View source for Alan Ayckbourn

{{short description|English playwright (born 1939)}}
{{citations broken|date=May 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox writer
| honorific_prefix = Sir
| honorific_suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE|FRSA}}
| name             = Alan Ayckbourn
| image            = Sir Alan Ayckbourn P4220001.JPG
| caption          = Ayckbourn in 2010
| pseudonym        =
| birth_date       = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1939|4|12}}
| birth_place      = [[Hampstead, London]], England
| occupation       = Playwright, director
| period           = 1959–present
| genre            =
| subject          =
| movement         =
| website          = {{URL|www.alanayckbourn.net}}
}}
'''Sir Alan Ayckbourn''' {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE|FRSA}} (born 12 April 1939) is a prolific British playwright and director. He has written and produced as of 2024, 90 full-length plays in [[Scarborough, North Yorkshire|Scarborough]] and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the [[Stephen Joseph Theatre]] in Scarborough, where all but four of his plays have received their first performance. More than 40 have subsequently been produced in the [[West End theatre|West End]], at the [[Royal National Theatre]] or by the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] since his first hit ''[[Relatively Speaking (play)|Relatively Speaking]]'' opened at the Duke of York's Theatre in 1967.
Major successes include ''[[Absurd Person Singular]]'' (1975), ''[[The Norman Conquests]]'' trilogy (1973), ''[[Bedroom Farce (play)|Bedroom Farce]]'' (1975), ''Just Between Ourselves'' (1976), ''[[A Chorus of Disapproval (play)|A Chorus of Disapproval]]'' (1984), ''[[Woman in Mind]]'' (1985), ''[[A Small Family Business]]'' (1987), ''[[Man Of The Moment (play)|Man of the Moment]]'' (1988), [[House & Garden (plays)|''House'' & ''Garden'']] (1999) and ''[[Private Fears in Public Places]]'' (2004). His plays have won numerous awards, including seven London ''[[Evening Standard]]'' Awards. They have been translated into over 35 languages and are performed on stage and television throughout the world. Ten of his plays have been staged on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], attracting two [[Tony Awards|Tony]] nominations, and one Tony award.
==Life==
===Childhood===
Ayckbourn was born in [[Hampstead]], London.<ref name=p9>P. Allen, 2001, p. 9</ref><ref name=webbio>[http://biography.alanayckbourn.net/index.htm Biography on the official Alan Ayckbourn website] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080807160544/http://biography.alanayckbourn.net/styled/
|date=7 August 2008 }} accessed 17 April 2019</ref> His mother, Irene Worley ("Lolly") (1906–1998), was a writer of short stories who published under the name "Mary James".<ref>P. Allen, 2001, p. 10</ref> His father, Horace Ayckbourn (1904–1965), was an orchestral violinist and was the lead violinist at the [[London Symphony Orchestra]].<ref>P. Allen, 2001, p. 6</ref> His parents, who separated shortly after [[World War II]], never married, and Ayckbourn's mother divorced her first husband to marry again in 1948.<ref name=p9/>
Ayckbourn wrote his first play at Wisborough Lodge (a preparatory school in the village of [[Wisborough Green]]) when he was about 10.<ref>P. Allen, 2001, p. 20</ref> While he was at prep school as a boarder, his mother wrote to tell him she was marrying Cecil Pye, a bank manager. His new family consisted of his mother, his stepfather and Christopher, his stepfather's son by an earlier marriage. This relationship too, reportedly ran into difficulties early on.<ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 17–19</ref>
Ayckbourn attended [[Haileybury and Imperial Service College]], in the village of [[Hertford Heath]] and, while there, he toured Europe and America with the school's Shakespeare company.<ref name=webbio/><ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 30–33</ref>
===Adult life===
After leaving school at 17, Ayckbourn took several temporary jobs in various places before starting a temporary position at the [[Stephen Joseph Theatre|Scarborough Library Theatre]], where he was introduced to the artistic director, [[Stephen Joseph]].<ref name=webbio/><ref name=p41>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 43–46</ref> It is said that Joseph became both a mentor and father figure for Ayckbourn until his untimely death in 1967,<ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 118–119</ref> and Ayckbourn has consistently spoken highly of him.<ref>Ayckbourn, Alan (2003). ''The Crafty Art of Playmaking'', Faber, {{ISBN|0-571-21509-2}}</ref>
Ayckbourn's career was briefly interrupted when he was called up for [[National Service]]. He was swiftly discharged, officially on medical grounds, but it is suggested that a doctor who noticed his reluctance to join the Armed Forces deliberately failed the medical as a favour.<ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 72–75</ref> Although Ayckbourn continued to move wherever his career took him, he settled in Scarborough, eventually buying Longwestgate House, which had previously been owned by his mentor, Joseph.<ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 145–146</ref>
In 1957, Ayckbourn married Christine Roland, another member of the Library Theatre company.<ref name=20facts>[http://biography.alanayckbourn.net/BiographyFacts.htm 20 Facts about Alan Ayckbourn] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090119100222/http://biography.alanayckbourn.net/BiographyFacts.htm |date=19 January 2009 }} accessed 5 January 2009</ref><ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 297–299</ref><ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 65–67</ref> Ayckbourn's first two plays were, in fact, written jointly with her under the pseudonym of "Roland Allen".<ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 67–72</ref> They had two sons, Steven and Philip.<ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 69, 85</ref> However, the marriage had difficulties, which eventually led to their separation in 1971. Ayckbourn said that his relationship with Roland became easy once they agreed their marriage was over. About this time, he shared a home with Heather Stoney,<ref>P. Allen, 2001, p. 132</ref> an actress he had first met ten years earlier.<ref>P. Allen, 2001, p. 88</ref> Like his mother, neither he nor Roland sought an immediate divorce and it was not until thirty years later, in 1997, that they were formally divorced and Ayckbourn married Stoney.<ref name=20facts/><ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 297–298</ref> One side effect of the timing is that, when Ayckbourn was awarded a [[Knight Bachelor|knighthood]] a few months before the divorce,<ref name=knighted>P. Allen, 2001, p. 295</ref> both his first and second wives were entitled to take the title of Lady Ayckbourn.
In February 2006, he suffered a stroke in Scarborough, and stated: "I hope to be back on my feet, or should I say my left leg, as soon as possible, but I know it is going to take some time. In the meantime I am in excellent hands and so is the Stephen Joseph Theatre."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk/news/Ayckbourn-has-stroke.1368917.jp |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130505123429/http://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk/news/Ayckbourn-has-stroke.1368917.jp |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 May 2013 |title=Scarborough Evening News, 28 February 2006 |publisher=Scarborougheveningnews.co.uk |date=28 February 2006 |access-date=29 August 2011 }}</ref> He left hospital after eight weeks and returned to directing after six months.<ref>{{cite news|author=Mark Lawson |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2006/oct/04/theatre.health |title=The Guardian, 4 October 2006 |newspaper=The Guardian |date= 4 October 2006|access-date=29 August 2011 |location=London}}</ref> The following year, Ayckbourn announced he would step down as artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre.<ref name="BBC News, 4 June 2007">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/6720029.stm |title=BBC News, 4 June 2007 |work=BBC News |date=4 June 2007 |access-date=29 August 2011}}</ref> He continues, however, to write and direct his own work at the theatre.
