Neil Vivian Bartlett,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, (born 1958) is a British director, performer, translator and writer. He was one of the founding members of Gloria, a production company established in 1988 to produce his work along with that of Nicolas Bloomfield, Leah Hausman and Simon Mellor.From the programme to the 1993 Traverse Theatre production of ''Night After Night''. His work has garnered several awards, including the 1985 Perrier Award (as director for Complicite, for ''More Bigger Snacks Now''), the Time Out Dance Umbrella Award (for ''A Vision of Love Revealed in Sleep''), a Writers Guild Award (for ''Sarrasine''), a Time Out Theatre Award (for ''A Judgement in Stone''), and the Special Jury Prize at the Cork Film Festival (for ''Now That It's Morning''). His production of ''The Dispute'' won a Time Out Award for Best Production in the West End and the 1999 TMA Best Touring Production award. He was appointed an

in 2000 for his services to the arts. His 2004 production of Shakespeare's Pericles was nominated for an Olivier Award for Outstanding Theatrical Achievement in 2004

Career

Bartlett's first book, ''Who Was That Man'', showed how the gay history of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in the 1890s affected Bartlett's life as a

gay man ''Gay'' is a term that Terminology of homosexuality, primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to Gay men, ...

in London in the 1980s. His fourth novel, ''The Disappearance Boy'', was published in London by Bloomsbury Circus in January 2014; his most recent novel '' Address Book'' was published in London by Inkandescent in November 2021. Bartlett's early performance work with Gloria included ''A Vision of Love Revealed in Sleep'', ''Sarrasine'' and ''Night after Night''. He also served as artistic director at the

Lyric Theatre Hammersmith The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on Lyric Square, off King Street, Hammersmith, London.

from 1994 until 2004. At the Lyric he directed productions of classic British plays, foreign classics which he translated or adapted, and a series of notable Christmas shows. The following are some of the plays he directed and translated: * The first English production of

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels '' The Thief' ...

's ''Splendid's'' * Kleist's ''Prince of Homburg'' and Marivaux's ''La Dispute'' * His adaptation of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

' ''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...

'', and '' A Christmas Carol''. * Adaptation of ''The Servant'' by

Robin Maugham Robert Cecil Romer Maugham, 2nd Viscount Maugham (17 May 1916 – 13 March 1981), known as Robin Maugham, was a British author. Trained as a barrister, he served with distinction in the Second World War, and wrote a successful novella, '' The ...

. Many of Bartlett's translations of classic plays have been performed throughout the world. Since leaving the Lyric he has created work for leading cultural producers including the National Theatre in London, the Abbey in Dublin, the

Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a f ...

, the Manchester Royal Exchange, the

Edinburgh International Festival The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially classical music) and the performing arts are ...

, the Manchester International Festival, the

Brighton Festival Brighton Festival is a large, annual, curated multi-arts festival in England. It includes music, theatre, dance, circus, art, film, literature, debate, outdoor and family events, and takes place in venues in the city of Brighton and Hove in Engl ...

, the

Aldeburgh Festival The Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. It takes place each June in the Aldeburgh area of Suffolk, centred on Snape Maltings Concert Hall. History of the Aldeburgh Festival T ...

, the

Holland Festival The Holland Festival () is the oldest and largest performing arts festival in the Netherlands. It takes place every June in Amsterdam. It comprises theatre, music, opera and modern dance. In recent years, multimedia, visual arts, film and archit ...

, the Wellcome Foundation and

Tate Britain Tate Britain, known from 1897 to 1932 as the National Gallery of British Art and from 1932 to 2000 as the Tate Gallery, is an art museum on Millbank in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is part of the Tate network of galleries in E ...

. He also took part in the

Bush Theatre The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. The Bush Theatre strives to create a sp ...

's 2011 project ''

Sixty Six Books ''Sixty-Six Books'' was a set of plays premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2011, to mark the theatre's reopening on a new site and the 400th anniversary of the King James Version. It drew its title from the 66 books of the Protestant Bible ...

'', where he wrote a piece based upon a chapter of the

King James Bible The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by sponsorship of K ...

Work

Fiction

* ''Who Was That Man: A Present for Mr. Oscar Wilde'' (1988) * ''Ready to Catch Him Should He Fall'' (1992) * ''Mr. Clive and Mr. Page'' (1996) * ''Skin Lane'' (2007) * ''The Disappearance Boy'' (2014) * ''Address Book '' 2021 * "When the Time Comes; or, the Case of the Man Who Didn't Know" (short story)

Theatre and radio

* ''More Bigger Snacks Now'' (1985), director for Complicité * ''A Vision of Love Revealed in Sleep (Part One)'' (1987) * '' The Misanthrope'' (1988), translator for Red Shift * '' Lady Audley's Secret'' (1988–89) for Gloria * ''A Vision of Love Revealed in Sleep (Part Three)'' (1989–90) for Gloria * '' Berenice'' (1990) for the

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

* '' The School for Wives'' (1990) for the

Derby Playhouse Derby Playhouse was a theatre production company based in Derby, England and the former name of the theatre which it owned and operated from its opening in 1975 until 2008, when the company ceased operating after a period in administration. The ...

* ''Sarrasine'' (1990–91) for Gloria * ''The Avenging Woman'' (1991) in Riga * ''Let Them Call It Jazz'' (1991) for Gloria * ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins V ...

'' (1992) for the

Goodman Theatre Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of the Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization. Part of its present theater complex occupies the ...

