Rob Evans (writer)

Robert Alan Evans
Born (1978-03-14) 14 March 1978
Oxford, England
EducationUniversity of Edinburgh
OccupationsPlaywright, director
Notable workThe Ballad of Pondlife McGurk
Mikey and Addie
WebsiteOfficial website

Robert Alan Evans[1] (born 14 March 1978) is a British playwright and theatre director who primarily writes for children and young people.[2][3] He is the winner of two CATS awards (one for The Voice Thief) and a Prix D'Orpheon (for The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk).[4][2][5]

Early life and education

Evans was born in 1978 in Oxford, England and grew up in Glasgow, Newcastle, Cardiff[3] and Penarth. He studied for an MA in English Literature and History at the University of Edinburgh before moving to Glasgow in 2000, where he began writing and directing professionally for theatre.[3][6]

Career

After working as Assistant Director at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh on Gagarin Way by Gregory Burke and Iron by Rona Munro, Evans was sent to the World Interplay conference in Townsville, Australia in 2003 by the Traverse. His first play, A Girl in a Car with a Man,[7][6] was picked up by playwright Simon Stephens. It was produced at the Royal Court Theatre in 2004[7][8][9] and actor Andrew Scott received the 2005 Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre for his portrayal of Alex.[10] It was performed in German at the Munich Kammerspiele in November 2005.[3] Evans developed Aruba (2005)[11] and Fish Story (2007)[12] with the People Can Run theatre company.[5] Aruba had a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, then toured the UK and off Broadway.[13][11][14]

His work for younger audiences includes Pinocchio (2006);[15] Kappa (2007);[16] an adaptation of Ben Rice's short story Pobby and Dingan (2010);[17] The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk (2010);[18] and an adaptation of Barry Hines’ A Kestrel for a Knave (2011).[19][20] Pondlife was also performed in Stockholm as Neandertalare (2011)[21] and in Subiaco (2014).[22] Other works include Peter Pan (2012) at the Sherman Cymru[23][24] and Mikey and Addie (2012) for the Cultural Olympiad.[25][26] He co-created Tiger and Tiger Tale (2013) and Little Red (2015) with Natasha Gilmore and the dance theatre company Barrowland Ballet.[12][27] In 2024, his adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Odd and the Frost Giants was performed at the Unicorn Theatre.[28][29]

Evans' awards include two CATS awards (one for The Voice Thief) and a Prix D'Orpheon (for The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk).[4][2][5] In 2010, his play Pobby and Dingan won the TMA Award for Best Show for Children and Young People.[30][4] He was shortlisted for the Brian Way Award for The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk in 2011.[31] His work in the UK has been published by Faber and Faber[32] and Samuel French[33][4] and in France by L'Arche.[34] BBC Radio 4 broadcast his abridgment of A Patriot for Us by John Heilpern in 2006[35][36] and his radio play The Cracks in 2010.[37][2][5]

Personal life

Evans is gay.[38][2]

Selected productions

Year Title Premiere venue Writer Director Notes Ref(s)
1999 Whatever! The Musical! Bedlam Theatre/Edinburgh Fringe Festival Yes [9][12]
2001 Dead Pan The Arches Yes [9][12]
Ghost Shirt Tron Theatre Yes [9][39][40][12]
2002 New Town The Arches Yes [9][12]
2004 A Girl in a Car with a Man Royal Court Theatre Yes Andrew Scott received the 2005 Olivier Award for his portrayal of Alex. [7][32][8][41][9][2][10]
2005 Aruba Edinburgh Fringe Festival Yes Yes With People Can Run Theatre company [11][14][13][5]
2006 Pinocchio Northampton Theatre Royal Yes Yes [15][5]
2007 Fish Story Pleasance Edinburgh Yes Yes With People Can Run Theatre company [5][12]
Kappa Catherine Wheels Theatre Company Yes [16][4][12]
2008 Rudolf MacRobert Arts Centre Co-created with Andy Manley [4][42]
2009 Naked Neighbour (Twitching Blind) Tramway Yes [5][43]
2010 Pobby and Dingan Catherine Wheels Theatre Company Yes Adapted from the Ben Rice book [17][4]
The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk Catherine Wheels Theatre Company Yes Winner of a Prix D'Orpheon [18][4][44][5]
Mr Snow MacRobert Arts Centre/West Yorkshire Playhouse Yes Yes [4][5]
2011 Kes West Yorkshire Playhouse Yes Adapted from A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines; performance with the Catherine Wheels Theatre Company [19][4][2][12][45]
Caged Traverse Theatre Yes With the Catherine Wheels Theatre Company; retelling of Beauty and the Beast [4][46]
2012 Peter Pan Sherman Cymru Yes [23][24][4]
Mikey and Addie London 2012 Festival Yes [25][4][12][26]
2013 Sleeping Beauties Sherman Cymru Yes Retelling of Sleeping Beauty [4][5][12][47][48]
Tiger & Tiger Tale Tramway Co-created with Natasha Gilmore and Barrowland Ballet [4][5][12]
Ignition National Theatre of Scotland Yes [2][5]
2014 The Voice Thief Summerhall With Catherine Wheels Theatre Company [4][2][5]
The Night Before Christmas The Arches Yes With Macrobert Arts Centre [4][5]
2015 Little Red Tramway Yes Yes Co-created with Natasha Gilmore and Barrowland Ballet [4][2][5][12][49]
2017 Crumble's Search for Christmas West Yorkshire Playhouse Yes Yes [5][50]
2018 The Woods Royal Court Theatre Yes [51]
2019 The Tale of Little Bevan Courtyard, Hereford Yes Commissioned by Pentabus [52][53]
The Dig Backstage Theatre (Longford) Yes [5][54]
The River and the Mountain LAMDA Yes [5][55]
2021 Christmas Dinner Royal Lyceum Theatre Yes [56]
2022 Death Drop: Back in the Habit King's Theatre, Glasgow Yes [57]
2023 Too Close to the Sun Traverse Theatre Yes Yes Co-created with Natasha Gilmore and Barrowland Ballet; based on Icarus [58][59]
2024 Odd and the Frost Giants Unicorn Theatre Yes Based on the book by Neil Gaiman [28][29]

References

  1. ^ "Mikey and Addie". Theatre in Schools Scotland. 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j O'Connell, Alice (August 2018). "The Curious Interview: Robert Alan Evans". Wool & Whiskers. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d "Rob Evans" (in German). Rowholt Theater Verlag. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Rob Evans". PUSH Project. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Robert Alan Evans". Pentabus. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Not a child's play". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 May 2005. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "A Girl in a Car with a Man". Royal Court Theatre. Archived from the original on 27 October 2010.
  8. ^ a b Cavendish, Dominic (1 December 2004). "Tantalising journey through a nightmare". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "»A Girl In a Car With a Man«" (in German). Schaubühne.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  10. ^ a b Dziemianowicz, Joe (10 October 2024). "All the times Andrew Scott did theatre". New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  11. ^ a b c Radosavljevic, Duska (24 August 2005). "Aruba". The Stage.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Robert Alan Evans". Concord Theatricals. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  13. ^ a b Zeitchik, Steven (13 July 2006). "Aruba". Variety. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  14. ^ a b Sherman, Josh (12 July 2006). "Aruba". nytheatre.com. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013.
  15. ^ a b Ramsden, Timothy (27 December 2006). "Archive: PINOCCHIO. To 13 January". Reviwers Gate. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013.
  16. ^ a b "Kappa". Catherine Wheels Theatre Company.
  17. ^ a b "Pobby and Dingan". Catherine Wheels Theatre Company.
  18. ^ a b "The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk". www.catherinewheels.co.uk. Catherine Wheels Theatre Company. Archived from the original on 25 September 2011.
  19. ^ a b "Kes". Catherine Wheels Theatre Company.
  20. ^ "Interview with Robert Alan Evans". Theatre by the Lake. 12 March 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  21. ^ "Neandertalare" (in Swedish). Mittiprickteatern. October 2011. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012.
  22. ^ Zampatti, David (1 October 2014). "Pondlife teems with pleasures". The West Australian. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  23. ^ a b "Peter Pan". www.shermancymru.co.uk. Sherman Cymru. Archived from the original on 27 October 2012.
  24. ^ a b Wild, Susie (6 December 2012). "Peter Pan". The Stage. Archived from the original on 7 October 2013.
  25. ^ a b "Mikey and Addie". London 2012 Festival. 2011. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012.
  26. ^ a b Fisher, Mark (14 May 2012). "Imaginate festival – review". TheGuardian.com.
  27. ^ "The Herald". Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland. 4 December 2015. p. M18. Retrieved 26 November 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  28. ^ a b "Odd and the Frost Giants". Unicorn Theatre. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  29. ^ a b "Odd and the Frost Giants". At London Bridge. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  30. ^ "TMA Theatre Awards Winners 2010". Theatrical Management Association. 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  31. ^ Elkin, Susan (15 April 2011). "Keith Saha's Ghost Boy wins top award". The Stage. Archived from the original on 13 September 2011.
  32. ^ a b "A Girl in a Car with a Man". Faber. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  33. ^ "Titles to Come". Samuel French London. Archived from the original on 28 May 2012.
  34. ^ "Rob EVANS" (in French). L'arche. Archived from the original on 28 July 2013.
  35. ^ "A Patriot For Us [Book Of The Week]". radiolistings.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015.
  36. ^ Vestey, Michael (20 May 2006). "Honest John". The Spectator. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  37. ^ "The Cracks". BBC Radio 4.
  38. ^ Evans, Robert (14 December 2017). "Blog: How to be a... theatre maker". A Younger Theatre. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  39. ^ "Rob Evans". Theatre Scotland. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  40. ^ Edwards, Owen Dudley (2001). "A View of Scottish Theatre in Edinburgh During Festival 2001". International Journal of Scottish Theatre and Screen. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  41. ^ "Rob Evans: Ein Mädchen in einem Auto mit einem Mann" [A Girl in a Car with a Man] (in German). Rowholt Theater.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  42. ^ Brown, Mark (13 December 2008). "Theatre: Animal attractions". The Herald Scotland. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  43. ^ "Naked Neighbour (Twitching Blind)". The Association of Lighting Designers. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  44. ^ Bruce, Keith. "Biggest fish in the Pond". The Herald. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  45. ^ Rickson, Graham (30 January 2019). "Kes, Leeds Playhouse review - seminal Yorkshire story soars". The Arts Desk. Archived from the original on 21 March 2025.
  46. ^ Blundell, Justine (5 April 2011). "Caged, Traverse Theatre, Review". EdinburghGuide.com. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  47. ^ Smith, Othniel. "The Sleeping Beauties". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  48. ^ "Sleeping Beauties to enchant audiences". alt.cardiff. 19 November 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  49. ^ "The Herald". Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland. 4 December 2015. p. M18. Retrieved 26 November 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  50. ^ Love-Smith, Mark. "Crumble's Search for Christmas". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  51. ^ Sierz, Aleks (18 October 2018). "Robert Alan Evans's 'The Woods' at the Royal Court". The Theatre Times. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  52. ^ "Rober Alan Evans - The Tale of Little Bevan". Allen and Unwin. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  53. ^ Philippa, May (17 October 2019). "Peaceful village with a dark side". Hereford Times. Hereford, Herefordshire, England. p. M41. Retrieved 26 November 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  54. ^ "Longford's Aisling Children's Arts Festival to bring a host of exciting events". Longford Live. 26 September 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  55. ^ Lambie, Sarah (28 August 2019). "New writing in drama schools: a boost for students and playwrights". The Stage. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  56. ^ Law, Elaine (15 December 2021). "Christmas Dinner @ Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh". The Skinny. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  57. ^ "Death Drop: Back in the Habit – King's Theatre, Glasgow". The Reviews Hub. 24 February 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  58. ^ "About Too Close To The Sun". What's On Stirling. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  59. ^ "Too Close to the Sun - Traverse Theatre". Corr Blimey. 2 June 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
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