===Influence on plays===
Since the time Ayckbourn's plays became established in the West End, interviewers have raised the question of whether his work is autobiographical.<ref name=auto>P. Allen, 2001, p. 123</ref> There is no clear answer to this question. There has been only one biography, written by Paul Allen, which primarily covers his career in the theatre.<ref name=biography>P. Allen, 2001,</ref> Ayckbourn has frequently said he sees aspects of himself in all of his characters. In ''[[Bedroom Farce (play)|Bedroom Farce]]'' (1975), for example, he admitted to being, in some respects, all four of the men in the play.<ref>P. Allen, 2001, p. 155</ref> It has been suggested that, after Ayckbourn himself, the person who is used most often in his plays is his mother, particularly as Susan in ''[[Woman in Mind]]''<ref>P. Allen, 2001, p. 3</ref> (1985).
What is less clear is the extent to which events in Ayckbourn's life have influenced his writing. It is true that the theme of marriages in difficulty was heavily present throughout his plays in the early seventies, at about the time his own marriage was coming to an end. However, by that time, he had also witnessed the failure of his parents' relationships and those of some of his friends.<ref name=auto/> Which relationships, if any, he drew on for his plays, is unclear. In Paul Allen's biography, Ayckbourn is briefly compared with Dafydd and Guy in ''[[A Chorus of Disapproval (play)|A Chorus of Disapproval]]'' (1984). Both characters feel themselves to be in trouble and there was speculation that Ayckbourn himself might have felt the same way. At the time, he had reportedly become seriously involved with another actress, which threatened his relationship with Stoney.<ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 209–210</ref> It is unclear whether this had any effect on the writing; Paul Allen's view is that Ayckbourn did not use his personal experiences to write his plays.
It is possible that Ayckbourn wrote plays with himself and his own situation in mind but, as Ayckbourn is portrayed as a guarded and private man,<ref name=biography/> it is hard to imagine him exposing his own life in his plays to any great degree. In the biography, Paul Allen writes, with regard to a suggestion in ''[[Cosmopolitan (magazine)|Cosmopolitan]]'' that Ayckbourn's plays were becoming autobiographical: "If we take that to mean that his plays tell his own life story, he still hasn't started."<ref name=auto/>
==Career==
===Early career and acting===
On leaving school, Ayckbourn's theatrical career began immediately, when his French master introduced him to Sir [[Donald Wolfit]].<ref>P. Allen, 2001, p. 32</ref> Ayckbourn joined Wolfit on tour to the [[Edinburgh Festival Fringe]] as an acting assistant stage manager (a role that involved both acting and stage management) for three weeks.<ref name=webbio/><ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 36–38</ref> His first experiences on the professional stage were various roles in ''The Strong are Lonely'' by [[Fritz Hochwälder]].<ref name=acting>{{cite web|url=http://biography.alanayckbourn.net/BiographyActing.htm |title=Acting career on official Ayckbourn site |publisher=Biography.alanayckbourn.net |access-date=29 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723010505/http://biography.alanayckbourn.net/BiographyActing.htm |archive-date=23 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the following year, Ayckbourn appeared in six other plays at the Connaught Theatre, [[Worthing]]<ref name=webbio/><ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 38–40</ref> and the Thorndike theatre, [[Leatherhead]].<ref name=webbio/><ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 41–43</ref>
In 1957, Ayckbourn was employed by the director [[Stephen Joseph]] at the Library Theatre, [[Scarborough, North Yorkshire|Scarborough]], the predecessor to the modern [[Stephen Joseph Theatre]].<ref name=webbio/><ref name=p41/> Again, his role was initially as acting stage manager.<ref name=webbio/><ref name=p41/> This employment led to Ayckbourn's first professional script commission, in 1958. When he complained about the quality of a script he was performing, Joseph challenged him to write a better one. The result was ''The Square Cat'', written under the pseudonym Roland Allen and first performed in 1959.<ref>P. Allen, 2001, p. 65</ref> In this play, Ayckbourn himself played the character of Jerry Watiss.<ref name=acting/>
In 1962, after thirty-four appearances in plays at the Library Theatre, including four of his own, Ayckbourn moved to [[Stoke-on-Trent]] to help set up the Victoria Theatre (now the [[New Vic Theatre|New Vic]]),<ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 87–88</ref> where he appeared in a further eighteen plays.<ref name=acting/> His final appearance in one of his own plays was as the Crimson Gollywog in the disastrous children's play ''Christmas v Mastermind''.<ref>P. Allen, 2001, p. 90</ref> He left the Stoke company in 1964, officially to commit his time to the London production of ''Mr. Whatnot'', but reportedly because was having trouble working with the artistic director, [[Peter Cheeseman]].<ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 98–99</ref> By now, his career as a writer was coming to fruition and his acting career was sidelined.
His final role on stage was as Jerry in ''[[Two for the Seesaw (play)|Two for the Seesaw]]'' by [[William Gibson (playwright)|William Gibson]], at the [[Rotherham Civic Theatre and Arts Centre|Civic Theatre]] in [[Rotherham]].<ref name=acting/> He was left stranded on stage because Heather Stoney (his future wife) was unable to re-appear due to her props not being ready for use. This led to his conclusion that acting was more trouble than it was worth.<ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 99–100</ref> The assistant stage manager on the production, [[Bill Kenwright]], would go on to become one of the UK's most successful producers.
