Anthony Neilson

Neilson Plays 1

'Anthony Neilson's 2004 play is half a lark, half deadly serious' TIME OUT 'A profane, madcap, Alice-in-Wonderland trip morphs into something much more profound in Anthony Neilson's weirdly compelling 2004 study of mental instability' EVENING STANDARD Lisa Jones is on a journey. It's a colourful and exciting off-kilter trip in search of one lost hour that has tipped the balance of her life. The inhabitants of the wonderful world she finds herself in – Dissocia – are a curious blend of the funny, the friendly and the brutal. This Student Edition of Anthony Neilson's 2004 play, which premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival, features a commentary and notes by anna six. It introduces students to debates surrounding mental health and situates Neilson within a British theatrical tradition, including through an interview with him.

The Wonderful World of Dissocia

Anthony Neilson is often described as one of the most exciting and challenging voices in contemporary British theatre. For over two decades he has acquired a reputation for innovation and experimentation in both writing and directing having worked with companies such as The Royal Court, The RSC and the National Theatre. This third play collection of his most recent major works brings together five plays in publication for the first time, offering an important documentary of his original work since 2008. Relocated (2008) originally premiered at the Royal Court, directed by the author, where it was described as a “sinister mystery” play and “not an experience for the faint-hearted...morally challenging and riveting...leaves an indelible stain on the memory” (The Times). Get Santa! (2010) is a magical, musical and mischievous Christmas show with a fresh moral featuring music by Nick Powell. It's Christmas Eve but Holly isn't happy. All she's ever wanted from Santa is to meet her real Dad for the first time. And every time, Santa's failed to deliver, bringing lots of useless presents instead. Well, Holly's had enough. This year she has a plan. She's going to wait up and trap Santa when he arrives and get from him the only present she's ever wanted. Narrative (2013) originally premiered at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs. Devised throughout rehearsal with a seven-strong cast it's a play about storytelling and the narratives of our everyday lives. Unreachable (2016) was described as an “intoxicatingly chaotic comedy” (Time Out) which follows a film director on an obsessive quest to capture the perfect light. Originally running at the Royal Court Theatre in a production that starred Matt Smith, it broke boundaries by offering audiences a digital insight into the rehearsal process through online content which documented and shaped the devising process. The Prudes (2018) is a comedy about relationships in the current sexual climate; and a vicious satire on the male response to it. Jess and Jimmy haven't done it in a year. Fourteen months and four days to be exact. It's definitely not the seven year itch – they've been together nine. Now they're coming together in a last-ditch effort to re-boot their sex life and save their relationship. But a lot has changed in a year; for them and for the world. Described as a “smart, sketchy, amusing, awkward, stimulating two-hander” (The Times), it originally premiered at the Royal Court Upstairs. Published to coincide with his adaptation of The Tell-Tale Heart at the National Theatre in December 2018, this play collection is an important and unique anthology of a major international voice of contemporary theatre.

Relocated; Get Santa!; Narrative; Unreachable; The Prudes

Anthony Neilson Plays: 3

'Ladies and gentlemen, as some of you may know, my name is Edward Gant: prodigy, soldier, traveller, poet - but always and ever a showman.' In 1881, the famed and enigmatic impresario Mr Edward Gant presented his renowned travelling show for the final time. The opiate-addicted actor manager showcased his troupe creating a spectacle of grotesquery, black comedy, mystery and magic realism. Over a century later, playwright Anthony Neilson has reconstructed this intriguing and fantastic historical event in a theatrical piece that combines the melodrama and extravagance with the painful loneliness that characterised a Victorian freak show. Neilson's play offers a strange and beautiful exploration of sadness and mortality, probing even the nature of theatre itself. 'Without further ado, I present for your astonishment the Extraordinary! The Terrible! The AMAZING FEATS OF LONELINESS.' Edward Gant's Amazing Feats of Loneliness was first produced at the Drum Theatre, Plymouth, in 2002, and was revived by Headlong Theatre and the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton, in February 2009.

Edward Gant's Amazing Feats of Loneliness

Life's full of clatter, but none of it matters, only who'll hold your paw when you die. What would you do if you lost an hour from your day? How far would you go to rescue what you've lost? In search of a lost hour that that has tipped the balance of her life, Lisa Jones is on a quest through a surreal world, filled with insecurity guards, flying cars, singing polar bears and wild-goose chases. The inhabitants of Dissocia are a curious blend of the funny, the friendly and the downright brutal. Anthony Neilson's cult play is a poignant and comical delve into the nature of mental illness. This edition was published to coincide with the major London revival at Theatre Royal Stratford East in September 2022.

Alistair Beaton

Rob Drummond

Morna Pearson

Kieran Hurley

To paraphrase Alistair Beaton's Caledonia - the first play in this collection - 'The English have anthologies, the Spanish have anthologies, the French have anthologies . . . why should not Scotland have its anthology?' Scotland is entering a crucial period in its history, where its identity is being debated daily, from everyday conversation to the national and international press. At the same time, its theatre is resurgent, with key Scottish playwrights, theatres and theatre companies expanding their performance vocabularies while coming to prominence in national and international contexts. Caledonia is a tale of hubris and delusion, portraying a crucial slice of Scotland's history and its foray into imperial colonialism told with dark humour and creative flair, by award-winning playwright and satirist Alistair Beaton. Bullet Catch, by Rob Drummond, is a unique theatrical experience exploring the world of magic, featuring mind-reading, levitation, and the most notorious finale in show business. Morna Pearson's The Artist Man and the Mother Woman is a wickedly funny, deceptively simple, surreal portrait of a spectacularly dysfunctional relationship. Rantin', by Kieran Hurley draws on storytelling, live music and an unapologetically haphazard take on Scottish folk tradition, in an attempt to stitch together fragmented stories to reveal a botched patchwork of a nation. First performed at the Royal Court in 2013, Narrative by Anthony Neilson is a theatrical exploration of the the boundaries and possibilities of storytelling. Featuring plays from Alistair Beaton, Rob Drummond, Morna Pearson, Kieran Hurley and Anthony Neilson, this collection is edited by Dr. Trish Reid, a leading critical voice on Scottish theatre.

