Agent
Assistant
2nd Assistant
Jessie Rose
JRose@unitedagents.co.ukBiography
Douglas Maxwell has been one of Scotland’s top playwrights since his debut in the year 2000.
His new play Inexperience is part of Alan Cumming’s opening season at Pitlochry Festival Theatre in 2026.
His recent work includes the hit So Young. First produced by The Citizens, The Traverse and Raw Materials in 2024, So Young won a Fringe First, Best Play at the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland and the Hector MacMillan Award for Best Play as voted for by Scottish Playwrights and was revived in 2025 on the mainstage of the newly re-opened Citizens Theatre in Glasgow.
2025 also saw a revival of his popular show Man’s Best Friend at The Tron and a Scottish tour. The Sheriff of Kalamaki, produced by A Play A Pie and A Pint, won Best Play at the 2024 CATS. He wrote the book for the mainstage musical Orphans, which opened at the SECC Armadillo concert hall in Glasgow, and the short play Fatbaws, both produced by the National Theatre of Scotland. Fatbaws was screened on BBC Scotland, watched by over a million people and nominated for a Scottish BAFTA for its actor and director, Peter Mullan.
Other plays include Charlie Sonata, The Royal Lyceum, The Whip Hand, Birmingham Rep/Traverse, Yer Granny, NTS, Fever Dream: Southside, The Citizens, Mancub, Vanishing Point, Promises Promises, Random Accomplice, Too Fast for The National Theatre UK, A Respectable Widow Takes to Vulgarity, PPP, and Decky Does a Bronco for Gridiron as well as many more.
His plays are performed in translation all over the world, including in South Korea, where his debut show Our Bad Magnet ran for over a decade and has developed a fan community who call themselves The Iron Filings. Douglas is an honorary Fellow of the Association of Scottish Literature.
For more details please visit www.douglasmaxwell.co.uk
Credits
Theatre
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
INEXPERIENCE 2026 |
Pitlochry Festival Theatre | |
|
SO YOUNG 2026 |
Traverse / Citizens / Raw Materials | |
|
THE SHERIFF OF KALAMAKI 2023 |
A Play, A Pie and A Pint |
Directed by Jemima Levick. |
|
ORPHANS 2022 |
National Theatre of Scotland |
Based on the Film ORPHANS written and directed by Peter Mullan © Channel Four Television Corporation and the Glasgow Film Fund 1997. |
|
MAN'S BEST FRINED 2022 |
A Play, A Pie and a Pint |
Directed by Jemima Levick. |
|
AT FIRST I WAS AFRAID... I WAS PATRIFIED! 2021 |
Wonderfools/Traverse Theatre, Scotland | |
|
FATBAWS 2021 |
National Theatre of Scotland/BBC Scotland |
Directed by Peter Mullan |
|
THE ASSUMPTION 2020 |
Royal Conservatoire, Scotland | |
|
BEAUTIFUL BOY 2020 |
Pitlochry Festival Theatre | |
|
BUILD YOUR OWN UTOPIA 2020 |
University of Central Lancashire |
Written with Richard Taylor: New & Original British musical. |
|
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES 2019 |
Northern Stage, Newcastle |
Directed by Jake Smith |
|
I CAN GO ANYWHERE 2019 |
Traverse Theatre |
Directed by Eve Nicol. |
|
THE WHIP HAND 2017 |
Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh |
Directed by Tessa Walker. |
|
CHARLIE SONATA 2017 |
Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh |
Directed by Matthew Lenton |
|
THE CADDIE 2016 |
Royal Conservatoire Scotland | |
|
THE SILENT TREATMENT 2016 |
Lung Ha Theatre Company |
Directed by Maria Oller. |
|
YER GRANNY 2015 |
The National Theatre of Scotland |
(an adaption of La Nona by Roberto Cossa). Directed by Graham McLaren |
|
FEVER DREAM: SOUTHSIDE 2015 |
The Citizens, Glasgow |
Directed by Dominic Hill |
|
NEWS JUST IN 2014 |
Random Accomplice/The Arches, Glasgow |
Directed by Johnny McKnight |
|
A RESPECTABLE WIDOW TAKES TO VULGARITY 2012 |
Traverse Theatre and Oran Mor |
Directed by Orla O’Laughlin |
|
162 BARS OUT 2012 |
National Theatre of Scotland |
With Claire McKenzie |
|
SMALL TOWN 2011 |
Random Accomplice |
Written with DC Jackson and Johnny McKnight |
|
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS 2011 |
Lung Ha Theatre Company |
Adaptation from Jules Verne |
|
HEARTFELT 2011 |
Dundee Rep/National Theatre of Scotland | |
|
WATERTIGHT 2011 |
Royal Conservatoire Scotland |
With Richard Taylor |
|
PROM 2011 |
Dundee Rep | |
|
TOO FAST 2010 |
National Theatre Connections Commission | |
|
THE BOOKIE 2010 |
Cumbernauld Theatre |
With Music by Aly MacRae |
|
PROMISES PROMISES 2010 |
Random Accomplice | |
|
DECKY DOES A BRONCO 2010 |
Gridiron |
Revival in 2010 for the Ten year anniversary |
|
THE MIRACLE MAN 2010 |
The National Theatre of Scotland |
One of the first ever commissions for The National Theatre of Scotland, entitled The Miracle Man. |
|
FEVER DREAM: SOUTHSIDE 2009 |
RSAMD/Playwrights' studio | |
|
THE MOTHER SHIP 2008 |
Birmingham Rep |
Winner of the Brian Way Award 2009 |
|
THE BALLAD OF JAMES II 2007 |
Nonsense Rooms | |
|
THE SHADOW OF A PIE 2007 |
Lung Ha Theatre Company |
Directed by Clark Crystal |
|
HARM 2006 |
Sweetscar | |
|
MELODY 2006 |
Co-production with the Traverse and the Tron Theatre | |
|
BEYOND 2006 |
East Glasgow Youth Theatre |
With Nicola McCartney |
|
SPRING AWAKENING 2005 |
Gridiron |
A version of Frank Wedekind’s play Directed by Ben Harrison |
|
THE BACKPACKER BLUES 2005 |
Oran Mor Theatre, Glasgow |
Directed by Tony Cownie. |
|
MANCUB 2005 |
Co-production with Vanishing Point and Soho Theatre National Tour |
Adaptation of FLIGHT OF THE CASSOWARY by John LeVert |
|
IF DESTROYED TRUE 2005 |
Co-production with Paines Plough and Dundee Rep |
Chocolate Mernier Factory |
|
HELMET 2002 |
Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh / Paines Plough |
UK Tour and three weeks at Soho Theatre, London. HELMET is taught in many schools with a video and text book published by English Media Co. |
|
VARIETY 2002 |
Edinburgh International Festival/Grid Iron |
Directed by Ben Harrison |
|
DECKY DOES A BRONCO 2001 |
Gridiron/ Almeida |
1st performed – Edinburgh Festival 2000 |
|
OUR BAD MAGNET 2000 |
Tron Theatre, Glasgow / Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh |
Revived in 2001 as a co-production with Borderline followed by large scale tour of Scotland. |
Drama
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
FATBAWS 2021 |
National Theatre of Scotland/BBC Scotland |
Directed by Peter Mullan – adaption of theatre show. |
Radio
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
THE KIDS' TABLE 2020 |
BBC Radio Scotland |
Directed by Kirsty Williams |
