Out of the Margins

Beryl Burton was one of Britain's greatest cyclists, but did not get the recognition she deserved. Actress Maxine Peake, star of Dinnerladies and Shameless, set out to rectify that by writing a stage play about Burton while juggling TV shows, films and preparations for playing Hamlet on stage! 

This is such a generously annotated first edition of Beryl, with almost every page getting big black-ink pen scribbles and underlinings - you truly experience Maxine Peake's enthusiasm for Beryl! There are personal notes that reflect the playwright's own background ("I started my acting career in T.I.E. (Theatre in Education) and I loved playing a rosta of characters. I wanted to write something fun and where the actors could really show off!") as well as notes reflecting on the challenges of the playwright's staging ("I didn't realise how exhausting this would be for the cast, constantly cycling"). You really get a sense of Maxine Peake's philosophy on theatre (maybe life?): "I'm never precious about my script. It's just a template". And the shared determination between Beryl and Maxine really comes through the notes: "I was told I would never be an actor, so I decided that's exactly what I'd do!" 

This is an annotated edition with laugh-out-loud moments, thanks to the playwright's generous notes, like this scribble from Act One: "I love this scene. After I broke my arm (9 years old), I was off school a few days. When I went back one of my classmates said, matter of fact: 'I heard you'd died.'"

There's so much to uncover here. We guarantee you'll have lots of fun with this! As it seems Maxine Peake had writing, producing and annotating it.