Plays: Four

by Tony Stowers

Tony Stowers is an author, playwright, actor and teacher who was born in North East England in 1963 and now lives in North West France.

This collection, four of four volumes, features five of his later plays. “The Dishwasher” (2005) is an experimental monologue where a lowly dishwasher shows us why we should never take anything or anyone for granted. “Confessions of a rock n roll star” (2007) is a one-man show in which a middle-aged man, living in borderline poverty, puts on his denim jeans, plays some classic rock tracks and is yet again transported to the world of his dreams. “Gauguin’s Ghost Story” (2009) is the spirit of the legendary French artist Paul Gauguin reappraising his life, redeeming himself from negative press and doing it all through the mouth of a man from North East England. “Tommy Greaves” (2014) is an alternative take of a parallel world built around the “fat lad a few inches taller than Billy” as the blink-and-you’ll-miss-him character in Lee Hall’s “Billy Elliot”. Older than Billy, he is able to tell his own, more mature story of some of the grittier realities of what it meant to be young during the time of the Miner’s Strike, seeking salvation by auditioning for drama school in London. “Two Gendarmes” (2015) is an English take on contemporary racism in modern France, of old pitted against new, of temptation, corruption and complacency and asks questions about the destiny of tomorrow’s Europe. Each play comes with notes and original publicity, where possible.

190 pages, Paperback

Published March 28, 2015

About the author

Tony Stowers was born into a working class family in North East England in 1963. A love of literature, a supportive English teacher, school pantos, theatre and writing sustained him through his early years, despite getting up to all manner of trouble associated with disenfranchised youth in small towns. In 1979, against his better instinct, he signed up for an apprenticeship but was fired in 1981 for daydreaming. From that moment he determined to become a writer and artist. 1981 - 1985 saw him experimenting with various styles of theatre and he became a published poet and performed much of his work to "punk" audiences or in support of the Miners' Strike. As well as attending various drama groups, he wrote theatre plays in the search for an original voice, highlights including "The Waiting Room" which featured a young Mark Gatiss and "Norm & Ahmed" by Alex Buzo. Unable to attend The Drama Centre, London as an acting student in 1984 due to being turned down for a grant because of professing a doubt in the existence of God when interviewed by Durham County Council, he went on writing, performing and publishing, some of his best poems having been recently set to music and recorded by French group Insanzo. In 1985, successful as an applicant to London's Central School of Speech and Drama, he left the North East and lived in London for the next 11 years. As well as graduating as an actor, he pressed on with his own unique vision and, despite an irregular and itinerant lifestyle, wrote some of his best plays in various squats and whilst living on friend's floors. In 1996 he returned to the North East and formed The Northern Line Theatre Company, beginning with TIE issue-based plays, 1997-2000 producing six new plays, employing up to 30 actors and technicians, giving many Equity cards and entertaining around 75,000 children. After a brief sojourn in France in 2002, he again returned to the North East and formed Associated Professional Artists and it was with this company he gained creative successes with "Space Jockey" and "X", employing up to 50 NE-based actors in a variety of workshops and read-throughs, as well as travelling in Europe and the UK to enhance his skills and knowledge. Today he lives in France and continues to create new theatre work which always strives for originality both in terms of writing and direction, as well as performing in challenging spaces. His most recent success is the one-man show "Gauguin's Ghost" which was first performed in Pont-Aven, Brittany in August 2009 in French and English at the same time! Happy to receive the label "maverick", Tony continues to write, act and direct and continues to strive to create original work and to challenge conventional ideas.