Player Playwrights
The Modern Alchemist: 7.30pm, Monday 1 March 2021
THE MODERN ALCHEMIST - A COMEDY FOR THE STAGE BY FRANCIS BECKETT
THE MODERN ALCHEMIST derives from Ben Jonson’s farce The Alchemist, first performed in 1610. Jonson’s play is about confidence tricksters who gull people into believing they can turn metal into gold. The modern equivalents are management consultants and life coaches, and this riotous comedy has two such people, operating their scams from the empty Bishops Avenue house owned by a Russian oligarch who has fled London to avoid the virus.
Francis Beckett is a journalist, author and playwright. His last play, A MODEST LITTLE MAN, about Clement Attlee, started life at P-P and has had two sellout fringe productions. It would have had at least one more if it had not been for the virus. Earlier plays have appeared on radio and the London fringe, and two of them are published by Samuel French.
All our Monday night events are on Zoom for the foreseeable future. Members can access as part of their membership.
If you are a Member, remember to renew your membership. If you want to become a Member, please join us.
We have frozen our annual membership costs. It remains at £12 for the first year with an £8 annual renewal fee.
To renew your membership or to become a member contact Tony Diggle on
ABOUT US
When Player Playwrights was founded in 1948 its aim was laid down as follows:
“To encourage the writing of plays by its members, by providing an opportunity for such plays to be presented and criticized by the Society; to widen the knowledge of all aspects of playwriting, by inviting to its meetings Speakers and Lecturers; to explore all avenues whereby members’ work may be presented to the public.”
Player Playwrights, which is still run by its actor and playwright members, continues to bring together professional actors and writers with weekly play readings, actor and writer workshops, plus guest speaker events for its members.
Join US
We are always open to new Members. You could be an experienced or an aspiring playwright. You might be an actor excited about working with new writers and on new plays. Or maybe you’re just someone who loves theatre and gets excited being among the first to see new work. You're all very welcome.
We have had to curtail our usual Monday night performances at the North London Tavern but we are still showcasing new plays every Monday night - online. You can join us every Monday for a simple one off annual membership fee.
We have frozen our annual membership fee at £12. As a member every Monday you will receive a zoom link so you can watch the play, and then join in the conversation about the work with the writer and other members afterwards.
Just as importantly you can put your own work forward for one of our play reading evenings, and have your work mentored by one of our experienced readers; you can become part of the rota of professional actors we need to stage our play readings; you can enter our regular play contest nights.
For more details on becoming a member contact Tony Diggle on
Meet the team
Co-Presidents
Laurence Marks & Maurice Gran
Bafta-winning writers of numerous ITV and BBC series' including Birds of A Feather, Goodnight Sweetheart and The New Statesman. Theatre Includes Save The Last Dance For Me, Dreamboats and Petticoats and Love Me Do. Marks & Gran were crowned 'Living Legends' by The Comedy Society in September 2015.
"In 1973 we had the good fortune to stumble upon Player Playwrights. Over the subsequent months, in a semi–derelict theatre in Fitzroy Square, we were exposed to short plays, long plays, good plays and bad plays, written and performed by members of the club, professional and amateur.
Although by then Laurence was a journalist, and Maurice was selling the occasional short story to top shelf magazines, neither of us even fantasised about a career as a playwright, although we were both enthusiastic fans of radio and television comedy. But after a few months hearing other members’ scripts, we decided separately to take the plunge, and enter the regular sketch–writing competition."
send us your scripts
At its heart Player Playwright is a collective of writers and actors who are supportive of each others work.
We schedule readings of new works, drama and comedy, created by our Members. The work is then critiqued by fellow Members. The aim of our criticism is always to guide and aid the writer to improve their work.
Many plays that get their first outing at Player Playwrights go on to full professional productions on the London stage, often with actors from Player Playwrights appearing in them.
To find out more about how Members can put their work forward for a reading click here
events
AT A GLANCE diary of play readings and events for the spring season
All events scheduled on zoom every Monday, 7.30pm
New programme coming soon
contact us
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Created by Caleb Estes