# Samuel Adamson > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Samuel_Adamson > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Samuel_Adamson.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Adamson > Source revision: 1340631423 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Australian playwright}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}} {{Use Australian English|date=May 2015}} {{Infobox person | name = | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|54|2024|11|07}} | birth_place = [Adelaide](/source/Adelaide), Australia | death_date = | death_place = | other_names = | occupation = [Playwright](/source/Playwright) | years_active = 1996– | known_for = ''Clocks and Whistles'' (1996)
''[All About My Mother](/source/All_About_My_Mother)'' (2007)
''Wife'' (2019) | notable_works = }} '''Samuel Adamson''' (born {{birth based on age as of date|54|2024|11|07|noage=yes}}) is an Australian [playwright](/source/playwright) based in [London](/source/London), England. Productions of his plays have been staged at the [Bush Theatre](/source/Bush_Theatre), [The Old Vic](/source/The_Old_Vic), [Almeida Theatre](/source/Almeida_Theatre), and the [Royal National Theatre](/source/Royal_National_Theatre). In November 2024, his adaptation of [Peter Carey](/source/Peter_Carey_(novelist))'s novel ''[Jack Maggs](/source/Jack_Maggs)'' is being staged by the [State Theatre Company of South Australia](/source/State_Theatre_Company_of_South_Australia) in [Adelaide](/source/Adelaide). ==Early life and education== Samuel Adamson was born in Adelaide, [South Australia](/source/South_Australia), in {{birth based on age as of date|54|2024|11|07|noage=yes}}, to parents Scott and Mary Ann.{{cite interview|first=Samuel |last=Adamson| interviewer-first=Genevieve| interviewer-last=Meegan| title=Adelaide playwright's special homecoming with Jack Maggs |website=[InDaily](/source/InDaily)|date=7 November 2024 |url=https://www.indailysa.com.au/inreview/theatre/2024/11/07/adelaide-playwrights-special-homecoming-with-jack-maggs |access-date=9 November 2024}} He grew up on a farm in [Victor Harbor](/source/Victor_Harbor%2C_South_Australia), and went to boarding school at [Prince Alfred College](/source/Prince_Alfred_College) in Adelaide. He later credited his English teacher Jane Nelson with inspiring him to become a playwright, after his class had to write an assignment called "The 18th Summer". It was to be a scene dramatising what might happen in the future, relating to their study of the play ''[Summer of the Seventeenth Doll](/source/Summer_of_the_Seventeenth_Doll)'', by Australian playwright [Ray Lawler](/source/Ray_Lawler). Adamson studied history at the [University of Adelaide](/source/University_of_Adelaide), before moving to London in his early twenties, in 1991.{{cite web |title=Samuel Adamson |website=[AusStage](/source/AusStage) |url=https://ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/423456 |access-date=10 November 2024| quote=Australian playwright who has lived and worked in London, England since 1991.}} He wrote secretly at school and university, but did not tell anyone about his writings at that time. ==Career== ===Stage=== In June 1989 he acted in the play ''[Fathers and Sons](/source/Fathers_and_Sons_(play))'' in an [Independent Theatre](/source/Independent_Theatre_(Adelaide)) production directed by [Rob Croser](/source/Rob_Croser) at [Theatre 62](/source/Theatre_62), in the Adelaide suburb of [Hilton](/source/Hilton%2C_South_Australia). The play was written by Irish dramatist [Brian Friel](/source/Brian_Friel) and based on the [novel of the same name](/source/Fathers_and_Sons_(novel)) by [Ivan Turgenev](/source/Ivan_Turgenev).{{cite web |title=Fathers and Sons |website=[AusStage](/source/AusStage) |url=https://ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/74500 |access-date=10 November 2024}} The following year he performed in another Independent Theatre production, this time [Joe Orton](/source/Joe_Orton)'s 1965 play ''[Loot](/source/Loot_(play))''.