Alan Ayckbourn
born April 12, 1939, London, Eng.
successful and prolific British
playwright, whose works—mostly farces and
comedies—deal with marital and class
conflicts and point up the fears and
weaknesses of the English lower-middle
class. He wrote more than 70 plays and other
entertainments, most of which were first
staged at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in
Scarborough, Yorkshire, Eng.
At age 15 Ayckbourn acted in school
productions of William Shakespeare, and he
began his professional acting career with
the Stephen Joseph Company in Scarborough.
When Ayckbourn wanted better roles to play,
Joseph told him to write a part for himself
in a play that the company would mount if it
had merit. Ayckbourn produced his earliest
plays in 1959–61 under the pseudonym Roland
Allen.
His plays—many of which were performed
years before they were published—include
Relatively Speaking (1968), Mixed Doubles:
An Entertainment on Marriage (1970), How the
Other Half Loves (1971), the trilogy The
Norman Conquests (1973), Absurd Person
Singular (1974), Intimate Exchanges (1985),
Mr. A’s Amazing Maze Plays (1989), Body
Language (1990), Invisible Friends (1991),
Communicating Doors (1995), Comic Potential
(1999), The Boy Who Fell into a Book (2000),
and the trilogy Damsels in Distress (2002).
In 2002 he published a work of advice and
instruction for aspiring playwrights and
directors, The Crafty Art of Playmaking.
After suffering a stroke in 2006,
Ayckbourn limited his activities, though he
soon resumed writing. In 2009 he stepped
down as artistic director of the Stephen
Joseph Theatre, a post he had held since
1972. His numerous honours include Laurence
Olivier (2009) and Tony (2010) awards for
lifetime achievement. Ayckbourn was knighted
in 1997.
