Ron Hart (1929 - 2009)
Born in the East End of London, from an early age Ron Hart displayed a natural gift for writing, but leaving school at 14, he took a job in the City. During this period he also performed at Toynbee Hall.
Although successfully established as an insurance broker, he continued to write, including the screenplay for the John Berger film 'A Fortunate Man', directed by Jeff Perks, and numerous fringe productions, but it wasn't until his comedy 'Lunch Girls' became a Verity Bargate award winner in 1983, that recognition of his talent followed. He based some of his work on personal experience of working in the City, writing 'City Gents' and 'Changing Places', both staged by film director Jonathan Glazer. Other plays include 'The Latecomers (New End)' and 'Men on Fire (King's Head'). Having missed out on a formal education earlier in his life, Hart also gained a Masters in English from the University of Birmingham in 1992 under his tutor and fellow playwright David Edgar. A witty, family man, he was an active member of the Playwrights Cooperative and latterly Player Playwrights, which gave him a number of opportunities to showcase his work.
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'Lunch Girls' deals with the lives of four middle-class British women who try to arrange a lunch date but find it difficult to pick a day that is suitable for all of them. It struck a chord with audiences around the world, with productions as far afield as Los Angeles, Tokyo, Jerusalem, and Bombay, as well as at the National Theatre and a UK tour starring Sylvia Syms.
'Lunch Girls' was a joint winner of the 1983 Verity Bargate award for new, unperformed, short plays, suitable for production in a small theatre. With this criteria, it seemed an ideal choice for a Bench Fringe production.
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