Christopher Owen

FICTION PUBLISHED: (Plays produced – see below).

March 28^th 2021.My book America Awaits Us, My Lovely and other stories is published by Troubador Publishers.

Available through bookshops, online retailers and Troubador Publishers. Book page Link: Book link

Stories set in the UK, France and America. ‘Beautifully written and really evocative of a particular time and place’ Emily Trahair, Editor, Planet Magazine (Wales).

A wonderful story collection! They are so touching, unflinching, melancholy. And the misplaced optimism so gently dismissed – oh dear- everybody just about holding on. You have a terrific ear for dialogue – and I like the way the language is stripped down and the characters too, stripped of more and more identity.  Chris Buckton, writer, educationist.

LINK https://youtu.be/13e_09oBmXg  to Interview with Sean Styles on BBC Radio Merseyside about my and my father’s connection with Liverpool and my story Ellen in the book set during the 1915 Liverpool riots after the sinking of RMS Lusitania by a German U Boat.

2020 (March): Two of my stories The Square and Ellen are published in the anthology ‘Eavesdropping’ put together by a few writer friends, and purchasable through Amazon as a paperback or eBook.

2020: My story SARAH has been short-listed and is to be published by Hammond House Publishing in the anthology ‘Leaving’ on the 6th February 2020.

2019: My story ‘Store Security’ has won second prize in the 2019 WELLS FESTIVAL OF LITERATURE SHORT STORY COMPETITION.

2018. My story SARAH has been long-listed (was in the first 26 of 700 submissions) for the Royal Society of Literature V.S. PRITCHETT short story Prize.

2018. My story ‘Our Revels Now Are Ended’ has been long listed  for the Dorset Fiction Award 2018.

2018 My story Len’s All-Nite Cafe long listed (in first 15% of 497 submissions) for the London Short Story Prize.

2017. Autumn. My story THE DROWNINGS published by The Binnacle, the Literary Journal of Coastal Maine at the University of Maine at Machias.

April 2017: HERMENEUTIC Chaos Journal (Sidney, Australia) comment of my story DROWNINGS: ‘DROWNINGS presented to us a narrative landscape stunningly wrought with haunting imagery and beautifully crafted language.’

May 2015. THE BALLAD OF CARMIL FORESTER now published in print Issue 4 of Valve Journal.(Glasgow).    

August 2015. PLAY UP AND PLAY THE GAME. LONDON STORY COMPETITION. In top 50 of 400 submissions. 

June 2014. DUNCAN is published in June 2014 issue of The Irish Literary Review. 

‘I loved DUNCAN, the saddest tale, imprisoned by caution, everything shrinking, brilliant end. I like the dry voice and the relentlessness of it!’ Chris Buckton, writer, education consultant.

‘So good and so sad. Very atmospheric.’ Carolyn Pertwee, writer, actor, director.

March 2014. DYE IT RED, SHE SAID is in the latest issue of Smoke London Peculiar – a great edgy off-the-wall magazine. My story is free to read CLICK HERE  Or on Smoke’s website HERE

18th February 2014. FACEBOOK FRIEND & I’M DYING, EGYPT published in the Neon Literary Magazine Issue 37. To Buy CLICK HERE With writing by Paul Bavister, Shanalee Smith, Noel Williams, Christopher Owen, Tracey S Rosenberg, Erric Emerson, Meg Eden, and Joe Evans

January 2014: Final Chapters Anthology published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers in which my story An Honourable Life is included is now available for purchase from the publisher’s website CLICK HERE 

2014: AN HONOURABLE LIFE (short story)to be re-published in an anthology ‘Final Chapters’ by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

16^TH MAY 2012. AN HONOURABLE LIFE (short story) won 1^st prize in the Dying Matters Coalition Final Chapters Writing Competition. The story read out at the ceremony by actor Barbara Flynn, and published in the anthology Final Chapters by Dying Matters Coalition. ISBN 978-1-898915-93-5. To read AN HONOURABLE LIFE CLICK HERE:AN HONOURABLE LIFE

20^th MAY 2012: THE CAMEL’S BACK (short story) read by Amanda Hadingue at White Rabbit’s ‘Are You Sitting Comfortably’ event at the Secret Garden Pub, Battersea Park Road, as part of the Wandsworth Festival.

27^th MAY: ANTHONY AND MONICA (short story) read by me at StoryTails storytelling event at The Three Crowns Pub, Stoke Newington.

Long / Short Lists:

‘A Cuppa Tea and a Kit Kat’ in the long list of 16 submissions for the Felixstowe Festival Short Story Competition 2015.

