Lance Woodman: Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom.
Playwright, performer, teacher and heritage interpreter.
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I’m a playwright and occasional performer.
I’ve been writing plays since 1992. I’ve had four main stage professional productions: two hour-long plays, The Same River and Inheritance (both Worcester Swan Theatre, 2001), and two full length plays: Red Skies Over the Severn (Worcester Swan Theatre, 2001), and Upside Down and Back to Front, commissioned and produced by artworcs in February 2005 (details below).
Recently I’ve been writing short performance pieces for art\write. In 2016 and 2017 I wrote and performed Thinking Inside the Box, Cacophony and I wish you had met him. In June 2018 I upped the ante with a two-person show the point of light. For 2019 I wrote a 3-hander for art\write’s unframed show. In 2020… ahh…
I was commissioned by Birmingham Repertory Theatre to write a play, Rolling News, based on a 24 hour television news channel. This play was never produced but did have some workshop shows.
I’ve written (or helped devise) several plays for young people. The most popular of these, now, has had several productions. I’ve also worked on, performed in and written large cast community plays.
In 2002/3 I was Pearson writer-in-residence first with Worcester Swan Theatre and then, after its closure, with New Theatre Works in Hereford.
In 2004 I was a member of BBC Radio Drama’s Sparks writers group. BBC Radio 4 then commissioned me to adapt Upside Down and Back to Front for their Afternoon Play slot. The play was broadcast on 14 November 2006. I was also commissioned to write a drama documentary about cycling and jazz called The Climb. It featured original music by – and an interview with – Soweto Kinch. It was broadcast on 4 July 2007.
In 2003 conceptual artist Sheila Farrell, arts administrator Deborah Rees, radio producer and theatre director Peter Leslie Wild and I co-founded the arts production company artworcs. artworcs commissioned and produced Upside Down and Back to Front – at The Number 8 Community Arts Centre, Pershore (February 2005). The play is inspired by photography and storytelling.
I have directed public rehearsed readings of plays by other writers including work by Mo Murrie, Rose Miller, Nicola Jones and Martin Drury.
From 2011 to 2017 I worked as a Live Interpreter at the National Trust’s Bodiam Castle in East Sussex. I researched, wrote and performed formal and informal presentations and engaged in informal, and informed, conversation. In 2013 I worked as a freelance Live Interpreter working with Past Pleasures Ltd.
Education and training experience
I have taught drama and playwriting at postgraduate, undergraduate and adult education level. I worked as a sessional lecturer at Brighton University‘s Hastings Campus teaching IT students. I was on Birkbeck College‘s panel of lecturers for Creative Writing. I was a part-time drama lecturer at Birmingham City University. I was a sessional lecturer at Brunel University, teaching Writing for Performance. I have also worked at the University of Worcester, the University of Birmingham and the University of Westminster.
I’ve been a youth theatre leader, a writing workshop leader, adult course leader and a writer’s mentor. I have been a script reader for several companies and playwriting organisations.
Education
2000: MA in Playwriting Studies from the University of Birmingham
1997: BA (Hons) in Drama (with IT) from University College Worcester (first)
Publications
Catesby, D., Shaw, K. and Woodman, L. (2013), The Worcester Century Plays, Bexhill: n.p.
Roberts, D. and Woodman, L. (1998), “A Corpus Linguistics Study of the Theatre Review: First Steps” in Studies in Theatre Production 18, pp. 6-28 (available online)
Woodman, L. (2013), Upside Down and Back to Front, Bexhill: n.p
Woodman, L. (2013), Red Skies Over the Severn, Bexhill: n.p.
Woodman, L. (2013), Three Plays for Youth Theatre
Woodman, L. (2004), “Wall” (short story) in Raw Edge Magazine 19, autumn/winter 2004/05, p. 12.
Lance Woodman 