David Greig (born 1969) is a Scottish

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and

theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

. His work has been performed at many of the major theatres in Britain, including the

Traverse Theatre The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 1963 by John Calder, John Malcolm, Jim Haynes and Richard Demarco. The Traverse Theatre company commissions and develops new plays or adaptations from contemporary p ...

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...

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 ...

Royal Lyceum Theatre The Royal Lyceum Theatre is a 658-seat theatre in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, named after the Theatre Royal Lyceum and English Opera House, the residence at the time of legendary Shakespearean actor Henry Irving. It was built in 1883 by a ...

and the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

, and been produced around the world.

Early life

Greig was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

in 1969, and was brought up in Nigeria. Returning to Edinburgh in his teens, he was a pupil at the independent Stewart's Melville College. He later studied English and Drama at

Bristol University , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

Career

After university, in 1990 he co-founded Suspect Culture Theatre Company with

Graham Eatough Graham Eatough (born 1971) is an English theatre director and playwright, based in Scotland. He was a founding member of theatre company Suspect Culture. Early life Eatough was born in Blackburn in 1971. He attended Queen Elizabeth's Grammar S ...

and

Nick Powell Nicholas Edward Powell (born 23 March 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or as a striker for EFL Championship club Stoke City. He began his career at Crewe Alexandra, initially as a forward, making his deb ...

in Glasgow; he would go on to write the texts for almost all of their shows until 2004, including ''Timeless'' (1997), ''Mainstream'' (1999), ''Candide 2000'' (2000), ''Casanova'' (2001), ''Lament'' (2002), and ''8000m'' (2004). His stand-alone plays, from ''Stalinland'' (1992) began to be picked up by major theatres; the Traverse produced ''Europe'' (1995), ''The Architect'' (1996, made into a film of the same title in 2006), '' Outlying Islands'' (2002), ''Damascus'' (2007) and ''Midsummer'' (a play with songs by Gordon McIntyre, 2008).

Paines Plough Paines Plough is a touring theatre company founded in 1974 by writer David Pownall and director John Adams. The company specialises exclusively in commissioning and producing new plays and helping playwrights develop their craft. Over the past f ...

produced ''

The Cosmonaut's Last Message To The Woman He Once Loved In The Former Soviet Union ''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 ...

'' (1999) and ''Pyrenees'' (2005). The RSC commissioned and produced ''Victoria'' (2000) and ''The American Pilot'' (2005). His sequel to ''Macbeth'', '' Dunsinane'' (2010) was premiered at the Hampstead Theatre by the

. ''The Speculator'' (1999) and ''San Diego'' (2003) were commissioned by 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 european classical music, classical music) and ...

. When the

National Theatre of Scotland The National Theatre of Scotland, established in 2006, is the national theatre company of Scotland. The company has no theatre building of its own; instead it tours work to theatres, village halls, schools and site-specific locations, both at h ...

was formed in 2006, Greig served as its first DramaturgWallace 2013, p.4. and also wrote an adaptation of

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars ...

' ''

The Bacchae ''The Bacchae'' (; grc-gre, Βάκχαι, ''Bakchai''; also known as ''The Bacchantes'' ) is an ancient Greek tragedy, written by the Athenian playwright Euripides during his final years in Macedonia, at the court of Archelaus I of Macedon. ...

'' for them. His adaptation of

Alasdair Gray Alasdair James Gray (28 December 1934 – 29 December 2019) was a Scottish writer and artist. His first novel, ''Lanark: A Life in Four Books, Lanark'' (1981), is seen as a landmark of Scottish fiction. He published novels, short stories, plays ...

's novel Lanark opened at the Lyceum Theatre as part of the Edinburgh International Festival in 2015. In 2006, he joined the Board of the

. Greig produced around 50 plays, texts, adaptations, translations and libretti in the first two decades of his career. ''Dr Korczak's Example'' (2004) is a play for young people and ''Danny 306 + Me 4 Ever'' (1999) is for puppets. He has produced adaptations of ''

Tintin in Tibet ''Tintin in Tibet'' (french: Tintin au Tibet, link=no) is the twentieth volume of '' The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. It was serialised weekly from September 1958 to November 1959 in ''Tintin'' magaz ...

'' (2005) for the

Barbican A barbican (from fro, barbacane) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes. Europe In the Middle A ...

, London, and ''

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1964 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka. The story was originall ...

'' (2013) for the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

. ''The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart'' (2011) for the National Theatre of Scotland was designed to be toured to and performed in pubs; partnering with

Punchdrunk Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated trauma to the head. The encephalopathy symptoms can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems with thinking. The disease often gets worse o ...

, it played an extended run from November 2016 to April 2017 at the Heath restaurant in the McKittrick Hotel, home of the similarly immersive theatrical experience '' Sleep No More'' in New York City. He has provided English-language versions of foreign plays, including

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 at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His works ...

's ''

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germani ...

'' (2003), and Strindberg's ''

Creditors A creditor or lender is a party (e.g., person, organization, company, or government) that has a claim on the services of a second party. It is a person or institution to whom money is owed. The first party, in general, has provided some property ...

'' (2008). In 2013, he wrote ''The Events'', in which different local choirs perform the musical numbers every night.

Lyn Gardner Lyn Gardner is a British theatre critic, children's writer and journalist who contributes reviews and articles to ''The Stage,'' '' Stagedoor'' and has written for ''The Guardian''. Theatre critic and educator A graduate in drama and English from ...

