Norwich: A Love Story play by John Osborne set for Playhouse

Originally from the small Lincolnshire town of Brigg, near Scunthorpe, John Osborne has lived in the Fine City since he started studying at the University of East Anglia in 2000.

The 42-year-old said: "I've loved it here since I first arrived for a UEA open day when I was in sixth form, and I knew that this is where I wanted to move to.”

John has been writing plays, poems and stories for more than a decade and his latest work is Norwich: A Love Story, which is being performed at the Playhouse next month.

He continued: "I realised how much everything I write has Norwich at its heart.

“From writing in Olive’s to going to The Fat Cat when I lived next door and having a couple of pints on a quiet afternoon and writing.

“Before I knew it, I had a whole story written about Norwich.”

Some of the images which have inspired John Osborne's play about Norwich - canoes on the Wensum (Image: John Osborne)Some of the images which have inspired John Osborne's play about Norwich - Elm Hill (Image: John Osborne)

The first part of the show, showcasing poems “about Chapelfield Gardens, Mousehold Heath, The Ali Tandoori, and Olives cafe”, also harvests a performance from Norwich singer-songwriter, Jess Morgan.

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The performance also features nods to the quiet corners of the city, including Plumstead Road Library and Take Thai.

Some of the images which have inspired John Osborne's play about Norwich - the Wensum from Whitefriars bridge (Image: John Osborne)Some of the images which have inspired John Osborne's play about Norwich - Swan Lane (Image: John Osborne)

The second part presents a story of a woman who moves to Norwich and “falls in love with the city”.

John added: “I spent a lot of time researching the history of Norwich.

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“It’s not something I’d planned to do, but I loved learning about when there were so many swimming pools here, there were trams, and I loved learning about the pubs that aren’t here anymore.

Norwich: A Love Story is set to be performed at the Playhouse (Image: Denise Bradley/Newsquest)Norwich author and poet John Osborne (Image: Steph Potts)

“That became a theme of the show, that to live somewhere you have to know its history.”

Norwich: A Love Story is at Norwich Playhouse on Thursday, April 11.