Caryl Lesley Churchill (born 3 September 1938) is a British playwright known for dramatising the abuses of power, for her use of non- naturalistic techniques, and for her exploration of sexual politics and

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

themes.Caryl Churchill profile
''Encyclopædia Britannica''; accessed 26 January 2018. Celebrated for works such as ''

Cloud 9 In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, ice crystals, frozen crystals, or other particulates, particles, suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or var ...

'' (1979), ''

Top Girls ''Top Girls'' is a 1982 play by Caryl Churchill. It centres on Marlene, a career-driven woman who is heavily invested in women's success in business. The play examines the roles available to women in old society, and what it means or takes for a ...

'' (1982), ''

Serious Money ''Serious Money'' is a satirical play written by Caryl Churchill first staged in London in 1987. Its subject is the British stock market, specifically the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE). Often considered ...

'' (1987), '' Blue Heart'' (1997), '' Far Away'' (2000), ''

A Number ''A Number'' is a 2002 play by British playwright Caryl Churchill. The story, set in the near future, is structured around the conflict between a father (Salter) and his sons (Bernard 1, Bernard 2, and Michael Black) – two of whom are clones ...

'' (2002), and ''

Love and Information ''Love and Information'' is a play written by the British playwright Caryl Churchill. It first opened at the Royal Court Theatre in September 2012. It received many positive reviews from critics. Synopsis The play is a compilation of seven sec ...

'' (2012), she has been described as "one of

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

's greatest poets and innovators for the contemporary stage". In a 2011 dramatists' poll by ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'', six out of the 20 polled writers listed Churchill as the greatest living playwright.

Early life and education

Churchill was born on 3 September 1938 in

Finsbury Finsbury is a district of Central London, forming the southeastern part of the London Borough of Islington. It borders the City of London. The Manorialism, Manor of Finsbury is first recorded as ''Vinisbir'' (1231) and means "manor of a man c ...

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 Wester ...

, the daughter of Jan Brown, a fashion model and actress, and Robert Churchill, a political cartoonist. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, her family emigrated to

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Canada; Churchill was ten years old. In Montreal, she attended

Trafalgar School for Girls Trafalgar School for Girls (abbreviated as Traf) is an all-girls independent school located in Downtown Montreal, Downtown Montreal, Quebec. The school serves students at Secondary I – V levels, i.e. ages 11–12 to 16–17. The total enrollment ...

. She returned to England to attend university in 1956, and in 1960 graduated from

Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, located on a bank of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The ...

, with a BA degree in

English Literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

. She received the Richard Hillary Memorial Prize at Oxford and also began her writing career there. Her four earliest plays — ''Downstairs'' (produced 1958), ''You've No Need to be Frightened'', ''Having a Wonderful Time'' (1960), and ''Easy Death'' (produced 1962) — were performed at Oxford by student theatre ensembles. Her play ''Downstairs'' was performed at the

National Student Drama Festival The UK based National Student Drama Festival (NSDF) was founded in 1956 with the purpose of creating new art, new artists and new communities. It also runs a charity aimed at empowering young artists. The NSDF is targeted towards people aged ...

in 1958 and won the first prize.

Career and artistry

While raising a family in the 1960s and 1970s, Churchill began to write short radio dramas for

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

. These included ''The Ants'' (1962), ''Not, Not, Not, Not Enough Oxygen'' (1971), and ''Schreber's Nervous Illness'' (1972). She also wrote television plays for the BBC, including '' The After-Dinner Joke'' (1978) and ''Crimes'' (1982). These, as well as some of her

radio plays Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...

, have been adapted for the stage. In her early work, Churchill explored

gender Gender is the range of social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral aspects of being a man (or boy), woman (or girl), or third gender. Although gender often corresponds to sex, a transgender person may identify with a gender other tha ...

and

sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

through modernist theatre techniques of

epic theatre Epic theatre () is a theatrical movement that arose in the early to mid-20th century from the theories and practice of a number of theatre practitioners who responded to the political climate of the time through the creation of new political ...

