Rachel Wagstaff
Writer
Film, TV & Theatre
Film, TV & Theatre
Rachel Wagstaff wrote the book for multi-award winning musical, Flowers for Mrs Harris (Best Musical, UK Theatre Awards 2016) which transferred to Chichester Festival Theatre, directed by Daniel Evans, in September 2018 after a run at the Sheffield Crucible. Her critically acclaimed adaptation of Birdsong opened in the West End, directed by Trevor Nunn, and enjoyed four UK tours with the Original Theatre Company and Birdsong Productions.
With Duncan Abel, she adapted Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train, which had a record-breaking UK tour and West End run in 2019 and her new adaptation of Agatha Christie’s The Mirror Crack’d toured the UK produced by the Wales Millennium Centre and Wiltshire Creative, followed by a tour of India.
For radio, Rachel adapted Sebastian Faulks’ novel The Girl at the Lion d’Or for a five part series for Woman's Hour on Radio Four, transmitted in 2009. Her Afternoon Play When I Lost You, also co-written with Duncan Abel, was transmitted on Radio Four in July 2013.
Moonshadow, the musical she co-wrote with Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), opened at the Royal Albert Hall in 2010, and then was produced at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne in June 2012. That Girl, was produced at the Soho Theatre in June 2012, by DryWrite. Rachel also wrote the book for the original musical Only the Brave, which opened at the Wales Millennium Centre in March 2016 with music composed by Matthew Brind.
In Development
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
2022 | Original Theatre Company/UK Tour | Dir. Philip Franks |
MUSICAL ADAPTATION COMMISSION | Sheffield Theatres | Music and Lyrics by Richard Taylor |
UNTITLED COMMISSION | Vicky Graham Productions | |
ADAPTATION COMMISSION | Aria Entertainment | Co-written with Duncan Abel |
ADAPTATION COMMISSION | Stone's Throw Productions | One screen and two television adaptations |
ADAPTATION COMMISSION | Trademark Films | Television Adaptation |
FEATURE | Bob & Co | co-writer with Sebastian Faulks |
FEATURE | Eleventh Hour Films | co-writer with Sebastian Faulks |
Theatre
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
2021 | UK Tour | Co-written with Duncan Abel |
2019 | UK Tour/Duke of York's Theatre | Co-Adapted with Duncan Abel from the novel by Paula Hawkins |
2019 | UK Tour | Adapted from the novel by Agatha Christie |
2018 | Chichester Festival Theatre | Music and Lyrics by Richard Taylor |
2013 - 2018 | Original Theatre Company | UK tour of revised version |
FLOWERS FOR MRS HARRIS 2016 | Sheffield Theatres | Music and Lyrics by Richard Taylor ★★★★★ ★★★★ |
ONLY THE BRAVE 2016 | Wales Millenium Centre | Music by Matthew Brind |
THE LAST TIME I SAW HER | Y Touring | |
THE MARTYR 2013 | Soho Theatre/Mountview | Original musical |
THAT GIRL 2012 | Soho Theatre/Oxford School of Drama | Dir. Vicky Jones |
MOONSHADOW 2012 | Princess Theatre, Melbourne | Co-written with Yusuf Islam. |
BIRDSONG 2010 | Comedy Theatre/CMP Productions | A stage version of Sebastian Faulks' novel |
MOONSHADOW 2009 | Catalogue Musicals/Cole Kitchenn | Co-written with Yusuf Islam (aka Cat Stevens) |
ONLY THE BRAVE 2008 | George Square Theatre, Edinburgh | Dir. Steve Marmion |
THE QUESTION 2007 | Sala Beckett Institute | International Playwriting Conference (Royal Court Representative) |
FULL TIME 2007 | Y Touring | Dir. Nigel Townsend |
THE APATHISTS 2006 | Theatre 503 | 12 short plays |
SHADOWS 2005 | Old Vic 24 Hour Plays | Dir. Adam Barnard |
VERONIKA DECIDES TO DIE 2005 | The Hobbs Factory/Arcola Shortcuts Festival | Adaptation of Paul Coelho novel |
THE SOLDIER 2005 | Edinburgh Fringe/RADA | Dir. Gari Jones |
NIGHT SKY 2005 | Old Vic | Commissioned play for Index on Censorship. |
Radio
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
2013 | BBC Radio 4 | Original play (co-written with Duncan Abel), dir. Lucy Collingfod |
THE GIRL AT THE LION D'OR 2009 | BBC Radio 4 | Adaptation of Sebastian Faulks' novel |