Henceforward…: Articles by Alan Ayckbourn

This section includes articles by Alan Ayckbourn on Henceforward…. as well as other authors. All articles are copyright off the respective author and can be accessed through the links in the right-hand column.

This article by Alan Ayckbourn was written in 2002 and is drawn from correspondence held in the Ayckbourn Archive at the Borthwick Institute for Archives at the University of York.

More Inspirations

Articles by Alan Ayckbourn

○ Preface to Plays 1
○ Origins Of Life
○ Inspirations
○ Jerome

Articles by Other Authors

○ Henceforward… & Back

I wanted to write about the nature of the ‘creative’ artist and his / her tendency to take from life - often very personal life - in pursuit of their art. Watching most creative writers at work is akin to watching paint drying; certainly not a dramatic experience. As a result, the idea of using the new musical technology occurred to me - sampling and instantly arranging.

The play is also, of course, a slight retelling of the Pygmalion myth and how we try to manipulate each other.

Once I had the theme it made sense to move forward a year or so to accommodate the new music technology. Then when I had the idea for the deranged robotics I knew I definitely had to move forward.

Science Fiction doesn’t have to be Star Wars scale. It can be very simple. Some of the very best stories are the simplest.

Article by Simon Murgatroyd. Copyright: Haydonning Ltd. Please do not reproduce without permission of the copyright holder.