Tom Hadaway. (18 March 1923–3 March 2005)
was a North Shields born writer for stage and television. Orphaned, he was adopted by an aunt, leaving school at 14 to work on North Shields Fish Quay where his experiences left a strong impression, which he was able to draw on later in life in his writing. C.P. Taylor became a friend, encouraging his storytelling, and he began writing
plays based on his experiences and observations of the region.
Later in his career he worked on television scripts, most notably God Bless Thee Jackie Maddison (1974) as well as episodes of the drama When the Boat Comes In (1976).
His work for Newcastle’s Live Theatre Company introduced Tim Healey and Robson Green to their profession. He had a keen ear for the dialect and accent of his ‘home patch’ and prodigious powers of observation. Above all, he loved his native land. Of the language of the north-east, he wrote: “… if our betters shame us out of our phrases and pronunciation, we shall be without resource. From a shared history, dialect is the enabling power of the commoner.”
Tom Served as President from 1996 to 2005
his work includes:
The Pigeon Man (1974)
God Bless Thee Jackie Maddison (1974)
Seacoal (1985)
The Long Line (1986)
Shields Stories (1988)
In Fading Light (1989)
Prison Plays (2004)
When the Boat Comes In (1976)
The Filleting Machine (1981) – See Tom performing in his play here
https://www.amber-online.com/collection/the-filleting-machine-1981/
More information about Tom can be found at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Hadaway
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/4315771.stm
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/tim-healy-unveil-plaque
and you can find some of his work published by IRON Press here
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