I have many favourite writers, of plays, tv, film & books. I usually have my nose stuck in a novel or a script and the house appears to be bursting with books.
* Sue Townsend. I never tire of reading Sue's work and mourn the end of her books. I try so hard not to read them quickly as they're so wonderful I want them so last as long as possible, (it never works, they're over in days). From Adrian Mole to Ghost Children, The Queen & I, etc. When I first set up Planet Rabbit it was Sue's plays I wanted to produce first. 'Groping For Words' and 'Bazaar & Rummage' are wonderful plays. I hope one day to do more, I'd love a stab at Adrian Mole on stage, however large cast plays are off the agenda until we one day, if ever, get some funding. No matter what Sue writes, I want to read it. I began reading her books at the age of 14 and have never stopped.
* Alan Bennett. Like many I am a massive fan of Talking Heads. I recall when they were first screened in 1988, my sister bought the scripts. I was delighted when Talking Heads 2 was screened in 1998. I have them all on dvd & in books. Another favourite Alan Bennett is A Private Function. Alan's commentary on the dvd is a real treat. One of my favourite films, wonderfully played by Michael Palin, Maggie Smith, Liz Smith, Alison Steadman, et al. Speaking of Michael Palin, I also love a film he wrote, East of Ipswich - screened on tv in 1987.
*John Godber. I was born and brought up just outside Hull and began going to Spring Street Theatre, (the then home of Hull Truck) in around 1987. The first John Godber play I saw was Up n Under and I remember getting a stitch from laughing so much. That theatre was a magical building, all bulldozed down now of course. A 'new home' was built around the corner and sadly it has lost its magic. I started to usherette in the original building in 1990-91 and in that time also use to help out backstage, iron costumes, paint floors, whatever needed doing. In 1995, after I'd left drama school, I was invited back to stage manage Lucky Sods and various other plays over a period of 18 months. I was 21-22 at the time and look back and realise how lucky I was to be sat in a rehearsal room with John. It was the première of Lucky Sods, great show, but the day after we opened he phoned me at my flat and asked if I could come in early to photocopy some pages and meet with the cast. We all assembled at about 4pm and the 4 cast members were handed the new pages as John had re-written the ending. After opening night he realised he wanted to finish the play differently. We rehearsed the new ending and that night you could feel a different energy from the audience at the end. I remember being very impressed with the way John worked and his judgement. Such a lovely man. Naturally funny but not in your face, quiet & gentle really. Rehearsals were a joy with John, his anecdotes were wonderful. He gave myself & the cast opening night cards and as the play was about the Lottery he'd written a set of 6 numbers for each of us on the envelopes. I still have it on my notice board. I try and see anything he's written when it's near me. Although you haven't seen a John Godber play unless you've seen it directed by him. I think he said that, and he's right. I also enjoyed watching John and his wife Jane perform April In Paris in 2010, I'd never seen John perform in front of an audience before and you couldn't take your eyes off him. His understated and subtle comedy mannerisms were a joy to watch. Always nice to watch a real husband & wife play an on-stage husband & wife as well, I don't know why, it just seems fun. Also lovely to see a writer perform their own work. I was delighted to see he'd set up The John Godber Company in Wakefield in 2011 after leaving Hull Truck. It gave me flashbacks to the 80s and early 90s when I was first discovering John's work and I am genuinely excited to see John start over with a new company in a new town. John has done so much for Hull with his work & creations, he is a remarkable man & I will never tire of his plays. I am immensely proud to have a small connection with Spring Street Theatre.
* Willy Russell. Breezeblock Park was the first play script I walked in to French's Theatre Bookshop to buy, after seeing it on stage in 1987, (starring the lovely Jean Fergusson who I have since worked with and love.) It goes without saying Shirley Valentine and Educating Rita are the work of a genius. I have tried to get the rights to do small-scale productions of both, but so far unavailable. There is a lovely part in the film when Rita is sat in the pub with her family singing to the juke box, she sees her Mum crying and asks her what's the matter. Her Mum says, "surely there's better songs to sing than this." Poetry.
