David Harrower

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David Harrower (1966 - ) is a Scottish playwright born in Edinburgh, who still lives in Scotland (Glasgow as of 2005). His first play, Knives in Hens, performed at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, in 1995, was considered a critical and popular success. It deals with a relationship triangle in a rural setting, and a woman's internal quest to find out what she wants from life.

His second play was Kill the Old Torture Their Young (1998). Presence (2001), his third play, was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in April 2001. Dark Earth (2003), premiered at the Traverse in August 2003 and, as of 2005, his latest play is Blackbird.

Harrower has also adapted many plays including: The Chrysalids (1999), adapted from John Wyndham's novel for the National Theatre's Connections project; a version of Pirandello's 'Six Characters in Search of an Author' (Six Characters Looking for an Author (2000)), first staged at the Young Vic in 2000; Chekhov's Ivanov (2002), performed at the National Theatre; and Buchner's Woyzeck, performed at the Edinburgh Lyceum in 2002. He has also translated The Girl on the Sofa (2002), a new play by Jon Fosse, presented in a joint production by the Edinburgh International Festival and the Schaubuhne, Berlin.

He has been associated with "in-yer-face theatre" and the new writing generation of the 1990s, although it could be argued his themes don't readily sit within what Sarah Kane or Mark Ravenhill were writing.

His agents (as of 2005) are Casarotto Ramsay.

[edit] Plays

Original

Knives in Hens
Kill the Old Torture Their Young
Presence
Dark Earth
Blackbird

Adpatations & Translations

[edit] Literature & Bibliography

Aleks Sierz: In-Yer-Face Theatre. British Drama Today. 2001 ISBN 0-571-20049-4

Knives in Hens Methuen, 1997
Kill the Old Torture their Young Methuen, 1998
Presence Faber and Faber, 2001
Six Characters Looking for an Author/Luigi Pirandello (a new version) Methuen, 2001
The Chrysalids (adaptation) Faber and Faber, 2001
Ivanov (a new version) Oberon, 2002
Purple (Jon Fosse) Faber and Faber/NT Connections, 2002
The Girl on the Sofa (Jon Fosse) Oberon, 2002
Dark Earth Faber and Faber, 2003
Tales from the Vienna Woods (a new version) Faber and Faber, 2003