{{cite web |title=Loot |website=AusStage |url=https://ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/74362 |access-date=10 November 2024}} Adamson's debut play was ''Clocks and Whistles'' at the [Bush Theatre](/source/Bush_Theatre) in 1996, directed by Bush artistic director [Dominic Dromgoole](/source/Dominic_Dromgoole) and with a cast including [Kate Beckinsale](/source/Kate_Beckinsale). It won rave reviews,{{cite interview|first=Samuel |last=Adamson| interviewer-first=Jasper | interviewer-last= Rees |title='Chuffed? That's an understatement' |website=[The Telegraph](/source/The_Daily_Telegraph) |date=1 February 2006 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/drama/3649793/Chuffed-Thats-an-understatement.html |access-date=9 November 2024| quote=Adamson was 26 when his debut, Clocks and Whistles, about fragile friendships among twentysomethings and starring Kate Beckinsale, won rave reviews at the Bush in 1996.}} and was later produced in Germany and New York. The play led to him becoming Pearson Writer in Residence at the Bush from 1997 to 1998.{{cite web |title=Samuel Adamson, playwright |url=https://amberlanepress.com/adamson_samuel.htm |website= Amber Lane Press |access-date=9 November 2024}}{{cite web |title=All About My Mother (Paperback) |website=Jarrolds |date=17 September 2024 |url=https://www.jarrolds.co.uk/departments/books/poetry%248-language-and-literature-books/drama-texts-plays-and-screenplays-books/all-about-my-mother-paperback-9780571239528 |access-date=9 November 2024}} Adamson's second play was ''Grace Note'', produced in 1997 for the [Peter Hall Company](/source/Peter_Hall_Company) at the [Old Vic](/source/Old_Vic), starring [Geraldine McEwan](/source/Geraldine_McEwan), which was also directed by Dromgoole, but it did not receive high praise from reviewers.{{cite web |last=Wolf |first=Matt |title=Grace Note |website=Variety |date=3 August 1997 |url=https://variety.com/1997/legit/reviews/grace-note-2-1200450865/ |access-date=9 November 2024}} His next play was ''Drink, Dance, Laugh and Lie'' at the Bush in 1999.[https://archive.today/20110911043116/http://www.breakfastattiffanys.co.uk/cast_creative/creative/sam_adamson/ Breakfast at Tiffany's] List of works from the programme, Theatre Royal Haymarket, September 2009. He has written versions of [Henrik Ibsen](/source/Henrik_Ibsen)'s plays. ''[A Doll's House](/source/A_Doll's_House)'', directed by [Thea Sharrock](/source/Thea_Sharrock), was the tenth anniversary production at [Southwark Playhouse](/source/Southwark_Playhouse), London, in 2003,[https://web.archive.org/web/20160303205734/http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/otherresources/interviews/TheaSharrock.htm "If the profession wants me to stay I'd love to"] - Interview with Thea Sharrock, 2003. while ''[Pillars of the Community](/source/Pillars_of_the_Community)'' was staged in 2005 at the [Royal National Theatre](/source/Royal_National_Theatre).{{cite book |last1=Ibsen |first1=H. |last2=Adamson |first2=S. |title=Pillars of the Community |publisher=Faber |series=Bramwell Collection |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-571-23155-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aV-mQgAACAAJ |access-date=9 November 2024 |page=}} He also adapted two plays by [Anton Chekhov](/source/Anton_Chekhov) for tours for the [Oxford Stage Company](/source/Headlong_(theatre_company)), both directed by [Dominic Dromgoole](/source/Dominic_Dromgoole): ''[Three Sisters](/source/Three_Sisters_(play))'', which transferred to the Whitehall Theatre, and ''[The Cherry Orchard](/source/The_Cherry_Orchard)'', which moved to the [Riverside Studios](/source/Riverside_Studios). He adapted Bernhard Studlar's ''Vienna Dreaming'' at the National Theatre Studio and [Arthur Schnitzler](/source/Arthur_Schnitzler)'s ''Professor Bernhardi'' for Dumbfounded Theatre at the [Arcola Theatre](/source/Arcola_Theatre) in 2005 and also on BBC Radio 3. He also wrote ''Tomorrow Week'' for BBC Radio 3. Adamson's play ''Southwark Fair'' was directed at the [Royal National Theatre](/source/Royal_National_Theatre) in 2005 by artistic director [Nicholas Hytner](/source/Nicholas_Hytner), starring [Rory Kinnear](/source/Rory_Kinnear), [Margaret Tyzack](/source/Margaret_Tyzack) and [Con O'Neill](/source/Con_O'Neill_(actor)). This was the first full-length work written by him to be staged in close to nine years. It was staged in [Melbourne](/source/Melbourne) in 2011. His one-woman play ''Some Kind of Bliss'' was performed by [Lucy Briers](/source/Lucy_Briers) at the National Theatre in 2006 and then at the [Trafalgar Studios](/source/Trafalgar_Studios) in 2007. He also wrote ''Fish and Company'' for the [National Youth Theatre](/source/National_Youth_Theatre) and [Soho Theatre](/source/Soho_Theatre). In 2005 he contributed to the 24-Hour Plays at the Old Vic and in 2007 to ''A Chain Play'' at the [Almeida Theatre](/source/Almeida_Theatre). ''[All About My Mother](/source/All_About_My_Mother)'', his stage adaptation of [Pedro Almodóvar](/source/Pedro_Almod%C3%B3var)'s film ''[Todo sobre mi madre](/source/Todo_sobre_mi_madre)'', was produced to great acclaim at the Old Vic in 2007, starring [Lesley Manville](/source/Lesley_Manville) and [Diana Rigg](/source/Diana_Rigg).