Theatre Writing Career

An established theatrical playwright, Shearman has worked with Alan Ayckbourn, had a play produced by Francis Ford Coppola, and caustic comedieshas received several international awards for his work in theatre. Award-winning plays include Fool to Yourself, which premiered at
the Stephen Joseph Theatre in 1997, and which won the inaugural Sophie Winter Memorial Trust Award, 'Easy Laughter', (Sunday Times Playwriting Award), 'Coupling', (World Drama Trust Award), 'Binary Dreamers', (Guinness Award for Theatre Ingenuity, in association with the Royal National Theatre). In 1993 he was made resident dramatist at the Northcott Theatre in Exeter, the youngest playwright to be honoured by the Arts Council in this way, and for them he wrote a series of plays, including his controversial comic fable about God living in suburbia, 'Breaking Bread Together', which later was revived in London. His association with his mentor, Alan Ayckbourn, has been particularly fruitful, with 'White Lies', 'About Colin', and 'Knights in Plastic Armour' proving especially popular.

At this time Shearman was also encouraged to become a director for the theatre, largely reviving productions of his work abroad; in the 1990s he had a recurring engagement with the Teatro Agora in Rome, and, in 2007, the revival he directed of his comedy 'Shaw Cornered', was the stand-out hit as international guest at the Old World Theatre Festival in Delhi.

See his full bibliography here.

AFTERNOON PLAY

  • "About Colin" (2 February 2000)
  • "Inappropriate Behaviour" (17 August 2002)
  • "Afternoons with Roger" (11 June 2003)
  • "Forever Mine" (14 June 2004)
  • "Teacher's Pet" (28 June 2005)
  • "Towards the End of the Morning" (4 & 11 September 2005)
  • "Odd" (19 April 2006)

 

SELECTED THEATRE WORKS

  • Dented Crowns (1991)
  • Couplings (1991)
  • Easy Laughter (1992)*
  • Breaking Bread Together (1993)
  • The Mayor of Casterbridge (adapted from Hardy) (1993)
  • The Magical Tales of the Brothers Grimm (1993)
  • White Lies (1994)*
  • Great Expectations (adapted from Dickens) (1994)
  • Fool to Yourself (1995)*
  • Binary Dreamers (1996)*
  • Mercy Killings (1997)
  • About Colin (1998)
  • Desperate Remedies (adapted from Hardy) (1998)
  • Jekyll and Hyde (adapted from Stevenson) (1998)
  • Knights in Plastic Armour (1999)*
  • Inappropriate Behaviour (2000)*
  • Pride and Prejudice (adapted from Austen) (2000)
  • Shaw Cornered (2001)*

 

*Published in Caustic Comedies.