Roy Kift (born 30 January 1943 in Bideford, Devon) is an English writer, resident in Germany. He writes plays.
Kift in 2014
After gaining a degree in French and Romance Studies at the University of Aberystwyth in 1965, he completed a three year acting course at the London Drama Centre. His first engagement as a professional actor was at the Sheffield Playhouse. Further engagements included a season at the Newcastle Playhouse before he moved to London to play in Mustapha Matura's "Black Pieces". Although he had started writing plays whilst at university (where he won the Eisteddfod playwriting prize), his first breakthrough was with "Mary Mary" which premiered at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in London in a production by the Freehold Theatre Company directed by Nancy Meckler. He was subsequently awarded the Thames Television Theatre Prize for his play "Downers". Kift moved to Berlin in 1979 to join his later wife Dagmar who was studying there.
His play "Stronger than Superman" had an acclaimed premiere at the GRIPS Theater in Berlin in 1980, where it ran for 216 performances over three seasons. Since then it has been presented every year for more than forty years in over 20 countries around the world.
Roy Kift was married to the historian Dagmar Kift for over 25 years. In 1987 they moved to the Ruhrgebiet when she was given a job as curator in the Zeche Zollern II/IV industrial museum in Dortmund. Dagmar Kift died in 2020 and a year later Roy Kift moved back to Berlin.
In addition to his theatre work, Kift has also written three travel guides, tv plays, radio plays and published a children's book. He is the English translator of plays by Patrick Süskind and Heiner Kipphardt amongst others.
1962: And Betty Martin…. (1st Prize University of Wales Eisteddfod)[1]
1968: The Continuing Tale of the Supermale. Sheffield Playhouse
1970: Mary Mary. Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, later European tour incl. Amsterdam and Zurich. La Mama Theater, New York
1971:Genesis. Freehold Theatre, London
1974:Downers. Bradford University
1976: The Complete Whole Earth Catalogue. Royal Shakespeare Company, Donmar Theatre, London
1976: Smile for Jesus and the Cameraman. ICA London
1976: Cakewalk. Hampstead Theatre, London
1977: Happy and Glorious. (co-author Patrick Barlow), Almost Free Theatre, London
1978: Land of Hope and Glory. (co-author Patrick Barlow) Theatre Royal Stratford East
1980: Stärker als Superman. World Premiere: GRIPS Theatre, Berlin
1981: Stronger than Superman. Unicorn Theatre, London (translated into 21 languages)
1984: Joy, Opera libretto. Composer: Susanne Erding. World premiere. Kiel Opera House, Germany
1992: Dreams of Beating Time. Holocaust play on Wilhelm Furtwängler and his former colleagues in the Theresienstadt concentration camp
1999: Camp Comedy. (Holocaust play about Kurt Gerron and the cabaret in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. Published by the University of Wisconsin Press. Translations: German, Polish, French. World amateur premiere, CUNY GENESEO 2003, directed by Randy Kaplan. World professional premiere, Legnica, Poland, September 2012) The production was invited to the prestigious Warsaw Theatre Meeting in April 2013 and was later awarded the Grand Prix at the XXIV "Bez Granic" International Theatre Festival in Cieszyn (Poland/Czech Republic).
2005: Cathedral of Heresies. S. Fischer Verlag (On problems in the Roman Catholic Church)
2010: Nothing. Stage adaptation of Janne Teller’s novel for young people. (Strident Press, GB)
2011: The True Story of Adam and Eve as personally dictated by God Almighty, the Creator of Heaven and Earth to his prophet Moses between 2.41 pm on the 28th May and 9.27 am on 3 June 1423 BC and later published in a condensed version in the Book of Genesis for the salvation of humanity. (A three-person comedy debunking the GENESIS myth as a man-made fiction to justify an authoritarian, male-dominated world. German and English versions.)
2011: The Day God went on Facebook, a satirical comedy in 2 Acts.(also available in German and Polish)
2013: One, Two, Free, a play for two persons about the performance of Verdi's Requiem in the Theresienstadt Ghetto in 1944. World amateur premiere, SUNY GENESEO, directed by Joshua Shabshish and performed by Jordan Griffen and Emily Bantelman.
2015: Eden's Garden, a play about Britain's refusal to help the Jews in Poland during the Second World War
2024: The Burning House, a dystopian drama about a man on the run from the deluded values of a totalitarian society. Cast: 4-8.
