Welcome to the deeper recesses of my web site. This is the bit where I tell you about myself. For starters, I was born and live in Edinburgh, Scotland. My interest in amateur theatre started back in the late 1960’s. After serving my theatrical apprenticeship with local group Edinburgh People's Theatre, I moved on to become a founder member of Edinburgh Youth Theatre and worked with a number of other groups. Since 1978, I have mostly worked with the Mercators, one of Edinburgh's oldest drama groups. During my fifty plus years in amateur theatre, I’ve acted in over eighty plays and directed around fifty. I've also been a film extra and have appeared four times in the world famous Edinburgh Military Tattoo, each with a run of over three weeks - which adds up to a total audience of over half a million - not counting television.
Since my first play surfaced in 1973, I’ve won nine playwriting competitions including the Scott Salver for the best original play entered in the SCDA One Act Play Festivals in 1977, 1978, 1991 and most recently 2023 (See photo left). I also collected the 1991 Geoffrey Whitworth Trophy for the best original play entered in the British One Act Festival. My One Act plays have won numerous performance trophies at Drama Festivals including many best actor/actress awards. Several plays have been translated and one has been adapted into an Opera.
Total performances number over twelve hundred, mainly in the UK, including twelve Edinburgh Festival Fringe Productions, but also in Ireland, Holland, France, Germany, Spain, Malta, Cyprus, Israel, Gibraltar, Canada, USA, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
I have also collaborated with another writer and close friend, Alistair Ferguson, on many Pantomime scripts. For details, contact AA Pantos.
