Rachel Wagstaff
Writer
Agent
Assistant
Biography
Rachel wrote the book for Flowers for Mrs Harris which transferred to Chichester Festival Theatre, directed by Daniel Evans, after premiering at the Sheffield Crucible. The original production won the UK Theatre Award for Best Musical and the London premiere at Riverside Studios won the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off West End Production. Her critically acclaimed adaptation of Birdsong opened in the West End and was revived for a record-breaking fifth UK tour with Original Theatre in 2025.
With Duncan Abel she adapted Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code which toured the UK and made its US premiere at the Ogunquit Playhouse in 2023 and Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train, which had a record-breaking UK tour and West End run in 2019 and is now performed across the UK and beyond. Her adaptation of Agatha Christie’s The Mirror Crack’d has enjoyed two UK tours and toured India, premiering in the USA in 2025.
She is currently under commission to adapt several novels for stage, television and screen.
Credits
In Development
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP 2027 |
UK Tour/Josh Andrews Productions |
Adapted from the novel by S.J. Watson |
|
SCREENPLAY 2026 |
Faculty Film |
Feature adaptation of thriller novel |
|
STAGE ADAPTATION 2026 |
Bob & Co |
Stage adaptation of historical thriller novel |
Theatre
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY 2025 |
Mill at Sonning/UK Tour |
Co-Adapted with Duncan Abel from the novel by P.D. James |
|
THE MIRROR CRACK'D 2025 |
Alley Theatre, Houston |
US Premiere |
|
THE DA VINCI CODE 2025 |
Salisbury Playhouse/Mercury Theatre, Colchester |
Co-Written with Duncan Abel |
|
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN 2025 |
UK Tour/Simon Friend Entertainment |
Co-Written with Duncan Abel |
|
THE WHISTLING 2024 |
Mill at Sonning |
Co-Adapted with Duncan Abel from the novel by Rebecca Netley |
|
ROOM 13 2024 |
Barn Theatre |
Co-Written with Duncan Abel |
|
BIRDSONG 2024 |
UK Tour/Original Theatre |
Dir. Alastair Whatley |
|
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN 2023 |
Salisbury Playhouse |
UK Regional Premiere |
|
FLOWERS FOR MRS HARRIS 2023 |
Riverside Studios |
London Premiere |
|
THE DA VINCI CODE 2023 |
Ogunquit Playhouse |
US Premiere |
|
THE MIRROR CRACK'D 2022 |
Original Theatre Company/UK Tour |
Dir. Philip Franks |
|
THE DA VINCI CODE 2021 |
UK Tour |
Co-written with Duncan Abel |
|
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN 2019 |
UK Tour/Duke of York's Theatre |
Co-Adapted with Duncan Abel from the novel by Paula Hawkins |
|
THE MIRROR CRACK'D 2019 |
UK Tour |
Adapted from the novel by Agatha Christie |
|
FLOWERS FOR MRS HARRIS 2018 |
Chichester Festival Theatre |
Music and Lyrics by Richard Taylor |
|
BIRDSONG 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 2013 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
|
WHEN I LOST YOU 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 |
