Neil Duffield

When Sheherazad is brought to the palace to be the Sultan’s new bride, her very life depends upon her skill as a storyteller. She tells him tales of lost cities and buried treasure, of slave girls and robbers, of genies in bottles and evil sorcerers. But will it be enough to save her? The stories of the Arabian Nights date back more than a thousand years and originate from Persia, India and Arabia. Neil Duffield has combined elements of many of them, keeping alive the excitement and humour to produce a show which will transport the audience into a world of myth and legend where fantasy and reality can never be separated.

Arabian Nights

Neil Duffield's reworking of Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairytale, The Nightingale (1844), like his earlier adaptation of Andersen's The Snow Queen, brings a timeless classic into the twenty-first century.

The Emperor and the Nightingale

Hans Andersen

This timeless classic is brought to life for the 21st century by award-winning children's playwright Neil Duffield.

The Snow Queen

The Snow Queen Original by Hans Christian Andersen Adapted for the stage by Neil Duffield Acclaimed musical stage version of The Snow Queen is a hit with theatres in the UK and abroad. This timeless classic is brought to life for the 21st century by award-winning children’s playwright Neil Duffield. Seasonal favourite for Christmas and winter productions. This vibrant adaptation of beloved children’s author Hans Christian Anderson’s The Snow Queen stays true in plot to the original and is ideal for use in schools, amateur groups, youth theatre groups, etc. “...Children’s theatre at its best – and there is enough to keep the adults entertained too.” The Times “...Full of frost bright colours, crunchy tunes and tangy originality ... a quality show for children ... so potent that ancient symbols really seemed to work in new ways...” The Guardian “...Simple, unaffected theatrical magic...about keeping faith with your beliefs.” The Sunday Times “... A sizzling seasonal show to melt the hearts of the whole family...great Christmas entertainment. What more could you ask?” Manchester Evening News Neil Duffield has worked as a full-time professional playwright for almost 35 years and his plays have been staged extensively in theatres throughout Britain and abroad. Recent work includes: The Machine Stops (York Theatre Royal); The Ugly Duckling (Northumberland Theatre Company); The Road to Glory (The Point, Eastleigh); A Christmas Carol (Derby Theatre, Edinburgh Lyceum, Bolton Octagon); The Firebird (Dundee Rep); Dancing in My Dreams (Oxfordshire Theatre Company); The Minotaur and Leopard (Crucible Theatre, Sheffield) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (the Dukes Theatre, Lancaster). His play The Lost Warrior (commissioned by the Dukes Theatre, Lancaster) won the Arts Council England Children's Award in 2006 for work that displays excellence, inspiration and innovation in children's theatre. Neil lives in Bolton with his partner, Eileen Murphy, and loves to spend as much time as possible with their four young grandchildren, Toby, Gabriel, Clyde and Beatrice. Neil Duffield has written more than sixty plays and adaptations which have been staged extensively throughout Britain and abroad. Plays include The Machine Stops (for York Theatre Royal), A Christmas Carol (Bolton Octagon Theatre); Twice upon a Time (Dundee Rep), Dancing in my Dreams (Oxfordshire Theatre Company), The Minotaur and Leopard (Crucible Theatre, Sheffield); The Emperor and the Nightingale, The Firebird (Dukes Theatre, Lancaster); The Secret Garden (Polka Theatre for Children); and Talking with Angels (Quicksilver Theatre, London). The Lost Warrior (for The Dukes Theatre, Lancaster) won the 2006 Arts Council England Children's Award for work which displays excellence, inspiration and innovation in children's theatre. www.neilduffield.co.uk The Snow Queen, The Jungle Book, The Road to Glory, A Christmas Carol, The Emperor and the Nightingale, and the collection Plays for Youth Theatres and Large Casts are also published by Aurora Metro Books.About the authorNeil Duffield has written more than 50 plays which have been produced extensively throughout Britain and abroad. His play The Lost Warrior, commissioned by the Dukes Lancaster, won the 2006 Arts Council of England Award for work which displays excellence, inspiration and innovation in children's theatre. Recent productions include: The Ugly Duckling (Sheffield Crucible and Nottingham Playhouse 2007), Leopard (Sheffield Crucible 2007), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Dukes Theatre, Lancaster 2006). The Snow Queen (Watermill Theatre, Newbury 2006), The Firebird (Northumberland Theatre Company 2006), The Secret Garden (Helix Theatre Dublin 2005) and The Emperor's New Clothes (Midlands Arts Centre, 2005). Neil is married to freelance theatre director Eileen Murphy and lives in Bolton.

- play adaptation

Several Russian folk tales are fused together in this charming and magical adventure for young and old alike. Prince Ivan's mission to capture the Firebird takes him first to the castle of Koschei, the sorcerer, from whom the Firebird has been stolen by the wicked Baba Yaga. With a soft-hearted Wolf and the wooden-hearted Princess Vasilisa (bewitched by Koschei) accompanying him, Ivan travels on to Baba Yaga's hut where the final struggle commences... Music, magic, puppetry and comedy infuse this delightful story which is ideal as a seasonal entertainment or even, with its predominantly forest setting, as an outdoor show.

A Play

The Firebird

A group of young villagers, some of them teenagers are persuaded to enlist in King Henry’s army. They set sail from Southampton to claim the throne of France for England. Each has a different reason for going to war and their expectations vary, but none has any experience of fighting in a real battle. Combining fact and fantasy, the play takes us on a journey from the peace of rural England to the bloody battlefields of Agincourt in France, where the young villagers finally come face to face with the mightiest army in Europe. The reality is both shocking and brutal. What happens changes their lives forever. Ideal play for schools,colleges and youth theatres which questions the need for war and its consequences. Reviews of previous work "... an extraordinarily moving and effective play, so dramatic that, at times, it is almost assaulting." The Guardian "... this blazingly adventurous show." The Scotsman "... no doubting the show's mesmerising appeal to the imagination, which seized the audience with rapt delight." Daily Telegraph "... there is not a moment which isn't magical." Yorkshire Post "... a marvellous play, a complex dramatic story, challenging in both form and content" Times Educational Supplement About the author Neil Duffield has written more than 50 plays which have been produced extensively throughout Britain and abroad. His play The Lost Warrior, commissioned by the Dukes Lancaster, won the 2006 Arts Council of England Award for work which displays excellence, inspiration and innovation in children's theatre. Recent productions include: The Ugly Duckling (Sheffield Crucible and Nottingham Playhouse 2007), Leopard (Sheffield Crucible 2007), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Dukes Theatre, Lancaster 2006). The Snow Queen (Watermill Theatre, Newbury 2006), The Firebird (Northumberland Theatre Company 2006), The Secret Garden (Helix Theatre Dublin 2005) and The Emperor's New Clothes(Midlands Arts Centre, 2005). Neil is married to freelance theatre director Eileen Murphy and lives in Bolton.

Neil Duffield

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