. In the mid-1980s, she started to incorporate

dance-theatre The German Tanztheater ("dance theatre") grew out of German Expressionist dance in Weimar Germany and 1920s Vienna, and experienced a resurgence in the 1970s. History The term first appears around 1927 to identify a particular style of dance e ...

in her writing. '' A Mouthful of Birds'' (1986) is the first example of this, and references the surrealist theatre tradition of

Antonin Artaud Antoine Maria Joseph Paul Artaud (; ; 4September 18964March 1948), better known as Antonin Artaud, was a French artist who worked across a variety of media. He is best known for his writings, as well as his work in the theatre and cinema. Widely ...

and the

Theatre of Cruelty The Theatre of Cruelty (, also ) is a form of theatre conceptualised by Antonin Artaud. Artaud, who was briefly a member of the surrealist movement, outlined his theories in a series of essays and letters, which were collected as '' The Theatre an ...

. The fragmented and

surrealistic Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

narratives in Churchill's work characterise it as

postmodernist Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, Culture, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of depicting ...

Themes and plays

In 1972, Churchill wrote ''

Owners Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as ''title'', which may be separated and held by diffe ...

'', a two-act, 14-scene play about obsession with power. It was her first professionally produced stage play and "her first major theatrical endeavour"; it was produced in London the same year. She served as resident dramatist at the

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 West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

from 1974 to 1975, and was the Royal Court's first female playwright in residence. She began collaboration with theatre companies such as the

Joint Stock Theatre Company The Joint Stock Theatre Company was founded in London 1974 by David Hare, Max Stafford-Clark Paul Kember and David Aukin. The director William Gaskill was also part of the company. It was primarily a company which presented new plays. Joint Stock ...

and the

Monstrous Regiment Theatre Company Monstrous Regiment Theatre Company is a British feminist theatre company established in 1975. Monstrous Regiment went on to produce and perform 30 major shows, in which the main focus was on women's lives and experiences. Performer-led and collecti ...

feminist theatre Feminist theater grew out of the wider Political theater of the 1970s, and continues to the present. It can take on a variety of meanings, but the constant thread is the lived experience of women. History Various women's theaters started up in the ...

collective). Both used an extended workshop period in their development of new plays. Churchill continues to use an

improvisation Improvisation, often shortened to improv, is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. The origin of the word itself is in the Latin "improvisus", which literally means un-foreseen. Improvis ...

al workshop period in developing a number of her plays. During this period, she also wrote ''Objections to Sex and Violence'' (1974). Her first play to receive wide notice was '' Cloud Nine'' (1979), "a farce about sexual politics", set partly in a British overseas colony during the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

. It explores the effects of the

colonialist Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an Imperialism, imperialist project, colonialism c ...

imperialist Imperialism is the maintaining and extending of power over foreign nations, particularly through expansionism, employing both hard power (military and economic power) and soft power ( diplomatic power and cultural imperialism). Imperialism fo ...

mindset on intimate personal relationships, and uses cross-gender casting for comic and instructive effect. The play became successful in Britain and in the United States, winning an

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...

in 1982 for best play of the year in New York. Churchill gradually abandoned more conventions of

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *American Realism *Classical Realism *Liter ...

, with her loyalty to feminist themes and ideas becoming a guiding principle in her work. She won an

for best play in 1983 with ''

'', "which deals with women's losing their humanity in order to attain power in a male-dominated environment." It features an all-female cast, and focuses on Marlene, who has relinquished a home and family to achieve success in the world of business. Half the action takes place at a celebratory dinner where Marlene mixes with historical, iconic and fictional women who have achieved great stature in a "man's world", but always at great cost. The other half of the play, set a year in the past, focuses on Marlene's family, where the true cost of her "successful" life becomes poignantly and frighteningly apparent. In ''Top Girls'', Churchill devised a system to indicate how the dialogue should be performed. She used the forward dash signal (/) to demonstrate a person interrupting the person speaking. She also used the asterisk symbol (*) to indicate a speech following on from a speech earlier than the one immediately before it. ''Softcops'' (first produced by 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 opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

in 1984) is a "surreal play set in 19th-century France about government attempts to depoliticize illegal acts". Justin Hayford of the ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. The ''Reader'' has been ...

'' wrote that the play had little to offer to those who had already read

Michel Foucault Paul-Michel Foucault ( , ; ; 15 October 192625 June 1984) was a French History of ideas, historian of ideas and Philosophy, philosopher who was also an author, Literary criticism, literary critic, Activism, political activist, and teacher. Fo ...

's ''

Discipline and Punish ''Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison'' () is a 1975 book by French philosopher Michel Foucault. It is an analysis of the social and theoretical mechanisms behind the changes that occurred in Western penal systems during the modern ...

