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Thomas Murphy Biography (1935-)

Full name, Thomas Bernard Murphy; born February 23, 1935, in Tuam, County Galway, Ireland; son of John (a carpenter) and Winifred (Shaughnessy) Murphy; married Mary Hamilton-Hippisley, November 14, 1966; children: Benin, Nell, John. Addresses: Agent--Peters, Fraser & Dunlop, The Chambers, ChelseaHarbour, Lots Rd., London SW10 0XF, England.

Nationality

Irish

Gender

Male

Birth Details

February 23, 1935

Tuam, County Galway, Ireland

Famous Works

• Credits; STAGE DIRECTOR
• On the Outside; On the Inside (two one-acts; also see below), Project Theatre, Dublin, 1974.
• Famine (also see below), Dublin, 1978.
• Epitaph under Ether (one-act; also see below), Abbey Theatre, 1979.
• The Well of the Saints, Dublin, 1979.
• The Sanctuary Lamp (also see below), Open Space Theatre Experiment, New York City, 1980.
• The Informer (also see below), Dublin, 1981.
• Writings
• (With Noel O'Donoghue) On the Outside (one-act), first produced in Cork,Ireland, 1961, later in double-bill with On the Inside, Project Theatre, Dublin, Ireland, 1974, published with On the Inside by Gallery Press (Dublin), 1976, new edition of On the Outside published by Gallery Press, 1984.
• A Whistle in the Dark (three-act), first produced at Theatre Royal, London, 1961, later at Mercury Theatre, New York City, 1969, published by Samuel French, c. 1971.
• Famine (twelve scenes), first produced at Abbey Theatre, Dublin, 1966, later at Royal Court Theatre, London, 1969, published by Gallery Press, 1977.
• Epitaph under Ether (one-act), first produced at Abbey Theatre, 1968 (some sources say 1979).
• The Orphans (three-act), first produced in Dublin, 1968, published by Proscenium, 1974.
• The Fooleen: A Crucial Week in the Life of a Grocer's Assistant (thirteenscenes; stage version of Murphy's television play A Crucial Week in the Lifeof a Grocer's Assistant; also see below), first produced at Abbey Theatre, 1969.
• The Morning after Optimism (ten scenes), first produced at Abbey Theatre,1971, published by Mercier Press, 1973.
• The White House (two-act), first produced at Abbey Theatre, 1972 (some sources say 1973).
• On the Inside (one-act), first produced in double-bill with On the Outside at Project Theatre, 1974, published with On the Outside by Gallery Press, 1976.
• The Vicar of Wakefield (four-act; adaptation of the novel by Oliver Goldsmith), first produced at Abbey Theatre, 1974.
• The Sanctuary Lamp (two-act), first produced at Abbey Theatre, 1975, published by Poolbeg Press (Dublin), 1976, revised edition published by Gallery Press, 1984.
• The J. Arthur Maginnis Story: The First 36,525 Days (ten scenes), first produced at Pavilion Theatre, Dublin, 1976.
• The Blue Macushla, first produced at Abbey Theatre, 1980.
• The Informer (adaptation of novel by Liam O'Flaherty), produced in Dublin, 1981.
• She Stoops to Conquer (adaptation of play by Oliver Goldsmith), producedin Dublin, 1982.
• The Gigli Concert, produced in Dublin, 1983, published by Gallery Press,1984, revised edition, Methuen Drama, 1991.
• Writings; Bailegangaire, produced in Galway, 1985, published as Bailegangaire
• The Story of Bailegangaire and How It Came by Its Appellation by GalleryPress, 1986.
• A Thief of a Christmas (also known as Bailegangaire II), produced in Dublin, 1985.
• Conversations on a Homecoming (stage version of Murphy's television playof the same name; also see below), produced in Galway, 1985, later at DonmarWarehouse, London, 1987.
• After Tragedy: Three Irish Plays (contains The Gigli Concert, Bailegangaire, and Conversations on a Homecoming), preface by Christopher Murray, Methuen Paperback, 1988.
• A Whistle in the Dark and Other Plays (contains A Whistle in the Dark, ACrucial Week in the Life of a Grocer's Assistant, On the Outside, and On theInside), preface by Fintan O'Toole, Methuen Drama, 1989.
• Too Late for Logic, Methuen Drama, 1990.
• (Under name Tom Murphy; and author of introduction) Plays (contains Famine, The Patriot Game, and The Blue Macushla), Methuen Drama, 1992.
• Also the author of Stage Plays: On the Outside, 1959.
• Writings;TELEVISION PLAYS
• The Fly Sham, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), 1963.
• Veronica, BBC, 1963.
• A Crucial Week in the Life of a Grocer's Assistant, 1967, published as The Fooleen by Proscenium Press, c. 1968; published under original title by Gallery Press, 1978.
• Snakes and Reptiles, BBC, 1968.
• Young Man in Trouble, Thames Television, 1970.
• The Moral Force (first part of trilogy based on Murphy's play Famine), Radio Telefis Eireann (RTE), 1973.
• The Policy (second part of trilogy), RTE, 1973.
• Relief (third part of trilogy), RTE, 1973.
• Conversations on a Homecoming, RTE, 1976, published by Gallery Press, 1986.
• Speeches of Farewell, RTE, c. 1976.
• Also the author of Bridgit, 1981, and Fatalism, 1981.

Further Reference

BOOKS

• Contemporary Authors, Volume 101, Gale, 1981, pp. 336-37.
• Contemporary Dramatists, fourth edition, Gale, 1988.
• Contemporary Literary Criticism, Volume 51, Gale, 1989.
• King, Kimball, Ten Modern Playwrights, Garland, 1979.

PERIODICALS

• Irish University Review, Spring, 1987.