About

On the Leesh was thrilled to have teamed up with acclaimed writer Thomas Diggs and noted director Nancy Robillard on A Yorkshire Fairie Tale. The play ran from September 29th – October 14th at the Michael Weller Theater: 311 W. 43rd, 6th Fl.

The play started out as a three-page exploration at The Kennedy Center’s Playwriting Intensive in 2005. After taking Janet Neipris’s adaptation class at NYU, he chose, A Yorkshire Fairie Tale to expand into a full length. He also took advantage of the Fales Collection in the Bobst Library at NYU. They have an extensive collection of stories written in Yorkshire dialect. The play has since won the Aurand Harris Prize at NETC, was nominated for the Arnold Weissberger Award at Williamstown, was selected for ATHEPlayWorks 2007 for development in New Orleans this summer and was a finalist for The Princess Grace Award.

Summary

On the Leesh produced award-winning playwright, Thomas Diggs’s new play, A Yorkshire Fairie Tale, directed by Nancy Robillard. This show closed on Sunday, October 14th after a successful run at the Michael Weller Theater.

Synopsis

A Yorkshire Fairie Tale is a coming-of-age story about Dulcie, a thirteen-year-old girl, who fakes photographs of fairies in order to save her relationship with her mother, which has been torn apart by the First World War.

With the help of Francis, an eccentric male friend, Dulcie manages to create a series of photographs that not only cheer up her mother, but also entertain a nation. Dulcie’s celebrity around the faked photos goes too far as her life becomes unbearable watching her mother go “round the bend.” Dulcie decides to stop all talk of fairies, betray her eccentric cohort, and give up her celebrity status in order to preserve what’s left of her family.

Thomas Diggs

Having recently graduated from NYU’s Master’s Program, Thomas Diggs was the student chosen to represent NYU for Theatre Masters – a national playwriting performance at the Atlantic Theatre Second Stage. 

He was nominated by NYU for the Humanitas Award for student writers.

The Kennedy Center (with the National New Play Network and Stanford University) recently awarded Thomas his first commission – to write a play about the dismantling of the Fairness Doctrine. 

His short play, Nu Shu, was nominated for a Samuel French Award in the Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival. Nu Shu was also a part of last year’s Short Play Festival at the Kennedy Center in 2006.