SUCCESS STORIES
John has been a playwriting tutor on his own course since 2017, and with the Oxford Playmaker course (in collaboration with Oxford Playhouse) since 2015.
Below are the achievements of some students from previous courses, subsequent to their year under John’s tuition.
Oxford Playmaker 2015 - 2016
Clare Bayley
PIXEL DUST Assembly, Edinburgh Festival 2017
FAMILY TREES, rehearsed readings at RADA Studios , the Stephen Joseph, Scarborough and Bolton Octagon, 2017-19
THE CONTAINER, Burning Coal Theatre Company, Raleigh, North Carolina, 2019
AFTER THE PEACE, RADA Festival 2019
ON THE MARCH, commissioned by Oxford Playhouse, 2018
Tolula Dada
Long-listed for Alfred Fagon award 2019
Short-listed for Terence Rattigan award 2017
Channel 4 Playwriting Course 2019
Residency at The Bush 2019
Writer on BBC3 series RED ROSE due 2021
Heather Dunmore
PRETTY POLLY’S DEAD (co-written with Catherine Comfort) July 2018, Burton-Taylor Studio
SPITFIRE SISTERS (co-written with Doc Anderson Broomfield) July 2019, The Space, London (short-listed for Bruntwood Prize)
Giles Fernando
FALLEN ANGEL, musical in development, showcased at The Criterion, Theatre Royal, Stratford East, 2018/9
DON'T LOOK DOWN, Kings Head, London, 2016
Mandy Constance
THE OCEAN QUEEN staged reading at Offbeat Festival and Oxford Playhouse, July 2017
SWEET CHILD April 2018
SAM AI AM December 2019
VOTES FOR WOMEN July 2018
THE GEORGIANS July 2019
Oxford Playmaker 2016 - 2017
Ayad Andrews
TERP, rehearsed reading, Finborough Theatre Oct 2018
THE GHOST OF MUHAMMAD ALI, rehearsed reading at Spring Arts Theatre
BBC Writers Drama Room 2019-2020
James Baldwin
AFRAID TO ASK, the egg, February 2018
THE WOMAN WHO TURNED INTO A CHICKEN, The Pit, Barbican, October 2018
RETURN OF THE UNKNOWN, The Marlowe, November 2018
...IF WE’VE NEVER BEEN TO THE MOON? The Marlowe, December 2018
THE NAUGHTY FOX, The Marlowe, December 2018
KISS, MARRY, KILL at the National Theatre Studio.
Gold Koestler Award for his prison plays.
Karim Khan
HEART ATTACK, Seed Commission, Rifco Arts. 2018. Showcase: Bush Theatre Nov 2019.
CORROSIVE, commissioned by Pegasus Theatre, Oxford, Autumn 2019, Pegasus Theatre & tour.
TENDONS, extract performed at North Wall April 2019, Alychymy Festival.
HOLD ON, seed commission with Bush Theatre Allotment 2018/19.
BEYOND SHAME, commissioned by Karma Nirvana/ Derby Theatre, produced Autumn 2018
ORANGE JUICE, performed at Tristan Bates, Burton Taylor Studio, The Pleasance 2017-19
Carolyn Lloyd-Davies
#PENETRATION The Cockpit Theater, Marylebone, London, April 29th - May 16th 2020 (https://www.thecockpit.org.uk/show/penetration.
RETRIBUTION (audio play) commissioned by The Write Hour/ to be broadcast in January 2020.
Oxford Playmaker 2017 - 2018
Doug Crossley
GIVE ME ONE MOMENT IN TIME Oxford Playhouse at Edinburgh Fringe, 2019
Jodi Gray
THROWN (Edinburgh Festival Fringe and tour 2018; Vault Festival and Brighton Fringe Festival 2019)
BIG BAD (Vault Festival 2018 and London Horror Festival 2018)
SHUDDER (Oxford School of Drama Soho Theatre 2018)
Rowan Padmore
NOTHING TO SAY Pegasus Theatre, Oxford.
SAWDUST (2017) for Arts at the Old Fire Station, Oxford
LIFE IS A CIRCUS: BBC4 documentary about process of writing/staging SAWDUST RUN STANLEY RUN, 5 staged readings in Old Fire Station and Morecambe Festival
PAPER UMBRELLA commissioned play for Big Brum Theatre in Education Company, Birmingham: 40 date tour to Birmingham Schools
Oxfordshire Theatre Makers, Oxford – ‘Emanate’ selected artist
Padraic Walsh
BLUE THUNDER/ Vault Festival 2019. Winner of the Innovation award. Commissioned for BBC Radio 4
EVERY ONLY GOD staged reading at the 2019 Irish Festival at Omnibus Theatre.
Janet Bolam
ANTIBODIES, rehearsed reading at St Aldates Tavern, 2019
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED, rehearsed reading, January 2020, Oxford.
OTTOLINE AND DIDI, Garsington Manor Gardens, June 2020
Oxford Playmaker 2019
Adam Foster
THE LAST PUNCH AND JUDY MAN, staged reading at Camden People’s Theatre, Nov 2019 and touring to South-West, 2020-2021.
Zena Forster
STITCH-UP, Oxford University seed funding, 2020
Sami Ibrahim
TWO PALESTINIANS GO DOGGING Royal Court, 9th April - 9th May 2020
JOHN RETALLACK PLAYWRITING COURSE 2017 – 2020
Class of 2017 – 2018
Lekha Desai Morrison
THE DATE, Southwark Playhouse
IRISH & A GAME OF TWO HALVES, Cherwell Boathouse/Oxford Playhouse
MYLES AND ME, Oso Arts Theatre, London
Rachel Betts
AS IF YOU ARE INFINITE - Pegasus Theatre and Arts Depot
Arvon/Jerwood Mentee 2019/2020 supported by Evan Placey
MERMAID BOY (on Young People's Mental Health) commissioned by Human Story Theatre at Old Fire Station, Oxford, 2021
Margaret Conway
RIGHTS (inspired by the first Civil Rights March) produced at the Ranfurley Theatre, Dungannon and in the MAC, Belfast, August 2018, Currently writing the sequel, WRONGS.
Class of 2018 – 2019
Ian Grant
BARBARA AND CECILY, staged reading at The Park Theatre, July 2019
Will Adolphy
ANARCHY, staged reading at Flux Theatre, London, 2019
Peter Popham
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN staged reading at Richmond Theatre, May 2019
Becky Abrams
THE MEETING ROOM staged reading at The Mint House, Oxford, June 2019