Spanning the 1950s to the 70s, the plays capture the rebellious mood of a post-war generation growing up to a backdrop of James Dean, Elvis, sharp-suited glamour, hope and despair.John Byrne takes the slab room he worked in and makes it pure theatre: the scams, the dreams, the aloof but gorgeous girl, the despair of life back home, the obligatory tormenting of the office 'weed', and the mandatory boy chat and pranks all help the day to pass. Phil and Spanky explode onto the stage in a classic vaudeville double-act.Now considered one of Scotland's defining literary works of the twentieth century, the Slab Boys Trilogy premi red at the Traverse back in the late 1970s and early 80s taking Scotland, then Britain, and then Broadway quickly by storm.The Traverse revived the Slab Boys Trilogy for the theatre's fortieth anniversary in November 2003.
Author Biography:
John Byrne was born in Paisley in 1940. He worked as a 'slab boy' at AFT Stoddard, the carpet manufacturers, before going to Glasgow School of Art. He became a full time painter in 1968 following his first London exhibition. His plays include Nova Scotia, Slab Boys, Cuttin' a Rug, Still Life, Writer's Cramp, Normal Service, Cara Coco and Colquhoun and Macbryde. For TV, he is best known for his BAFTA award-winning series Tutti Frutti (adapted for the stage by National Theatre of Scotland, UK Tour). He is a distinguished theatre designer and has designed productions for the Traverse Theatre, 7:84, Hampstead Theatre, the Bush Theatre and Scottish Opera.
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