Frank Vickery (26 June 1951 – 19 June 2018) was a Welsh

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 ...

and actor.

Biography

Vickery was born at Blaencwm village, near

Treorchy Treorchy (; ) is a town and Community (Wales), community (and electoral ward) in Wales. Once a mining town, it retains such characteristics. Situated in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf in the Rhondda Fawr valley. Treorchy is also one of t ...

, in the Rhondda, South Wales. His father was a miner. He began his career writing for amateur companies, while working as a bus conductor. In 1989 he took up writing full-time. He wrote over thirty plays, for both stage and radio, including ''Family Planning'', ''All's Fair'', and ''Errogenous Zones''. He often appeared in his own work, playing characters such as "Teddy" in ''Granny Annie'', and also appeared in

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

. One of Vickery's best-known comedies was ''One O’clock from the House'', in which the plot centred around preparations for a funeral. It was performed by many amateur groups. His one-person play, ''Sleeping with Mickey'', was adapted for television in 1994, starring

Brenda Blethyn Brenda Blethyn ( Bottle; born 20 February 1946) is an English actress. Known for her character work and versatility, she is the recipient of various accolades, including a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and a Cannes Film Festival Award, as well as n ...

. In collaboration with

Mal Pope Maldwyn "Mal" Pope (born 18 May 1960) is a Welsh musician and composer, who is notable for his contribution to music theatre portraying Welsh national identities and themes. He lives in the village of Mumbles, Swansea. He is known for singing bo ...

, Vickery co-wrote the musical ''Amazing Grace'', which was premièred in 2005 and dealt with the

1904–1905 Welsh revival The 1904–1905 Welsh revival was the largest Christian revival in Wales during the 20th century. It was one of the most dramatic in terms of its effect on the population, and triggered revivals in several other countries. The movement kept the c ...

References

External links

A list of plays by Frank Vickery

Official Frank Vickery website
1951 births 2018 deaths Welsh dramatists and playwrights People from Treorchy Male actors from Rhondda Cynon Taf {{UK-playwright-stub