Absent Friends: In Brief
Private Fears in Public Places
Play Number: 67World Premiere: 17 August 2004
Venue: Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough
Premiere Staging: In-the-round
Published: Samuel French
Other Media: Film
Cast: 3m / 3f
Run Time: 1hr 45m
Short Synopsis: A play which traces the lives and relationships of six loosely linked people in London.
- Private Fears In Public Places is Alan Ayckbourn's 67th play.
- The world premiere - directed by Alan Ayckbourn - was held at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, on 17 August 2004.
- The London premiere - directed by Alan Ayckbourn - was held at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, on 25 May 2005.
- It is one of only three full-length plays written by Alan Ayckbourn without an interval (and runs at approximately 105 minutes). The others are Haunting Julia (1994) and My Wonderful Day (2009).
- The title was originally intended for a totally different play announced by Alan Ayckbourn in 1994; when he instead wrote Communicating Doors, he saved the title Private Fears In Public Places for a later play.
- Private Fears In Public Places was adapted into a French language film, Coeurs, by the award-winning director Alain Resnais in 2006.
- With 54 scenes, Private Fears In Public Places has more scenes than any other Ayckbourn play; the nearest equivalents are The Revengers' Comedies pt.1 and pt.2 which has a combined total of 42 scenes and Intimate Exchanges, which has a combined total of 31 scenes from its eight permutations.
- The play features a composite set (several locations on one stage at all times). Other Ayckbourn plays to feature composite sets include How The Other Half Loves, Bedroom Farce, Taking Steps, If I Were You and Life Of Riley.
- It is one of the few Ayckbourn plays to be specifically set in London. Other London-set plays include Virtual Reality, GamePlan, FlatSpin, RolePlay and Sugar Daddies.
- Private Fears In Public Places is one of a number of full-length Ayckbourn plays to have been directed in New York by the playwright himself. The previous plays are Arrivals & Departures, Bedroom Farce (co-directed with Peter Hall); By Jeeves, Intimate Exchanges, My Wonderful Day, Neighbourhood Watch, Time Of My Life, Confusions, Hero's Welcome and A Brief History of Women.
- Although published as a play text by Samuel French, Private Fears in Public Places was also published in the collection Alan Ayckbourn: Plays 3 (Faber).