Working in the Following Genres:
Full-Length Plays
One-Act Plays
Graham Dillistone started writing plays early on in his life. The original London production of The Caretaker made a strong impression on him, and he began producing dialogue that was superficially trivial but full of hidden meaning. He wrote a sub-Pinteresque comedy of menace which miraculously drew the attention of the great theatrical agent Peggy Ramsay, although not quite in the way he would have liked. ‘The author is,’ she said in her report to a colleague, ‘a skilled professional writer, but not in touch with the kind of plays being written today.’ So that was the end of Graham’s avant garde period. In due course he went back to more traditional dramatic structures for guidance, with Shaw and Ibsen as the main influences. |
With the novel, meanwhile, he had some small success. C. P. Snow, the novelist and scientist, read his futurist political thriller, The Devil’s Engineering, (written under the pseudonym Richard Stone) and gave it a strong endorsement. This enabled him to secure publication in the UK and also in Germany. A second novel, The Death Program, was published in Germany. |
In his work for the stage he has always preferred comedy. Lions Versus Elephants has roles for 2 males and 2 females in the 25-45 age bracket. The action takes place in Bernard's south London flat, the slightly chaotic living space of an IT-obsessed bachelor. Bernard's friend Gerald, a charming but irresponsible salesman, reveals that he has been offered a job in sales management, but his wife, Ann, points out that he is a salesman, not a manager. He takes the job anyway. The subsequent disruptive arguments see Ann seeking sanctuary with Bernard, and Gerald seeking support from Ann's sister, Peggy. In due course Gerald is indeed proven incompetent and is fired. He realizes that Ann's support and guidance are essential to his survival, and he tries to entice her back. But Ann has begun to enjoy her newfound independence... |
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