As reported in yesterday's news round-up, Alan Ayckbourn was named in this year's 100 most influential figures in the UK theatre over 2014.
The Stage 100 is compiled annually by The Stage newspaper and Alan has been featured in the list many times over the years.
This year he was placed at 73rd position with the round-up: "British theatre's hardest working playwright keeps on going. In 2014, Ayckbourn's 78th play, Roundelay, premiered in Scarborough, where his musical, The Boy Who Fell Into A Book, also played. Arrivals & Departures also toured the UK, while the National Theatre produced a revival of A Small Family Business."
Alan was also placed fifth in The Stage's Top 5 Composers / Writers after Andrew Lloyd Webber, Alain Boubil & Claude-Michel Schoenberg, David Hare and Richard Bean.
2014 proved to be a busy year for all the playwright and in addition to The Stage's list of achievements, here's the blog's thoughts on some of the other Ayckbourn highlights of 2014.
> Arrivals & Departures touring to New York alongside Alan's revival of Time Of My Life and the new one act plays Farcicals. Performed at the 59E59 Theaters during the Brits Off Broadway festival, the productions received excellent reviews and Arrivals & Departures was named in Time magazine's Top 10 Shows of 2014.
> A Small Family Business became the first Ayckbourn play to be streamed live to cinemas around the world. Presented as part of the NT Live programme, the production arguably instantly became one of the most viewed Ayckbourn shows ever! It also meant his home theatre, the Stephen Joseph Theatre, was able to see A Small Family Business for the first time as the play is just one of four not to have been premiered in the town.
> The film adaptation of his play Life Of Riley - Aimer, Boire et Chanter - was released, but tempered by the fact that soon afterwards it director, the auteur and Alan's friend Alain Resnais died. Resnais had previously also adapted Intimate Exchanges and Private Fears In Public Places and Alan regard's Resnais's films as the finest screen adaptations of his work.
> Theatre Royal Bath staged a long overdue and well-received revival of Alan's 1998 play Things We Do For Love with Laurence Boswell directing an acclaimed ensemble.
> 2014 also marked the 50th anniversary of Alan's first West End production when Mr Whatnot opened at the New Arts Theatre in 1964.
> BBC Radio 4's Front Row dedicated its Christmas Day special to Alan, which was a nice surprise to end the year.
Let's hope 2015 is as busy and successful a year for Alan Ayckbourn!