* Agatha Christie. I started to read Agatha Christie books when I was 18 and at drama school. I use to get through them quite quickly. I started with the Miss Marples, (as I was/am a massive fan of the BBC series starring Joan Hickson), then Poirot, then on to the others. I spent most of my 20s with a tatty book-list in my purse traipsing round car boot sales and charity shops hunting out the titles I hadn't got. I think I'd bought all 82 by the time I was 25. I also have her short stories, autobiography and those written under the pseudonym of Mary Westmacott. Plus many biographies written about her. I have been to Dartmouth twice, home of her house 'Greenway' and on my many visits to Torquay have visited the museum, statue, shop and wonder about her young life there. My husband and I also stayed on Burgh Island off the Devon coast which is home to a wonderful hotel. Agatha stayed there to pen 'Evil Under The Sun' & 'And Then There Were None', both set on a similar island. The Suchet version of 'Evil Under The Sun' was filmed there. Other previous guests of the hotel include Noel Coward, George Formby and Edward & Mrs Simpson. I'd love to stage an Agatha Christie, but again, the casts are too large for Planet Rabbit. I have, naturally, seen The Mousetrap in London. My favourite Agatha Christie's are Death on the Nile, Sleeping Murder, The Body in the Library and The Moving Finger.
* Judy Blume. The first Judy Blume book I read was Forever, when I was about 12/13. Any one who is familiar with the book may think this was a little young to be reading something with a 'certain content', but to be fair I didn't know they'd be sex stuff in it when I bought it in the Teenage Reading section of WHSmith. Besides, to me it was the romance of the story that I loved. It is the first book I read all the way through without stopping. Then read it again. The leant it to a school friend who read it without stopping too. When she gave it back I read it once more and the school librarian saw me and said "Forever by Judy Blume? Aren't you a bit young to be reading that?" I confidently said, "it's all right, I've read it twice already." I still have it.
* Enid Blyton. I was brought up on the likes of Amelia Jane but it was the St Clare's series of books that I treasured the most aged 9-11. I had every one in the series and still have them. A brilliant read.
* Kay Mellor. I am a particular fan of Fat Friends, The Chase and Fanny & Elvis. I like her style and her 'northern-ness'
* Tim Firth. Hard to pick a favourite play/script with Tim's work, but if I had to then I love Man of Letters, (and the full length variations that followed). A great play. I saw it in Harrogate as Absolutely Frank. Also, 90s drama Preston Front. My first husband and I knew a couple of the cast who had worked at Hull Truck and it was lovely to see them perform in something as terrific as that. I have them all on dvd.
* Victoria Wood's early screenplays (1979-81) are simply wonderful. If you are able to get them on dvd I would urge you to do so. Talent, Nearly A Happy Ending and Happy Since I Met You are just brilliant. (Peter Martin, who directed the first Planet Rabbit play in 2008 appears in Nearly A Happy Ending and does a cracking job.) Her 1994 screenplay Pat & Margaret is also a favourite, with many classic lines.
OTHER SCREEN WRITERS:
David Renwick, Caroline Ahearne, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant, John Sullivan (esp. Dear John & Just Good Friends), Dick Clement & Ian La Frenais (esp. Auf Weidersen Pet, Porridge, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads)
Other books I have thoroughly loved reading are:
Sorting Out Billy - Jo Brand
About A Boy - Nick Hornby
Bridget Jones - Helen Fielding
The Question - Jane Asher
My favourite autobiographies - of which I buy a lot of:
Alan Carr - Look Who It Is
Pauline Collins - Letter To Louise
Shirley Clarkson - Bearly Believable
Fern Britton - My Story
Eddie Large - Larger Than Life
Anthea Turner - Fools Rush In
Peter Purves - Here's One I Wrote Earlier
Rodney Bewes - A Likely Story
(I was lucky enough to work with both Peter Purves and Eddie Large while stage managing, both were a total delight and I enjoyed every minute in their company)
Also partial to the Maureen Lipman autobiographies. I believe I have 8 of them. Another Hull lady.
