John Byrne (playwright)
John Patrick Byrne (born 6 January 1940) is a Scottish playwright and artist. He wrote The Slab Boys Trilogy, plays which explore working-class life in Scotland, and the TV dramas Tutti Frutti and Your Cheatin' Heart. Byrne is also a painter, printmaker and theatre designer.
John Byrne | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 January 1940 Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland |
| Alma mater | Glasgow School of Art |
| Spouse | Alice Simpson
(m. 1964; div. 2014)Jeanine Davies (m. 2014) |
| Partner | Tilda Swinton (1989–2003) |
| Children | 4; including Honor Swinton Byrne |
Life
John Patrick Byrne was born into a family of Irish Catholic descent in Paisley, Renfrewshire and he grew up in the Ferguslie Park housing scheme. He was educated at the town's St Mirin's Academy and attended Glasgow School of Art from 1958 to 1963. His mother, Alice McShane, was married to Patrick Byrne when he was born. Byrne was conceived from incestuous abuse between his mother and her father, Patrick McShane.[1] He did not know the truth about his parentage until he was informed by his cousin in 2002. He was initially angered by the revelation, but eventually reconciled with the truth of his lineage.[1] He created The John Byrne Awards.[2]
Work
Writer
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Writer's Cramp | radio play[3] |
| 1978 | The Slab Boys | |
| 1979 | The Loveliest Night of the Year | |
| Normal Service | ||
| Hooray for Hollywood | ||
| Play for Today | TV version of The Slab Boys | |
| 1980 | Babes in the Wood | |
| 1981 | Cara Coco | |
| 1984 | Candy Kisses | |
| Crown Court | TV series | |
| 1985 | London Cuckolds | |
| 1986 | Scotch and Wry | video |
| 1987 | Tutti Frutti | BAFTA award-winning series for BBC Television |
| Double Scotch & Wry | video | |
| 1988 | Normal Service | TV movie |
| Arena | writer/director | |
| 1990 | Your Cheatin' Heart | TV series |
| 1992 | Colquhoun and MacBryde | |
| 1993 | ScreenPlay | writer/director |
| 1997 | The Government Inspector | |
| 2004 | Uncle Varick | |
| 2006 | Tutti Frutti | Stage adaptation for the National Theatre of Scotland, co-produced by His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen |
| 2008 | Nova Scotia | |
| 2010 | The Cherry Orchard | |
| 2014 | Three Sisters |
Art
From 1964 until 1966 Byrne designed jackets for Penguin Books. Having had his work rejected by various galleries, Byrne had success following an exhibition of works at London's Portal Gallery in 1967. Painted under the pseudonym of "Patrick", Byrne claimed the dream-like paintings were created by his father, an alleged self-taught painter of faux-naïf images.[4] Byrne's career as a professional painter started in 1968, when he left Stoddard's.
As well as designing the scenery for his own plays Byrne, in collaboration with director Robin Lefrevre, also designed the settings for Snoo Wilson's The Number of the Beast (Bush 1982) and Clifford Odets' The Country Girl (Apollo Theatre 1983).[5]
Byrne's best-known art works are arguably the album covers he created for friend Gerry Rafferty and his former bands The Humblebums and Stealers Wheel, among them the covers for City to City and Night Owl. Rafferty's early solo song "Patrick" is about Byrne.
Reviews
- Ross, Raymond J. (1983), Directed Irony, which includes a review of The Slab Boys, in Hearn, Sheila G. (ed.), Cencrastus No. 11, New Year 1983, pp. 45 & 46, ISSN 0264-0856
References
- "John Byrne reveals his grandfather was his real father". Herald Scotland. 19 March 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
- "The John Byrne Awards 2020 – no ticket? Watch the live stream tonight". The Edinburgh Reporter. 7 March 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- Hampstead Theatre programme, 7 August 1979.
- "Byrne biography". Portal Gallery. Archived from the original on 23 December 2007. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
- Bush Theatre programme notes for Candy Kisses, May 1984.
External links
- 40 artworks by or after John Byrne at the Art UK site
- John Byrne at IMDb
- "John Byrne". National Galleries of Scotland.
- "John Byrne". Paisley.org.uk. 13 August 2011.
- Renton, Jennie (2008). "A Conversation with John Byrne". Textualities.net.
- Clark, Colin. "Tutti Frutti: Interview with John Byrne". National Theatre of Scotland. Archived from the original on 19 October 2007. Retrieved 9 May 2009.
- "John Byrne: Sitting Ducks by STROMA Films". vimeo.com. 6 August 2014.