We chat with award winning playwright Brian Daniels about his career and growing up in the Leeds Jewish community.
Renowned playwright and local celebrity Brian Daniels – known for plays such as Unforgettable, A Big Day for the Goldbergs, and Where’s Your Mama Gone– has strong ties in both our community and Israel: “I was born and raised in Leeds with a strong awareness of my Jewish identity. My late father had fought for the creation of Israel and helped establish Kibbutz Kfar Hanasi – he sailed on the Exodus and hoped to make a Iife for himself in Israel but returned to Leeds when his mother was sick, met my mother and they married in 1951. My mother at 95 is alive and well and living in Leeds.”
Brian seemed destined to work in theatre from a young age: “I had a strong and keen interest in theatre all my life. I was a member of the Leeds Amateur Theatre scene in the 1970s but went on in my working life to establish an organisation engaged in search, selection and human resource consultancy. I grew this company (Daniels Bates Partnership) to 14 offices and a turnover of over £4 million annually – met the writer, the late Kay Mellor and my career changed forever!
“I was working with Kay – who is related on our grandfathers’ side – she had just written ‘Band of Gold’ and had a play ‘A Passionate Woman’ opening in the West End. Sitting beside her in a little cafe opposite the Comedy Theatre with her name in lights and Kay whispering to me as people went into the theatre that every person who bought a ticket was worth 50p to her – I started to wonder whether I could possibly be a theatre producer. I made it a reality and soon I took on the ownership of London’s famous New End Theatre where, over a period of 14 years I worked with some of the greatest of actors and writers. Steven Berkoff, Wolf Mankowitz, Arnold Wesker, Bernard Kops all had their work produced by me at the New End. I worked with Judi Dench, Maureen Lipman, Fenella Fielding, Lionel Blair and Richard Dreyfuss. I also took over the artistic directorship of the Shaw Theatre where I brought American stars for short runs in London including Eartha Kitt, Dionne Warwick, Elaine Stritch, Gloria Gaynor, Chita Rivera to name but a few.”
Despite this star studded period, it became clear to Brian that it was time for a change. Theatre ownership was full of stresses and his hometown of Leeds was calling: “I was burning out – theatre ownership is time consuming and generally loss-making but more than this, having produced so much work by other people and remembering my conversation with Kay, I wanted to try writing.
“I returned to my hometown of Leeds which felt comfortable and reassuring and wrote my very first play ‘A Big Day for the Goldbergs’ about a Jewish provincial family daring to be different. This played for a long run in Leeds and then went to London and to the Edinburgh Festival. My second play was much darker ‘Where’s Your Mama Gone’ was about the Yorkshire Ripper and the impact on the lives of the children left behind after their mother was murdered. I have gone on to write 26 more plays – and now specialise in plays around the themes of health and social care.
Brian’s career as held quite a few achievements, not least of which was speaking at the United Nations: “Growing up in Leeds in modest circumstances, I would never have thought that I would have been asked to speak at the United Nations after my adaption of the play ‘The Good and the True’ was performed for a run off-Broadway having been launched in the Czech Republic.”
Evet with such an extensive career, Brian is still open to any new opportunities which may crop up: “We never know what we can do until we try – and I always say ‘never say no’, it closes doors – always be open to new opportunities and adventures!”