Birthdays Past, Birthdays Present: Frequently Asked Questions

Alan Ayckbourn's Archivist Simon Murgatroyd answers some of the most frequently asked questions about Alan Ayckbourn's Men, Meals & Me If you have a question about this or any other of Alan Ayckbourn's plays, you can contact the website via the Contact Us page.

Is Birthdays Past, Birthdays Present available to perform?
Yes, performance rights for both professional and amateur were released in August 2021 and it is now available to perform. Professional enquires regarding this play should be directed to Alan Ayckbourn's agents Casarotto Ramsay, whilst amateur applications should be made via Concord Theatricals.

When should Birthdays Past, Birthdays Present be set?
Alan Ayckbourn believes the majority of his plays need to be set at the time of when they were first produced to avoid incongruities. In the case of Birthdays Past, Birthdays Present, this means the first scene of the play should ideally be set circa 2019 which then leads to scene 2 being set during 2004 (15 years earlier), the third scene during 1994 (25 years earlier) and the final scene during 1981 (38 years earlier).

What music was used between scenes for Alan Ayckbourn's original production of Birthdays Past, Birthdays Present?
For the world premiere production at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, during 2019, Alan Ayckbourn used the track Canario from the album Via Crucis by Christina Pluhar and her group L'Arpeggiata. Given the complexity of the scene-changes, Alan felt it important to have an up-tempo piece of music which he hoped would help set the pace for the stage managers.

All research for this page by Simon Murgatroyd.