Frequently Asked Questions: General Questions
This page contains FAQs concerning general questions about Alan Ayckbourn; more specific career related questions can be found on the other pages in this section (see links above). If there is a question not listed here which you feel should be listed, please contact the website via the Contact Us page.1) How do I pronounce Ayckbourn?
2) When was Alan Ayckbourn born?
3) Where was Alan Ayckbourn born?
4) How many plays has Alan Ayckbourn written?
5) When did Alan Ayckbourn suffer a stroke?
6) Is Alan Ayckbourn the second most performed playwright in the UK / World after Shakespeare?
7) Is it true Alan Ayckbourn has blocked revivals of his plays at the Stephen Joseph Theatre?
8) I would like to produce an Ayckbourn play, who do I contact?
9) How can I contact Alan Ayckbourn?
10) Can I send scripts for Alan Ayckbourn to read / Can Alan Ayckbourn offer me advice on writing?
11) Is Alan Ayckbourn on social media or are there any official Ayckbourn social media channels?
1) How do I pronounce Ayckbourn?
Ayckbourn is pronounced Ache-born (Ache rhyming with wake).
2) When was Alan Ayckbourn born?
Alan Ayckbourn was born on 12 April 1939.
3) Where was Alan Ayckbourn born?
Alan Ayckbourn was born in Hampstead in London.
4) How many plays has Alan Ayckbourn written?
As of 2026, Alan Ayckbourn has written 92 full-length plays (as well as numerous other revues, one act plays and other pieces). See Writing FAQs for more details.
5) When did Alan Ayckbourn suffer a stroke?
Alan Ayckbourn suffered a stroke on 21 February 2006. This was a week before it was reported in the press and media with news of the stroke only being released once it was ascertained Alan Ayckbourn was making a full recovery.
6) Is Alan Ayckbourn the second most performed playwright in the UK / World after Shakespeare?
There is a page dealing with this question on the website here. The short answer is probably not, but no-one has the statistics to prove whether it's true or not.
7) Is it true Alan Ayckbourn has blocked revivals of his plays at the Stephen Joseph Theatre?
No, this is a complete fallacy. Alan has never blocked revivals of his work at the Stephen Joseph Theatre. However, he will not allow revivals of plays he has already revived at the Stephen Joseph Theatre since 1996 - essentially anything written pre-1976 - and, understandably, insists that whilst still alive, he be allowed to direct the revivals.
In context, there is potentially upwards of 65 full-length plays written after 1975 he would happily revive and direct. The decision not to stage any revivals of Alan's work is entirely that of the current Stephen Joseph Theatre management. Alan Ayckbourn also has no input in the scheduling or administration of the SJT, so the decision on revivals of his work is not one he has influence over.
8) I would like to produce an Ayckbourn play, who do I contact?
Providing the play is available to produce (and a list of which plays are available to amateurs and professionals can be found here), you need to contact Concord Theatricals about licensing a play if you are an amateur company. If you are intending to stage a professional production, you should contact Alan Ayckbourn's agents Casarotto Ramsay. Further details about contacts for productions and frequently asked questions about producing the plays can be found in the Staging The Plays section.
9) How do I contact Alan Ayckbourn?
You can contact Alan Ayckbourn via this website - all email messages are passed onto his Archivist or Personal Assistant - via: admin@alanayckbourn.net.
10) Can I send scripts for Alan Ayckbourn to read / Can Alan Ayckbourn offer me advice on writing?
Alan Ayckbourn no longer accepts script submissions nor offers advice to writers. Whilst Artistic Director at the Stephen Joseph Theatre In The Round, he spent 37 years reading and evaluating scripts (and five years at the BBC from 1965 - 1970 doing the same) as well as advising writers. With his retirement from the theatre in 2009, he felt it was time to pass the torch onto other people so that he could understandably concentrate completely on his own writing and directing for the first time.
With regard to advice to writers and directors, he sincerely feels that everything he has to say on the subject can be found in his book The Crafty Art Of Playmaking (Faber, 2002) which is available to buy and through libraries.
11) Is Alan Ayckbourn on social media or are there any official Ayckbourn social media channels?
No, Alan Ayckbourn is not on social media nor does he engage with social media. There are three official social media channels which are run by his Archivist, Simon Murgatroyd, and which are affiliated with this website. These are Instagram, a Wordpress blog and Youtube. Any other social media sites or platforms claiming to be Alan Ayckbourn or affiliated to Alan Ayckbourn are fake and should be reported.
All research by Simon Murgatroyd. Copyright of Haydonning Ltd.