Writer of School plays and more!
Working in the Following Genres:
Pantomime
Plays With (Optional) Music
Stage Shows for Schools and Youth Theatre
Full-Length Plays
One-Act Plays
Sketches, Skits or Very Short Plays
Geoff Bamber became a primary school teacher because, at the time, he could not think of anything else to do and assumed that it would only be temporary employment until he found a proper job. After more years than he cares to remember he realised that the proper job was not about to materialise so he gave up teaching anyway to concentrate on writing, clearing out his garage and pottering about aimlessly. He started devising plays for his pupils for no better reason than it looked good fun. His view is that, for many people, the 'school play' is the nearest they ever get to live theatre, either as performers or audience members, and, if nothing else, such enterprises serve as an antidote to the education system's never-ending desire to take itself too seriously. |
Most of Geoff's plays for youth theatre organisations and schools are designed for casts of 10 to 14 year-olds but can be adapted for older age groups. This applies particularly to his selection of pantomimes which are often done by adult groups. His plays can be produced with very little in the way of stage furniture or sound and lighting equipment. His material has been used extensively in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia as well as over fifty other countries. |
Geoff has also produced and directed musical productions for children and contributed poems and even songs to a range of presentations. He lists his interest as football (he became a follower of Chelsea in the days when they had no money), rugby (his undistinguished playing career was cut short by a combination of old-age, injury, cowardice and lack of any real talent) and pub quizzes (at which he enjoys some success due to an obsession with useless information at the expense of knowing anything of any value.) His cultural icons are the singer Robert Palmer and the novelist Tom Sharpe. His main theatrical influences are the Whitehall farces of Brian Rix and the films of Will Hay. He believes that the greatest book ever written in the English language was Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat. |
Geoff delights in adding twists to familiar stories - thus in Cinders, the handsome prince runs off with an older woman, leaving Cinderella with a much better match, whilst in Hood, Marian is cheerfully abandoned to the ruthless Sheriff. Geoff seldom lets historical accuracy get in the way of a good story. Thus mobile phones and Satnav devices appear in his Shakespearean adaptations. He has also written a number of plays in the comedy/farce genre for use by adult amateur dramatic societies as well as several novels available in both digital and written formats. (Unfortunately he can't find anyone willing to admit that they have read any of them!) |
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