[https://web.archive.org/web/20100420074325/http://www.oldvictheatre.com/whatson.php?id=36 "All About My Mother"], Old Vic. (archived 2010). It was later staged by the [Melbourne Theatre Company](/source/Melbourne_Theatre_Company). It was performed at the [Odeon Theatre, Norwood](/source/Odeon_Theatre%2C_Norwood), in Adelaide in 2011. His play ''Mrs Affleck'', inspired by Ibsen's ''[Little Eyolf](/source/Little_Eyolf)'', opened at the [Cottesloe Theatre](/source/Cottesloe_Theatre) in January 2009, directed by Marianne Elliott and starring [Claire Skinner](/source/Claire_Skinner).[https://web.archive.org/web/20081216043102/http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/mrsaffleck "Mrs Affleck"][https://web.archive.org/web/20090123055331/http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/?lid=43109 Samuel Adamson talks about his new play in the Cottesloe Theatre] His adaptation of [Truman Capote](/source/Truman_Capote)'s ''[Breakfast at Tiffany's](/source/Breakfast_at_Tiffany's_(novella))'', starring [Anna Friel](/source/Anna_Friel) and directed by [Sean Mathias](/source/Sean_Mathias), opened at the [Theatre Royal Haymarket](/source/Theatre_Royal_Haymarket), London in September 2009.{{cite web |last=Shenton |first=Mark |title=Breakfast at Tiffany's Begins Performances at Theatre Royal Haymarket with Friel and Cross |website=Playbill |date=9 September 2009 |url=https://playbill.com/article/breakfast-at-tiffanys-begins-performances-at-theatre-royal-haymarket-with-friel-and-cross-com-164227 |access-date=9 November 2024}}{{cite web |last=Fisher |first=Philip |title=Theatre review: Breakfast at Tiffany's at Theatre Royal, Haymarket |website=British Theatre Guide |date=1 January 2009 |url=https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/breakfasttiff-rev |access-date=9 November 2024}} ''A Quiet Island'' was due to open at the Almeida in 2009, directed by Indhu Rubasingham, but was postponed owing to a clash of commitments.{{cite web |title=A Quiet Island at Almeida no longer happening. |website=London Theatre |date=8 June 2016 |url=https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/news/a-quiet-island-at-almeida-no-longer-happening |access-date=9 November 2024}}{{cite web |last=Shenton |first=Mark |title=Mrs. Klein Revival Replaces A Quiet Island World Premiere on Almeida Theatre Schedule |website=[Playbill](/source/Playbill) |date=15 May 2009 |url=https://playbill.com/article/mrs-klein-revival-replaces-a-quiet-island-world-premiere-on-almeida-theatre-schedule-com-160928 |access-date=9 November 2024}} His play ''Frank and Ferdinand'', an interpretation of the story of the [Pied Piper](/source/Pied_Piper_of_Hamelin), was part of the National Theatre Connections Festival in 2011,{{cite web |title=National Theatre Connections: Plays for Young People: Frank & Ferdinand;...| date=2011 |website=Concord Theatricals |url=https://www.concordtheatricals.co.uk/s/47198/national-theatre-connections-plays-for-young-people-frank-ferdinand-gap-cloud-busting-those-legs-shooting-truth-bassett-gargantua-children-of-killers-the-beauty-manifesto-too-fast-2011 |access-date=9 November 2024}} and was performed by young amateur companies all over Britain.{{cite web |title=Islington Community |website=Chloe Kenward |url=https://www.chloekenward.com/frank-and-fendiand-islington-commun |access-date=9 November 2024}}{{cite web |title=Children of Killers/Frank & Ferdinand/Those Legs/Gap, National |website=The Standard |date=10 April 2012 |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/theatre/children-of-killers-frank-ferdinand-those-legs-gap-national-cotteseloe-review-7439495.html |access-date=9 November 2024}}{{cite web |last=Hanks |first=Charlie |title=Frank and Ferdinand: 2 star review by Charlie Hanks |website=West End and Regional Theatre Tickets & Reviews from Broadway Baby |date=7 August 2012 |url=https://broadwaybaby.com/shows/frank-and-ferdinand/16710 |access-date=9 November 2024}} Also in 2011, Adamson wrote a short play for the production ''[Decade](/source/Decade_(play))'', commissioned by [Rupert Goold](/source/Rupert_Goold) for his company Headlong, performed at [St Katharine Docks](/source/St_Katharine_Docks) and directed by Goold.