‘Play Up and Play the Game’ in the top 50 of 400 submissions for the London Story Competition 2015.

Further comments:

Re: ‘An Honourable Life’, ‘How Are You Doing?’ and ‘The Crow’: ‘They are sensitive and engaging and I have enjoyed reading them very much’. Penny Thomas, Fiction Editor. Seren

 Re: ‘Recital’: ‘Hilarious’. The Mark Twain Humour Contest USA 2015.

‘We really enjoyed your stories — Dr Reynolds’ Mother and An Honourable Life.’ Anne McDonnell of Pewter Rose Press.

PLAYS PRODUCED: 

2021: My play A Family Affair is to be adapted by Muhammad Imran Fatani in his ‘Native Desi Language Style’ and performed in his Directional Course Project at the National Academy of Performing Arts, Karachi, Pakistan.

2020: My comedy Simon Cowell Is Coming To Tea performed as a reading on Zoom by Cloud Playhouse San Francisco on Sunday, June 14th, at 7 pm Pacific Time. Adapted and Directed by: Hassan Shah. Readers: Divya Balu, Rajat Bhargava, Sanjay Kapoor, Dilip Ratnam, Vaishnavi Sridha.

2020. Photos of my PAKISTANI and INDIAN friends in SAN FRANCISCO Zooming my comedy A Family Affair.

2020. My one-act comedy SIMON COWELL IS COMING TO TEA is available. (Soon to be represented by Stage Scripts Ltd).

2019. My comedy A FAMILY AFFAIR (the play represented by Stage Scripts Ltd) is to be performed by RTAI Drama group, Cork in the Lee Valley Golf Club, Ovens on November 7^th and 8^th, and the White Horse in Ballincollig on the 13^th November.

2019.The Brighton Scratch Night. 15/10/2019 – 17/10/2019. Unmasked Theatre, working in collaboration with Pretty Villain, George Lassos The Moon Theatre and The Rialto Theatre are proud to announce the return of The Brighton Scratch Night. Running across three nights, with extracts from six eclectic and exciting scripts, one of the biggest scratch programmes outside of London is back.
The Full Line Up:
Battlesong by Aine King directed by Luke Ofield.
Sammy by Christopher Owen directed by Matt Turner / George Lassos The Moon Theatre.
Music for Cats by Fran Lanting directed by Scott Roberts.
Brain Fog by David Varela directed by Christine Kempell.
The Anchor and The Wave by Joe Von Malachowski directed by Lauren Varnfield.
Shy, The Devil by Wendy Haines directed by Pip O’Neill.
Tickets £5

2018. SAMMY. Comment: High Tide Literary Department: an incredibly compelling story of a couple navigating their way through grief, and those characters and their struggles were captured really well.       Theatr Clwyd.’Our Literary Associate was impressed with the way your storytelling engaged with such a pertinent debate that so often is hidden behind tabloid, chickbait headline.’                                                                           Prav MJ @ PMJ Prods. ‘The subject matter is poignant and heart breaking

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: It’s five years since baby Sammy died. His parents Carrie and John Botham had unsuccessfully gone to the High Court to prevent the hospital from removing his life support. The case created international interest, especially among pro-life supporters. Five years on, fragile Carrie is still grieving. John is trying to encourage her to ‘move on’. Enter Moira, a pro-life fundamentalist whose presence threatens Carrie and John’s already imperilled marriage….

2018: BUSH THEATRE. My play LAYING THE TURF is among the 100 scripts out of 850 which made it to a second reading at The BUSH THEATRE. ‘The voice is unique – The play explores well their varying attitudes towards class, power, capitalism and culture.’                                                      Brief synopsis: 4 park employees lay turf at the front of a new fountain erected in honour of a multi-millionaire sponsor of an extensive rehabilitation of the park which has included the building of a large concert hall. They are unhappy about the commercial changes that have been made to the park and with the character and activities of the sponsor. Tomorrow there is to be a VIP opening celebration. From time to time they can hear Midsummer Night’s Dream being performed in the Open-Air Theatre in the park.

2018 Papatango New Writing Prize: ‘Laying the Turf’ reached the second round, one of 312 out of 1384 entries. – ‘It’s an interest premise and a very good inclination to represent characters on stage that are rarely seen. You also show a clear ability for comedy.’

2018 from 2014: A FAMILY AFFAIR performed in UK, Australia, Ireland. Published. 

2017: ELLEN (monologue) long-listed (in 10% of top 1,136 entries) for HERETIC VOICES / ARCOLA THEATRE project.