===Writing===
Ayckbourn's first play, ''The Square Cat'', was sufficiently popular locally to secure further commissions, although neither this nor the following three plays had much impact beyond Scarborough.<ref>History of early plays on official Ayckbourn site [http://thesquarecat.alanayckbourn.net/SquareCatHistory.htm]{{dead link|date=July 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}} [http://loveafterall.alanayckbourn.net/LoveAfterAllHistory.htm]{{dead link|date=July 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}} {{cite web |title=Alan Ayckbourn Plays: Dad's Tale |url=http://dadstale.alanayckbourn.net/DadsTaleHistory.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107085522/http://dadstale.alanayckbourn.net/DadsTaleHistory.htm |archive-date=7 January 2009 |access-date=4 May 2009}} {{cite web |title=Alan Ayckbourn Plays: Standing Room Only |url=http://standingroomonly.alanayckbourn.net/StandingRoomOnlyHistory.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517165122/http://standingroomonly.alanayckbourn.net/StandingRoomOnlyHistory.htm |archive-date=17 May 2008 |access-date=4 May 2009}}</ref> After his transfer to [[New Vic Theatre|Victoria Theatre]] in [[Stoke-on-Trent]], ''Christmas v Mastermind'', flopped; this play is now universally regarded as Ayckbourn's greatest disaster.<ref>[http://christmasvmastermind.alanayckbourn.net/ChristmasVMastermindHistory.htm ''Christmas v Mastermind'' history] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107084059/http://christmasvmastermind.alanayckbourn.net/ChristmasVMastermindHistory.htm |date=7 January 2009 }} on official Ayckbourn site.</ref><ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 89–90</ref>
Ayckbourn's fortunes revived in 1963 with ''Mr. Whatnot'', which also premiered at the Victoria Theatre. This was the first play that Ayckbourn was sufficiently happy with to allow continued performances today, and the first play to receive a [[West End theatre|West End]] performance. However, the West End production flopped, in part due to misguided casting.<ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 96, 101–102</ref><ref>[http://mrwhatnot.alanayckbourn.net/MrWhatnotHistory.htm ''Mr. Whatnot'' history]{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} on official Ayckbourn site.</ref> After this, Ayckbourn experimented by collaborating with comedians, first writing a monologue for [[Tommy Cooper]], and later with [[Ronnie Barker]], who played Lord Slingsby-Craddock in the London production of ''Mr Whatnot'' in 1964, on the scripts for [[London Weekend Television|LWT]]'s ''[[Hark at Barker]]''. Ayckbourn used the pseudonym Peter Caulfield because he was under exclusive contract to the [[BBC]] at the time.<ref>P. Allen, 2001, p. 108</ref>
In 1965, back at the Scarborough Library Theatre, ''Meet my Father'' was produced, and later retitled ''[[Relatively Speaking (play)|Relatively Speaking]]''. This time, the play was a massive success, both in Scarborough and in the West End, earning Ayckbourn a congratulatory telegram from [[Noël Coward]].<ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 109–113</ref><ref>[http://relativelyspeaking.alanayckbourn.net/RelativelySpeakingHistory.htm ''Relatively Speaking'' history] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080922000358/http://relativelyspeaking.alanayckbourn.net/RelativelySpeakingHistory.htm |date=22 September 2008 }} on official Ayckbourn site</ref> This was not quite the end of Ayckbourn's hit-and-miss record. His next play, ''[[The Sparrow (1967 play)|The Sparrow]]'' ran for only three weeks at Scarborough <ref>P. Allen, 2001, p. 119</ref><ref>[http://thesparrow.alanayckbourn.net/TheSparrowHistory.htm ''The Sparrow'' history]{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} on official Ayckbourn site</ref> but the following play, ''[[How the Other Half Loves]]'', secured his runaway success as a playwright.<ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 122–123</ref><ref>[http://howtheotherhalfloves.alanayckbourn.net/ ''How the Other Half Loves'' history] on official Ayckbourn site</ref>
The height of Ayckbourn's commercial success came with plays such as ''[[Absurd Person Singular]]'' (1975), ''[[The Norman Conquests]]'' trilogy (1973), ''[[Bedroom Farce (play)|Bedroom Farce]]'' (1975) and ''Just Between Ourselves'' (1976). These plays focused heavily on marriage in the British middle classes. The only failure during this period was a 1975 musical with [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]], ''[[Jeeves (musical)|Jeeves]]''; even this did little to dent Ayckbourn's career.<ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 146–148</ref><ref>[http://jeeves.alanayckbourn.net/JeevesHistory.htm ''Jeeves'' history] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226211945/http://jeeves.alanayckbourn.net/JeevesHistory.htm |date=26 February 2009 }} on official Ayckbourn site</ref>
From the 1980s, Ayckbourn moved away from the recurring theme of marriage to explore other contemporary issues. One example was ''[[Woman in Mind]]'', a play performed entirely from the perspective of a woman going through a nervous breakdown.<ref>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 213–217</ref><ref>[http://womaninmind.alanayckbourn.net/WomanInMindHistory.htm ''Woman in Mind'' history]{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} on official Ayckbourn site</ref> He also experimented with unconventional ways of writing plays: ''Intimate Exchanges'', for example, has one beginning and sixteen possible endings, and in ''[[House & Garden (plays)|House & Garden]]'', two plays take place simultaneously on two separate stages. He also diversified into children's theatre, such as ''[[Mr A's Amazing Maze Plays]]'' and musical plays, such as ''[[By Jeeves]]'' (a more successful rewrite of the original ''Jeeves'').
With a résumé of over seventy plays, of which more than forty have played at the National Theatre or in the West End, Alan Ayckbourn is one of England's most successful living playwrights. Despite his success, honours and awards (which include a prestigious [[Laurence Olivier Award]]), Alan Ayckbourn remains a relatively anonymous figure, dedicated to regional theatre.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Gibson | first = Melissa | title = Alan Ayckbourn: Grinning at the Edge | journal = Theatre Journal | year = 2002  }}</ref> Throughout his writing career, all but four of his plays premiered at the [[Stephen Joseph Theatre]] in Scarborough in its three different locations.<ref name=webbio/>
Ayckbourn received the CBE in 1987<ref name=webbio/><ref>P. Allen, 2001, p. 220</ref> and was knighted in the [[1997 New Year Honours]].<ref name=webbio/><ref name=knighted/> It is frequently claimed<ref>See, for example, [https://web.archive.org/web/20091122081631/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/alan-ayckbourn-you-ask-the-questions-586304.html] [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/jul/06/1] [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/4550763/Alan-Ayckbourn-Why-my-shows-must-go-on.html]</ref> (but not proved)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://biography.alanayckbourn.net/BiographyFAQPopularity.htm |title=FAQ popularity on Ayckbourn site |publisher=Biography.alanayckbourn.net |date=2 November 1983 |access-date=29 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723010523/http://biography.alanayckbourn.net/BiographyFAQPopularity.htm |archive-date=23 July 2011 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> that Alan Ayckbourn is the most performed living English playwright, and the second most performed of all time, after [[Shakespeare]].
Although Ayckbourn's plays no longer dominate the theatrical scene on the scale of his earlier works, he continues to write. Among major success has been ''[[Private Fears in Public Places]]'', which had a hugely successful [[Off-Broadway]] run at [[59E59 Theaters]] and, in 2006, was made into a film, ''[[Cœurs]]'', directed by [[Alain Resnais]].<ref>[http://privatefears.alanayckbourn.net/PrivateFearsInPublicPlacesHistory.htm ''Private Fears in Public Places'' history]{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} on official Ayckbourn site</ref> After Ayckbourn suffered a stroke, there was uncertainty as to whether he could continue to write.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hudson |first=Lincoln |url=http://blogs.thestage.co.uk/inthepaper/2007/03/its-easier-to-return-to-directing-than-writing-say/ |title=It's easier to return to directing than writing|date=22 March 2007 |work=The Stage |access-date=29 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720192153/http://blogs.thestage.co.uk/inthepaper/2007/03/its-easier-to-return-to-directing-than-writing-say/ |archive-date=20 July 2011 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> The play that premiered immediately after his stroke, ''[[If I Were You (play)|If I Were You]]'', had been written before his illness; the first play written afterwards, ''[[Life and Beth]]'', premiered in the summer of 2008. Ayckbourn continues to write for the Stephen Joseph Theatre on the invitation of his successor as artistic director, Chris Monks. The first new play under this arrangement, ''[[My Wonderful Day]]'', was performed in October 2009.<ref>[http://www.alanayckbourn.net/NewsCalender.htm News calendar] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821163103/http://www.alanayckbourn.net/NewsCalender.htm |date=21 August 2008 }} on official Ayckbourn site.</ref>
Ayckbourn continues to experiment with theatrical form. The play ''Roundelay'' opened in September 2014; before each performance, members of the audience are invited to extract five coloured ping pong balls from a bag, leaving the order in which each of the five acts is played left to chance, and allowing 120 possible permutations.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Youngs|first1=Ian|title=Sir Alan Ayckbourn: Using ping pong balls to keep theatre alive|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27323500|access-date=12 June 2014|work=BBC News|date=12 June 2014}}</ref> In ''Arrivals and Departures'' (2013), the first half of the play is told from the point of view of one character, only for the second half to dramatise the same events from the point of view of another.
