PLAYS, BOOKS - WRITTEN, PUBLISHED
and PERFORMED; PRIZES.
 
   
  1950 - 1960
   
1950 (Circa) And After Today – play written for amateur drama group ‘The Query Players’ to which A.W belonged. Never performed. Precursor to Chicken Soup with Barley.
 

 

1951 The Reed That Bent. A novel. Unpublished but used as the basis for ‘Chips With Everything’. Begun 30 April finished 17 August. The novel itself was drawn from assembled letters written to friends and family during 8 weeks of ‘square bashing’ as an RAF National Service conscript.
   
1955

Pools. A short story. Begun 16th October, finished following month.

   
1956

The Kitchen. No date on written MS. Probably begun in this year. Entered for The Observer Play competition in original form of two acts with no Interlude. No prizes.

   
1957 Life Is Where You Live. Musical written for Primrose Jewish Youth Club of which A.W. was the director. Fiona Castiglione, the granddaughter of the composer, Rutland Boughton, wrote four or five songs then gave up! June 1957.

Chicken Soup With Barley. First notes, circa early October 1957.
The play (first entitled ‘When the Wind Blows’) begun 8 October 1957.

   
1958 Chicken Soup With Barley. First presented at The Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, 7 July for one week, directed by John Dexter. Subsequently at The Royal Court, London on14th July for one week.

Roots. Begun 20th June. 2nd typed draft completed 29 October.

I’m Talking About Jerusalem. Begun 9 December. (1st typed draft dated 1st December 1959. 3rd typed draft dated 11th May 1960.

Pools. Printed in The Jewish Quarterly, Winter 58/59. Subsequently published 1963 in a collection ‘Modern Jewish Stories’ edited by Gerda Charles. Faber & Faber.

   
1959 The Kitchen. First presented as a Sunday Night ‘Production Without Décor’ at The Royal Court Theatre, directed by John Dexter. Due to enormity of cast and effort it played for two Sunday Nights – 6 and 13 September.

Roots. First presented at The Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, on 25 May, directed by John Dexter. Transferred to The Royal Court Theatre on 30 June, and subsequently to The Duke of York’s on 30 July. Due to it being the hottest summer in decades the play had to fold after some weeks.

   
1959 / 1960 Life Is A Market. A musical. Commissioned by Jack Hylton. Music by Dave Lee. Subsequently renamed Stand Up! Stand Up! Never performed.
   
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