WELCOME to THEATRE PLAYS UK
This website brings together a variety of elements all with the theatre in common.
In the SCRIPTSTORE you will find original scripts written by Paul Smith & a few by Rod Dungate – all these may be downloaded and performance licence applications can be made on the appropriate part of the website.
You will also find the theatre reviews of Cormac Richards and articles written along the way. The biggest element of the website is our BOOKSHOP – an online store of many hundreds of theatre scripts and books about the theatre – we always have many 100s not on display, so do ask! The Bookshop helps pay for the upkeep of the website – it is not a huge profit making business – we do welcome donations of good condition, unwanted scripts or musical scores – just drop us an email!
I am indebted to Mohamed El Amine Sari for all his hard work in bringing this website to life.
PAUL SMITH
Paul Smith was raised in South London and studied Ancient History and Ancient Greek at university. He currently resides in Devon, UK.
He has acted in and directed many plays and musicals; his highlight, playing ‘Bottom’ in ‘ A Midsummer Nights Dream’ at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre on the South Bank of the River Thames. Amongst his directing assignments are; ‘Fiddler on the Roof’, ‘The Life & Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby’, ‘The Bacchae’, ‘Anything Goes’, ‘Blue Remembered Hills’, ‘Calendar Girls’ & ‘Singin’ in the Rain’. His performances also include; Seymour in ‘Little Shop of Horrors’, Guy Burgess in ‘An Englishman Abroad’, Koko in ‘The Mikado’, Nicholas Nickleby in ‘The Life & Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby’, Juror 3 in ’12 Angry Men’ and The Cat in ‘Honk’ As well as Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Paul has performed and/or directed at The Minack Theatre – Cornwall, The Harlequin Theatre – Redhill, The Ashcroft Theatre – Croydon and The Epsom Playhouse.
Paul set up SMITH SCRIPTS in 2014 as somewhere he could market his own scripts. It became a catalogue of over 1200 scripts from writers across the globe with productions resulting in many countries as well. With the business very much affected by the 2020 Covid pandemic, sadly Paul closed the company in December 2021.
Paul’s own writing still features and crosses a broad spectrum of Farce, Pantomime, Historical works and short pithy dramas.
MOHAMED EL AMINE SARI
Amine is a Masters student in Computer Engineering at the Algerian National Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineering.
Originally from Oued Fodda – Chlef, in Algeria, he is delighted to have worked with Paul on building this website. This is his first project of this type and is looking forward to developing his skills and helping Paul promote his writings.
If you are interested in finding out more about Amine’s work, please contact him at medelaminesari@gmail.com.
ROD DUNGATE
Rod is a playwright, poet and director. His plays have been performed across the UK and on Radio 4. Poetry has been published in a variety of magazines; he also performs his poetry. Examples of the are on YouTube.
In 1992 his Playing by the Rules was awarded the Mentorn tV Best New Play Award, and was produced in the US and published by Methuen in Gay Plays 5.
Rod is editor of ReviewsGate.co.uk, a performance review site he created in 2001 and is Artistic Director of DD Arts Birmingham Ltd.
Rod has taught widely, working with all ages from 5 years upwards. At university level he works with under-graduates and post graduates; he is a Senior Fellow Advance (HE). Rod leads workshops on both poetry and play writing; he is experienced with one-to-one tuition.
Rod argues there should be no value difference between high art and popular art; That this is a false distinction. But he believes there is a difference between good art and poor art. He also believes all art is, one way or another, political. While artists must work within the law, he says artists must challenge received wisdoms. ‘Causing offence,’ he says, ’is valueless criticism; to cause offence is one of the tools in an artist’s toolbox.’
Rod has worked for a life-time in his creative areas. He continues to do this, now, as a person living with severe vision impairment. ‘I have no intention of letting this get in the way,’ he states.
