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Gary Owen: Collected Plays: Violence and Son; Iphigenia in Splott; Blackthorn; In the Pipeline; Mrs Reynolds and the Ruffian; Love Steals Us From Loneliness; Mum & Dad
The new collection of plays from multi-award-winning playwright Gary Owen. Includes the Violence and Son, Iphigenia in Splott, Blackthorn, In the Pipeline, Mrs Reynolds and the Ruffian, Love Steals Us From Loneliness and Mum & Dad
Violence and Son : People know, you're my boy. And they know better than to lay a fucking finger on you. See? You are safer here with me, than you have ever been.' Liam's 17 years old, loves Dr Who and has lost his mum. He has had to move from London to Wales, to the valleys, to the middle of nowhere, to live with a dad he doesn't know. Whose nickname isn't Violence for nothing.
Iphigenia in Splott : What gets me through is knowing I took this pain, and saved all of you from suffering the same.' Stumbling down Clifton Street at 11:30 a.m. drunk, Effie is the kind of girl you'd avoid eye contact with, silently passing judgement. We think we know her, but we don't know the half of it. Effie's life spirals through a mess of drink, drugs and drama every night, and a hangover worse than death the next day - till one night gives her the chance to be something more. This powerful new adaptation of the enduring Greek myth drives home the high price people pay for society's shortcomings.
Blackthorn : Kate and Tom with their troubled daughter Evie decide to leave the London rat race and start afresh in the peace of the countryside. They buy a farmhouse in Wales… Watch the drama unfold. Blackthorn is a darkly comic new play by Gary Owen about the clash between the newcomers with their expectations and the way of life a Welsh farmer holds dear . . .
In the Pipeline : A massive liquid gas line tears through the countryside of west Wales. Gary Owen opens the doors to three of the residents in the port of Milford Haven, Andrew, Dai and Joan, who are caught in the path of this terrifying phenomenon.
Mrs Reynolds and the Friendships grow in the most unlikely of places. Mrs Reynolds is a little old lady. Jay is a troubled youth. When he vandalises her lovingly tended garden, the authorities send him back to help her fix it. It seems a recipe for disaster - but human beings are more complex than the headlines.
Love Steals us from A play about the stupid things you do when you're f*cked. A night out. Friends, alcohol, a shit club, a strop - the usual. But tonight is different. Tonight will change things forever. Gary Owen, one of Wales's foremost playwrights, returns to his hometown of Bridgend. The media have told us their Bridgend story, but what will a writer who spent his own teenage years here have to say?
Violence and Son : People know, you're my boy. And they know better than to lay a fucking finger on you. See? You are safer here with me, than you have ever been.' Liam's 17 years old, loves Dr Who and has lost his mum. He has had to move from London to Wales, to the valleys, to the middle of nowhere, to live with a dad he doesn't know. Whose nickname isn't Violence for nothing.
Iphigenia in Splott : What gets me through is knowing I took this pain, and saved all of you from suffering the same.' Stumbling down Clifton Street at 11:30 a.m. drunk, Effie is the kind of girl you'd avoid eye contact with, silently passing judgement. We think we know her, but we don't know the half of it. Effie's life spirals through a mess of drink, drugs and drama every night, and a hangover worse than death the next day - till one night gives her the chance to be something more. This powerful new adaptation of the enduring Greek myth drives home the high price people pay for society's shortcomings.
Blackthorn : Kate and Tom with their troubled daughter Evie decide to leave the London rat race and start afresh in the peace of the countryside. They buy a farmhouse in Wales… Watch the drama unfold. Blackthorn is a darkly comic new play by Gary Owen about the clash between the newcomers with their expectations and the way of life a Welsh farmer holds dear . . .
In the Pipeline : A massive liquid gas line tears through the countryside of west Wales. Gary Owen opens the doors to three of the residents in the port of Milford Haven, Andrew, Dai and Joan, who are caught in the path of this terrifying phenomenon.
