Alan Wilkins (playwright)
Alan Wilkins | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1969 |
| Died | 7 September 2022 (aged 52) |
| Nationality | British |
| Notable works | Carthage Must Be Destroyed |
| Notable awards | Best New Play Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland |
Alan Wilkins (1969 – 7 September 2022) was a Scottish playwright.
His first professionally produced play was Ball or Scoop, which opened at the Benaki Museum in April 2004 and then toured the Highlands and islands of Scotland.[1] The play was set in a Highland bothy and featured five hill walkers sheltering from a storm.[2] He received the Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland Best New Play Award in 2008 for Carthage Must Be Destroyed, and has since had two other plays produced.
Life and career
[edit]Wilkins was born in 1969,[3] and brought up in Edinburgh.[4] Before his professional debut as a playwright, he worked as an actor and taught English as a Foreign Language in Poland and Spain.[5]
Whilst in Spain, he wrote his first play, Childish Things. He sent it to the Traverse and it received a public reading.[4] Encouraged, he wrote his second play, Cafeteria/Restaurant, which received a reading at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow. The Traverse commissioned him to write The Nest, which became his first produced play.[4]
At the time of his debut, Wilkins was working as a drama teacher at Inverkeithing High School, Edinburgh.[6] His next play Carthage Must Be Destroyed, set in a 2nd-century Roman bathhouse,[7] opened at the Traverse in May 2007 and explored the themes of "power, politics, and decadence, set against the improbable background of the Third Punic War, in 149BC."[8] and won the Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) Best New Play award for 2007–2008.[9] The citation said "'A mature, meaty, engrossing drama about power, politics and decadence, Alan Wilkins Carthage Must Be Destroyed was a gripping indictment of the corruptions of Empire."[10] It was also produced by the Theatre Royal in Bath.[11]
In 2008, Wilkins scripted Can We Live With You? for Lung Ha's theatre company, which works with people with learning disabilities. The play was performed at the Traverse in April 2008.[12] Offshore, produced by Birds of Paradise, was a play set against the background of the decline of the Scottish fishing industry and its effect on small communities. Wilkins used his own background, working as a barman in Wester Ross, as background material.[13] It played in Edinburgh and on tour in the autumn of 2008.[14]
Wilkins also taught on the Masters of Literature programme at the University of Glasgow and is a doctoral student at that institution.[10] In 2008, he led a play-writing course for inmates at Polmont young offenders' institution, the results of which were performed at the Traverse in December 2008.[15]
Wilkins also worked with Dundee Repertory Theatre, the Aldeburgh Festival[16] and was funded by the Scottish Arts Council to represent his country as a tutor / playwright at the 2006 Interplay Festival in Liechtenstein.[17]
Wilkins died on 7 September 2022, at the age of 52.[18]
Works
[edit]Wilkins had four plays produced.
| Title | First produced | Year | First publisher | Year | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Nest | Traverse Theatre | 2004 | Nick Hern Books | 2004 | ISBN 978-1-85459-817-2 |
| Carthage Must Be Destroyed | Traverse Theatre | 2007 | Nick Hern Books | 2007 | ISBN 978-1-85459-985-8 |
| Can We Live With You? | Traverse Theatre | 2008 | – | – | – |
| Offshore | Glasgow Citizens Theatre | 2008 | – | – | – |
References
[edit]- ^ Wilkins, Alan (2004). The Nest. ISBN 9781854598172. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
- ^ Jones, Sarah (29 April 2004). "The Nest, Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh". The Independent. Retrieved 10 June 2009.[dead link]
- ^ "Wilkins, Alan 1969". University of Miami Libraries. Archived from the original on 12 December 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
- ^ a b c Rudden, Liam (27 April 2007). "Wilkins takes the route from Carthage to Iraq". The Scotsman. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
- ^ Mathieson, Kenny (May 2004). "May 2004 Interview: Alan Wilkins". Highlands and Islands Arts. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
- ^ Fettes, Miranda (16 April 2004). "High drama as Scots writer hits new peak". The Scotsman. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
- ^ Cooper, Neil (1 May 2007). "Features: ARTS REVIEWS". The Herald. Archived from the original on 4 August 2007. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
- ^ Scott, Robert Dawson (2 May 2007). "Carthage Must Be Destroyed". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
- ^ "Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland 2007–08 Winners". Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
- ^ a b "Theatre, Film & Television Studies :: News and Events". University of Glasgow. Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
- ^ Brien, Jeremy (2 December 2008). "Carthage Must Be Destroyed". The Stage. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
- ^ Fisher, Mark (27 March 2008). "Can We Live With You? – Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh". The List. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
- ^ Brodie, Caroline (16 October 2008). "Stormy times offshore – Press & Journal". Aberdeen: Press and Journal. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
- ^ Fisher, Mark (2 October 2008). "Offshore – Seen at Citizens' Theatre, Glasgow". The List. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
- ^ Fisher, Mark (2 November 2008). "Mark Fisher on the Scottish inmates who are writing plays". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
- ^ "Traverse Theatre Spring 2007 Brochure" (PDF). Traverse Theatre. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2008.
- ^ "Interplay Europe". Interplay. Archived from the original on 14 September 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
- ^ "A Tribute to Alan Wilkins". Traverse Theatre. 9 September 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
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