Father of Invention History
Father of Invention is a full-length play written by Alan Ayckbourn during 2021 - although it is actually an extensively re-written earlier play. Never produced professionally, it was eventually performed as an exclusive rehearsed reading at the Stephen Joseph Theatre on 15 September 2024.Extract from Unseen Ayckbourn (2023, Lulu Books)
Behind The Scenes: Small Mercy
Small Mercy was written in 2019 and essentially explored the role of media and social media and how it can be manipulated and exploited. The play was submitted to the Artistic Director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre, who despite initially approving the play, then requested several amendments. The playwright reluctantly agreed and submitted a second draft. By the time he had written a third amended draft, Alan increasingly felt there was no enthusiasm for the play and little chance it would be produced, so he withdrew it and wrote a new play, Truth Will Out. Ironically, Truth Will Out was then cancelled when the Covid Pandemic of 2020 closed all the UK's theatres.
Small Mercy was written in 2019 and essentially explored the role of media and social media and how it can be manipulated and exploited. The play was submitted to the Artistic Director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre, who despite initially approving the play, then requested several amendments. The playwright reluctantly agreed and submitted a second draft. By the time he had written a third amended draft, Alan increasingly felt there was no enthusiasm for the play and little chance it would be produced, so he withdrew it and wrote a new play, Truth Will Out. Ironically, Truth Will Out was then cancelled when the Covid Pandemic of 2020 closed all the UK's theatres.
Unhappy with the play not being produced, Alan decided to return to it during the Covid 19 pandemic lockdown in 2021, initially intending only to edit the script. However, he soon found himself re-writing and re-inventing much of the play with a completely new plot, whilst keeping the original characters - with the exception of the titular mercy of the original play - and a few still relevant sections of dialogue.
The result was renamed Father of Invention which is centred around artificial life and intelligence. Set after the funeral of Conrad Ansett, a man who made androids ubiquitous and an essential part of society. It follows one of his early creations - Belle - who grew up with his biological family. After an unexpected announcement, Belle returns to the family home having claimed to have been adopted by Conrad. But nothing is as it seems.
"Dru: I think that was one of Julius's main concerns, the ladder. That and the lack of safety rails, of course. Julius adores safety rails. He puts them up everywhere. You can hardly move in our house for safety rails. One's forever walking into them. The place is a deathtrap."
Simon Murgatroyd, 2023
Article and extract by Simon Murgatroyd. Copyright: Haydonning Ltd. Please do not reproduce without permission of the copyright holder.