'' (on which ''Softcops'' is based), and that the play "glosses Foucault's monumental work in Cliffs Notes fashion". In 2018, Michael Billington stated that ''Softcops'' "felt like a meditation on crime and punishment lacking Churchill's usual gift of narrative drive." The play '' A Mouthful of Birds'' (1986) was co-written with

David Lan David Lan is a South African-born British playwright, theatre producer and director and a social anthropologist. Career Born in Cape Town, he trained as an actor and gained a BA at the University of Cape Town. He has lived in London since 19 ...

Wallace Shawn Wallace Michael Shawn (born November 12, 1943) is an American actor, essayist, playwright, and screenwriter. He is known for playing Vizzini in '' The Princess Bride'' (1987), Mr. Hall in '' Clueless'' (1995), Dr. John Sturgis in '' Young Sheldo ...

has argued that it is among the "rich, inventive" Churchill works that are responsible for theater remaining exciting in modern times. Cameron Woodhead of ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'' billed the play as "a difficult pleasure to watch and a challenge to perform". Billington listed ''A Mouthful of Birds'' as one of Churchill's misfires, however, and dismissed the play as "mystifying in its attempt to create a dance-drama suggesting that the violence and ecstasy of Euripides' ''

The Bacchae ''The Bacchae'' (; , ''Bakkhai''; 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. It premiered posthumou ...

'' were alive in modern Britain." ''

'' (1987), "a comedy about excesses in the financial world", is a verse play, chiefly written in rhyming couplets. It takes a

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...

look at the vagaries of the

stock market A stock market, equity market, or share market is the aggregation of buyers and sellers of stocks (also called shares), which represent ownership claims on businesses; these may include ''securities'' listed on a public stock exchange a ...

and its Thatcherite denizens. The play was highly acclaimed, perhaps in part because it played immediately after the

stock market crash A stock market crash is a sudden dramatic decline of stock prices across a major cross-section of a stock market, resulting in a significant loss of paper wealth. Crashes are driven by panic selling and underlying economic factors. They often fol ...

of 1987. ''Icecream'' (

1989) explores Anglo-American stereotypes. Richard Christensen of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' wrote that ''Icecream'' "doesn't have much depth, but it does have a quirky, creepy kick to it", describing it as "a small but telling piece of theater". Andrew Dickson of ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' dubbed the play "wryly picaresque" in 2015. Churchill's play ''

The Skriker ''The Skriker'' is a 1994 play by Caryl Churchill that tells the story of an ancient fairy who, during the course of the play, transforms into a plethora of objects and people as it pursues Lily and Josie, two teenage mothers whom it befriends, ma ...

'' (1994) includes distorted language, references to English folktales, and evocations of modern urban life. The Skriker is an ancient shape-shifting fairy and death portent in a search for revenge and love. The play initially received lukewarm reviews from critics, but is now considered among Churchill's successes. "The prolific Churchill continued to push boundaries into the late 1990s. In 1997 she collaborated with the composer Orlando Gough to create 'Hotel,' a choreographed opera or sung ballet set in a hotel room. Also that year her surrealistic short play ''This Is a Chair'' was produced." Reviews of the London opening of ''Hotel'' were favorable, but with the first piece ("Eight Rooms") generally considered superior to the second ("Two Nights"). In 2015,

Moira Buffini Moira Buffini (born 29 May 1965) is an English dramatist, director, and actor. Early life Buffini was born in Cheshire to Irish parents, and attended St Mary's College at Rhos-on-Sea in Wales as a day girl. She studied English and Drama at Gold ...

of ''The Guardian'' listed ''This Is a Chair'' as one of Churchill's best works, stating that it "shows a real humility about the political inadequacy of playwrights." Her 2002 play, ''

'', addresses the subject of

human cloning Human cloning is the creation of a genetically Cloning, identical copy of a human. The term is generally used to refer to artificial human cloning, which is the reproduction of human Cell (biology), cells and Tissue (biology), tissue. It does ...

and questions of identity. Churchill received an Obie Award in 2005 for this play. Her adapted screenplay of ''A Number'' was shown on BBC TV in September 2008. The play ''

Drunk Enough to Say I Love You? ''Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?'' is a 2006 political play with eight scenes by Caryl Churchill. It addresses the application of power by the United States mostly since the Vietnam War. Critics' responses to the play are divided. Plot summary ...