Mrs Reynolds and the Friendships grow in the most unlikely of places. Mrs Reynolds is a little old lady. Jay is a troubled youth. When he vandalises her lovingly tended garden, the authorities send him back to help her fix it. It seems a recipe for disaster - but human beings are more complex than the headlines.
Love Steals us from A play about the stupid things you do when you're f*cked. A night out. Friends, alcohol, a shit club, a strop - the usual. But tonight is different. Tonight will change things forever. Gary Owen, one of Wales's foremost playwrights, returns to his hometown of Bridgend. The media have told us their Bridgend story, but what will a writer who spent his own teenage years here have to say?
- GenresPlays
328 pages, Paperback
Published September 27, 2016
5 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Gary Owen
63 books15 followersGary Owen is a Welsh playwright and screenwriter. His recent plays include Violence and Son which had its premiere at the Royal Court in June 2015, and Iphigenia in Splott for which he won the James Tait Black Prize for Drama.
His other works include Love Steals Us From Loneliness, Crazy Gary's Mobile Disco, The Shadow of a Boy, (winner of Meyer Whitworth and George Devine awards), The Drowned World (winner of Fringe First and Pearson Best Play awards), Ghost City, Cancer Time, SK8, Big Hopes, In the Pipeline, Blackthorn, Mary Twice, Amgen:Broken, Bulletproof, and Free Folk. His adaptations include Spring Awakening and Ring Ring, a new version of La Ronde, for the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama; and Dickens' A Christmas Carol for Sherman Cymru. He is a Creative Associate at Watford Palace Theatre, where his plays We That Are Left, Mrs Reynolds and the Ruffian, and Perfect Match have been produced, and Associate Artist at Sherman Cymru. Gary also co-created and co-wrote two seasons of Baker Boys, an original series for BBC Wales. Work in 2016 includes Jeramee, Hartleby and Oooglemore, a play for toddlers at the Unicorn Theatre, to be directed by Tim Crouch; and Mrs Reynolds a’r Cena Bach, a Welsh adaptation of Mrs Reynolds and the Ruffian for Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru.
His other works include Love Steals Us From Loneliness, Crazy Gary's Mobile Disco, The Shadow of a Boy, (winner of Meyer Whitworth and George Devine awards), The Drowned World (winner of Fringe First and Pearson Best Play awards), Ghost City, Cancer Time, SK8, Big Hopes, In the Pipeline, Blackthorn, Mary Twice, Amgen:Broken, Bulletproof, and Free Folk. His adaptations include Spring Awakening and Ring Ring, a new version of La Ronde, for the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama; and Dickens' A Christmas Carol for Sherman Cymru. He is a Creative Associate at Watford Palace Theatre, where his plays We That Are Left, Mrs Reynolds and the Ruffian, and Perfect Match have been produced, and Associate Artist at Sherman Cymru. Gary also co-created and co-wrote two seasons of Baker Boys, an original series for BBC Wales. Work in 2016 includes Jeramee, Hartleby and Oooglemore, a play for toddlers at the Unicorn Theatre, to be directed by Tim Crouch; and Mrs Reynolds a’r Cena Bach, a Welsh adaptation of Mrs Reynolds and the Ruffian for Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 12, 2017
3.5/5 - the real standouts in this anthology are the scorching, lacerating monologue 'Iphigenia in Splott' and the twisted, politically-complicated 'Violence and Son.' Owen's writing reads like poetry but is characterised by its simplicity of image and thought.
And it's anger. It's sheer, bloody conscience.
And it's anger. It's sheer, bloody conscience.
July 14, 2020
A great collection of plays. Tough, hard-hitting and totally theatrical. Gary Owen's work is worth having on your shelf.
March 31, 2016
OK, I bought this because I saw and loved 'Iphigenia In Splott' and that is all I have read of the collection so far. But, I read it today, within a few hours of it coming through the door, and it remains powerful, funny, moving and furious in print, just as it did on stage. Poetry, drama, commentary. It gets five stars for that play anyway, and I greatly look forward to reading the rest.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews