Overview

These four new short plays were written over the first twenty years of the 21st Century by master playwright Keith Dewhurst, who is perhaps best known for his much-loved, groundbreaking adaptation of Flora Thompson's Lark Rise to Candleford. In this volume, Sam's Father and Hannah Vine create an unintended, formidable double-bill examining the impacts of modern feminism, while the latter two plays place us firmly in the 19th Century. Steerforth in Italy is an entertaining fantasy based on what might have happened had Dickens' David Copperfield attempted to rescue 'Little Em'ly' from James Steerforth's clutches, while St Boniface Gardens captures conversations between Karl Marx and his doctor during Marx's last years on the Isle of Wight. Published for the first time, the collection represents the work of one of the great dramatists of the English theatre at the height of his powers. The plays are introduced with a foreword by Patrick Miles, literary consultant and translator to the National Theatre (1977-2015). Summary and Cast breakdowns: Sam's Father: A woman's decision and twenty years later (1 woman, 2 men) Hannah Vine: A pulp biographer finds more than she bargained for (2 women, 1 man) Steerforth in Italy: David Copperfield seeks the betrayed little Em'ly (1 woman, 4 men) St Boniface Gardens: Karl Marx and his doctor on the Isle of Wight (2 women, 2 men)

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Keith Dewhurst was born in 1931. He worked in a cotton mill and as a travelling reporter with Manchester United before becoming a playwright. Three of his seventeen stage plays were premiered at the Royal Court Theatre and six, including his adaptation of Flora Thompson's 'Lark Rise', at the Royal National Theatre. Several of these plays featured the folk rock bands Steeleye Span and The Albion Band. He wrote two movies, the novel 'Captain of the Sands', eighteen TV plays, of which 'Last Bus' won the Japan Prize, and episodes for many series, including the original 'Z-Cars'. He was a Guardian columnist, a member of the Production Board of the British Film Institute, Writer in Residence at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, a presenter of TV arts programmes and a Granada comedy show. He has written two football books and co-wrote (with Jack Shepherd) a theatrical memoir. In Australia he was involved in an environmental protest by the Palm Beach Action Group. His second wife is the theatrical agent Alexandra Cann.

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