Bøker av Maurice Claypole

Synopsis:From a remote weaver's cottage in the bleak Yorkshire moors, a gang of counterfeiters (the 'Cragg Vale Coiners') launch a nefarious scheme that threatens to unsettle the currency of 18th century England.Bound in marriage to their leader, known locally as 'King' David, Grace Hartley is torn between the forces of love, duty and conscience, whilst at the same time struggling with motherhood and the need to keep hunger at bay.After the counterfeiters' initial success, opposing forces gather, led by William Dighton, Supervisor of Excises, who sets in motion a series of events that have momentous consequences.This play is based on a true story that has gripped the inhabitants of the Upper Calder Valley for centuries, but has so far received little prominence elsewhere. The Calder Valley is known to many as the setting for the hit television series Happy Valley.A unique feature of this play is that it presents the historic and tumultuous events of this episode in history from a woman's point of view. Very little is known about the real Grace Hartley or the other women in this story. In the male-dominated world of the late eighteenth century, documentation focuses almost exclusively on the role played by men. Part of the purpose of this play is to redress this imbalance.Casting: 10 M, 6 F with opportunities for doubling.'A gripping story of love, betrayal and survival.''Based on true events.'

This short collection of verse and prose encapsulates the myths and legends surrounding the mysterious figure of Sidora, wayward spirit of canals and navigations and goddess of inland waterways. The Ballad of Chevron and Sidora recounts the joys and agony of the young Sidora, daughter of Sautun and Chalyra, supreme rulers of fresh waters, and her lover, Chevron, crown prince of underwater life, whereas Uremariak attributes Sidora's origins to the entrapment and rescue of restless sylph Claryph in the waters of the mighty Duwanin. Although the origins of Sidora are complex and shrouded in mystery and much of the mythology has surely been lost, the calm waters of the ballad and the narrow carahtals of the legend can be found today in the canals and locks of the inland waterways of Great Britain. In order to place the esoteric narrative in a real-life context, a brief factual history of the inland waterways is therefore included in the appendix.

his one-act play is unique in that it is set on a canal boat on the British inland waterways. It is suitable for performance on a large or small stage, and full details of set design and a props list are included in this acting edition.Also included is the score of the song, Narrowboat Blues, as sung in the play.Synopsis:Tom and Bunty are spending their retirement on a canal boat, but things are not as rosy as they seem when their daughter Abby makes a surprise trip home from Spain. And things are not as rosy as they seem for Abby, either. Thankfully, modern technology is on hand to make life easier, until it doesn't, and the local boat electrician is also on hand to help... sort of...A caring, funny, sometimes melancholic look at narrowboat life with implications that go far beyond the immediate setting.Casting: 2 M, 2/3 FFirst performed at the Halifax Playhouse, June 2021.

This thought-provoking and informative collection of essays covers a broad spectrum of topics including: - Why the communicative approach is dead and what to do about it- How to implement blended learning in day-to-day English teaching- Virtual worlds and why English teachers should get a second life- The different roles played by the language teacher- The value of translation in language teaching- Whether native English speakers really make better teachers- Why you should NOT be teaching International English- A more effective way to teach Technical English- The truth about Superlearning and suggestopaedia- The secret to being a good English teacher- Teaching the language of sex.Also included are chapters on the author's unique insight into the issue of complexity in language teaching as manifested in the correlation between language, set theory and fractal mathematics - and the consequences for learners and teachers of English.