, Chicago * ''A Judgement in Stone'' (1992) for Gloria * '' The Game of Love and Chance'' (1992–93) for Gloria/Cambridge Theatre Co./Royal National Theatre * ''Night After Night (Part One)'' (1993), musical * ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' (1993), Lyric Hammersmith * ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

'' (1995), Lyric Hammersmith/West Yorkshire Playhouse * ''The Letter'' by Somerset Maugham (1995), Lyric Hammersmith * ''Mrs Warren's Profession'' by Bernard Shaw (1996), Lyric Hammersmith * ''Cause Celebre'' by Terrence Rattigan (1998), Lyric Hammersmith * ''

The Seven Sacraments of Nicolas Poussin ''The Seven Sacraments of Nicolas Poussin'' is a play by Neil Bartlett inspired by the ''Seven Sacraments'' series of paintings by Nicolas Poussin Nicolas Poussin (, , ; June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was the leading painter of the classic ...

'' (1998) * '' The Verger Queen'' or ''Bette's Full Service'' (2000) * ''In Extremis'' (2000) * ''Does You Good'' (2001) * ''Camille'' (2003), adaptation of ''

The Lady of the Camellias ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' * ''

Pericles Pericles (; grc-gre, wikt:Περικλῆς, Περικλῆς; c. 495 – 429 BC) was a Greeks, Greek politician and general during the Fifth-century Athens, Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Athens, Athenian politi ...

'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

(2003), Lyric Hammersmith, * ''

Don Juan Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni ( Italian), is a legendary, fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women. Famous versions of the story include a 17th-century play, ''El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra'' ...

'' by

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

(2004), Lyric Hammersmith, * ''Improbable'' (2004), radio * '' Dido, Queen of Carthage'' by Christopher Marlowe (2005), ART Boston, * ''The Rake's Progress'' Auden/Stravinsky (2006), Aldeburgh Festival, * ''

'' (2007), ART Boston, * ''

The Maids ''The Maids'' (french: Les Bonnes, links=no) is a 1947 play by the French dramatist Jean Genet. It was first performed at the Théâtre de l'Athénée in Paris in a production that opened on 17 April 1947, which Louis Jouvet directed. The pla ...

'' by Genet (2007), Brighton Festival, * ''

'' by William Shakespeare (2008), Royal Shakespeare Company, * ''

An Ideal Husband ''An Ideal Husband'' is a four-act play by Oscar Wilde that revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour. It was first produced at the Haymarket Theatre, London in 1895 and ran for ...

'' by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

(2008), The Abbey, Dublin, * ''

'' by William Shakespeare (2008), Royal Shakespeare Company, * ''Everybody Loves A Winner'' (2009), Manchester Royal Exchange, * ''

The Turn of the Screw ''The Turn of the Screw'' is an 1898 horror novella by Henry James which first appeared in serial format in ''Collier's Weekly'' (January 27 – April 16, 1898). In October 1898, it was collected in ''The Two Magics'', published by Macmilla ...

'' by

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

(2009), Aldeburgh Festival, * ''

Or You Could Kiss Me ''Or You Could Kiss Me'' is a play by Neil Bartlett (playwright), Neil Bartlett and Handspring Puppet Company. It received its world première at the Royal National Theatre, National Theatre's Cottesloe venue on 5 October 2010 following previews f ...

'' (2010), with Handspring Theatre Company, National Theatre, London, * ''The Queen of Spades'' by

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most pop ...

(2011), Opera North, * ''

The Picture of Dorian Gray ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a philosophical fiction, philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical ''Lippincott's Monthly Magazine''.''Th ...

'' by Oscar Wilde (2012), The Abbey, Dublin, * ''The Canticles'' by Benjamin Britten (2013), Brighton Festival/Royal Opera House, London, * ''

Great Expectations ''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. It depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip (Great Expectations), Pip (the book is a ''bildungsroman''; a coming-of-age story). It ...

'' by Charles Dickens (2013), The Bristol Old Vic, * ''Owen Wingrave'' by Benjamin Britten (2014), The Edinburgh International Festival, * ''Stella'' (2016), London International Festival of Theatre, * ''The Plague'' by

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature The 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded the French writer Alb ...

(2017), Arcola Theatre, London. * ''Medea (Written in Rage)'' by Jean-René Lemoine (2017), Birmingham Rep * '' Twenty Four Hours of Peace'' (2019) Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. * ''The Importance of Being Earnest'' (2020) RADA, London. * '' Tenebrae; Lessons Learnt in Darkness'' (2020) Brighton Festival. * ''Orlando'' (2022),

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ...

, London.

Television

* ''That's What Friends Are For'' (1988) television, for After Image/Channel Four * ''Where Is Love?'' (1988) television, for ICA/BBC2 * ''Pedagogue'' (1988) with Stuart Marshall * ''That's How Strong My Love Is'' (1989) television, for Channel Four * ''Now That It's Morning'' (1992) television, for Channel Four/British Screen

References

Sources

* Bartlett, Neil, adapter. 2003. '' Camille''. By Alexandre Dumas ''fils''. London: Oberon. . * Bartlett, Neil. 2005. ''Solo Voices: Monologues 1987-2004''. London: Oberon. . * Burton, Peter, editor. 2008. ''A Casualty of War: the Arcadia Book of Gay Short Stories''. London: Arcadia Books. .

External links

Official websiteBrief biographyIMDB biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartlett, Neil 1958 births English dramatists and playwrights English gay actors English gay writers Living people English translators English theatre directors English male radio actors 21st-century English novelists LGBT dramatists and playwrights English LGBT novelists English male dramatists and playwrights English male novelists English LGBT actors Officers of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century English male writers 20th-century British translators 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century English male writers English male non-fiction writers 21st-century British translators 21st-century LGBT people