'' (2006) takes a critical look at what she sees as Britain's submission to the United States in foreign policy. In 2010, Churchill was commissioned to write the

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

for a new short opera by

Orlando Gough Orlando Gough ( ; born 1953 in Brighton, Sussex) is a British composer, educated at Oxford, and noted for projects written for ballet, contemporary dance and theatre. Collaborators have included Siobhan Davies, Alain Platel, Shobana Jeyasingh ...

, as part of the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

's ROH2 OperaShots initiative. The resulting work, ''A ring a lamp a thing'', played for five performances in the Linbury Studio Theatre at the Royal Opera House. Her play ''

'' opened at the Royal Court Theatre in September 2012, directed by James Macdonald. It was well-received by critics. The play, featuring 100 characters and performed by a cast of 15, is structured as a series of more than 50 fragmented scenes, some no longer than 25 seconds, all of which are apparently unrelated but which accumulate into a startling mosaic, a portrayal of modern consciousness and the need for human intimacy, love and connection. The play will have its regional premiere at Sheffield Theatres in June 2018, directed by Caroline Steinbeis. ''Ding Dong the Wicked'' (2013) has been described as a companion piece to ''Love and Information''. Charles Spencer said in ''The Telegraph'' that the work is "little more than a clever dramatic exercise" but "nags away in the memory long after you have left the theatre". Matthew Tucker gave the

performance three out of five stars, dubbed the play "snappy", and wrote, "Some may find this latest offering terse and obscure, however, in the spirit of explorative theatre, ''Ding Dong The Wicked'' is an intriguing and satisfying production." A reviewer for the ''

Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...

'' argued: "What it all means is food for later reflection, but as always Churchill seems inventive, coolly socialist, bleak yet dazzling, a bit of a shaman. Although her technique sounds gimmicky, it works." Conversely, ''The Guardian'''s Michael Billington wrote that the work "feels as if it's cramming a trunkload of ideas into a tiny vanity case ..the tightness of the format means there is no room to explore the source of so much private and public fury, or to differentiate between one society and another. In short, the play is too generalised to make any strong emotional impact." The Royal Court Theatre premiere of ''Pigs and Dogs'' received a positive review in ''

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. Founded in 1880, ''The Stage'' contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at thos ...

'' and moderately positive reviews in ''The Guardian'', ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'', and ''

'', with the last newspaper's

Henry Hitchings Henry Hitchings (born 11 December 1974) is an author, reviewer and critic, specializing in narrative non-fiction, with a particular emphasis on language and cultural history. The second of his books, ''The Secret Life of Words: How English Beca ...

stating: "While the incantatory style isn't consistently engaging, this is a striking parade of views on a subject that merits more sustained treatment." Andrzej Lukowski of ''Time Out'' said in a three-star review that the play "makes its point effectively if tersely".

Mark Lawson Mark Gerard Lawson is an English journalist, broadcaster and author. Specialising in culture and the arts, he is best known for presenting the flagship BBC Radio 4 arts programme '' Front Row'' between 1998 and 2014. He is also a '' Guardian'' ...

of ''The Guardian'' praised ''Beautiful Eyes'' as a "sharp" comedy. In 2025, four one-act plays (''Glass'', ''Kill'', ''What If If Only'' and ''Imp'') were presented together at the Public Theater in New York City, under the portmanteau title ''Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.''. Directed by James Macdonald, this production marked the first time all four plays were presented together. ''Glass'', ''Kill'', and ''Imp'' were first presented by the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre on September 18, 2019. ''What If If Only'' was first presented by the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre on September 29, 2021. ''What If If Only'' had its North American premiere in 2021 with remote live performances presented by the National Asian American Theatre Company, realized by Les Waters and Jared Mezzocchi.

Translations

Churchill has published translations of

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People, fictional characters and language * Seneca (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname : :* Seneca the Elder (c. 54 BC – c. AD 39), a Roman rhetorician, writer and father ...

's ''

Thyestes In Greek mythology, Thyestes (pronounced , , ) was a king of Olympia. Thyestes and his brother, Atreus, were exiled by their father for having murdered their half-brother, Chrysippus, in their desire for the throne of Olympia. They took refuge ...

