Alex Oates (born 1987 in Newcastle) is an English

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

from the North East.

Background

Born in Newcastle, Oates was born to a nurse and policeman and raised in

Whitley Bay Whitley Bay is a seaside town in the North Tyneside borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It was formerly governed as part of Northumberland and has been part of Tyne and Wear since 1974. It is part of the wider Tyneside built-up area, being around ...

in the North East of England. He moved to London to attend

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated to MDX) is a public research university based in Hendon, northwest London, England. The university also has campuses in Dubai and Mauritius. The name of the university is ...

in 2006 where he studied Theatre Arts. Oates also studied for a semester at New Paltz where he specialised in dramatic writing under Prof. Laurence Carr. On graduating Oates was selected to write for '' EastEnders: E20'' and spent time in the story department at ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

''. Oates was later selected out of thousands for the 2010 Old Vic New Voices 24 hour plays which sparked his career in theatre.

Career

Oates first play ''Fan Fiction'' was produced as a reading at the St. James Theatre directed by Dominic Shaw and starring

Iwan Rheon Iwan Rheon (; born 13 May 1985) is a Welsh actor and musician. He is best known for his roles as Simon Bellamy in the E4 series '' Misfits'' (2009–2011), Ramsay Bolton in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'' (2013–2016), and Mötley Crüe gu ...

Russell Tovey Russell George Tovey (born 14 November 1981) is a British actor. He is best known for playing the role of werewolf George Sands in the BBC's supernatural comedy-drama '' Being Human'', Rudge in both the stage and film versions of '' The History ...

and

Rebecca Ryan Rebecca Ryan (born 27 April 1991) is a British actress from Manchester, England, best known for her role as Debbie Gallagher in the Channel 4 comedy-drama series '' Shameless'' (2004–2009). Ryan also appeared as Vicki MacDonald in the BBC On ...

. Oates then wrote ''Silk Road'' for the

Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

(Assembly). ''Silk Road'' tackles the issue of buying drugs online and was the first play funded by the digital currency

Bitcoin Bitcoin (abbreviation: BTC; Currency symbol, sign: ₿) is the first Decentralized application, decentralized cryptocurrency. Based on a free-market ideology, bitcoin was invented in 2008 when an unknown entity published a white paper under ...

, it starred James Baxter and was directed by Dominic Shaw. Oates next play ''Pig'' was produced by Silent Uproar productions for Hull Truck Theatre July 2015 and later transferred to the

New Diorama Theatre The New Diorama Theatre is an eighty-seat theatre near Regent's Park in the London Borough of Camden, opened in 2010. The theatre received two Peter Brook awards during the first two years of its programming.

in September 2015. Pig was based on extensive research and interviews with police officers and was about the state of the British police force. Oates has collaborated with actress Katie Sheridan to create new online romantic comedy, Match Not Found launched October 2015. Oates is also a recipient of the prestigious Peggy Ramsay Legacy grant. Oates play ''All In a Row'' was long listed for the Bruntwood Prize in 2016 and a revised version won th
Bolton Octagon's Top Five
competition, being selected from 850 plays to receive a rehearsed reading in March 2017. Following the boom in price of Bitcoin ''Silk Road'' was revived for Vault Festival London and

Live Theatre Live Theatre, formerly Live Theatre Company, is a new writing theatre and company based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. As well as producing and presenting new plays many of which go on to tour nationally and internationally, it seeks out an ...

Newcastle starring Josh Barrow. To mark the production it was published by Bloomsbury Methuen ''Silk Road'' transferred into the West End in August 2018 where

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

four star review described it as "Sharp witted, effortlessly engaging and surprisingly sweet". Oates next play All In A Row proved controversial at

Southwark Playhouse Southwark Playhouse is a theatre in London with two venues, both located between Borough and Elephant and Castle tube stations. History The Southwark Playhouse Theatre Company was founded in 1993 by Juliet Alderdice and Tom Wilson. They ident ...

for its use of puppetry and brutal take on the themes of severe autism. The Guardian's four star review described it as "a lively, compassionate and darkly humorous show with the unmistakable ring of truth". Oates was nominated for Most Promising Playwright at The Off West End Awards for the play. In 2023 Oates was awarded a Peter Schaffer commission by the

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

to write a large scale play for Northern Stage. Oates began collaborating with filmmaker Andy Berriman and received the inaugural Northern Film Prize award for their short film 'Mortal'. His play 'The Filleting App', which explores food delivery driving and living on the poverty line was selected by the

RSC RSC may refer to: Arts * Royal Shakespeare Company, a British theatre company * Reduced Shakespeare Company, a touring American acting troupe * Richmondshire Subscription Concerts, a music society in Richmond, North Yorkshire, England * Rock Ste ...

for the 37 Plays Project.https://37plays.co.uk/

Plays

* ''Zombie Nation'' (2011) as part of the 24 hour plays,

Old Vic Theatre The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, nonprofit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. It was established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal ...

, directed by Ed Stambolloullan * ''Fan Fiction'' (2012) Rehearsed Reading, St James Theatre, directed by Dominic Shaw * ''Silk Road'' (2014) Assembly Studios, directed by Dominic Shaw * ''Hansel'' (2015) Assemble Fest, Directed by Alex Mitchell * ''Pig'' (2015)

Hull Truck Hull Truck Theatre is a theatre in Kingston upon Hull, England, which presents drama productions, and also tours. In March 2022, the theatre's original premises on Coltman Street, Hull, was recognised by a blue plaque to coincide with the theatr ...

and New Diorama, Directed by Alex Mitchell * ''Mutations'' (2016)

Pleasance Islington Pleasance Islington (also known as Pleasance London or the Pleasance Theatre) is a fringe theatre in Islington, London, opened in 1995. It is run by the Pleasance Theatre Trust and is the sister venue of the original Pleasance Edinburgh. It ...

, Reading in association with

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

, directed by Gareth Taylor * ''A Memory For Forgetting'' (2017)

Arcola Theatre Arcola Theatre is in the London Borough of Hackney. It presents plays, operas and musicals featuring established and emerging artists. The theatre building, in the former Colourworks paint factory on Ashwin Street, Dalston, houses two studio ...

, The Miniaturists 61, Directed by Dominic Shaw * ''All In A Row'' (2017) Bolton Octagon, Top Five Readings Season, Directed by Ben Occhipinti * ''Silk Road (How To Buy Drugs Online'')(2018), Vault Festival,

Trafalgar Studios Trafalgar Theatre is a West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. The Grade II listed building was built in 1930 with interiors in the Art Deco style as the Whitehall Theatre; it regularly staged ...

Directed by Dominic Shaw * ''Rules For Being A Man'' (2018), Norfolk Tour, Directed by Daniel Burgess * '' All in a Row'' (2019),

, Directed by Dominic Shaw *''Our Liam of Lourdes'' (2019),

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

, Directed by Jessica Dromgoole *''How To Explode'' (2019), Customs House South Shields, Directed by Fiona Martin *''Sealhugging'' (2021), Laurels Theatre, Whitley Bay *''The Filleting App'' (2023), selected for RSC 37 Plays project

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oates, Alex Living people English dramatists and playwrights English television writers 1987 births