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A Brief History of Women

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  3w, 3m

Alan Ayckbourn

A comedy in four parts about an unremarkable man and the remarkable women who loved him, left him, or lost him over sixty years; and of the equally remarkable old manor house that saw and heard it all happen.

A Brief History of Women

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 3m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14-18)

Details

Summary
From his first unsettling encounter as a very young man in 1925 to an unexpected reunion late in life, Anthony Spates' romantic progress is charted in this hilarious and gently touching comedy. The fireworks, love, and loss come at the funniest moments in this Ayckbourn comedy.
History
A Brief History of Women premiered on 5 September 2017 at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough. The play went on to a short in-the-round tour in autumn 2017. On 26 April 2017, the play premiered off-Broadway at 59E59 Theaters as part of the "Brits Off Broadway" festival.
Keywords
Performing Groups
  • Setting Kirkbridge Manor (1925), Preparatory School (1945), Arts Centre (1965) and Hotel (1985).
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)

Media

“So painfully, awkwardly sad that it is downright hilarious.” – The New York Times

“After more than half a century in the theater, Mr. Ayckbourn clearly still has the power to startle us into the most appropriately inappropriate reactions... Mr. Ayckbourn’s enduring and infectious affection for theater permeates every scene.” – The New York Times

ON BREAKING CHARACTER

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Licensing & Materials

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Authors

Alan Ayckbourn

Alan Ayckbourn

A playwright and theatre director, to date Alan Ayckbourn has written 89 plays – Family Album attracted four-star reviews when it premiered in September 2022 at the Stephen Joseph, where nearly all his plays are first staged.

However, this year he will stage his 88th play Welc ...

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