Films
I Just Stopped by to See the Man
My play about a seventy-five year old black blues singer dragged from a life of obscurity by an English rock star has for some years been discussed as a possible movie. In 2010 Bill Kenright commissioned me to write the screenplay. I completed the writing at the end of January 2011 and the script is now out with some fairly hefty actors and directors. There is good reason to hope the film will be made soon.
Ecosse Projects
I’ve been working on two original screenplays with Ecosse, the company that made (among other releases) Mrs. Brown and Becoming Jane. The first is about Florence Nightingale who has interested me for a long time. The screenplay focuses on her attempts to reform the British army on her return from the Crimean War. I’ve been in discussion with a director who likes the screenplay very much and we hope to announce this artist’s identity soon. The other project must remain even more mysterious at the moment. All I can say is that it’s set in the 1990’s, the writing has just been completed and the initial reactions to it have been very positive. It’s called Caught in Flight.
Plays
All this screenwriting has meant relatively little theatre activity. I was so pleased to be part of the Great Game, the day-long sequence of twelve plays about Afghanistan, especially since my play Bugles at the Gates of Jalalabad, set in 1842, was the one which kicked off proceedings. It was great to work for the first time with Indhu Rubasingham who has been a friend for some years and who is a director I would love to work with again. The team have just flown off for a final performance of the play to be given to USA officers, soldiers and Pentagon staff in Washington. I’m hoping to write a new play for the stage later this year. It has a cast of twelve, a political subject and an unusual theatrical style.
Backbeat
The musical about the Beatles in Hamburg which I co-authored opened at the Glasgow Citizens early in 2010. Producer Karl Sydow, another long time friend is hoping to bring the show to London – but there will be some changes. Again, I shall be able to announce details soon.