Many of Ayckbourn's plays, including ''[[Private Fears in Public Places]]'', ''[[Intimate Exchanges]]'', ''[[My Wonderful Day]]'' and ''[[Neighbourhood Watch (Ayckbourn play)|Neighbourhood Watch]]'', have had their New York premiere at [[59E59 Theaters]] as part of the annual Brits Off Broadway Festival.
In 2019, Ayckbourn had published his first novel, ''The Divide'', which had previously been showcased during a reading at the Stephen Joseph Theatre.
As a consequence of the Covid lockdown, Ayckbourn's 2020 play, ''Anno Domino,'' was recorded as a radio production, with Ayckbourn and his wife Heather playing all the roles. Similarly, Ayckbourn's Covid-period 2021 play, ''The Girl Next Door'', was streamed online and made available behind a paywall on the Stephen Joseph Theatre's website.
In 2022, the first Ayckbourn play in around 60 years premiered in a venue other than Scarborough: ''All Lies'' at the Old Laundry in Bowness-on-Windermere.
===Directing===
Although Ayckbourn is best known as a writer, it is said that he only spends 10% of his time writing plays. Most of the remaining time is spent directing.<ref name=10pc>P. Allen, 2001, pp. 84–85</ref>
Ayckbourn began directing at the [[Stephen Joseph Theatre|Scarborough Library Theatre]] in 1961, with a production of ''[[Gaslight (play)|Gaslight]]'' by [[Patrick Hamilton (dramatist)|Patrick Hamilton]].<ref name=10pc/><ref name="direct-early">{{cite web |url=http://directing.alanayckbourn.net/Plays%20-%20Library.htm |title=List of plays directed by Ayckbourn 1961–1976 |publisher=Directing.alanayckbourn.net |access-date=29 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723011515/http://directing.alanayckbourn.net/Plays%20-%20Library.htm |archive-date=23 July 2011 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> During that year and the next, he directed five other plays in Scarborough and, after transferring to the [[New Vic Theatre|Victoria Theatre]], in 1963 directed a further six plays. Between 1964 and 1967, much of his time was taken up by various productions of his early successes, ''Mr. Whatnot'' and ''[[Relatively Speaking (play)|Relatively Speaking]]'' and he directed only one play, ''[[The Sparrow (1967 play)|The Sparrow]]'', which he wrote and which was later withdrawn. In 1968, he resumed directing plays regularly, mostly at Scarborough.<ref name="direct-early"/> At this time he also worked as a radio drama producer for the BBC, based in Leeds.
At first, his directing career was kept separate from his writing career. It was not until 1963 that Ayckbourn directed a play of his own (a revival of ''Standing Room Only'') and 1967 before he directed a premiere of his own (''The Sparrow'').<ref name="direct-early"/> The London premieres remained in the hands of other directors for longer;  the first of his own plays to be directed by him in London was ''[[Bedroom Farce (play)|Bedroom Farce]],'' in 1977.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://directing.alanayckbourn.net/Plays%20-%20SJTITR.htm |title=List of plays directed by Ayckbourn 1976–1995 |publisher=Directing.alanayckbourn.net |access-date=29 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723010448/http://directing.alanayckbourn.net/Plays%20-%20SJTITR.htm |archive-date=23 July 2011 |url-status=dead  }}</ref><ref name=playguide>{{cite book|first=Paul|last=Allen|title=A Pocket Guide to Alan Ayckbourn's Plays|publisher=Faber & Faber|year=2004|isbn=0-571-21492-4}}</ref>
After the death of [[Stephen Joseph]] in 1967, the Director of Productions was appointed on an annual basis. Ayckbourn was offered the position in 1969 and 1970, succeeding Rodney Wood, but he handed the position over to Caroline Smith in 1971, having spent most that year in the US with ''[[How the Other Half Loves]]''. He became Director of Productions again in 1972 and, on 12 November of that year, he was made the permanent artistic director of the theatre.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://biography.alanayckbourn.net/BiographyAD.htm |title=Notes on Ayckbourn site on artistic director position |publisher=Biography.alanayckbourn.net |access-date=29 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723010611/http://biography.alanayckbourn.net/BiographyAD.htm |archive-date=23 July 2011 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>
In mid-1986, Ayckbourn accepted an invitation to work as a visiting director for two years at the [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]] in London, to form his own company, and perform a play in each of the three auditoria, provided at least one was a new play of his own.<ref name=p219>P. Allen, 2001, p. 219</ref> He used a stock company that included performers such as [[Michael Gambon]], [[Polly Adams]] and [[Simon Cadell]]. The three plays became four: ''Tons of Money'' by [[Will Evans (writer)|Will Evans]] and [[Archibald Thomas Pechey|Valentine]], with adaptations by Ayckbourn (Lyttelton); [[Arthur Miller]]'s ''[[A View From the Bridge]]'' (Cottesloe); his own play ''[[A Small Family Business]]'' (Olivier) and [[John Ford (dramatist)|John Ford]]'s ''[['Tis Pity She's a Whore]]'' (Olivier again).<ref>Production details for [http://directing.alanayckbourn.net/Plays%20-%20Tons%20Of%20Money02.htm ''Tons of Money'']  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723010613/http://directing.alanayckbourn.net/Plays%20-%20Tons%20Of%20Money02.htm |date=23 July 2011 }}, [http://aviewfromthebridge.alanayckbourn.net/AViewFromTheBridgeProductions.htm ''A View From the Bridge''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723005853/http://aviewfromthebridge.alanayckbourn.net/AViewFromTheBridgeProductions.htm |date=23 July 2011 }}, [http://asmallfamilybusiness.alanayckbourn.net/ASmallFamilyBusinessProductions.htm ''A Small Family Business'']  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090626063644/http://asmallfamilybusiness.alanayckbourn.net/ASmallFamilyBusinessProductions.htm |date=26 June 2009 }} and [http://directing.alanayckbourn.net/Plays%20-%20Tis%20Pity.htm ''<nowiki>'Tis a Pity She's a Whore</nowiki>'']  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723011354/http://directing.alanayckbourn.net/Plays%20-%20Tis%20Pity.htm |date=23 July 2011 }}</ref> During this time, Ayckbourn shared his role of artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre with Robin Herford<ref name=p219/><ref name=FAQnat>{{cite web |url=http://biography.alanayckbourn.net/BiographyFAQNational.htm |title=FAQ on Ayckbourn site on NAtional Theater |publisher=Biography.alanayckbourn.net |access-date=29 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723010908/http://biography.alanayckbourn.net/BiographyFAQNational.htm |archive-date=23 July 2011 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> and returned in 1987 to direct the premiere of ''[[Henceforward...]]''.<ref name=playguide/><ref name=FAQnat/>