{{cite web |last=Billington |first=Michael |title=Decade |website=The Guardian |date=8 September 2011 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2011/sep/09/decade-review |access-date=9 November 2024}} In collaboration with trumpeter [Alison Balsom](/source/Alison_Balsom) Adamson devised ''Gabriel'', a play using the music of ''[The Fairy Queen](/source/The_Fairy-Queen)'' and other pieces by [Henry Purcell](/source/Henry_Purcell), staged as part of the 2013 summer season at [Shakespeare's Globe](/source/Shakespeare's_Globe).{{cite journal|last=Halliburton|first=Rachel|title=Gabriel|journal=[Time Out](/source/Time_Out_(magazine))|date=22 July 2013|url=http://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/gabriel|accessdate=17 August 2013}} The play was directed by Dominic Dromgoole and the cast included Alison Balsom, [Sam Cox](/source/Sam_Cox_(actor)), and [Jessie Buckley](/source/Jessie_Buckley).{{cite web| url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022154057/http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/38777/gabriel| archive-date= 22 Oct 2013| title= Gabriel|date= 22 July 2013 |first=Natasha |last=Tripney| url-status=live| website=[The Stage](/source/The_Stage)}} He then worked with American singer [Tori Amos](/source/Tori_Amos) on the [musical](/source/musical_theatre) ''[The Light Princess](/source/The_Light_Princess_(musical))'', based on the [George MacDonald](/source/George_MacDonald) story ''[The Light Princess](/source/The_Light_Princess)'', staged at the National Theatre in 2013.{{cite web |last=Benedict |first=David |title=West End Review: 'The Light Princess' |website=[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine)) |date=10 October 2013 |url=https://variety.com/2013/legit/reviews/west-end-review-the-light-princess-1200712342/ |access-date=9 November 2024}}{{cite web |title=The Light Princess |website=Edgerton Foundation New Play Awards |date=15 September 2013 |url=https://circle.tcg.org/edgertonfoundationnewplayawards/2013/the-light-princess?ssopc=1 |access-date=9 November 2024}}{{cite web |title=The Light Princess |website=[WhatsOnStage.com](/source/WhatsOnStage.com) |date=10 October 2013 |url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/the-light-princess_32236.html/ |access-date=9 November 2024}} In 2016, Adamson's adaptation of [Michael Morpurgo](/source/Michael_Morpurgo)'s children's novel ''[Running Wild](/source/Running_Wild_(novel))'' was staged at the [Regent's Park Open Air Theatre](/source/Regent's_Park_Open_Air_Theatre). Directed by [Timothy Sheader](/source/Timothy_Sheader) and Dale Rooks, this was the largest scale production ever presented at the theatre, featuring a cast of 40 young people as well as life-sized [puppet](/source/puppet) animals.{{cite web |title=Running Wild (2016) |website=[Open Air Theatre](/source/Regent's_Park_Open_Air_Theatre) |url=https://openairtheatreheritage.com/productions/running-wild/WU0ysigAADpAkzsN |access-date=10 November 2024}} In 2019, his play ''Wife'' (based on Ibsen's ''A Doll's House'') was staged at the [Kiln Theatre](/source/Kiln_Theatre) in [Kilburn](/source/Kilburn%2C_London), London.{{cite web |title=Wife |website=Kiln Theatre |date=20 June 2019 |url=https://kilntheatre.com/whats-on/wife/ |access-date=9 November 2024}}{{cite web |last=Billington |first=Michael |title=Wife review – rousing look at 60 years of sexual identity |website=the Guardian |date=5 June 2019 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/jun/05/wife-review-kiln-london-samuel-adamson |access-date=9 November 2024}}{{cite web |last=Bassett |first=Harvey |title=Review: Wife at Kiln Theatre |website=[Exeunt Magazine](/source/Exeunt_Magazine) |date=7 June 2019 |url=https://exeuntmagazine.com/reviews/review-wife-kiln-theatre/ |access-date=9 November 2024}} In August 2020, a production of ''Wife'' was presented by the Seoul Metropolitan Theater Company in [Seoul](/source/Seoul), Korea, directed by Shin Yoo-chung and featuring an ensemble that included actress [Son Ji-yoon](/source/Son_Ji-yoon).{{cite web |last=Dong-hee |first=Hwang |title=[Herald Review] 'Wife': A look at 90 years of shifting notions of marriage |website=The Korea Herald |date=23 January 2024 |url=https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20240123000765 |access-date=9 November 2024}}{{Cite web |last=박 |first=은희 |date=2020-06-23 |title=서울시극단, 연극 '와이프' 앙코르...