Stephen Wyatt,born 4 February 1948 inBeckenham,Kent(nowGreater London), is a British writer for theatre, radio and television.
Early life and education
editWyatt was raised inEaling,WestLondon.[1]He was educated atLatymer Upper Schooland thenClare College, Cambridge.After a brief spell as lecturer in Drama atGlasgow University,he began his career as a freelanceplaywrightin 1975 as writer/researcher with theBelgrade TheatreCoventry in Education team.
Full listings of his work can be found on his website stephenwyatt.co.uk.
Theatre work
editHis subsequent young people's theatre work includesThe Magic Cabbage(Unicorn Theatre,1978),Monster(York Theatre Royal,1979) andThe Witch of Wapping(Half Moon, 1980).[citation needed]
In 1982 and 1983, he was Resident Writer with the Bubble Theatre for whom he wroteGlitterballsandThe Rogue's Progress.[citation needed]
His other theatre work includesAfter Shave(Apollo Theatre,1978),R.I.P Maria Callas(Edinburgh Festival Fringe/ Hen and Chickens, 1992),A Working Woman- fromÉmile Zola’s L'Assommoir (West Yorkshire Playhouse,1992),Pick Yourself Up(Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch, 2011),A Victorian Mikado(Krazy Kat Theatre, 2011),The Standard Bearer(Waterloo East Theatre, London / Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre, Los Angeles, 2014),The Devil in the Belfry- libretto after a scenario byClaude Debussy(Gottingen 2013), andTold Look Younger(Jermyn Street Theatre, London,2015).[citation needed]
He also collaborated with Jeff Clarke onThe Burglar's OperaforOpera della Luna(2004) "stolen from an idea byW. S. Gilbertwith music nicked fromSir Arthur Sullivan"and with the Weaver Dance Company onThe Loves of Mars and VenusandThe Loves of Pygmalion.[citation needed]
His new comedyTwo Cigarettes in the Darkstarring Penelope Keith and directed by Alan Strachan opens at the Chichester Festival Theatre in February 2022.[2]
Television work
editWyatt's first work for television wasClaws,filmed by the BBC in 1987, starringSimon JonesandBrenda Blethyn.He was then commissioned byAndrew Cartmelto write two scripts for the science-fiction seriesDoctor Who,which wereParadise TowersandThe Greatest Show in the Galaxy,both starringSylvester McCoyas theSeventh Doctor.His other television credits include scripts forThe House of EliottandCasualty.
In 2020 Big Finish brought outThe Psychic Circus,Stephen's audio drama prequel toThe Greatest Show in the Galaxy.
Radio work
editHe has worked forBBC Radiosince 1985 as both an adapter and an original playwright.
Radio adaptations
edit- Sketches by Boz(1998–1999)
- The Old Wives' Tale(2003)
- Gilbert without Sullivan(2003–2004)
- Vanity Fair(2004)
- Oblomov(2005)
- Tom Jones(2007)
- The Talented Mr Ripley(2009)
- Alice Through the Looking Glass(2012)
- The Divine Comedy(2014)
Original plays
edit- Fairest Isle(1995, Sony Award Winner)
- Gray's Elegy(2000)
- Party Animal(2003)
- Dr Brighton and Mr Harding(2006)
- Memorials to the Missing(2007)
- Gerontius(2011)
- Finlandia(2015)
- The Psychic Circus (Big Finish 2020)
- The Seven Ages of Woman(2021)
- Breaking the Rules: A House Called Insanity(2024)[3]
Publications
edit- Three plays by Pinero- Introduced by Stephen Wyatt (Methuen, 1985)[4]
- Paradise Towers(Target Books, 1988)[5]
- The Greatest Show in the Galaxy(Target Books, 1989)[6]
- Memorials to the Missing(London, 2007)[7]
- R.I.P, Maria Callas and other monologues for stage and radio(London, 2007)[8]
- Gilbert without Sullivan(London, 2007)[9]
- L'Assommoir(London, 2007)[10]
- The Speculator(London, 2009)[11]
- So You Want To Write Radio Drama?with Claire Grove (Nick Hern Books, 2013)[12]
- The World and His Wife: A true story told by two unreliable narrators(Book Guild 2019)[13]
- Hurst on Filmwith Caitlin Smith (Quartertoten 2021)
- 'The Secret Life of Caretaker Number 112 Stroke 9 Subsection 7' inBuild High for Happiness(Obverse Books 2021)
- The Wallscrawler and Other Stories(Obverse Books 2022)[14]
Awards
editHis playMemorials to the Missing(2007) won theTinniswood Awardfor best original radio script of 2007 and Silver in the Best Drama category of the 2008Sony Radio Academy Awards.
His radio dramaGerontius(2010) won the 2011 Tinniswood Award for Best Radio Drama Script.[15]
References
edit- ^Wyatt, Stephen (2010)."About Stephen".stephenwyatt.co.uk.Retrieved1 September2011.
- ^"Two Cigarettes in the Dark UK Tour starring Dame Penelope Keith".31 August 2021.
- ^"Breaking the Rules - A House Called Insanity - BBC Sounds".bbc.co.uk.Retrieved27 July2024.
- ^bloomsbury."Pinero: Three Plays".Bloomsbury.Retrieved12 September2022.
- ^"Doctor Who".goodreads.Retrieved12 September2022.
- ^"Doctor Who".goodreads.Retrieved12 September2022.
- ^"Memorials to the Missing".Goodreads.Retrieved12 September2022.
- ^"R.I.P. Maria Callas".goodreads.Retrieved12 September2022.
- ^"Gilbert Without Sullivan".Goodreads.Retrieved12 September2022.
- ^"L'Assommoir".Goodreads.Retrieved12 September2022.
- ^"The Speculator".Goodreads.Retrieved12 September2022.
- ^"So You Want to Write Radio Drama?".goodreads.Retrieved12 September2022.
- ^"The World and His Wife: A true story told by two unreli…".Goodreads.Retrieved12 September2022.
- ^"The Wallscrawler and Other Stories – Stephen Wyatt".Obverse Books.Retrieved12 September2022.
- ^Writers' Guild of Great Britain (2012)."Audio Drama Award winners announced".writersguild.org.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 5 February 2012.Retrieved30 January2012.