He announced in 1999 that he would step back from directing the work of other playwrights, to concentrate on his own plays,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://biography.alanayckbourn.net/BiographyChronology.htm |title=Chronological biography on Ayckbourn site |publisher=Biography.alanayckbourn.net |access-date=29 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723011136/http://biography.alanayckbourn.net/BiographyChronology.htm |archive-date=23 July 2011 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> the last one being [[Rob Shearman]]'s ''Knights in Plastic Armour'' in 1999; he made one exception in 2002, when he directed the world premiere of [[Tim Firth]]'s ''The Safari Party''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://directing.alanayckbourn.net/Plays%20-%20SJT.htm |title=List of plays directed by Ayckbourn 1996–present |publisher=Directing.alanayckbourn.net |access-date=29 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723010525/http://directing.alanayckbourn.net/Plays%20-%20SJT.htm |archive-date=23 July 2011 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>
In 2002, following a dispute over the [[Duchess Theatre]]'s handling of ''[[Damsels in Distress (plays)|Damsels in Distress]]'', Ayckbourn sharply criticised both this and the [[West End theatre|West End]]'s treatment of theatre in general and, in particular, their casting of celebrities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/index.php?pg=207&story=E8821035534506 |title=whatsonstage.com, 25 October 2002 |publisher=Whatsonstage.com |date=7 September 2002 |access-date=29 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616081926/http://www.whatsonstage.com/index.php?pg=207&story=E8821035534506 |archive-date=16 June 2011  }}</ref> Although he did not explicitly say he would boycott the West End, he did not return to direct in there again until 2009, with a revival of ''[[Woman in Mind]]''.<ref>{{cite web|author=Lalayn Baluch |url=http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/22693/ayckbourns-woman-in-mind-to-transfer-to-west |title=The Stage, 8 December 2008 |work=The Stage |date=8 December 2008 |access-date=29 August 2011}}</ref> He did, however, allow other West End producers to revive ''[[Absurd Person Singular]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Farndale|first=Nigel|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3669533/Alan-Ayckbourn-the-joker.html|title=Alan Ayckbourn: the joker|work=The Telegraph |date=25 November 2007 |access-date=29 August 2011 |location=London}}</ref> in 2007 and ''[[The Norman Conquests]]''<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7636220.stm |title=Online, 25 September 2008 |work=BBC News |date=25 September 2008 |access-date=29 August 2011}}</ref> in 2008.
Ayckbourn suffered a stroke in February 2006 and returned to work in September; the premiere of his 70th play ''[[If I Were You (play)|If I Were You]]'' at the Stephen Joseph Theatre came the following month.<ref>{{cite web|author=Nuala Calvi |url=http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/13421/ayckbourn-back-to-work-after-stroke |title=Ayckbourn back to work after stroke |work=The Stage |date=1 August 2006 |access-date=29 August 2011}}</ref>
He announced in June 2007 that he would retire as artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre after the 2008 season.<ref name="BBC News, 4 June 2007"/> His successor, Chris Monks, took over at the start of the 2009–2010 season<ref>{{cite news|author=Russell Hector |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2008/jun/04/culture.theatre |title=The Guardian, 4 June 2008 |newspaper=The Guardian |date= 4 June 2008|access-date=29 August 2011 |location=London}}</ref> but Ayckbourn remained to direct premieres and revivals of his work at the theatre, beginning with ''How the Other Half Loves'' in June 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk/news/Classic-farce-set-to-return.5299724.jp |title=Scarborough Evening News, 26 May 2009 |publisher=Scarborougheveningnews.co.uk |date=22 May 2009 |access-date=29 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090528204403/http://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk/news/Classic-farce-set-to-return.5299724.jp |archive-date=28 May 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In March 2010, he directed an in-the-round revival of his play ''Taking Steps'' at the [[Orange Tree Theatre]], winning universal press acclaim.<ref>John Thaxter [http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/27689/taking-steps] Taking Steps, ''The Stage'', 29 March 2010</ref>
In July 2014, Ayckbourn directed a musical adaptation of ''The Boy Who Fell into A Book'', with musical adaptation and lyrics by Paul James and music by Eric Angus and Cathy Shostak. The show ran in The Stephen Joseph Theatre and received critical acclaim.
==Honours and awards==
* 1973: [[Evening Standard Awards|''Evening Standard'' Award]], Best Comedy, for ''[[Absurd Person Singular]]''
* 1974: ''Evening Standard'' Award, Best Play, for ''[[The Norman Conquests]]''
* 1977: ''Evening Standard'' Award, Best Play, for ''Just Between Ourselves''
* 1981: Honorary [[Doctor of Letters]] degree (Litt.D.) from [[University of Hull]]
* 1985: ''Evening Standard'' Award, Best Comedy, for ''[[A Chorus of Disapproval (play)|A Chorus of Disapproval]]''
* 1985: [[Laurence Olivier Award]], Best Comedy, for ''[[A Chorus of Disapproval (play)|A Chorus of Disapproval]]''
* 1986: [[Freedom of the City|Freedom of the Borough]] of [[Borough of Scarborough|Scarborough]].<ref>https://www.thescarboroughnews.co.uk/news/people/boxer-ingle-and-four-others-honoured-by-the-town-1-4262978{{Dead link|date=November 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
* 1987: ''Evening Standard'' Award, Best Play, for ''[[A Small Family Business]]''
* 1987: Plays and Players Award
* 1987: Honorary Doctor of Letters degree (Litt.D.) from [[University of Keele|Keele University]]
* 1987: Honorary Doctor of Letters degree (Litt.D.) from [[University of Leeds]]
* 1987: Commander of the [[Order of the British Empire]] (CBE)
* 1989: ''Evening Standard'' Award, Best Comedy, for ''[[Henceforward...]]''
* 1990: ''Evening Standard'' Award, Best Comedy, for ''[[Man of the Moment (play)|Man of the Moment]]''
* 1997: [[Knight Bachelor]]
* 1998: Honorary [[Doctor of the University]] degree (D.Univ.) from [[Open University]]
* 2008: Induction into the [[American Theater Hall of Fame]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/122247-Hamlisch-Lane-Birch-Tunick-and-Azenberg-Among-Theater-Hall-of-Fame-Inductees |title=Hamlisch, Lane, Birch, Tunick and Azenberg Among Theater Hall of Fame Inductees |work=Playbill |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140310005016/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/122247-Hamlisch-Lane-Birch-Tunick-and-Azenberg-Among-Theater-Hall-of-Fame-Inductees |archive-date=10 March 2014 }}</ref>
* 2009: Laurence Olivier Special Award
* 2009: [[Critics' Circle Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts|The Critics' Circle annual award for Distinguished Service to the Arts]]
* 2011: Honorary Doctor of Letters degree (Litt.D.) from [[York St. John University]]
Ayckbourn also sits on the Council of [[the Society of Authors]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.societyofauthors.org/about-us/council |title=Council &#124; Society of Authors - Protecting the rights and furthering the interests of authors |access-date=10 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019071008/http://societyofauthors.org/about-us/council |archive-date=19 October 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He is also a longtime patron of Next Stage Theatre Company, an amateur theatre company based in Bath.