손지윤·우범진·송광일 합류 |url=https://www.inews24.com/view/1275737 |access-date=2023-08-26 |website=아이뉴스24 |language=ko}} It was performed several times, including at [Daehangno](/source/Daehangno) Arts Theater, and sold out.{{cite web |title=[TRANS] 200812 LGBT's "The Story of All Nora" in the World, the Play "Wife" Review. |website=Musical in Life |date=12 August 2020 |url=https://musicalholic21.wordpress.com/2020/08/12/trans-200812-lgbts-the-story-of-all-nora-in-the-world-the-play-wife-review/ |access-date=10 November 2024}} In 2024, also at the Kiln, his musical ''The Ballad of Hattie and James'' was staged.{{cite web |last=John |first=Emma |title=The Ballad of Hattie and James review – a musical friendship comes back into tune |website=The Guardian |date=19 April 2024 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2024/apr/19/the-ballad-of-hattie-and-james-review-a-musical-friendship-comes-back-into-tune |access-date=9 November 2024}}{{cite web |title=The Ballad of Hattie and James |website=English Touring Theatre |date=20 May 2024 |url=https://ett.org.uk/our-work/the-ballad-of-hattie-and-james/ |access-date=9 November 2024}} It was directed by Richard Twyman and starred [Charles Edwards](/source/Charles_Edwards_(actor)), [Sophie Thompson](/source/Sophie_Thompson), and [Suzette Llewellyn](/source/Suzette_Llewellyn).{{cite web |last=Adamson |first=Samuel |title=The Ballad of Hattie and James |website=Kiln Theatre |date=24 May 2024 |url=https://kilntheatre.com/whats-on/the-ballad-of-hattie-and-james/ |access-date=9 November 2024}} Adamson names this production and ''Wife'' at the Kiln as "real career highlights". In March 2019, Adamson started a collaboration with [Geordie Brookman](/source/Geordie_Brookman), former director of the [State Theatre Company of South Australia](/source/State_Theatre_Company_of_South_Australia) (STCSA), who had recently resigned and moved to [Berlin](/source/Berlin), and the new STCSA artistic director, [Mitchell Butel](/source/Mitchell_Butel), on a stage adaptation of [Peter Carey](/source/Peter_Carey_(novelist))'s novel ''[Jack Maggs](/source/Jack_Maggs)''. The novel is a reworking of the [Dickens](/source/Charles_Dickens) novel ''[Great Expectations](/source/Great_Expectations)'', set in 19th-century London. Owing to the [COVID-19 pandemic](/source/COVID-19_pandemic), much of their work was done over [Zoom](/source/Zoom_(software)). The production will be staged by the STCSA at the [Dunstan Playhouse](/source/Dunstan_Playhouse) from 15 to 30 November 2024, starring Mark Saturno, Ahunim Abebe, [James Smith](/source/James_Smith_(Australian_actor)), and [Nathan O'Keefe](/source/Nathan_O'Keefe_(actor)), Jacqy Philips, Rachel Burke, Jelena Nicdao, and Dale March, and directed by Brookman.{{cite web |title=Jack Maggs |website=State Theatre Company |date=7 November 2024 |url=https://statetheatrecompany.com.au/shows/jack-maggs/ |access-date=9 November 2024}} Adamson remains in Adelaide for the duration of the production. ===Film=== Adamson wrote the [screenplay](/source/screenplay) for the 2007 short film, ''Running For River'', starring [Romola Garai](/source/Romola_Garai) and directed by Angus Jackson,{{cite web |title=Running For River |website=Angus Jackson Director and Writer |url=https://www.angusjackson.com/projects/project-one-3wb4e-mtmhs-7z5ba |access-date=9 November 2024}} but has said that he is not interested in writing for film or television, preferring the stage. ==Personal life== Adamson has a brother, David (who is married to journalist and TV presenter [Jessica Adamson](/source/Jessica_Adamson)), and a sister Sally, both of whom live in Adelaide. His life partner is Richard. ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * [https://ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/423456 Samuel Adamson] on [AusStage](/source/AusStage) * [https://www.whatsonstage.com/?s=samuel+adamson&submit=Search Search on Samuel Adamson] on ''What's on Stage'' {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Adamson, Samuel}} Category:English dramatists and playwrights Category:Writers from Adelaide Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:English male dramatists and playwrights --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Samuel Adamson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Adamson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Adamson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.