David Cregan Archive

This archive contains the works of playwright David Cregan spanning his career from 1949 to 2014. The main core of the archive comprises drafts of his novels and plays for both radio and theatre. The archive also contains personal material including diaries and correspondence.

David Cregan was born in Buxton, 1931 and enjoyed a playwriting career spanning over forty years. After National Service with the RAF between 1950 and 1952, Cregan studied for a Bachelor Degree in English at Clare College, Cambridge, before working as an Assistant English Teacher in Palm Beach Florida and later as an Assistant Teacher of English and Drama at Hatfield Secondary School, UK.

Cregan's first novel Ronald Rossiter was published in 1959. Six years later, Cregan began his theatrical career at the Royal Court Theatre, London with Miniatures (1965), which was followed by The Dancers (1966), Transcending (1966), Three Men for Colverton (1966), The Houses by the Green (1968) and A Comedy of the Changing Years (1969).

Between 1972 and 2005, Cregan wrote eight plays for The Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond and from 1982 to 1992 he collaborated with composer Brian Protheroe on a total of six pantomimes for the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, of which Cinderella (1989) was nominated for the Whitbread Prize's Best Fringe Play for Children. Cregan's work has also been produced at the Midland Arts Theatre; Crucible Theatre, Sheffield; Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough; and Southwark Playhouse.

In addition to his theatrical works, he wrote over fifteen plays for BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service and over ten plays and television series for Granada, ATV, BBC 2 and Channel 4.

Cregan was awarded the Charles Henry Foyle New Play Award in 1966, Sony Award for Best Radio Script in 1987 and the Giles Cooper Radio Award in 1991.

This collection is arranged in the following order:

• THM/439/1 - Theatrical Works
• THM/439/2 - Television, Radio and Film Works
• THM/439/3 - Poetry and Prose
• THM/439/4 - Personal Papers
• THM/439/5 - Unidentified Draft Material

This archive collection is available for consultation in the V&A Blythe House Archive and Library Study Room by appointment only. Full details of access arrangements may be found here: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/a/archives/.

Access to some of the material may be restricted. These are noted in the catalogue where relevant.

Cregan Family

Information on copying and commercial reproduction may be found here: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/a/archives/.

This collection was appraised in line with the collection management policy.

Held at Cregan family home before being gifted to the Victoria and Albert Museum

No further accruals are expected.

See also the core collections of the V&A Department of Theatre and Performance. Material relating to David Cregan in general may be found in several collections, including the English Stage Company / Royal Court Archive, Ann Jellicoe Archive and production files.

Please ask for details.