==Works==
===Full-length plays===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Play number<ref group=nb>This numbering is the system used by the official Ayckbourn site as to how many plays have been written. This includes the full-length plays performed but later withdrawn and full-length plays for family audiences, but excludes revues and musical entertainments, adaptations of other plays, plays for children, individual one-act plays, "grey plays" (those written for performance but not publication) and plays for television. It also treats each of the plays in ''[[The Norman Conquests]]'', ''[[House & Garden (plays)|House and Garden]]'' and ''[[Damsels In Distress (plays)|Damsels in Distress]]'' as one play each, the one-acts from ''[[Confusions]]'' as a single full-length play, all variations of ''Intimate Exchanges'' as one play (likewise for ''Sisterly Feelings'' and ''It Could Be Any One Of Us''), both parts of ''[[The Revengers' Comedies]]'' as a single play, and the rewrites of ''Jeeves'' and ''Callisto 5'' as the same play as the original. Other sources may number plays differently.</ref>
! Title
! Series
! [[Stephen Joseph Theatre|Scarborough]] premiere<ref>Stephen Joseph Theatre premiere dates on Ayckbourn site [http://ataglance.alanayckbourn.net/Glance01.htm]{{dead link|date=July 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}} [http://ataglance.alanayckbourn.net/Glance02.htm]{{dead link|date=June 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}} [http://ataglance.alanayckbourn.net/Glance03.htm]{{dead link|date=June 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref><ref group=nb>Scarborough premieres of Ayckbourn plays between 1959 and 1976 were at the original venue of the Library Theatre, and premieres between 1977 and 1995 were at the intermediate venue of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in the Round at Westwood. Premieres from 1996 were at the current Stephen Joseph Theatre, in the Round unless otherwise stated. In some productions, the official premiere date was later than the actual opening night. The premiere date is shown here.</ref>
! [[West End theatre|West End]] premiere<ref>[http://ataglance.alanayckbourn.net/Glance04.htm West End premiere dates on Ayckbourn site]{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
! New York premiere<ref>[http://ataglance.alanayckbourn.net/Glance05.htm Broadway premiere dates on Ayckbourn site]{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
|-
|1
|colspan="2"|''The Square Cat'' <ref group="nb" name="withdrawn">This play is withdrawn. It is not available for production and it is intended that the script will never be published. However, a copy is available at the Bob Watson archive in Scarborough. [http://publications.alanayckbourn.net/PublicationsUnpublished.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215010730/http://publications.alanayckbourn.net/PublicationsUnpublished.htm|date=15 February 2009}}</ref>
|30 July 1959
|
|
|-
|2
|colspan="2"|''Love After All''<ref name=withdrawn group=nb/>
|21 December 1959
|
|
|-
|3
|colspan="2"|''Dad's Tale''<ref name=withdrawn group=nb/>
|19 December 1960
|
|
|-
|4
|colspan="2"|''Standing Room Only''<ref name=withdrawn group=nb/>
|13 July 1961
|(12 June 1966) <ref group=nb>This play was not performed in the West End but was performed in the British Council, London Overseas Student Centre for one night only. {{cite web |url=http://standingroomonly.alanayckbourn.net/StandingRoomOnlyProductions.htm |title=Alan Ayckbourn Plays: Standing Room Only |access-date=23 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517165145/http://standingroomonly.alanayckbourn.net/StandingRoomOnlyProductions.htm |archive-date=17 May 2008  }}</ref>
|
|-
|5
|colspan="2"|''Christmas V Mastermind''<ref name=withdrawn group=nb/>
|26 December 1962
|
|
|-
|6
|colspan="2"|''Mr Whatnot''
|12 November 1963
|6 August 1964
|
|-
|7
|colspan="2"|''[[Relatively Speaking (play)|Relatively Speaking]]'' <ref group=nb>''[[Relatively Speaking (play)|Relatively Speaking]]'' was originally titled ''Meet My Father''</ref>
|9 July 1965
|29 March 1967
|
|-
|8
|colspan="2"|''[[The Sparrow (1967 play)|The Sparrow]]''<ref name=withdrawn group=nb/>
|13 July 1967
|
|
|-
|9
|colspan="2"|''[[How the Other Half Loves]]''
|31 July 1969
| 5 August 1970
| 29 March 1971
|-
|10
|colspan="2"|''Family Circles'' <ref group=nb>''Family Circles'' was originally titled ''The Story So Far...'', then ''Me Times Me Times Me'', then ''Me Times Me''</ref>
| 20 August 1970
| 8 October 1974
|
|-
|11
|colspan="2"|''Time And Time Again''
|8 July 1971
|16 August 1972
|
|-
|12
|colspan="2"|''[[Absurd Person Singular]]''
|26 June 1972
|4 July 1973
|8 October 1974
|-
|13
|rowspan="3"|''[[The Norman Conquests]]''
|''Table Manners'' <ref group=nb>''Table Manners'' was originally titled ''Fancy Meeting You''</ref>
| 18 June 1973
| 9 May 1974
| 7 December 1975
|-
|14
|''[[Living Together (play)|Living Together]]'' <ref group=nb>''[[Living Together (play)|Living Together]]'' was originally titled ''Make Yourself at Home''</ref>
| 26 June 1973
| 21 May 1974
| 7 December 1975
|-
|15
|''Round and Round the Garden''
| 2 July 1973
| 6 June 1974
| 7 December 1975
|-
|16
|colspan="2"|''[[Absent Friends (play)|Absent Friends]]''
|17 June 1974
|23 July 1975
|
|-
|17
|colspan="2"|''[[Confusions]] ''<ref group=nb>''[[Confusions]]'' is a set of five loosely connected one-act plays.</ref>
|30 September 1974
|19 May 1976
|
|-
|18
