Alan ayckbourn biography
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The Scarborough theatre recently announced that it would be producing Murder for Two (28 March to 18 April) and Calendar Girls the Musical (27 June to 25 July).
Ayckbourn's legacy as a playwright and director is a testament to his talent and dedication to the theater. Alan’s first professional writing commission was inadvertently inspired by his acting career when he complained about a role he was playing; Stephen threw down the gauntlet saying that if Alan wanted better roles, he should write one himself.
More than 75 of his plays have been published, the majority of which are still in print alongside his best-selling guide to playwriting and directing, The Crafty Art of Playmaking.
Stephen Joseph died in 1967 and Alan, alongside Ken Boden, Alfred Bradley and Rodney Wood, worked together to keep Theatre in the Round at the Library Theatre alive.
Photos: Sheridan Smith, Romesh Ranganathan and More In Rehearsals for WOMAN IN MIND
by A.A. Cristi - Nov 21, 2025
New rehearsal photos have been released for Alan Ayckbourn’s Woman in Mind, starring Sheridan Smith and Romesh Ranganathan, ahead of its West End engagement at the Duke of York’s Theatre from 9 December 2025 to 28 February 2026.
He won Outstanding Play at the Drama Desk Awards for Comic Potential and received the Comedy of the Year award at the Olivier Awards for A Chorus Of Disapproval.
Sir Alan Ayckbourn is an Olivier and Tony Award winning playwright. The New York Times proclaimed it “altogether wonderful” and the cast “flawless”.
Since then he has also toured My Wonderful Day in 2009, which also received a Drama Desk Outstanding Play award nomination, Neighbourhood Watch in 2011, Arrivals & Departures, Time Of My Life and Farcicals in 2014, Hero's Welcome and Confusions in 2016 and A Brief History Of Women in 2018 to the festival.
In 2017, having begun his professional stage career at the Edinburgh Festival in 1956, he had his first work staged at the Edinburgh International Festival with an adaptation of his epic prose work The Divide.
In February 2006, Alan suffered a stroke leading to the announcement in June 2007 that he would step down as the Artistic Director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre.
In addition to his work as a playwright, Ayckbourn is also an accomplished director. Learn more about the show and cast here! It is available to reproduce for free providing this website is credited.
Alan Ayckbourn
Playwright & Director
A playwright and theatre director, Alan Ayckbourn has written numerous plays - his 92nd, The Trial of Romeo Oscar - will premiere in 2026 at his home venue, the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough.
His plays have been regularly revived around the world over the past six decades and won numerous awards.
This would be a turning point in his life.
His work has been translated into more than 35 languages and his plays are regularly performed throughout the world. Discover more about his journey here!
The Theatre Group at SBCC to Hold Auditions for A SMALL FAMILY BUISNESS
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Nov 14, 2025
The Theatre Group at SBCC will hold auditions for the spring 2026 production of A SMALL FAMILY BUSINESS by Alan Ayckbourn, directed by Katie Laris, by appointment.
Photos
Writing
Awards and Nominations
winner
Tony Awards - 2010 - Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Alan Ayckbourn
Drama Desk Awards - 2008 - Outstanding Play
Alan AyckbournIntimate Exchanges
Olivier Awards - 2003 - Best New Comedy
Alan AyckbournDamsels In Distress - Roleplay
Olivier Awards - 2001 - Best New Comedy
Alan AyckbournHouse/Garden
winner
Drama Desk Awards - 2000 - Outstanding Play
Alan Ayckbourn, Comic Potential
Olivier Awards - 2000 - Best New Comedy
Alan AyckbournComic Potential
Olivier Awards - 1999 - Best New Comedy
Alan AyckbournThings We Do For Love
Olivier Awards - 1996 - Best Comedy
Alan AyckbournCommunicating Doors
Olivier Awards - 1994 - Best Comedy
Alan AyckbournTime Of My Life
Olivier Awards - 1990 - BBC Award for the Play of the Year
Alan AyckbournMan Of The Moment
Drama Desk Awards - 1988 - Outstanding New Play
Alan Ayckbourn, Women in Mind
Olivier Awards - 1988 - Comedy of the Year
Alan AyckbournHenceforward
winner
Olivier Awards - 1985 - Comedy of the Year
Alan AyckbournA Chorus Of Disapproval
Olivier Awards - 1984 - Comedy of the Year
Alan Ayckbourn Intimate Exchanges
Olivier Awards - 1982 - Comedy of the Year
Alan AyckbournSeason's Greetings
Olivier Awards - 1980 - Comedy of the Year
Alan AyckbournSisterly Feelings
Drama Desk Awards - 1979 - Outstanding Director - Play
Alan Ayckbourn, Bedroom Farce
Tony Awards - 1979 - Best Direction of a Play
Alan Ayckbourn, Bedroom Farce
Tony Awards - 1979 - Best Play
Alan Ayckbourn, Bedroom Farce
Olivier Awards - 1978 - Comedy of the Year
Alan AyckbournTen Times Table
Olivier Awards - 1977 - Comedy of the Year
Alan Ayckbourn, Bedroom Farce
Olivier Awards - 1976 - Comedy of the Year
Alan AyckbournConfusions
Drama Desk Awards - 1975 - Outstanding New Foreign Play
Alan Ayckbourn, Absurd Person Singular
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News
Cast And Creative Team Set for HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES at MainStage Irving-Las Colinas
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Dec 19, 2025
MainStage Irving-Las Colinas will present their upcoming production of How the Other Half Loves, a farce by Alan Ayckbourn and directed by B.
J. Cleveland.
THE WOMAN IN BLACK Comes to The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
by Stephi Wild - Sep 10, 2025
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis has announced its upcoming presentation of the original London production of The Woman in Black, the spine-chilling theatrical sensation direct from London’s West End.
Alan Ayckbourn's EARTH ANGEL Comes to The Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough
by Stephi Wild - Aug 26, 2025
Alan Ayckbourn's latest comedy, Earth Angel, opens at Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre next month. At one point in 1975, he held the record for having the most professional productions being performed simultaneously in the West End (The Norman Conquests, Absurd Person Singular and Absent Friends).
He has written over 80 plays, many of which have been performed on stages around the world.
Ayckbourn's first major success came in 1969 with the play "Relatively Speaking," which became a hit in London's West End and on Broadway. Learn more about the full upcoming season and find out how to get tickets here!