Peter Whelan (3 October 1931 – 3 July 2014) was a British playwright. Whelan was born and raised in Stoke-on-Trent, England. As a student from 1951–55 Whelan was an inspirational figure in the newly-formed Drama Society at the experimental University College of North Staffordshire, later

Keele University Keele University, officially known as the University of Keele, is a public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, Keele ...

. At Keele he met his wife Frangcon Price, who also excelled in drama as a student and in her later career. They married in 1958. His works includes seven plays for the Royal Shakespeare Company, most of which are

period piece A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swas ...

s based on real historical events. The first of these was ''Captain Swing'' in 1979. Another was ''

The Herbal Bed ''The Herbal Bed'' (1996) is a play by Peter Whelan, written specifically for the Royal Shakespeare Company. The play is set in the year 1613 and is about Susanna Hall, daughter of William Shakespeare, who is accused of adultery with local haber ...

'', about a court case involving

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 nation ...

's daughter. It was first produced at the RSC's The Other Place theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in 1996 and was revived at The Duchess Theatre from April to October 1997. In 2008, his play '' The School of Night'', originally produced at The Other Place theatre, in November 1992, made its US debut at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. It fictionalizes the relationships between Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe,

Thomas Kyd Thomas Kyd (baptised 6 November 1558; buried 15 August 1594) was an English playwright, the author of ''The Spanish Tragedy'', and one of the most important figures in the development of Elizabethan drama. Although well known in his own time, ...

and Sir Walter Raleigh as well as the events leading up to Marlowe's death. In January 2018, his play ''Sleepers in the Field'' had its world premiere at

The Questors Theatre The Questors Theatre is a theatre venue located in the London Borough of Ealing, west London. It is home of The Questors, a large theatre company which hosts a season of around twenty productions a year and is a member of the ''Little Theatre Gu ...

, in Ealing, London. Important papers of his are stored in the

Borthwick Institute for Archives The Borthwick Institute for Archives is the specialist archive service of the University of York, York, England. It is one of the biggest archive repositories outside London. The Borthwick was founded in 1953 as The Borthwick Institute of Histori ...

in the Library of the University of York.

Plays

* ''Double Edge'' (1975) co-written with Leslie Darbon * ''Captain Swing'' (1979) * '' The Accrington Pals'' (1981) * ''Clay'' (1982) * ''A Cold Wind Blowing Up'' (1983) co-written with Leslie Darbon * ''World's Apart'' (1986) * ''The Bright and Bold Design'' (1991) * '' The School of Night'' (1992) * ''Shakespeare Country'' (1993) * ''The Tinder Box'' (1995) * ''The Divine Right'' (1996) * ''

'' (1996) * ''Nativity'' (1997) co-written with Bill Alexander * ''Overture'' (1997) * ''A Russian in the Woods'' (2001) * ''The Earthly Paradise'' (2004) * ''Sleepers in the Field'' (2009)

References

External links

Peter Whelan talks about the childhood influences that led to him becoming a playwright. Video Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whelan, Peter 1931 births 2014 deaths People from Stoke-on-Trent Alumni of Keele University Royal Army Educational Corps soldiers English male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights 20th-century English male writers British republicans