Caledonia; Bullet Catch; The Artist Man and Mother Woman; Narrative; Rantin

Contemporary Scottish Plays

A brand new comedy by the writer of the hit play Stitching, published to tie in with the Royal Court's Christmas production from November 2002 Constables Blunt and Gobbel have one last duty to fulfil before they can finish their Christmas eve shift; telling the old couple at No. 58 some terrible news. But what if the shock is too much for them? Blunt and Gobbel didn't join up in order to ruin people's lives. Maybe they'd be happier not knowing. And maybe it would all be much easier if the two constables weren't also stuck in the middle of a full-scale village lynch-mob.

The Lying Kind

A collection of era-defining Scottish drama written and produced in the period from devolution to the 2014 referendum on independence.

'Ladies and gentlemen, as some of you may know, my name is Edward Gant: prodigy, soldier, traveller, poet - but always and ever a showman.'In 1881, the famed and enigmatic impresario Mr Edward Gant presented his renowned travelling show for the final time. The opiate-addicted actor manager showcased his troupe creating a spectacle of grotesquery, black comedy, mystery and magic realism. Over a century later, playwright Anthony Neilson has reconstructed this intriguing and fantastic historical event in a theatrical piece that combines the melodrama and extravagance with the painful loneliness that characterised a Victorian freak show. Neilson's play offers a strange and beautiful exploration of sadness and mortality, probing even the nature of theatre itself.'Without further ado, I present for your astonishment the Extraordinary! The Terrible! The AMAZING FEATS OF LONELINESS.'Edward Gant's Amazing Feats of Loneliness was first produced at the Drum Theatre, Plymouth, in 2002, and was revived by Headlong Theatre and the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton, in February 2009.

In the 1990s playwright Anthony Neilson garnered a reputation for hard-hitting, morally disturbing plays that saw him labelled as one of the 'In Yer Face' dramatists who emerged from that decade. This second volume of plays showcases the comic, surreal and gloriously off-kilter side of his more recent work. Edward Gant's Amazing Feats of Loneliness! (Theatre Royal, Plymouth, 2002) mixes Victorian melodrama with a catalogue of grotesque comic tales; The Lying Kind (Royal Court, 2002), a black farce set at Christmas involving two hapless policeman who must break news of tragedy to an elderly couple, 'often reduced much of the audience to tears of laughter' (Financial Times). Produced originally for the 2004 Edinburgh International Festival, The Wonderful World of Dissocia wowed critics and audiences alike. A hugely original play inspired by Alice in Wonderland, it is both magical and moving and confirmed Neilson as one of the major voices in contemporary British Theatre. Realism premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2006. It follows the life of one man during an ordinary day but veers off to become a deliriously surreal trip inside his wayward imagination. It was described by the Guardian as a 'bold and utterly distinctive all-singing, all-dancing show, like nothing else you'll ever see'.

Edward Gant's Amazing Feats of Loneliness!; The Lying Kind; The Wonderful World of Dissocia; Realism

Neilson Plays: 2

A two-play edition featuring Anthony Neilson's companion plays, The Wonderful World of Dissocia (2004) and Realism (2006), both produced by the National Theatre of Scotland. Produced originally for the 2004 Edinburgh International Festival, The Wonderful World of Dissocia wowed critics and audiences alike. This is a hugely original play, both magical and moving, that confirmed Anthony Neilson as one of major voices in contemporary British Theatre. The entire original cast and creative team have been reunited for this keenly anticipated revival. Lisa Jones is on a journey. It's a colourful and exciting off-kilter trip in search of one lost hour that has tipped the balance of her life. The inhabitants of the wonderful world she finds herself in - Dissocia - are a curious blend of the funny, the friendly and the brutal. As Neilson himself put it, 'If you like Alice in Wonderland but there's not enough sex and violence in it, then Dissocia is the show for you'. Realism premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2006. It follows the life of one man during an ordinary day but veers off from the commonplace to become a deliriously surreal trip inside his wayward imagination. It was described by the Guardian as a 'bold and utterly distinctive all-singing, all-dancing show, like nothing else you'll ever see'.

The Wonderful World of Dissocia & Realism

Lisa Jones is on a journey. It's a colourful and exciting off-kilter trip in search of one lost hour that has tipped the balance of her life. The inhabitants of the wonderful world she finds herself in - Dissocia - are a curious blend of the funny, the friendly and the brutal. Produced originally for the 2004 Edinburgh International Festival, The Wonderful World of Dissocia wowed critics and audiences alike. This Modern Classics edition cements the status of this hugely original play, both magical and moving, that confirmed Anthony Neilson as one of major voices in contemporary British Theatre. As Neilson himself put it, 'If you like Alice in Wonderland but there's not enough sex and violence in it, then Dissocia is the show for you'. This Modern Classic edition features an introduction by Dr Trish Reid.

Anthony Neilson

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