'',

Olivier Choinière Olivier Choinière (born July 10, 1973) is a Canadian playwright from Granby, Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders ...

's ''Bliss (Félicité)'', and

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 60 pla ...

's ''

A Dream Play ''A Dream Play'' (), sometimes staged in English as ''The Dream Play'', is a fantasy play in 14 scenes written in 1901 by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg. It was published in Swedish in 1902 and first performed in Stockholm on 17 April ...

''. Her version of ''A Dream Play'' was premiered at the National Theatre in 2005.

Retrospective

The

held a 70th-birthday retrospective of her work by presenting readings of many of her most famous plays directed by notable playwrights, including

Martin Crimp Martin Andrew Crimp (born 14 February 1956 in Dartford, Kent) is a British playwright. Early life and career The son of John Crimp, a British Rail signalling engineer, and his wife Jennie, Crimp's family moved in 1960 to Streatham where he att ...

and

Mark Ravenhill Mark Ravenhill (born 7 June 1966) is an English playwright, actor and journalist. Ravenhill is one of the most widely performed playwrights in British theatre of the late-twentieth and twenty-first centuries. His major plays include '' Shoppi ...

Personal life

In 1961 she married campaigning barrister David Harter (who died in 2021). They had three sons, and, as of 2012, she was known to be living in the same house in Hackney, East London, that she has been living in since the early 1960s.

Interest in Palestine

Churchill is a patron of the

Palestine Solidarity Campaign The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) is an activist organisation in England and Wales. It was founded in the UK in 1982 and incorporated in 2004 as Palestine Solidarity Campaign Ltd. In 2023, ''The Guardian'' described it as "Europe’s ...

. In January 2009, she wrote a ten-minute play that explores a history of Israel, ending with the 2008 Israeli attack on Gaza. It was performed for free at the

, with a collection taken to donate to

Medical Aid for Palestinians Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) is a British charitable organization, charity that offers medical services in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Gaza and Lebanon, and advocates for Palestinians' rights to health and dignity. It is in List of organiza ...

. ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'' condemned its "ludicrous and utterly predictable lack of even-handedness"; for ''

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 ...

'', "there are no heroes or villains, for all that Churchill decries what is happening in Gaza". Writers such as Jeffrey Goldberg of ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'' and

Melanie Phillips Melanie Phillips (born 4 June 1951) is a British public commentator. She began her career writing for ''The Guardian'' and ''New Statesman''. During the 1990s, she came to identify with ideas more associated with right-wing politics and the far ...

in her ''

Spectator ''Spectator'' or ''The Spectator'' may refer to: *Spectator sport, a sport that is characterized by the presence of spectators, or watchers, at its matches *Audience Publications Canada * '' The Hamilton Spectator'', a Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, ...

'' blog criticised the play as anti-Semitic, as did John Nathan. He noted that Churchill has said that ''

Seven Jewish Children ''Seven Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza'' is a six-page, 10-minute play by British playwright Caryl Churchill, written in response to the 2008-2009 Israel military strike on Gaza, and first performed at London's Royal Court Theatre on 6 Februar ...

'' is "not just a theatre event but a political event." He suggested that a play representing views of one community and critical of that community needed to be written by a member of that community. The Royal Court denied the accusation. Churchill published the play, ''Seven Jewish Children – a play about Gaza'', online, for free download and use. Churchill said: "Anyone can perform it without acquiring the rights, as long as they do a collection for people in Gaza at the end of it". In April 2022, Churchill was named the recipient of the 2022 European Drama award in recognition of her life's work. The prize was worth £65,000, and was given by German theatre Schauspiel Stuttgart and sponsored by the

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

ministry of science, research and arts. The award was cancelled following criticism of Churchill's support for the

Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a nonviolent Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel. Its objective is to pressure Israel to meet what the BDS movement describes as Israel's ...

movement, a decision condemned by industry figures including

Harriet Walter Dame Harriet Mary Walter is an English actress. She has received an Olivier Award and nominations for a Tony Award, five Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2011, Walter was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British E ...

Stephen Daldry Stephen David Daldry Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 2 May 1960) is an English director and producer of film, theatre, and television. He has won three Tony Awards for his work on Broadway theatre, Broadway and an Olivie ...

