Our Writers
Chris Daley
Chris Daley has always wanted to try writing as well as acting ever since he was old enough to get on stage. Whilst training at Brian Timoney’s Method Acting Studio back in 2014, Chris was approached by fellow student Adam J S Smith about possibly creating a play based on Adam’s real experiences with a homeless man on a recent train journey. Chris leapt at the opportunity and Jumping The Barriers was born. It has since been updated it for 2019 as it is sadly more relevant now than ever before.
In 2018, based upon an idea thrown around at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe of doing a play in a pub whilst people were just sat there watching, Chris decided to write his first play by himself and created "Pub Quiz", a story that focuses on 5 estranged university friends, forced by circumstance to work together in order to win a pub quiz. Chris stepped back from performing this time to focus on writing and directing
Off the back of the success of Pub Quiz, Chris approached Josephine Sherlock about the possibility of writing together, having been a big fan of her previous work. Jo was keen to write about modern dating from a women's perspective. "What Are You Wearing?" tells the story of Mel and Rose, two women with very different approaches to dating in the 21st century.
During lockdown Chris collaborated with Liverpool's Grin Theatre on their Rainbow Monologues both performing and writing. " " and "Worst of Both Worlds" were released in 2021.
Most recently Chris has written two short films, . "Get Help" focuses on..... "The Brain Trust". Both will finish filming in 2023.
Currently Chris is working on series of five short films, set around the turn of the century. "Just Like the Old Days" will begin filming in late 2023 and all five will be released later in the year.
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Adam J S Smith
Without Adam, The Courtyard Players wouldn't exist. A real life experience inspired our first ever show and the birth of the group. On a train journey from Bristol to London, on his way to the very course where he'd meet fellow writer Chris Daley, Adam ended up sat across from a homeless drifter from Sheffield who'd bunked on the train. They talked for hours and hours before the latter was ejected from the train for not having a ticket. This inspired Adam to turn this into a play. He wrote down as much of the conversation as he could remember and immediately approached Chris Daley about writing this together, with Adam playing a fictionalized version of himself and Chris was perfect for the homeless man (a veiled compliment Chris will never forget to this day)
Out of this came "Jumping the Barriers". What started out as a simple story telling apparatus about two people from opposite backgrounds on a train journey, developed into an in depth social commentary on how we treat the homeless, impoverished and mentally ill. Having begun as an idea between two friends has sadly become more relevant than ever in an age of austerity and the class divide being felt more than ever.
Josephine Sherlockk
Chris and Josephine Sherlock first worked together on her writing debut, the musical “The Return of Neverland”. Always being a fan of Jo's work, the chance to write something with her was too good an opportunity to miss. Jo had always said she wanted to write something entertaining but relevant which fitted exactly with The Courtyard Players’ ethos. Jo was passionate about the pressures and expectations constantly put on women on a daily basis and “What Are You Wearing?” was born.
Whilst Jumping The Barriers will always have a special place in our hearts, our first love so to speak, What Are You Wearing? has felt like we're truly creating something special. A genuine collaboration and a true partner, the creative process for bringing What Are You Wearing? to life has been an incredible experience. Every day spent with Jo is a creative journey. She is a force of nature, great fun to be around and an inspiration
Jo is currently working on some new projects and we can't wait to see what she comes up with next