|colspan="2"|''[[Jeeves (musical)|Jeeves]]''<ref name=withdrawn group=nb/><ref name=Jeeves group=nb>''Jeeves'' is a musical collaboration with [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]], re-written 1996 as ''[[By Jeeves]]''.</ref>
|
| 22 April 1975
|
|-
|19
|colspan="2"|''[[Bedroom Farce (play)|Bedroom Farce]]''
| 16 June 1975
| 16 March 1977
| 29 March 1979
|-
|20
|colspan="2"|''Just Between Ourselves''
| 28 January 1976
| 20 April 1977
|
|-
|21
|colspan="2"|''Ten Times Table''
| 18 January 1977
| 5 April 1978
|
|-
|22
|colspan="2"|''[[Joking Apart (play)|Joking Apart]]''
| 11 January 1978
| 7 March 1979
|
|-
|23
|colspan="2"|''[[Sisterly Feelings]]''
| 10/11 January 1979<ref name=Sisterly group=nb>Two variations of ''Sisterly Feelings'' were premiered on separate nights.</ref>
| 3/4 June 1980<ref name=Sisterly group=nb/>
|
|-
|24
|colspan="2"|''[[Taking Steps]]''
| 28 September 1979
| 2 September 1980
| 20 February 1991
|-
|25
|colspan="2"|''Suburban Strains''
| 18 January 1980
| 5 February 1981
|
|-
|26
|colspan="2"|''[[Season's Greetings (play)|Season's Greetings]]''
| 25 September 1980
| 29 March 1982
|
|-
|27
|colspan="2"|''[[Way Upstream]]''
|2 October 1981
| 4 October 1982
|
|-
|28
|colspan="2"|''[[Making Tracks (Ayckbourn play)|Making Tracks]]''<ref name=withdrawn group=nb/>
| 16 December 1981
| 14 March 1983
|
|-
|rowspan="8"|29
|rowspan="8"|''[[Intimate Exchanges]]''<ref group=nb>''Intimate Exchanges'' is a play with four two-way forks in the plot, thereby offering sixteen possible variations depending on choices made by the characters. The eight variations offered after the third fork are often treated as individual plays.</ref>
|''Affairs in a Tent''
|rowspan="8"| 3 June 1982
|rowspan="8"| 14 August 1984
|rowspan="8"| (31 May 2007) <ref group=nb>The New York Premiere of ''Intimate Exchanges'', was off-Broadway at [[Primary Stages Theater|59E59]] as part of the 2006–07 revival.</ref>
|-
|''Events on a Hotel Terrace''
|-
|''A Garden Fete''
|-
|''A Pageant''
|-
|''A Cricket Match''
|-
|''A Game of Golf''
|-
|''A One Man Protest''
|-
|''Love in the Mist''
|-
|30
|colspan="2"|''[[It Could Be Any One Of Us]]'' <ref group=nb>''It Could Be Any One Of Us'' is a single play with three alternative endings.</ref>
| 5 October 1983
| 14 March 1983
|
|-
|31
|colspan="2"|
''[[A Chorus of Disapproval (play)|A Chorus of Disapproval]]''
| 2 May 1984
| 1 August 1985
|
|-
|32
|colspan="2"|''[[Woman in Mind]]''
| 30 May 1985
| 3 September 1986
|
|-
|33
|colspan="2"|''[[A Small Family Business]]''
|
|20 May 1987
| 27 April 1992
|-
|34
|colspan="2"|''[[Henceforward...]]''
| 30 July 1987
| 21 November 1988
|
|-
|35
|colspan="2"|''[[Man Of The Moment (play)|Man of the Moment]]''
| 10 August 1988
| 14 February 1990
|
|-
|36
|colspan="2"|''[[Mr A's Amazing Maze Plays]]''
| 30 November 1988
| 4 March 1993
|
|-
|37
|colspan="2"|
''[[The Revengers' Comedies]]'' <ref group=nb>''[[The Revengers' Comedies]]'' is a two-part play normally performed over two separate evenings.</ref>
| 13 June 1989
| 13 March 1991
|
|-
|38
|colspan="2"|''[[Invisible Friends]]''
| 23 November 1989
| 13 March 1991
|
|-
|39
|colspan="2"|''[[Body Language (play)|Body Language]]''
| 21 May 1990
|
|-
|40
|colspan="2"|''This Is Where We Came In''
| 4/11 January 1990
|
|
|-
|41
|colspan="2"|''Callisto 5'' <ref group=nb name=callisto>''Callisto 5'' was re-written in 1999 as ''Callisto #7.''</ref>
| 12 December 1990
|
|-
|42
|colspan="2"|''[[Wildest Dreams (play)|Wildest Dreams]]''
| 6 May 1991
| 14 December 1993
|
|-
|43
|colspan="2"|''My Very Own Story''
| 10 August 1991
|
|
|-
|44
|colspan="2"|''[[Time of My Life (play)|Time of My Life]]''
| 21 April 1992
| 3 August 1993
| 6 June 2014
|-
|45
|colspan="2"|''Dreams From A Summer House''
| 26 August 1992
|
|
|-
|46
|colspan="2"|''[[Communicating Doors]]''
| 2 February 1994
| 7 August 1995
|
|-
|47
|colspan="2"|''[[Haunting Julia]]''<ref name=bump group=nb>''Haunting Julia'' and ''Snake in the Grass'' were originally written as stand-alone plays. In 2008, they were included in the trilogy ''[[Things That Go Bump (plays)|Things That Go Bump]]'' with the newly written ''Life and Beth''.</ref>
| 20 April 1994
|
|
|-
|48
|colspan="2"|''The Musical Jigsaw Play''<ref name=withdrawn group=nb/>
| 1 December 1994
|
|
|-
|49
|colspan="2"|''A Word From Our Sponsor''
| 20 April 1995
|
|
|-
|(18)
|colspan="2"| ''[[By Jeeves]] ''<ref name=Jeeves group=nb/>
| 2 July 1996
| 2 July 1996
| 28 October 2001
|-
|50
|colspan="2"|''The Champion Of Paribanou''
| 4 December 1996
|
|
|-
|51
|colspan="2"|''[[Things We Do for Love (play)|Things We Do For Love]]''
| 29 April 1997<ref name=McCarthy group=nb>Performed end-stage in the McCarthy Auditorium</ref>
| 2 March 1998
|
|-
|52
|colspan="2"|''[[Comic Potential (play)|Comic Potential]]''
| 4 June 1998
| 13 October 1999
|-
|53
|colspan="2"|''[[The Boy Who Fell into a Book]]''
| 4 December 1998
|
|
|-
|54
|rowspan="2"|''[[House & Garden (plays)|House and Garden]]'' <ref group=nb>''[[House & Garden (plays)|House and Garden]]'' are a pair of plays intended to be performed simultaneously as a [[diptych]]</ref>
| ''House''
| 17 June 1999<ref name=McCarthy group=nb/>
| 8 August 2000
|
|-
|55
|''Garden''
| 17 June 1999
| 8 August 2000
|
|-
|(41)
|colspan="2"|''Callisto#7'' <ref group=nb name=callisto/>
| 4 December 1999
|
|
|-
|56
|colspan="2"|''[[Virtual Reality (play)|Virtual Reality]]''<ref name=withdrawn group=nb/>
| 8 February 2000<ref name=McCarthy group=nb/>
|
|
|-
|57
|colspan="2"|''[[Whenever (play)|Whenever]]''
| 5 December 2000
|
|
|-
|58
|rowspan="3"|''[[Damsels in Distress (plays)|Damsels in Distress]]''
|''[[GamePlan (play)|GamePlan]]''
| 29 May 2001
| 7 September 2002
|
|-