Peter Kosminsky Peter Kosminsky (born 21 April 1956) is a British writer, director and producer. He has directed Hollywood movies such as '' White Oleander'' and television films like ''Warriors'', ''The Government Inspector'', '' The Promise'', ''Wolf Hall'' a ...

and

Dominic Cooke Dominic Cooke (born 1966) is an English director and writer. Early life Born in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, south London, Cooke was brought up seeing a lot of theatre as a teenager from free theatre tickets provided by the Inner London Ed ...

. In June 2025, Churchill pulled out of a planned, at the time unannounced, project with the

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit Off-West End theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage, Josie Rourke and Michael Longhurst have all served as artistic direc ...

due to the theatre's sponsorship agreement with

Barclays Barclays PLC (, occasionally ) is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services ...

, which provided

financial services Financial services are service (economics), economic services tied to finance provided by financial institutions. Financial services encompass a broad range of tertiary sector of the economy, service sector activities, especially as concerns finan ...

to defence companies supplying Israel during its campaign in Gaza. More than 300 artists signed a subsequent letter supporting her decision.

Works

Theatre

* ''Downstairs'' (1958) – produced but script unpublished * ''Having a Wonderful Time'' (1960) – produced but script unpublished * ''Easy Death'' (1960) – produced but script unpublished * ''Schreber's Nervous Illness'' (1972) – Performed earlier the same year on radio. Based on ''Memoirs of My Nervous Illness'' by

Daniel Paul Schreber Daniel Paul Schreber (; 25 July 1842 – 14 April 1911) was a German judge who was famous for his personal account of his own experience with schizophrenia. Schreber experienced three distinct periods of acute mental illness. The first of these ...

. * ''The Hospital at the Time of the Revolution'' (written 1972) * ''

'' (1972) * ''Moving Clocks Go Slow'' (1973) – produced but script unpublished * ''Objections to Sex and Violence'' (1975) * ''Traps'' (1976) * ''

Vinegar Tom ''Vinegar Tom'' is a 1976 play by the British playwright Caryl Churchill. The play examines gender and power relationships through the lens of 17th-century witchcraft trials in England. The script employs features of the epic theater associa ...

'' (1976) * ''

Light Shining in Buckinghamshire ''Light Shining in Buckinghamshire'' is a play by British playwright Caryl Churchill written in 1976. The play is set during the English Civil War and part of it dramatises the Putney Debates. Characters include Diggers, Levellers and Ranters. ...

'' (1976) * ''Floorshow'' (1977) – a cabaret, served as a contributor * ''Seagulls'' (written 1978) * '' Cloud Nine'' (1979) * ''Three More Sleepless Nights'' (1980) * ''

'' (1982) * ''

Fen A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetland along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as mires ...

'' (1983) * ''Softcops'' (1983) * ''Midday Sun'' (1984) – created with Geraldine Pilgrim and Pete Brooks * '' A Mouthful of Birds'' (1986) – created with David Lan and Ian Spink * ''

'' (1987) * ''Icecream'' (1989) * ''Hot Fudge'' (1989) * '' Mad Forest'' (1990) * ''Lives of the Great Poisoners'' (1991) – created with Orlando Gough and Ian Spink * ''

'' (1994) * ''Thyestes'' (1994) – translation of

's tragedy * '' Blue Heart'' (1997) * ''Heart's Desire'' (1997) * ''Hotel'' (1997) * ''This Is a Chair'' (1999) * '' Far Away'' (2000) * ''

'' (2002) * ''

'' (2005) – translation of

's play of the same name * ''

'' (2006) * ''Bliss'' (2008) – translation of the play ''Félicité'' by

* '' Seven Jewish Children – a Play for Gaza'' (2009) * ''

'' (2012) * ''Ding Dong the Wicked'' (2013) * ''War and Peace Gaza Piece'' (2014) * '' Here We Go'' (2015) * ''Tickets Are Now on Sale'' (2015) * '' Escaped Alone'' (2016) * ''Pigs and Dogs'' (2016) * ''Beautiful Eyes'' (2017) * ''

Glass Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline solid, non-crystalline) solid. Because it is often transparency and translucency, transparent and chemically inert, glass has found widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in window pane ...

'' (2019) * ''

Kill Kill often refers to: *Homicide, one human killing another *cause death, to kill a living organism, to cause its death Other common uses include: *Kill (body of water), a body of water, most commonly a creek *Kill (command), a computing command *K ...

