Nick Grosso

Nick Grosso is a British playwright, born in London in 1968 to Argentine parents of Italian and Russian extraction.^[1] His style has been described as that of a "latter-day Oscar Wilde on speed" by Sheridan Morley.^[2]

Career

In 1993 Grosso's monologue Mama Don't was produced by the Royal Court Young People's Theatre and put on at the Commonwealth Institute, London. It was directed by Roxanna Silbert.

A year later his first stage play, Peaches, was produced by the Royal Court Theatre in association with the Royal National Theatre Studio and put on at the Royal Court Theatre, London. It starred Ben Chaplin.^[3] According to Michael Billington, the season in which Peaches appeared (which also included Blasted by Sarah Kane) defined the historical importance of the Theatre Upstairs, a season of new writing masterminded by Stephen Daldry.^[4]

In 1996 Grosso's second stage play, Sweetheart, was produced by the Royal Court Theatre and put on at the Royal Court Theatre, London, before embarking on a regional tour. It starred Kate Beckinsale.^[5]

In 1998 Grosso's third stage play, Real Classy Affair, was produced by the Royal Court Theatre and put on at the Ambassadors Theatre, London. It starred Joseph Fiennes and Nick Moran.^[6][7]

His fourth stage play, Kosher Harry, was produced by the Royal Court Theatre and put on at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2002. It was directed by Kathy Burke and starred Martin Freeman.^[8][9]

Since then the Hampstead Theatre in London has produced and put on three young people's plays by Grosso.

In 2004 Grosso directed his monologue Killing Paul McCartney at the Assembly Rooms at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It was produced by David Johnson and performed by Jake Wood.^[10][11][12]

The same year Grosso was invited to participate in the inaugural 24 Hour Plays at the Old Vic Theatre, London, hosted by artistic director Kevin Spacey.^[13]

In 2005 Grosso wrote A Play In Swedish English And Italian for the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm, produced by Elverket.^[14]

Grosso's plays have received further productions in theatres such as the Salisbury Playhouse, and other European countries,^[15] and New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.^[16]

Critical response

Grosso's work and role in contemporary theatre has been analysed in books such as "State of Play" by David Edgar (Faber and Faber, November 1999), "In-Yer-Face Theatre" by Aleks Sierz,^[17] and "The Blue Room" by Dominic Dromgoole.^[18]

Notes

1. ^ "The Big Interviews". Imogen Edwards Jones. The Times. 2 January 1999. http://www.spaced-out.org.uk/m2/inthepress/thetimes/020199.txt. Retrieved 22 November 2008. 
2. ^ "A Very Glossy Classy Affair". Sheridan Morley. The New York Times. 4 November 1998. http://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/04/style/04iht-lon.t.html. Retrieved 22 November 2008. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ "Edward Albee: A Revenger's Tragedy". Irving Wardle. The Independent. 20 November 1994. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre--edward-albee-a-revengers-tragedy-1439916.html. Retrieved 22 November 2008. 
4. ^ "The Royal Court Upstairs marks 40 years of scaling new heights". Michael Billington. The Guardian. 21 July 2009. http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/jul/21/royal-court-upstairs-40-years. Retrieved 22 November 2008. 
5. ^ "Theatre Sweetheart Royal Court, London". Paul Taylor. The Independent. 6 February 1996. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-sweetheart-royal-court-london-1317556.html. Retrieved 22 November 2008. 
6. ^ "First Night: The proof that lads' culture can be classy". Paul Taylor. The Independent. 20 October 1998. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/first-night-the-proof-that-lads-culture-can-be-classy-1179424.html. Retrieved 22 November 2008. 
7. ^ "Reviews of Past Productions". The Times, The Sunday Times. http://www.royalcourttheatre.com/reviews/realclassyaffair.html. Retrieved 22 November 2008. ^{[dead link]}
8. ^ "Kosher Harry". Nick Grosso. Methuen. 18 April 2002. http://www.acblack.com/Books/Details.aspx?isbn=9780413772640. Retrieved 22 November 2008. 
9. ^ "Reviews". Kate Bassett. The Independent. 28 April 2002. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/and-all-the-children-cried-west-yorkshire-playhouse-leedsbrthe-lucky-ones-hampstead-londonbrkosher-harry-royal-court-upstairs-londonbrantony-and-cleopatra-royal-shakespeare-stratforduponavon-658539.html. Retrieved 22 November 2008. 
10. ^ "Stand-up by proxy". Maddy Costa. The Guardian. 10 August 2004. http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2004/aug/10/edinburgh04.edinburghfestival6. Retrieved 22 November 2008. 
11. ^ "Edinburgh Reports". Charles Spencer. The Telegraph. 16 August 2004. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/drama/3622333/Edinburgh-reports-diamond-geezer-girls-in-deep-water.html. Retrieved 22 November 2008. 
12. ^ "Bill Hicks, Slight Return, The Pleasance". Julian Hall. The Independent. 30 August 2004. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/bill-hicks-slight-return-the-pleasance-558284.html. Retrieved 22 November 2008. 
13. ^ "From blank page to stage in 24 hours". Stephen Pile. The Telegraph. 8 June 2004. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/drama/3618604/From-blank-page-to-stage-in-24-hours.html. Retrieved 22 November 2008. 
14. ^ "Sven's complicated private life is played out on Swedish stage". Matthew Beard. The Independent. 9 April 2005. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/news/svens-complicated-private-life-is-played-out-on-swedish-stage-530236.html. Retrieved 22 November 2008. 
15. ^ "Os Pessegos". YouTube. 17 April 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhRVcGDZQa0. Retrieved 22 November 2008. 
16. ^ "Alter Egos With Different Languages". Neil Genzlinger. The New York Times. 22 October 2007. http://theater.nytimes.com/2007/10/22/theater/reviews/22kosh.html. Retrieved 22 November 2008. 
17. ^ "In-Yer-Face Theatre". Aleks Sierz. Faber and Faber. 5 March 2001. http://www.inyerface-theatre.com/az.html#g2. Retrieved 22 November 2008. 
18. ^ "The Full Room". Dominic Dromgoole. Methuen. 9 May 2002. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Full-Room/Dominic-Dromgoole/e/9780413771346#TOC. Retrieved 22 November 2008. 

Persondata
Name	Grosso, Nick
Alternative names
Short description	British playwright
Date of birth	1968
Place of birth	London, England
Date of death
Place of death