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Confusions
''Confusions'' is a play by Alan Ayckbourn consisting of a series of five interconnected one-act plays. It was first staged in 1974 (1976 at London's Apollo Theatre starring Pauline Collins, John Alderton, Sheila Gish, Derek Fowlds and James Cossins) and played by just five actors. The scenes are all loosely linked by characters or locations, but more subtly through the common underlying themes of obsession, isolation and human desire for companionship. Summary of the Five One-Act Plays # ''"Mother Figure":'' Housewife Lucy has the difficult job of looking after the children alone whilst her husband is away. This job of looking after the children has taken over her life; so much so that she never leaves the house and doesn't even have the time to change out of her pyjamas. Concerned neighbour Rosemary decides to come around to check on Lucy and to give her the number of her husband Harry who has been trying to call her for a while, and is shocked to find Lucy rushing aro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alan Ayckbourn
Sir Alan Ayckbourn (born 12 April 1939) is a prolific British playwright and director. As of 2025, he has written and produced 90 full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, where all but four of his plays have received their first performance. More than 40 have subsequently been produced in the West End, at the Royal National Theatre or by the Royal Shakespeare Company since his first hit '' Relatively Speaking'' opened at the Duke of York's Theatre in 1967. Major successes include '' Absurd Person Singular'' (1972), '' The Norman Conquests'' trilogy (1973), '' Absent Friends'' (1974), ''Bedroom Farce'' (1975), ''Just Between Ourselves'' (1976), '' A Chorus of Disapproval'' (1984), '' Woman in Mind'' (1985), '' A Small Family Business'' (1987), '' Man of the Moment'' (1988), ''House'' & ''Garden'' (1999) and '' Private Fears in Public Places'' (2004). His plays have won numer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pauline Collins
Pauline Collins (born 3 September 1940) is a British actress who first came to prominence portraying Sarah Moffat in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971–1973) and its spin-off '' Thomas & Sarah'' (1979). In 1992, she published her autobiography ''Letter to Louise''. Collins played the title role in the play '' Shirley Valentine'' for which she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress, and the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She reprised the role in the 1989 film adaptation of the play, winning the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She also starred in the television dramas '' Forever Green'' (1989–1992) and '' The Ambassador'' (1998–1999). Her other film appearances include ''City of Joy'' (1992), '' Paradise Road'' (1997), '' Albert Nobbs'' (2011), ''Quartet'' (2012), and ''The Time of Their Lives'' (2017). Early life and career Collins was born on 3 September 1940 in Exmouth, D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Alderton
John Alderton (born 27 November 1940) is an English retired actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'', '' Thomas & Sarah'', '' Wodehouse Playhouse'', '' Little Miss'' (original television series), '' Please Sir!'', '' No - Honestly'' and ''Fireman Sam'' (the original series). Alderton has often starred alongside his wife, Pauline Collins. Early life Alderton was born on 27 November 1940 in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, the son of Ivy (née Handley) and Gordon John Alderton. He grew up in Hull where he attended Kingston High School. Career He graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1961 and appeared in their production of The Doctor and The Devils by Dylan Thomas. Alderton first became familiar to television viewers in 1962, when he played Dr Moone in the ITV soap opera '' Emergency Ward 10''. After an uncredited role in ''Cleopatra'' (1963), and appearing in British films such as '' The System'' (1964), '' Assignment K'' (1968), '' Duffy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sheila Gish
Sheila Gish (born Sheila Anne Syme Gash; 23 April 1942 – 9 March 2005) was an English actress. For her role in the 1995 London revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical ''Company'', she won the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical. Her film appearances included an '' A Day in the Death of Joe Egg'' (1972), '' Quartet'' (1981), '' Highlander'' (1986) and ''Mansfield Park'' (1999) On television, she starred in the 1969 BBC series '' The First Churchills'', the 1992 TV miniseries of Danielle Steel's '' Jewels'' and the short-lived ITV sitcom '' Brighton Belles'' (1993–94). Early and personal life She was born in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), and made her stage debut with a repertory company. She had two daughters: the actresses Lou Gish and Kay (Katharine Ghislaine S. A.) Curram (born 1974) by her first husband, the actor Roland Curram. While filming ''That Uncertain Feeling'' for BBC2 at BBC Cymru/Wales� ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
One-act Play
A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. The 20-40 minute play has emerged as a popular subgenre of the one-act play, especially in writing competitions. One act plays make up the overwhelming majority of fringe theatre shows including at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The origin of the one-act play may be traced to the very beginning of recorded Western drama: in ancient Greece, '' Cyclops'', a satyr play by Euripides, is an early example. The satyr play was a farcical short work that came after a trilogy of multi-act serious drama plays. A few notable examples of one act plays emerged before the 19th century including various versions of the Everyman play and works by Moliere and Calderon.Francis M. Dunn. ''Tragedy's End: Closure and Innovation in Euripidean Drama''. Oxford University Press (1996). One act plays became more common in the 19th century and are now a standa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Thames in southeast England, at the head of a tidal estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years. Its ancient core and financial centre, the City of London, was founded by the Roman Empire, Romans as Londinium and has retained its medieval boundaries. The City of Westminster, to the west of the City of London, has been the centuries-long host of Government of the United Kingdom, the national government and Parliament of the United Kingdom, parliament. London grew rapidly 19th-century London, in the 19th century, becoming the world's List of largest cities throughout history, largest city at the time. Since the 19th cen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apollo Theatre
The Apollo Theatre is a listed building, Grade II listed West End theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.English Heritage listing accessed 28 April 2007 Designed by the architect Lewin Sharp for owner Henry Lowenfeld, it became the fourth legitimate theatre to be constructed on the street when it opened its doors on 21 February 1901, with the American Edwardian musical comedy, musical comedy ''The Belle of Bohemia''. History Construction Henry Lowenfeld had bought land on the newly created Shaftesbury Avenue at the turn of the 20th century—next door to the Lyric Theatre, London, Lyric Theatre, which opened in 1888—and as a ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Derek Fowlds
Derek James Fowlds (2 September 1937 – 17 January 2020) was an English actor. He played "Mr Derek" in '' The Basil Brush Show'' (1969–1973), Bernard Woolley in the sitcom '' Yes Minister'' (1980–1984) and its sequel, '' Yes, Prime Minister'' (1986–1988), and Oscar Blaketon in '' Heartbeat'' (1992–2010). Early life Derek James Fowlds was born on 2 September 1937 in Wandsworth, London, the son of Ketha Muriel (née Treacher) and James Witney Fowlds, a salesman. In early life he and his mother and sister went to live in Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, at the home of his maternal grandmother. There Fowlds attended Ashlyns School, a Secondary Modern School. After leaving school aged 15, Fowlds worked at a printer's firm as an apprentice and also, as his National Service, spent two years in the RAF as a wireless operator. Career After success in amateur acting, his teacher encouraged him to take it up as a career and Fowlds won a scholarship to RADA in 1958. Fowlds ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Cossins
James Cossins (4 December 1933 – 12 February 1997) was an English actor. Born in Beckenham, Kent, he became widely recognised as the abrupt, bewildered Mr Walt in the ''Fawlty Towers'' episode "The Hotel Inspectors" and as Mr Watson, the frustrated Public Relations training course instructor, in an episode of ''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em''.Guide Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em Episodes at Comedy guide Retrieved 14 August 2015 Early life Cossins was born in and educated at the |
Fixation (psychology)
Fixation () is a concept (in human psychology) that was originated by Sigmund Freud (1905) to denote the persistence of anachronistic sexual traits. The term subsequently came to denote object relationships with attachments to people or things in general persisting from childhood into adult life. Freud In '' Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality'' (1905), Freud distinguished the fixations of the libido on an incestuous object from a fixation upon a specific, partial ''aim'', such as voyeurism. Freud theorized that some humans may develop psychological fixation due to one or more of the following: #A lack of proper gratification during one of the psychosexual stages of development. #Receiving a strong impression from one of these stages, in which case the person's personality would reflect that stage throughout adult life. #"An excessively strong manifestation of these instincts at a very early age hichleads to a kind of partial ''fixation'', which then constitutes a weak po ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Solitude
Solitude, also known as social withdrawal, is a state of seclusion or isolation, meaning lack of socialisation. Effects can be either positive or negative, depending on the situation. Short-term solitude is often valued as a time when one may work, think, or rest without disturbance. It may be desired for the sake of privacy. Long-term solitude may stem from soured relationships, loss of loved ones, deliberate choice, infectious disease, mental disorders, neurological disorders such as circadian rhythm sleep disorder, or circumstances of employment or situation. A distinction has been made between solitude and loneliness. In this sense, these two words refer, respectively, to the joy and the pain of being alone. Health effects Symptoms from complete isolation, called sensory deprivation, may include anxiety, sensory illusions, or distortions of time and perception. However, this is the case when there is no stimulation of the sensory systems at all and not just lack of contact w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Companionship
In social psychology, an interpersonal relation (or interpersonal relationship) describes a social association, connection, or affiliation between two or more people. It overlaps significantly with the concept of social relations, which are the fundamental unit of analysis within the social sciences. Relations vary in degrees of intimacy, self-disclosure, duration, reciprocity, and power distribution. The main themes or trends of the interpersonal relations are: family, kinship, friendship, love, marriage, business, employment, clubs, neighborhoods, ethical values, support and solidarity. Interpersonal relations may be regulated by law, custom, or mutual agreement, and form the basis of social groups and societies. They appear when people communicate or act with each other within specific social contexts, and they thrive on equitable and reciprocal compromises. Interdisciplinary analysis of relationships draws heavily upon the other social sciences, including, but not ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