'' (2019) * '' Bluebeard's Friends'' (2019) * ''

Imp IMP or imp may refer to: * Imp, a fantasy creature Arts and entertainment Music * IMP (band) a Japanese boy band Fictional characters * Imp (She-Ra), a character in ''She-Ra: Princess of Power'' * Imp a character in '' Artemis Fowl: The L ...

'' (2019) * ''

What If If Only What or WHAT may refer to: * What, an English interrogative word * "What?", one of the Five Ws used in journalism Film and television * ''What!'' (film), also known as ''The Whip and the Body'', a 1963 Italian film directed by Mario Bava * ...

'' (2021)

Radio dramas

* ''You've No Need to be Frightened'' (1959) * ''The Ants'' (1962) * ''Lovesick'' (1966) * ''Identical Twins'' (1968) * ''Abortive'' (1971) * ''Not Not Not Not Not Enough Oxygen'' (1971) * ''Schreber's Nervous Illness'' (1972) – based on ''Memoirs of My Nervous Illness'' by

. * ''Henry's Past'' (1972) * ''The Judge's Wife'' (1972) * ''Top Girls'' (1992) - radio version of Churchill's 1982 play of the same name. * ''Serious Money'' (2011) - radio version of Churchill's 1987 play of the same name. * ''The Skriker'' (2016) - radio version of Churchill's 1994 play of the same name. * ''Escaped Alone'' (2018) - radio version of Churchill's 2016 play of the same name.

Television

* ''Save It for the Minister'' (1975) – written with Mary O'Malley and Cherry Potter * '' The After-Dinner Joke'' (1978) * ''The Legion Hall Bombing'' (1979) * ''Crimes'' (1982) * ''Fugue'' (1987) – created with Ian Spink * ''Top Girls'' (1991) – television adaptation of Churchill's 1982 stage play of the same name * ''A Number'' (2008) – television adaptation of Churchill's 2002 stage play of the same name

Awards and honours

Churchill has received the following awards: *1958: ''

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

''/ National Union of Students Drama Festival Award Downstairs *1961:

Richard Hillary Flight Lieutenant Richard Hope Hillary (20 April 1919 – 8 January 1943) was an Anglo-Australian Royal Air Force fighter pilot during the Second World War. He wrote the book '' The Last Enemy'' about his experiences during the Battle of Bri ...

Memorial Prize *1981:

for Playwriting, ''Cloud Nine'' *1982: Obie Award for Playwriting, ''Top Girls'' *1983:

Susan Smith Blackburn Prize The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize established in 1978, is the largest and oldest playwriting prize for women+ writing for English-speaking theatre. Named for Susan Smith Blackburn (1935–1977), alumna of Smith College, who died of breast cancer. W ...

(runner-up), ''Top Girls'' *1984: Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, ''Fen'' *1987: ''Evening Standard Theatre'' Award for Best Comedy of the Year, ''Serious Money'' *1987: Obie Award for Best New Play, ''Serious Money'' *1987: Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, ''Serious Money'' *1988:

Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play The Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards in 1976, ...

, ''Serious Money'' *2001: Obie Sustained Achievement Award *2010: Inducted into the

American Theater Hall of Fame The American Theater Hall of Fame was founded in 1972 in New York City. The first head of its executive committee was Earl Blackwell. In an announcement in 1972, he said that the new ''Theater Hall of Fame'' would be located in the Uris Theatre, ...

In addition, the Caryl Churchill Theatre at

Royal Holloway, University of London Royal Holloway, University of London (RH), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public university, public research university and a constituent college, member institution of the federal University of London. It ...

Egham Egham ( ) is a town in the Borough of Runnymede in Surrey, England, approximately west of central London. First settled in the Bronze Age, the town was under the control of Chertsey Abbey for much of the Middle Ages. In 1215, Magna Carta was ...

was named in honour of Churchill in 2013.

References

External links

*
BBC Radio Plays at ukonlineBBC World Service radio documentary about Caryl Churchill from 1997
{{DEFAULTSORT:Churchill, Caryl 1938 births 20th-century British women writers 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford British women dramatists and playwrights English emigrants to Canada Feminist theatre Living people Postmodern theatre Writers from the London Borough of Islington

Early life and education

Career and artistry

Themes and plays

Translations

Retrospective

Personal life

Interest in Palestine

Works

Theatre

Radio dramas

Television

Awards and honours

See also

References

Further reading

External links