"Getting to Grips with children’s theatre". In: Theatre Quarterly, Vol X, no 39. 1981
Hoping for the Unexpected: The Theatre of Peter Zadek. In: New Theatre Quarterly, Vol. 1, 1985
Illusion and Reality in the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp. In: New Theatre Quarterly, Vol 12, 1996
Reality and Illusion in the Theresienstadt Cabaret. In: Claude Schumacher (ed.): Staging the Holocaust. The Shoah in drama and performance .Cambridge University Press, Cambridge et al. 1998, ISBN978-0-521-62415-2, pp. 147–168
Singing in the Face of Death. A Study of Jewish Cabaret and Opera during the Holocaust. In: Rebecca Rovit/Alvin Goldberg (eds.): Theatrical Performance in the Holocaust. Texts, Documents, Memoirs. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore et al. 1999, ISBN0-8018-6167-5, pp. 125–132
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This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification Please help by adding reliable sources Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page especially if potentially libelous Find sources Roy Kift news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2011 Learn how and when to remove this message This biographical article is written like a resume Please help improve it by revising it to be neutral and encyclopedic August 2023 Learn how and when to remove this message Roy Kift born 30 January 1943 in Bideford Devon is an English writer resident in Germany He writes plays Kift in 2014 After gaining a degree in French and Romance Studies at the University of Aberystwyth in 1965 he completed a three year acting course at the London Drama Centre His first engagement as a professional actor was at the Sheffield Playhouse Further engagements included a season at the Newcastle Playhouse before he moved to London to play in Mustapha Matura s Black Pieces Although he had started writing plays whilst at university where he won the Eisteddfod playwriting prize his first breakthrough was with Mary Mary which premiered at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in London in a production by the Freehold Theatre Company directed by Nancy Meckler He was subsequently awarded the Thames Television Theatre Prize for his play Downers Kift moved to Berlin in 1979 to join his later wife Dagmar who was studying there His play Stronger than Superman had an acclaimed premiere at the GRIPS Theater in Berlin in 1980 where it ran for 216 performances over three seasons Since then it has been presented every year for more than forty years in over 20 countries around the world Roy Kift was married to the historian Dagmar Kift for over 25 years In 1987 they moved to the Ruhrgebiet when she was given a job as curator in the Zeche Zollern II IV industrial museum in Dortmund Dagmar Kift died in 2020 and a year later Roy Kift moved back to Berlin In addition to his theatre work Kift has also written three travel guides tv plays radio plays and published a children s book He is the English translator of plays by Patrick Suskind and Heiner Kipphardt amongst others Contents 1 Works selection 1 1 Theatre plays 1 2 Children s books 1 3 Travel guides 1 4 Articles and lectures on theatre 2 ReferencesWorks selection editTheatre plays edit 1962 And Betty Martin 1st Prize University of Wales Eisteddfod 1 1968 The Continuing Tale of the Supermale Sheffield Playhouse 1970 Mary Mary Royal Court Theatre Upstairs later European tour incl Amsterdam and Zurich La Mama Theater New York 1971 Genesis Freehold Theatre London 1974 Downers Bradford University 1976 The Complete Whole Earth Catalogue Royal Shakespeare Company Donmar Theatre London 1976 Smile for Jesus and the Cameraman ICA London 1976 Cakewalk Hampstead Theatre London 1977 Happy and Glorious co author Patrick Barlow Almost Free Theatre London 1978 Land of Hope and Glory co author Patrick Barlow Theatre Royal Stratford East 1980 Starker als Superman World Premiere GRIPS Theatre Berlin 1981 Stronger than Superman Unicorn Theatre London translated into 21 languages 1984 Joy Opera libretto Composer Susanne Erding World premiere Kiel Opera House Germany 1992 Dreams of Beating Time Holocaust play on Wilhelm Furtwangler and his former colleagues in the Theresienstadt concentration camp 1999 Camp Comedy Holocaust play about Kurt Gerron and the cabaret in the Theresienstadt concentration camp Published by the University of Wisconsin Press Translations German Polish French World amateur premiere CUNY GENESEO 2003 directed by Randy Kaplan World professional premiere Legnica Poland September 2012 The production was invited to the prestigious Warsaw Theatre Meeting in April 2013 and was later awarded the Grand Prix at the XXIV Bez Granic International Theatre Festival in Cieszyn Poland Czech Republic 2005 Cathedral of Heresies S Fischer Verlag On problems in the Roman Catholic Church 2010 Nothing Stage adaptation of Janne Teller s novel for young people Strident Press GB 2011 The True Story of Adam and Eve as personally dictated by God Almighty the Creator of Heaven and Earth to his prophet Moses between 2 41 pm on the 28th May and 9 27 am on 3 June 1423 BC and later published in a condensed version in the Book of Genesis for the salvation of humanity A three person comedy debunking the GENESIS myth as a man made fiction to justify an authoritarian male dominated world German and English versions 2011 The Day God went on Facebook a satirical comedy in 2 Acts also available in German and Polish 2013 One Two Free a play for two persons about the performance of Verdi s Requiem in the Theresienstadt Ghetto in 1944 World amateur premiere SUNY GENESEO directed by Joshua Shabshish and performed by Jordan Griffen and Emily Bantelman 2015 Eden s Garden a play about Britain s refusal to help the Jews in Poland during the Second World War 2024 The Burning House a dystopian drama about a man on the run from the deluded values of a totalitarian society Cast 4 8 Children s books edit Franz Anna und die Zechengeister 2 Klartext Verlag Essen 1997 ISBN 978 3 88474 608 0 Travel guides edit Tour the Ruhr 4th edition Klartext Verlag Essen 2011 ISBN 978 3 88474 815 2 2 The Wupper Valley Wuppertal Solingen Remscheid and the Bergisch Land Klartext Verlag Essen 2005 ISBN 978 3 89861 520 4 Dusseldorf Aachen and the Lower Rhine Klartext Verlag Essen 2008 ISBN 978 3 89861 892 2 The Complete Ruhrgebiet Klartext Verlag Essen 2018 ISBN 978 3 8375 1876 4 Articles and lectures on theatre edit Getting to Grips with children s theatre In Theatre Quarterly Vol X no 39 1981 Hoping for the Unexpected The Theatre of Peter Zadek In New Theatre Quarterly Vol 1 1985 Illusion and Reality in the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp In New Theatre Quarterly Vol 12 1996 Reality and Illusion in the Theresienstadt Cabaret In Claude Schumacher ed Staging the Holocaust The Shoah in drama and performance Cambridge University Press Cambridge et al 1998 ISBN 978 0 521 62415 2 pp 147 168 Singing in the Face of Death A Study of Jewish Cabaret and Opera during the Holocaust In Rebecca Rovit Alvin Goldberg eds Theatrical Performance in the Holocaust Texts Documents Memoirs Johns Hopkins University Press Baltimore et al 1999 ISBN 0 8018 6167 5 pp 125 132References edit Home roy kift com a b Home klartext verlag de Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Roy Kift amp oldid 1215709018, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
