The PLAYlist Project

PLAYlist was a semi-regular new writing event, originally conceived by Derek Bond for Theatre503. Writers are invited to create a play, taking inspiration from a song. The only rule is that the play must be no longer in running time than the song by which it was inspired. Groups of these plays are then performed together, either by a small ensemble cast performing in several of the plays, or by small companies of a director and a cast each rehearsing a separate play.

For special events, the songs from which writers could take inspiration can be limited in some way. For example, for the Latitude PLAYlists, writers had to choose a song by an artist who was appearing at that year’s festival.  For the Christmas PLAYlist writers picked from carols and Christmas songs old and new. For a special event at Live Theatre’s FUSES festival, writers from the Northwest took inspiration from Northwest music artists, and writers from London took inspiration from bands from their city.

PLAYlist has been produced in different versions in Australia and Croatia. If you’d like to know more, or would like to stage an event yourself, click here to get in touch.

PLAYlist: London & The Northwest

Live Theatre, Newcastle, 9th March 2012 and Theatre503, London, 26th March 2012.
Indelible by Hannah Mulder (Our Day Will Come by Amy Winehouse)
You Should Be Happy by Joe Harbot (The Flowers Of The Town by The Unthanks)
Last Night by Corinne Salisbury (Sticks And Stones By Jamie T)
Collision by Laura Lindow (Rename the Planets by Sharks Took The Rest)
Wild Wood by Matt Hartley (Wild Wood by Paul Weller)
Quantum Runaway by Tracy Whitwell (Now I’m All Over The Shop by Maxïmo Park)

PLAYlist:Latitude

The Latitude Festival, Thu 14th July 2011
A Girl Like You by Chris Urch (A Girl Like You by Edwyn Collins)
Complaint Department by EV Crowe (Complaint Department by Lykkie Li)
Reach Me by Gabriel Bisset-Smith (If You Want to Reach Me by Gwilym Gold)
Shy Shy Shy by Matt Cunningham (Dance Dance Dance by Lykkie Li)
Doves by Paul Murphy (The Chemistry Between Us by Suede)
The Beautiful Ones by Sarah Grochala (The Beautiful Ones by Suede)
The Robin Hood Test by Jonathan Brittain (Stand and Deliver by Adam Ant)
Dog Faced Boy by Tom Morton-Smith (Dog Faced Boy by Eels)

PLAYlist:International Women’s Day

Theatre503, 27th March 2011
The Hanged Man by Charlotte Essex (Fighter by Christina Aguilera)
Don’t Let Me Get Me by Roz Wyllie (Don’t Let Me Get Me by P!nk)
Classic by Sian Owen (Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush)
Mother by Bola Agbaje (Hero by Mariah Carey)
Look At Me by Nessah Muthy (Breathe Me by Sia)
Simple Truth by Erin Carter (Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful by Paloma Faith)
The Woman Who Stops And Talks To Prostitutes by Karis Halsall (Crucify by Tori Amos)
Someone Like You by Anna Jordan (Someone Like You by Adele)
Junction by Hannah Mulder (Forever Young by Joan Baez)
It’s Oh So Quiet by Lola Stephenson (It’s Oh So Quiet by Bjork)

PLAYlist:Christmas

Theatre503, 14-22nd December 2010
He Knows When You Are Sleeping by Dan Rebellato (Santa Claus is Coming to Town as performed by The Crystals)
Priceless by Sian Owen (All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth) as performed by Nat King Cole)
True Meaning by Bethan Marlow (All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey)
Silent Night by Zoe Cooper (Silent Night as performed by the Salvation Army)
The Riddler by Inua Ellams (Little Drummer Boy as performed by Bing Crosby)
Dave Gammon & The Christmas Service Station by Poppy Corbett (Driving Home for Christmas by Chris Rea)
A Dog’s Balls by Al Smith (That’s My Goal by Shane Ward)
Fairytale of New York by Joel Horwood (Fairytale of New York by The Pogues and Kirsty McColl) 

PLAYlist:Latitude

The Latitude Festival, Sun 18th July 2010
The Geese of Beverley Road by Daniel Kannaber (The Geese of Beverley Road by The National)
100 Years or More by Hannah Mulder (The Testimony of Patience Kershaw by The Unthanks)
The Other Side of the Fence by Ben Ockrent (Infinity by the xx)
I’m Thinking I Was Wrong by Sian Owen (New Romantic by Laura Marling)
Foreground by Tom Morton Smith (Foreground by Grizzly Bear)
Waiting for the Heartaches by Lola Stephenson (Waiting for the Heartaches by The Coral)
Arse by Colin Teevan (You’ve Got The Love by Florence & The Machine)
1993 at the Candy Shop by Jack Thorne (Coles Corner by Richard Hawley)
Up All Night by Rosalind Wyllie (Paperweight by Joshua Radin)

PLAYlist:shuffle

Theatre503, Sat 8th May 2010
Re: Stacks by Alice Birch (Re: Stacks by Bon Iver)
Heart Shaped Hole by Alison Carr (Anyone Who Had A Heart by Burt Bacharach)
Farewell Transmission by Pamela Carter (Farewell Transmission by Songs:Ohia)
Curvature by Kenneth Emson (Laid by James)
The Geese of Beverley Road by Daniel Kanaber (The Geese of Beverley Road by The National)
Weapon of Choice by Andrew Keatley (Weapon of Choice by Fatboy Slim)
Neighborhood by Tom Morton Smith (Neighborhood #2 Laika by Arcade Fire)
All Babies Look The Same by Daniel Smith (Rudy, A Message To You by Dandy Livingstone)
Polaroids by Rosalind Wyllie (Polaroids by Shawn Colvin)

PLAYlist:shuffle

Theatre503, 15th October 2009
Largo Vivace by Nicola Biden (Symphony 102 by Joseph Haydn)
Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space by Tom Morton Smith (Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space by Spiritualised)
Shush by Daniel Smith (Pieces by Chase & Status feat. Plan B)
You Didn’t Stop by Rosalind Wylie (We Almost Had A Baby by Emmy the Great)
Why Don’t We Multiply by Andrew Keatley (Some Like It Hot by Power Station)
The Mandy by Kenneth Emson (I Wanna Be Adored by The Stone Roses)
And The Little One Said by Hannah Mulder (Cecelia by Simon & Garfunkel)
Lark Ascending by Zoe Cooper (Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams)