Caryl Churchill

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Churchill Questions | Churchill Bio | Churchill Links

Churchill Questions

	Churchill came of artistic age in the late 60's and early 70's. What marks of that era of political and creative change do you see in her work?
	Cloud Nine touches on a number of uncomfortable, embarrassing, taboo, and unpleasant subjects (including incest, racism, rape, homosexuality, infidelity, etc.). Why does Churchill weave these into the play's story? How does their inclusion shape our willingness to accept the play's messages?
	A biography of Churchill states "one of her most important purposes [in Cloud Nine] is to cast some light on gender distinctions" (Bedford/StMartins). Is this purpose accomplished? How and why?
	Is Cloud Nine a comedy? In what ways does it conform to and exploit the comedic form? In what ways, and to what ends, does it violate that form?
	Does Churchill seem to be espousing any particular type of ideal relationship at the end of Cloud Nine? What is it, and whom is it with?

Churchill Bio

Source: http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc45.html

Born in London on September 3, 1938, Caryl Churchill grew up in England and Canada. In 1960, she received a BA in English from Oxford University where she wrote three plays: Downstairs, You've No Need to be Frightened, and Having a Wonderful Time. After graduation, she began to write radio plays for the BBC including The Ants (1962), Not, Not, Not, Not Enough Oxygen (1971), and Schreber's Nervous Illness (1972). This genre forced Churchill to develop a certain economy of style which would serve her well in her later work for the stage, but it also freed her from the limitations of the stage, allowing, for example, the freedom to write very short scenes or make great leaps in time and space.

In 1974, Churchill began her transition to the stage, serving as resident dramatist at the Royal Court Theatre from 1974-75. During the 1970's and 1980's, she also collaborated with theatre companies such as Joint Stock and Monstrous Regiment, both of which utilized an extended workshop period in their development of new plays and both of which are generally considered to have had a deep impact on Churchill's development as a playwright. She would later write, "This was a new way of working ... [I felt] stimulated by the discovery of shared ideas and the enormous energy and feeling of possibilities." While working with Joint Stock and Monstrous Regiment, Churchill wrote a number of successful plays including Light Shining on Buckinghamshire (1976), Vinegar Tom (1976), Cloud Nine (1979), and A Mouthful of Birds (1986).

Even after striking out on her own, Churchill continued to utilize an improvisational workshop setting in the development of some of her plays. Mad Forest: A Play from Romania (1990) was written after Churchill, the director and a group of student actors from London's Central School went to Romania to work with acting students there and find out more about the events surrounding the fall of Ceausescu. What finally emerged from this process was a play that revealed the dreadful damage done to people's lives by years of repression and the painful difficulties of lasting change.

As Churchill's remarkable career continues to develop, her plays seem to be growing more and more sparse and less and less inhibited by realism. In The Skriker (1994), she utilizes an associative dream logic which some critics found to be nonsensical. The play, a visionary exploration of modern urban life, follows the Skriker, a kind of northern goblin, in its search for love and revenge as it pursues two young women to London, changing its shape at every new encounter.

Churchill married David Harter in 1961 and has three sons. Her awards include three Obie Award (1982, 1983 & 1988) and a Society of West End Theatre Award (1988).

Churchill Links

Source: http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/litlinks/drama/churchill.htm

	Clemson University: The Cloud Nine Project http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/dial/lap101/churchil.htm Created by a first-year composition class when they read and eventually produced Churchill's Cloud Nine, this site provides photographs of the production and a wealth of information about the play.
	Washington State University: The World of Caryl Churchill http://www.wsu.edu/~dstewart/churchill.htm Maintained by Washington State University, this site provides information about Churchill's Top Girls, including a list of the characters, an analysis of the play, and an overview of criticism.
	Cloud Nine http://www.lifeofanactor.com/cloudnine.htm In 1983 the L.A. Stage Company West presented Caryl Churchill's Cloud Nine at the Canon Theater in Los Angeles. Here you will find an analysis of the production.
	Cloud Nine Mocks Colonialism and Sexual Repression in "Sharp Comedy" http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/csj/971017/cloud.html This article appeared in the College Street Journal at Mt. Holyoke College.
	The Language of Caryl Churchill: The Rhythms of Feminist Theory, Acting Theory, and Gender Politics http://www.womenwriters.net/editorials/PriceEd1.htm This article by John A. Price is hosted by Women Writers, an e-journal and independent guide to Internet resources on women's issues.

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Last Updated May 5, 2003 | Questions?