David Campton
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David Campton (2 May 1924 – 9 September 2006) was a prolific British dramatist who wrote plays for the stage, radio, and cinema for thirty-five years.


Biography

Campton was born in
Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
, in 1924. He was educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys. From 1942 to 1945, he served in the RAF, and then, for another year, in the
Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...
. He worked as a clerk in the City of Leicester Department of Education until 1949 and then moved to the
East Midlands The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England. It comprises the eastern half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It consists of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire (except for North Lincolnshire and North East ...
Gas Board, where he worked until 1956. Campton worked with Stephen Joseph in developing theatre in the round in the United Kingdom, and played a major role in establishing theatre-in-the-rounds in both
Scarborough, North Yorkshire Scarborough () is a seaside town and civil parish in North Yorkshire District, the district and North Yorkshire, county of North Yorkshire, England. With a population of 61,749, Scarborough is the largest town on the Yorkshire Coast and the No ...
(now in the well-known Stephen Joseph Theatre, a converted 1930s Odeon cinema) and
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...
in the English West Midlands. He worked as writer, actor and also regularly ran the box-office and front-of-house. Campton always credited himself with giving a young Alan Ayckbourn one of his first jobs at Scarborough with the immortal words, 'watch me my boy and one day you might become a playwright like me!' Ayckbourn later became
Artistic Director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogu ...
of the Stephen Joseph Theatre and an internationally renowned
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 ...
. Campton was always keen to encourage those interested in drama, even amateurs. At the age of seventy-six, he directed and appeared in one of the plays he had previously written for Stephen Joseph at Scarborough, ''Passport to Florence'', with a group of amateurs, ''ACTWS'', in Leicester. This may have been his final performance on stage.


Evaluation

In performance reviews published in the short-lived British drama magazine '' Encore'' of productions of Campton's play '' The Lunatic View: A Comedy of Menace'' and
Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...
's '' The Birthday Party'', drama critic Irving Wardle borrowed the term " comedy of menace" from the subtitle of Campton's play, popularizing the term "comedies of menace".Susan Hollis Merritt, ''Pinter in Play: Critical Strategies and the Plays of Harold Pinter'' (1990; Durham and London: Duke UP, 1995) 5, 9–10, 225–28, 240, 310, and 326. Campton addressed the matter of critics' "pigeonholing" his work:


Awards

*First prize in a competition sponsored by the
Tavistock Repertory Company Tavistock ( ) is an ancient stannary and market town and civil parish in the West Devon district, in the county of Devon, England. It is situated on the River Tavy, from which its name derives. At the 2011 census, the three electoral wards ( ...
*
British Arts Council The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. It was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England (now Arts Council England), the Scottish Arts Council (la ...
bursary (1958) *
British Theatre Association The British Theatre Association, originally known as the British Drama League, was an organisation established in 1919 to promote amateur and professional theatre in England, with a head office based at Fitzroy Square, London. It was founded by Geo ...
prizes (1975, 1978, 1985)


Works

;Full-length plays *''Dead and Alive'' (produced 1964, published 1983) *''The Lunatic View: A Comedy of Menace'' (1957), which includes: **''A Smell of Burning'' **''Then ...'' **''Memento Mori'' **''Getting and Spending'' *''The Life and Death of Almost Everybody'' (1970; published 1971) *''Carmilla'' (produced 1972, published 1973) ;One-act plays *''After Midnight––Before Dawn'' (produced 1978) *''Alison'' (1969) (published in Campton, David, ''On Stage Again'' London: French, 1969) *''Angel Unwilling'' (1966) *''Apocalypse Now And Then'' (1982) *''Asking'' (1969) (published in ''On Stage Again'') *''At Sea'' (1960) *''Attitutudes'' (1981) *''Bacchanalia'' (1969) (published in ''On Stage Again'') *''Break-up'' (1969) (published in ''On Stage Again'') *''Build Up'' (1969) (published in ''On Stage Again'') *''But Not Here'' (produced 1983, published 1984) *''The Cagebirds'' (produced 1971) *''The Cactus Garden'' (1955) *''Can You Hear the Music?'' (produced 1988) *''Cards, Cups and Crystal Ball'' (produced 1985) *''Change Partners'' (1952) *''Cock & Bull Story'' (1965) *''Come Back Tomorrow'' (1972) *''Comeback'' (aka ''Honey I'm Home'') (1963) *''Cooked'' (1969) (published in ''On Stage Again'') *''Cuckoo Song'' (1956) *''Dark Wings'' (1980) *''Do-It-Yourself-Frankenstein Outfit'' (produced 1975) *''Doctor Alexander'' (1956) *''Don't Wait For Me'' (1963) *''Dragons Are Dangerous'' (1955) *''Evergreens'' (produced) *''Everybody's Friend'' (produced 1975) *''Little Brother, Little Sister'' (produced 1970) *''Memento Mori'' (produced 1957) *''Mrs Meadowsweet'' (produced 1985) *''Now and Then'' (produced 1970) *''Our Branch in Brussels'' (produced 1986) *''Out of the Flying Pan'' (produced 1970) *''Parcel'' (broadcast 1968) *''Permission to Cry'' *''Relics'' (produced 1973) *''Right Place'' (produced 1970) *''Singing in the Wilderness'' (produced 1985) *''A Smell of Burning'' (produced 1957) *''Smile'' (produced 1990) *''Then'' (produced 1980) *''Us and Them'' (1972) *''What Are You Doing Here?'' *''Who Calls?'' (produced 1979) *''Winter of 1917'' (produced 1989) *''Some of My Best Friends Are Smiths'' ;Dramatic sketch *''Resting Place'' (produced 1969, as part of the revue entitled '' Mixed Doubles'') ;Anthologies *''Laughter and Fear'' (London: Blackie, 1969. (10). (13)) *''Two in the Corner'' (collection of sketches, 1983) *''On Stage Again'' (London: French, 1969)


Notes


External links


"David Campton, Playwright"
''Samuel French London''.

''Doollee.com''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Campton, David 1924 births 2006 deaths People educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys