Published works

• Nick Darke Plays: 1 (2000) ISBN 0-413-73720-9
• The Riot (2000) ISBN 0-413-73730-6

Radio listings

• Dumbstruck, (Radio 4, July 17 2005) an audio diary which Nick kept when he lost the power of speech after a stroke.

• Hooked, (Radio 4, July 18 2005) a comedy drama-documentary telling the story of a Cornish couple who are asked for their advice by a Londoner on how to fish for sea-bass, who subsequently cashes in on his new knowledge.

External links

• Nick Darke at IMDb
• Nick Darke website
• Your thoughts on The Art of Catching Lobsters BBC4
• Cornish farewell for playwright BBC news story
• Actor finishes Darke's final play BBC news story
• The Wrecking Season
• RealPlayer Presentation of Radio 4 programme "Nature" Feb 16th, 2004 featuring Nick Darke.
• Radio plays and credits
• Obituary from Guardian Newspapers Limited