, in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'', chose this as her best piece of theatre in 2013. With local politician Sarah Beattie-Smith of the

Scottish Green Party The Scottish Greens (also known as the Scottish Green Party; gd, Pàrtaidh Uaine na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Green Pairtie) are a green political party in Scotland. The party has seven MSPs in the Scottish Parliament as of May 2021. As of the 20 ...

, Greig curated the political discussion show ''Two Minute Manifesto'' which toured Scotland in 2015. In 2018 it was announced that he would adapt the classic film '' Local Hero'' for the stage, with music by

Mark Knopfler Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Scotland and raised in England, he was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a s ...

. The production opened at Edinburgh's

in March 2019. Its 2020 transfer to the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...

in London was postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. Greig took over from Mark Thomson as Artistic Director of Edinburgh's

in 2016. He adapted

Aeschylus Aeschylus (, ; grc-gre, Αἰσχύλος ; c. 525/524 – c. 456/455 BC) was an ancient Greek tragedian, and is often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Gree ...

' '' The Suppliant Women'' for the Lyceum in October 2016. The 2019 opening of Greig's first original new play in 6 years, ''Adventures With The Painted People'', at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre was cancelled due to the

Themes

Despite the richness and variety of Greig's work, some persistent concerns and motifs are visible. A yearning for connection between characters, despite enormous personal, social, cultural and political distances between them; international and global links, represented through travel, desire, fantasies of other cultures; great value placed on imagination, creativity, wonder.

Awards

Greig has won the

Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award The Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award is a theater prize given annually at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. History The Award has presented by the Carol Tambor Theatrical Foundation since 2004. In a formal agreement with the Fringe Society, it ...

twice; for ''Midsummer'' (2012) and ''The Events'' (2013). In March 2018 it was announced that Royal Lyceum Theatre productions were shortlisted for awards in 12 categories at the

Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland The Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) are an annual event awarding performances "substantially produced in Scotland, or developed, rehearsed and premiered in Scotland". Awards ceremony The ceremony is itinerant in terms of location, sw ...

Personal life

Greig lives in Fife, Scotland, with his wife and two children. Greig has increasingly emerged as a significant political commentator in contemporary Scotland, intervening importantly in the debates over

Creative Scotland Creative Scotland ( gd, Alba Chruthachail ; sco, Creative Scotlan) is the development body for the arts and creative industries in Scotland. Based in Edinburgh, it is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. The or ...

in 2012 and proving an advocate of Scottish independence in the run-up to the Scottish Independence Referendum in 2014.

Selected list of plays

Original plays

* ''Europe'' (1994) * ''One Way Street'' (1995) * ''The Architect'' (1996) * ''Caledonia dreaming'' (1997) * ''The Cosmonaut's Last Message to the Woman he once Loved in the Former Soviet Union'' (1999) * ''The Speculator'' (1999) * ''Danny 306 + Me (4Ever)'' (1999) * ''Victoria'' (2000) * ''The Swannsong'' (2000) * ''Dr Korczak’s Example'' (2001) * ''Casanova'' (2001) * '' Outlying Islands'' (2002) * ''San Diego'' (2003) * ''American Pilot'' (2005) * ''Pyrenees'' (2005) * ''Yellow Moon: the Ballad of Leila and Lee'' (2006) * ''Damascus'' (2007) * ''Midsummer'' (2008) * '' Dunsinane'' (2010) * ''The Monster in the Hall'' (2010) * ''The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart'' (2011) * ''The Letter of Last Resort'' (2012) * ''The Events'' (2013) * ''Adventures With The Painted People'' (2020)

Translations and adaptations

* ''Battle of Will'' (2002),

Laurent Gaudé Laurent Gaudé (born demain, 6 July 1972) is a French writer. He studied theater and has written many dramatic works, among them ''Onysos le furieux, Cendres sur les mains, Médée Kali,'' and ''Le Tigre bleu de l'Euphrate''. Life Gaudé was b ...

* ''Caligula'' (2003),

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 at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...

* ''Oedipus the visionary'' (2005),

Sophocles Sophocles (; grc, Σοφοκλῆς, , Sophoklễs; 497/6 – winter 406/5 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. is one of three ancient Greek tragedians, at least one of whose plays has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or c ...

* ''The Bacchae'' (2007),

, * ''Creditors'' (2008),

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

* ''Peter Pan'' (2010), adaptation of

JM Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

's original fairy tale * ''

'' (2013), from the story by

Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short-story writer, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter ace of Norwegian descent. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Dahl has be ...

* ''Lanark: A Life in Three Acts'' (2015), from the novel by

* ''The Suppliant Women'' (2016),

* '' Touching the Void'' (2018), adaption of Touching the Void * '' Solaris'' (2019), adaption of

Solaris (novel) ''Solaris'' is a 1961 science fiction novel by Polish writer Stanisław Lem. It follows a crew of scientists on a research station as they attempt to understand an extraterrestrial intelligence, which takes the form of a vast ocean on the titu ...

* '' Local Hero'' (2019), adaption of Local Hero

References

External links

David Greig
on www.contemporarywriters.com
David Greig
on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory musical website {{DEFAULTSORT:Greig, David 1969 births Alumni of the University of Bristol Scottish dramatists and playwrights Living people 20th-century Scottish dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Scottish dramatists and playwrights