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writer & journalist biography
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PLAYS & SHOWS |
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GRAY OF
GRAY’S ELEGY (1970) |
One-man show about the poet. Cochrane Theatre, London; Thomas Gray Bi-centenary Festival, Stoke Poges; Churchill Theatre, Edinburgh for the Festival; and elsewhere. | ||
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HESS (1978) |
One-man play
on the subject of Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s Deputy. Produced all over the world.
Five productions in London to date, including the premiere at the Young
Vic. Later with the RSC at the Almeida. Other
productions include the National Theatre of Australia in both Perth
and Sydney; Amsterdam (two
productions, one in English, one in Dutch); Berlin; Cardiff; Dublin
International Theatre Festival; Edinburgh (six productions); Habbima Theatre,
Israel; Los Angeles; Orlando; National Arts Centre, Ottawa; New York;
Paris; Prague; Salzburg; plus national tours of the UK (several), Belgium,
Canada, Luxembourg, Netherlands, etc. Click here
for reviews Recipient of OBIE Award in New York for outstanding achievement in Off-Broadway theatre and Edmonton Journal Best Show Award in Canada. Television film version, screenplay by Michael Burrell, directed by Mark Chapman and made by Tiger Aspect won a Bronze Award at the New York Film Festival 1986 and was nominated for two ACE Awards, including Best Single Play, at Los Angeles 1988. Radio version broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and then twice on BBC Radio 4. A different radio version broadcast on CBC Radio in Canada. Both scripts written by Michael Burrell. Published by Amber Lane Press. |
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| LOVE AMONG THE BUTTERFLIES (1983) | Adapted from the diaries of Margaret Fountaine. Cochrane Theatre, London; East of England tour; Official Edinburgh Festival. Separate production in Australia. |
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BORROWING TIME (1985) |
Premiered for a Moroccan tour under the auspices of the British Council. It immediately became a set text for the English degree course at the University of Fes. London production at the Latchmere Theatre. Amateur premiere at the Angles Theatre Wisbech by the Right Angles Theatre Company. Published by Amber Lane Press. | ||
| THE MAN WHO LOST AMERICA (1989) | Premiered at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff. The same production then played the Edmonton Festival in Canada and the Latchmere Theatre in London. Published by Amber Lane Press. | ||
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MY SISTER NEXT DOOR (1989) |
Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Edmonton Festivals, plus other dates in Canada. Then seen at the Latchmere Theatre, London. Later re-opened Derby Playhouse Studio with a run of several weeks. Subsequently toured the UK and Saudi Arabia. Edmonton Journal Best Show Award, Canada. Published by Amber Lane Press. | ||
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FUNKER RAUCH (1993) |
A play based on the life of internationally known painter Georg Rauch, it was commissioned by thefounder and director of Canada’s Edmonton Theatre Festival, Brian Paisley, to mark its 10th anniversary. Paisley then directed it with the author and Canadian actors in the cast. | ||
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NO TOMORROW (1994) |
A solo play based on the last days of murdered Italian premier, Aldo Moro, and some notable parallels with the death of JFK. It played the Angles Theatre Wisbech and then the Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Edmonton Festivals, Canada. | ||
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GIRLS AT PEACE (1994) |
One woman piece, sequel to My Sister Next Door, played Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Edmonton Festivals, Canada. | ||
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THE NARROW ESCAPE (1994) |
A community play with a large cast, it was commissioned by ADeC to commemorate a near catastrophic event in the Cambridgeshire town of Soham, fifty years before, during WW2. It was given performances in Soham Village College. Later the cast recorded it at Brewhouse Studio. | ||
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AN EPILOGUE TO CELEBRATE 175 YEARS OF THE THEATRE ROYAL BURY ST EDMUNDS (1994) |
A rhyming 18th Century-style epilogue, recounting this beautiful theatre’s history, it was commissioned to conclude four of the performances in a week of celebration marking the anniversary. Taking more than fifteen minutes to deliver, it proved so popular that the theatre immediately published it, selling numerous copies and, by public request, the performance was repeated as the prologue to a Gala later in the year. It was also recorded and broadcast by BBC Radio Suffolk. | ||
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KILLING NO MURDER (1995) |
Commissioned by Huntingdon District Council to mark the 350th anniversary of the Battle of Huntingdon, when Charles I and his troops occupied the town. It was a community event, played at five different locations in the town. | ||
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THE DAYS WE HAVE SEEN (1998) |
Commissioned by the King’s Lynn Festival, this is a Shakespeare compilation for four actors and was given three performances at the 1998 Festival. |
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| MOTEL BETHLEHEM (1998) | A modern Nativity specifically written to be the Christmas show at Angles Theatre, Wisbech. | ||
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LORD OF THE FENS (1999) |
Commissioned by Huntingdonshire District Council to commemorate Oliver Cromwell on the 400th anniversary of his birth. A community event with a large cast of adults and children, it was performed for a sell-out week at Hinchingbrooke House, ancestral seat of the Cromwells. It is archived at the Theatre Museum. | ||
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WAY IN WAY OUT (2002) |
A show for young people, with songs, dancing and and more than seventy roles, it was commissioned by the Arts Council of England for performances at the Burgess Hall in St Ives, Cambridgeshire. |
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PRIME TIME MURDER (2003) |
A thriller with a predominately female cast, commissioned by East England Arts and O.A.R.S. for touring performances, given in several venues in September/October 2003. | ||
| FOUR SCORE YEARS -AND THEN! (2004) | Commissioned by Cambridgeshire ACRE to mark their 80th anniversary. Performances by a cast of adults and young people drawn from all over the county at Ramsey Rural Museum. | ||
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THE FEN TREASURE SURPRISE! (2005) |
Commissioned by Viva Youth Theatre and the Heritage Lottery: a play for more than forty young people exploring the rich history of Soham (where Viva are based) and the surrounding fenland area. It played at the Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds and the Angles Theatre, Wisbech. | ||
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KINGS AND LIBERTIES (2005) |
Commissioned by Huntingdon Town Council and the Heritage Lottery, to mark the 800th anniversary of granting of a Royal Charter to Huntingdon. A community play, with a cast of all ages, exploring some of the town’s rich history, performed in both the Town Hall and the Commemoration Hall in Huntingdon. An excerpt was later performed to entertain Princess Anne on her visit to the town. | ||
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JOURNALISM |
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| Numerous articles for the press, including a feature on George Rylands for CHARLESTON MAGAZINE and on the theatrical Robertson family, who included Victorian playwright T W Robertson and Dame Madge Kendal, for LINCOLNSHIRE LIFE. | |
| Michael's own opinion column, IN MY VIEW, is now in its tenth year in the weekly FENLAND CITIZEN newspaper. | |
| Editor of ONE THOUSAND YEARS OF WISBECH (2000). Spindrift Print and Publishing. A selection of prose and verse by local children and adults to celebrate the town’s long history. | |
| Researcher and editor of WISBECH AT WAR (2006). Meridian Printers and Publishers. A selection of reminiscences by survivors of World War II, either living in the town, or whose homes were there while they served elsewhere. | |
| Eyelines, a collection of Michael's verse is published in 2007 by Meridian Printers and Publishers. | |
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Last Update - February 2010 |
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