Rob Evans (also known as Robert Evans and Robert Alan Evans) born 14 March 1978 is a
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 ...
.
Early life
Born in Oxford, UK, he grew up in
Penarth
Penarth ( , ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, approximately south of Cardiff city centre on the west shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay.
Penarth is a Seaside resort#Brit ...
,
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan ( ), locally referred to as ''The Vale'', is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South East Wales, south-east of Wales. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west, Cardiff to the east, Rhondda Cynon Taf t ...
in
South Wales
South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...
. He studied for an MA in English Literature and History at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
before moving to
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
in 2000 where he began writing professionally for theatre.
Play writing
After working as Assistant Director at the
Traverse Theatre
The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded as The Traverse Theatre Club in 1962 by John Calder, John Malcolm, Jim Haynes, Richard Demarco, Terry Lane, Andrew Muir, John Martin and Sheila Colvin.
The Traverse Th ...
, Edinburgh on ''
Gagarin Way'' by
Gregory Burke
Gregory Burke (born 1968) is a Scottish playwright and screenwriter from Rosyth, Fife.
Early life and education
Burke's family moved to Gibraltar in 1979 and returned to Dunfermline in 1984. He attended St John's Primary in Rosyth, St Christo ...
and ''Iron'' by
Rona Munro
Rona Munro (born 7 September 1959) is a Scottish writer. She has written plays for theatre, radio, and television. Her film work includes Ken Loach's '' Ladybird, Ladybird'' (1994), '' Oranges and Sunshine'' (2010) for Jim Loach and '' Aimée ...
, Evans was sent to
Townsville
The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...
, Australia by the Traverse to take part in
World Interplay
World Interplay is the largest festival of young playwrights in the world. It is the peak activity of the Interplay organisation, and is held for two weeks every two years in Townsville, Australia. The first World Interplay was held in Sydney i ...
, a worldwide conference for young playwrights. There his first play ''A Girl in a Car with a Man'' was picked up by playwright
Simon Stephens
Simon Stephens (born 6 February 1971) is a British-Irish playwright, musician and Professor of Scriptwriting at Manchester Metropolitan University. Having taught on the Young Writers' Programme at the Royal Court Theatre for many years, he is ...
and subsequently produced 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 ...
in 2004 for which actor
Andrew Scott subsequently received the 2005
for his portrayal of Alex.
His work with People Can Run theatre company led to the writing of ''Aruba'' which, after a successful run at the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
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 ...
went on to tour the UK and play
off Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
.
His work for young people includes ''
Pinocchio
Pinocchio ( , ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel, ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a poor man named Geppetto in a Tuscan vil ...
'' (
Northampton Theatre Royal); Kappa, an adaptation of
Ben Rice's short story ''
Pobby and Dingan'', an adaptation of
Barry Hines
Melvin Barry Hines, FRSL (30 June 1939 – 18 March 2016) was an English author, playwright and screenwriter. His novels and screenplays explore the political and economic struggles of working-class Northern England, particularly in his native W ...
’
Kes and ''The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk'' for
Catherine Wheels Theatre Company
Catherine Wheels Theatre Company is a Scotland-based charitable organisation formed in 1999 by Artistic Director Gill Robertson. In 17 years, Catherine Wheels has shown more than 21 productions to an approximate total audience of over 500,000.
The ...
; ''
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...
'' for the
Sherman Cymru
The Sherman Theatre () is a venue in the Cathays district of Cardiff. It was built as a twin-auditorium venue in 1973 with financial support from University College Cardiff (now Cardiff University). Sherman Cymru was the name of the Sherman Thea ...
; ''Mikey and Addie'' for
London 2012 Festival
The 2012 Cultural Olympiad was a programme of cultural events across the United Kingdom that accompanied the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Paralympics. It included 500 events nationwide throughout the UK, spread over four years and culmina ...
.
Radio
His radio play ''The Cracks''
was broadcast on
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 ...
on Monday 6 September 2010.
His abridgement of ''A Patriot for Us'' by John Helpern was broadcast on 8 May 2006.
Awards
He was nominated for the
Brian Way Award for ''The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk''.
He is the winner of the 2010 TMA Award for Best show for Children and Young people for ''Pobby and Dingan''.
Publication
His work in the UK is published by
Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber Limited, commonly known as Faber & Faber or simply Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, C. S. Lewis, Margaret S ...
,
Samuel French
Samuel French (1821–1898) was an American entrepreneur who, together with British actor, playwright and theatrical manager Thomas Hailes Lacy, pioneered in the field of theatrical publishing and the licensing
A license (American Englis ...
and
Oberon
Oberon () is a king of the fairy, fairies in Middle Ages, medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania ...
and in France by L'Arche (éditeur).
External links
* Website: http://www.nationaltheatreofrob.co.uk
* Agent: http://www.casarotto.co.uk/client/rob-evans-12614
* Theatre Scotland: http://www.theatrescotland.com/Scottish-theatre-artists/Playwrights/E.html
* Doolee: http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsE/evans-rob.html#146604
Sources
* TMA Award: http://www.tmauk.org/newsandpress/Article.aspx?article=421
* Faber and Faber: http://www.faber.co.uk/catalog/a-girl-in-a-car-with-a-man/9780571227174
* Samuel French: https://samuelfrench-london.co.uk/frenchs-acting-editions/titles-come
* l'Arche (editeur): http://www.arche-editeur.com/publications-catalogue.php?livre=597
* London 2012 Festival: http://www.imaginate.org.uk/FESTIVAL/shows/mikeyandaddie.php
* Brian Way Award nomination: http://blogs.thestage.co.uk/education/2011/04/keith-sahas-ghost-boy-wins-top-award/
* http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts-ents/stage-visual-arts/kes-soars-on-stage-1.1124318
* https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3632661/Tantalising-journey-through-a-nightmare.html
* http://www.schaubuehne.de/de_DE/program/repertoire/9142
* Swedish production of Pondlife McGurk http://www.mittiprickteatern.se/show.php?showId=83
* German agent: http://www.rowohlt-theaterverlag.de/theater/magazin/335105
* http://www.radiolistings.co.uk/programmes/p/pa/patriot_for_us__a.html
* http://www.spectator.co.uk/arts/22115/honest-john/
* http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/37815/peter-pan
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Robert
Living people
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
People from Penarth
1978 births
Welsh male dramatists and playwrights