Between 1988 and 2004, the playwright Alan Ayckbourn wrote almost a dozen of what he dubs his ‘family’ plays.

From Mr A’s Amazing Maze Plays to Miss Yesterday, these plays were written to encourage families to experience theatre together.

SpotLight on Ayckbourn: The Family Plays is the latest video on the Ayckbourn YouTube Channel and charts the development of these plays and the author’s increasing move toward family plays which encompass similar themes and demands on his audiences as the adult plays to the point where the line dividing the two is almost invisible.

To the playwright’s mind, the family plays are of as much significance in his body of work as his ‘adult’ work, the two often complementing each other. Here his Archivist, Simon Murgatroyd, charts the development of these plays and why they are so significant to his playwriting canon.

Written and narrated by Simon Murgatroyd M.A. with royalty-free music by BenSound (www.bensound.com) , this is a SiMo production in association with Haydonning Ltd and the Borthwick Institute for Archives at the University of York.

To watch, click on the video below or watch it on the AyckbournYouTube Channel by clicking here.