2017. November. My short piece DROWNINGS performed as part of the ‘Best of Bolton’ programme at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton

2017 June 3^rd: 1^st performance of RECITAL performed at Caterham Festival by The Another Way Theatre Company.  SYNOPSIS: ‘Temperamental’ Gillian is a concert platform singer. ‘Boring’ Trevor her pianist. They’re on tour. She has a sore throat. She has a concert tonight. But Trevor has broken his wrist! They desperately try to find another pianist. No one is available. By the end, Trevor has done his back in and can’t stand up straight, and Gillian can’t speak. Disaster!

2017 February: RECITAL published by STAGE SCRIPTS LTD.

2016 June: THE TOUCH OF A BUTTERFLY’S WING long listed for the PAPATANGO Competition. Feedback from readers was that: A strong, heartfelt piece of writing exploring difficult and pertinent themes. Bernard’s character is totally affable and well-drawn, which makes the reveal at the end all the more tragic, and allows us to explore a complicated issue from several sides. Dialogue is strong, and the piece is well-paced. Congratulations for tackling such difficult themes.  

2015 November: WE’RE SUPPOSED TO BE SINGING TONIGHT! performed by Quids-In Theatre Company, Aberdeen as a ‘Lunchbox’ show.

2015 September: WINSTON BROWN (monologue) performed as part of PAINES PLOUGH’S NOT-TOO-TAME ROUNDABOUT season at THE LOWRY, SALFORD / MANCHESTER. 

2013: WOMEN’S VOICES (about a feminist a cappella choir) by Susan K Monson and Christopher Owen premiered 16th – 19th October as part of the Manchester (Women in Comedy) Festival, produced by the Manchester based New Live Theatre Company. Cast: Kerry Leigh, Sean Fitton, Hilly Barber, Victoria Kerr, Betty Webster, Parisa Nikkhah-Eshghi and Una Love.  Director: Clare Barry. Producer: Paul Kenney. For poster details CLICK HERE

Click here for WV EXTRACTS

2012 / 2013 / 2014: A PARSON’S TALE: tour of North West UK by New Live Theatre Company, Manchester, starring Bob Young. Director: Paul Kenney. A Parson’s Tale previously was toured by Christopher Owen in the UK and Gulf between 1995 & 2004.

May 2012: BEWARE! DANGER ZONE! One Act Comedy on Health and Safety. First performed in 2012 by Cranwell Amateur Theatrical Society at the Royal Air Force Theatrical Association Festival of One-Act Plays, Lincolnshire 2012. Click to download EXTRACTS: BEWARE! DANGER ZONE! EXTRACTS

2011: STILL WATERS A 5 minute comedy sketch. 1 M 2 F. Winner of the Lost Theatre Five Minute Festival 2012. Subsequently performed by the New Venture Theatre, Brighton. Adapted to a short film in 2014

2006 – 2008: A WILDE AFFAIR. (Miss Prism and Canon Chasuble In Concert). Toured the UK with Susan Flannery and Michael Lunts between 2006 and 2008. It also played in Australia. Comment: ‘An excellent entertainment…an hilarious evening’ Newbury Weekly News – Hungerford Festival Review. Click to download EXTRACTS: A WILDE AFFAIR EXTRACTS

1995 – 2004: A PARSON’S TALE Toured extensively throughout the UK and in the Gulf States between 1995 – 2004.’Hilarious. Involves the whole audience. By the end of the evening it felt we were taking leave of a dear friend’ – Lichfield Mercury. CLICK HERE FOR A PARSON’S TALE EXTRACTS

2000: RIGHT HO, WODEHOUSE! Toured the UK extensively between 2000 and 2004. Based on the writings of PG Wodehouse with songs by Jerome Kern and Ivor Novello. ‘Absolutely spiffing’ – D. Telegraph.

1983: A REAL KING KONG
First performed at Theatre Space, The Oval, Kennington, Chats Palace Homerton, London.

1983: KENNEDY’S DOWNSTAIRS
Comedy material for the revue at Kennedy’s Downstairs, King’s Road, Chelsea.

1980: SCRIPTS FOR TWO SHORT (Educational) FILMS
on Employment Equality and on Youth and Alcohol.

1973: WHAT!
a revue – music and lyrics by Alan Mason and Diana Bishop, performed at the Howff, Chalk Farm, London.

1970: CHAMPAGNE FOR CHEKHOV
performed at Crewe Theatre and Keele University.

COMMISSIONS INCLUDE:

1989: FACADE. 90 MINUTE Screen on Two BBCTV.
Producer: Louis Marks.  Director: Warris Hussein. To star: John Gielgud.  The production finally pulled due to lack of American money.