Chris Neville-Smith

Past Productions

Here's a list of the stuff I've written which has gone on to be publicly performed. This is just plays that have been open to the public, and excludes plays that have so far only had readings or script-in-hand performances.

This now also include other people's plays where I was the director, but excludes plays I acted in. I might list those if enough people ask. If I can be bothered.

Plays I wrote:

The First Sign of Madness

My smash hit. If you've seen it before but can't remember it by name, it's the one with two people on a park bench. If you haven't seen it, I'm not telling you any more because that would be a spoiler. Sorry.

Premiered: Sedgefield Drama Festival, 27th September 2007

Continued to: Saltburn Drama Festival, 10th March 2008, and Durham Dramatic Society (internal performance), April 11th 2008.

Revived: Durham Dramatic Society New Writing Festival, 30th September - 1st October 2011

Fringe debut: 4th-6th July, Underground Venues, Buxton. Details.

A Family Matter

A cheery little play about child beating.

Rehearsed reading: Durham Dramatic Society, 9th September 2005

Performed: Saltburn Drama Festival, 16th March 2006

Sorry, Wrong Number

My first attempt. Hmm.

Rehearased reading: Durham Dramatic Society, 8th October 2004

Performed: Durham Student Theatre One-Act Festival, 15th February 2005

Other plays I directed:

Improbable Fiction

My directorial d&eactue;but for a full-legnth play. Oh boy. This originally went in with a shortlist of four plays, and I thought that as the most complicated thing involved was an alien pod, this shouldn't be too difficult to manage. It was only after this play got picked and I started making preparations when I realised just complicated all the extrances, exits, costume changes, fight choreography, sound cues, incidental music and the big musical finish were going to be. But I managed to keep it all under control and in the end it was rather popular. Obviously much of the credit goes to Alan Ayckbourn for writing such a great play, but if I can manage this one, I should be ready for anything.

Performed: Durham Dramatic Society, 24th - 30th November 2013

27 Wagons Full of Cotton

One of Tennessee Williams's most famous one-act plays. At least, that was the idea behind picking this play. Virtually no-one I've spoken to has heard of this play, so maybe it's not as famous as I thought. But it is a good play, and one of the few classic one-acts I actually have some interest in performing. Long story as to how I ended up doing this play and how it ended up going to Sedgefield drama festival; suffice to say that the next time someone helpfully suggests basing anything on the film adaptation Baby Doll (compare Mrs. Meighan in the play and the film and you might guess what I think about that idea), I will be sending Mr. Meighan and Mr. Vicarro over to have words.

Performed: Sedgefield Drama Festival, 13th September 2012

Stills

Lovely unpublished set of eight short plays written for Saltburn '53 Society written by Alan Butler, who very kindly gave permission for me to revive this. Took a set of five to Saltburn Drama Festival; hope to look into doing to whole lot one day in the future.

Performed: Saltburn Drama Festival, 13th March 2009

Selected rehearsed readings:

Celebrity Ghost Patrol Live

I write this play as part of Live Theatre Writers' Group in 2011, and you can roughly summarise this play as like Most Haunted, except that it's got ghosts in it. Or, more seriously, it's a satire on the kind of rubbish that seems to plague digital channels nowadays. I did a reheasred reading of this in 2012. At some point I want to get this performed, but believe me, at the moment I have more than enough to keep me busy. There again, I was invited to Sunderland's Royalty Theatre to do a read-through there, so who knows?

Rehearsed reading: Durham Dramatic Society, 1st May 2012

The Great Outdoors

This was a play I first wrote in late 2006, set on a corporate bonding camping trip. It may appear to be an out-and-out comedy about miserable weather and office politics, but it is actually a tragedy masquerading as a farce. I did this as a rehearsed reading in 2009, and this went on to get to the last four in the People's Play competition in 2012. Again, having got this far, I want to get this produced at some point, but you'll have to wait until I find an opportunity.

Rehearased reading: Durham Dramatic Society, 23rd October 2009