|59
|''[[FlatSpin (play)|FlatSpin]]''
| 3 July 2001
| 7 September 2002
|
|-
|60||''[[RolePlay (play)|RolePlay]]''
| 4 September 2001
| 7 September 2002
|
|-
|61
|colspan="2"|''[[Snake in the Grass (play)|Snake in the Grass]]''<ref name=bump group=nb/>
| 5 June 2002
|
|
|-
|62
|colspan="2"|''[[The Jollies]]''
| 3 December 2002
|
|
|-
|63
|colspan="2"|''[[Sugar Daddies (play)|Sugar Daddies]]''
| 23 July 2003
|
|
|-
|64
|colspan="2"|''[[Orvin – Champion of Champions]]''
| 8 August 2003
|
|
|-
|65
|colspan="2"|''[[My Sister Sadie]]''
| 2 December 2003
|
|
|-
|66
|colspan="2"|''[[Drowning on Dry Land (play)|Drowning on Dry Land]]''
| 4 May 2004
|
|
|-
|67
|colspan="2"|''[[Private Fears in Public Places]]''
| 17 August 2004
| (5 May 2005)<ref name=PFIPP group=nb>''Private Fears in Public Places'' did not have West End or Broadway performances, but did have a London Premiere at the [[Orange Tree Theatre]] in the London Borough of Richmond, and off-Broadway at [[59E59 Theaters]].</ref>
| (9 June 2005)<ref name=PFIPP group=nb/>
|-
|68
|colspan="2"|''[[Miss Yesterday]]''
| 2 December 2004
|
|
|-
|69
|colspan="2"|''[[Improbable Fiction]]''
| 31 May 2005
|
|
|-
|70
|colspan="2"|''[[If I Were You (play)|If I Were You]]''
| 17 October 2006
|
|
|-
|71
| ''[[Things That Go Bump (plays)|Things That Go Bump]]''
|''[[Life and Beth]]''<ref name=bump group=nb/>
| 22 July 2008
|
|
|-
|72
|colspan="2"|''[[Awaking Beauty]]''
| 16 December 2008
|
|
|-
|73
|colspan="2"|''[[My Wonderful Day]]''
| 13 October 2009
|
|11 November 2009
|-
|74
|colspan="2"|''[[Life of Riley (play)|Life of Riley]]''
| 16 September 2010
|
|
|-
|75
|colspan="2"|''[[Neighbourhood Watch (Ayckbourn play)|Neighbourhood Watch]]''
| 13 September 2011
|
|30 November 2011
|-
|76
|colspan="2"|''Surprises''
| 17 July 2012
|
|
|-
|77
|colspan=2|''Arrivals & Departures''
| 6 August 2013
|
| 29 May 2014
|-
|78
|colspan=2|''Roundelay''
| 9 September 2014
|
|
|-
|79
| colspan="2" |''Hero's Welcome''
|8 September 2015
|
|26 May 2016
|-
|80
| colspan="2" |''Consuming Passions''
|12 August 2016
|
|
|-
|81
| colspan="2" |''A Brief History of Women''
|5 September 2017
|
|1 May 2018
|-
|82
| colspan="2" |''Better Off Dead''
|11 September 2018
|
|
|-
|83
| colspan="2" |''Birthdays Past, Birthdays Present''
|10 September 2019
|
|
|-
|84
| colspan="2" |''Anno Domino''
|25 May 2020
|
|
|-
|85
| colspan="2" |''The Girl Next Door''
|8 June 2021
|
|
|-
|86
| colspan="2" |''All Lies''
|6 May 2022
|
|
|-
|87
| colspan="2" |''Family Album''
|6 September 2022
|
|
|-
|88
| colspan="2" |''Welcome to the Family''
|16 May 2023
|
|
|-
|89
| colspan="2" |''Constant Companions''
|12 September 2023
|
|
|}
{{reflist|group=nb|35em}}
===One-act plays===
Alan Ayckbourn has written eight one-act plays. Five of them (''Mother Figure'', ''Drinking Companion'', ''Between Mouthfuls'', ''Gosforth's Fete'' and ''Widows Might'') were written for ''[[Confusions]]'', first performed in 1974.
The other three one-act plays are:
* ''Countdown'', first performed in 1962, most well known as part of ''[[Mixed Doubles (play)|Mixed Doubles]]'', a set of short one-act plays and monologues contributed by nine different authors.
* ''Ernie's Incredible Illucinations'', written in 1969 for a collection of short plays and intended for performance by schools.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=29 October 2016|website=Alan Ayckbourn's Official Website| title=Ernie's Incredible Illucinations: Background| url=http://ernies.alanayckbourn.net/styled/index.html}}</ref>
* ''A Cut in the Rates'', performed at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in 1984, and filmed for a BBC documentary.
===Books===
* {{cite book|first=Alan|last=Ayckbourn|title=The Crafty Art of Playmaking|publisher= Faber and Faber|location=UK|year=2002|isbn=0-571-21509-2}}
* {{cite book|first=Alan|last=Ayckbourn|title=The Crafty Art of Playmaking|url=https://archive.org/details/craftyartofplaym0000ayck|url-access=registration|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|location=USA|year=2003|isbn=1-4039-6229-4}}
* Ayckbourn, Alan (2019) ''The Divide''. UK: PS Publishing. ISBN 978-1-786364-47-0.
===Film adaptations of Ayckbourn plays===
Plays adapted as films include:
* ''[[A Chorus of Disapproval (play)]]'' filmed as ''[[A Chorus of Disapproval (film)|A Chorus of Disapproval]]'' (1988 film), directed by [[Michael Winner]];
* ''[[Intimate Exchanges]]'' (play) filmed as ''[[Smoking/No Smoking]]'' (1993 film), directed by [[Alain Resnais]];
* ''[[The Revengers' Comedies]]'' (play) filmed as ''[[Sweet Revenge (1998 film)|The Revengers' Comedies]]'' (also known as ''Sweet Revenge''), directed by [[Malcolm Mowbray]];
* ''[[Private Fears in Public Places]]'' (play) filmed as ''[[Cœurs]]'' (2006 film) directed by [[Alain Resnais]].
* ''[[Life of Riley (play)|Life of Riley]]'' (play) filmed as ''[[Life of Riley (2014 film)|Life of Riley]]'' (2014 film) directed by [[Alain Resnais]].
==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==References==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|first=Paul|last=Allen|title=Alan Ayckbourn: Grinning at the Edge|publisher=Methuen|year=2001|page=9|isbn=0-413-73120-0}}
{{refend}}
==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
*{{Official website}}
*{{IMDb name}}
*{{IBDB name}}
*{{British council|id=alan-ayckbourn|name=Sir Alan Ayckbourn}}
*{{Guardian topic}}
*{{AusStage}}
*{{NYTtopic|people/a/alan_ayckbourn}}
* Archival material at {{wikidata|qualifier|property|P485|Q24568958|P856|format=\[%q %p\]}}
{{Ayckbourn}}
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