The Hogarth Plays

The Hogarth Plays catch one of England's most celebrated artists at two crucial points in his career: once at the beginning, and once at the end. In The Art of Success the events of ten tumultuous years are compressed into a single night, as newlywed William Hogarth makes his way through eighteenth-century London's high society and its debauched underworld. The play was first performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company at The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon, in 1986. A world premiere, The Taste of the Town begins in Chiswick some thirty years later. Hogarth, now a famous artist, is still at odds with the world, and with his wife. Facing public ridicule for what he considers his finest painting, he goes looking for one last fight. Nick Dear's double-bill premiered at the Rose Theatre, Kingston, London in September 2018.

Nick Dear's plays include Dedication (Nuffield Theatre, Southampton, 2016) The Dark Earth and the Light Sky (Almeida Theatre, 2012), Frankenstein (National Theatre, 2011), Lunch in Venice (National Theatre Connections, 2005), Power (NT, 2003), The Villains' Opera (NT, 2000), Zenobia (RSC, 1995), In the Ruins (Bristol Old Vic, 1990), Food of Love (Theatre de Complicite, Almeida, 1988), The Art of Success (RSC, 1986), Pure Science (RSC, 1986) and Temptation (RSC, 1984). He also collaborated with Peter Brook on the development of Qui est là? (Bouffes du Nord, 1996). His adaptations include The Promise (after Arbuzov, Tricycle, 2002), Summerfolk (after Gorky, NT, 1999), Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (after Molière, NT, 1992), The Last Days of Don Juan (after Tirso de Molina, RSC, 1990) and A Family Affair (after Ostrovsky, Cheek by Jowl, 1988). His screenplays include Persuasion, The Turn of the Screw, Cinderella, The Gambler, Byron, Eroica and Agatha Christie's Poirot. Opera libretti include The Palace in the Sky (ENO/Hackney Empire, 2001) and Siren Song (Almeida Opera Festival, 1994). He has also written extensively for BBC Radio, beginning with his first play, Matter Permitted (1980).