Biography
Martin Riley is a scriptwriter, storyteller, stand-up poet, director, librettist and ex Punch & Judy professor’s assistant. Most of his working life has been in Leeds where he specialised in Pub Theatre, Street Theatre, Children’s Theatre and innovative Community Theatre projects. Last year Martin was storytelling again in "The Enemies Within” at The Labour Party Conference, which won the M.E.N Studio Theatre Award for the The Bolton Octagon,
Martin has been running literacy and drama projects in Leeds schools for over thirty years. He is a director of Alive & Kicking Theatre Co. Leeds and wrote and directed their internationally successful audience-interactive Shakespeare Cabarets as well as their groundbreaking interactive drama and role-play epics for primary schools. “The Gawain Project”, Granny’s Underground Garden and The Museum of Untold Stories, which is currently touring Leeds Schools.
His best selling dramatisation of “The Canterbury Tales” [Oxford University Press] written originally for Alive & Kicking, has been performed all over the world. Martin has recently been commissioned by The Wheels on Debussy to write a new site specific interactive music and dance event set in 1918 on Armistice Day.
He will be appearing in December 2018 in his own Christmas Show for Alive & Kicking Theatre Leeds, "Santa and The Goblin Market".
Meanwhile in the world of opera, “Gwyneth & The Green Knight” his “children’s” opera with composer Lynne Plowman was winner of the Stephen Arlen Memorial prize, received excellent reviews when it toured the UK in 2004 and won the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters Award for new music theatre.
Lynne and Martin’s second opera, “House Of The Gods”, nominated for the 2008 Composers and Songwriters Award was toured by Music Theatre Wales to critical acclaim and record breaking audiences.
Martin’s collaboration with composer, Stephen Deazley for Scottish Opera, “Dr Ferret’s Bad Medicine Road Show” a children’s music theatre production was premiered in February 2011 at the Citizens Glasgow and received four star reviews. " Death’s Cabaret, a Love Story, “A spell-binding triumph.” continues to tour England and Europe and the French version was premiered this year in Dunkirk. "The Rattler" Martin and Stephen's operatic take on the Rumplestiltskin story for family audiences was premiered by Mahogany Opera in 2015
His storytelling & song composition for children with Joe Cutler, "Chanticleer & The Opera Fox" was successfully premiered at The Missenden Festival by Roderick Williams & Chroma in October 2011. His collaboration with Lynne Plowman, "The Face In The Mirror", for Welsh National Opera Youth Choir is now in development for performances in Geneva. The Ballad of Captain Cook, a music theatre piece for a young cast with composer Daniel Bowater was premiered at The Georgian Theatre in August 2012. A new opera for children with Lynne Plowman for Glyndebourne, "Captain Blood’s Revenge" was premiered at The Brighton Festival in 2013.
Martin’s television work includes some early Children’s Ward for Granada, two collections of Jackanory Stories, Tales From The Edge of The World and Boggart Sandwich, both published by BBC Books, contributions to Allsorts, Playbus and The Singing Kettle, writing and devising several original BBC children’s comedy drama series including “Gruey”, “Kevin’s Cousins” and “Kevin & Co” [both BAFTA nominated], “Wilderness Edge” with John Coombes for ITV and creating and writing the classic ITV dramatisation of “The Worst Witch” and “Weirdsister College”. In 2008 Martin wrote for the last series of Grange Hill and in 2009 worked as Story Consultant and writer for Emmerdale while working as a Scriptwriting Mentor for Leeds University.
Agents: Nick Quinn [Theatre & Opera] and Norman North [TV] at The Agency www.theagency.co.uk (London) Ltd 24, Pottery Lane London W11 4LZ Tel: 020 7727 1346 Fax: 020 7727 9037