Revised and expanded 2021 edition

Race To Be Seen was nominated as the Scottish Evening News Critics Choice Best Play and Pick of the Fringe by Radio Forth at the 1984 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Race To Be Seen tells the story of how an award-winning play came to be written about the amazing World Champion Blind Athlete Graham Salmon MBE, who tragically died in 1999.

It charts his parents story when, as a baby, Graham had to have both eyes removed due to an incurable eye cancer. It follows his schooldays and how he was expelled for running a book as well as his trials in trying to secure a job and finally, his incredible sporting success!

Graham went on to play golf for the international visually impaired team. He hit the headlines again for hitting a "hole in one".

His final battle was against cancer. Graham surrendered first his leg and then his life ... but never became downcast ... he wanted his autobiography to be called "Wide Eyed And Legless"!

Graham Salmon is the most inspiring athlete I have met; I say this without a moments hesitation even though I have enjoyed the rare privilege of sharing the company of Muhammad Ali, Stanley Matthews, Gary Sobers, Martina Navratilova, Nadia Comaneci, Arnold Palmer and countless others in the course of my job.

- Robert Philip Daily Telegraph.

A remarkable play ... a story of great courage and dedication; It is also entertaining and good Theatre, with plenty of scope for imaginative direction.

- Amateur Stage Book Review (of the original Race To Be Seen).

Snappily written episodes ... a moving, eminently performable show. Get this book if you are looking for something of real substance.

- H. Wright National Association of Drama Teachers Broadsheet
(of the original Race to Be Seen).

Duration: 55 minutes
Cast: 6 (3m 3f with doubling). Can be performed with a cast of up to around 30. (10m, 8f & 12 m or f)

About the Author

Mark Wheeller's most recent plays, Can You Hear Me Major Tom (Verbatim Bowie fan tribute play) and This Is For You (Immersive, Ronson inspired fictional, unplanned teenage pregnancy story) are now available.

Hard to Swallow and Missing Dan Nolan are set texts on Eduqas & OCR GCSE 9-1 Drama. In 2015 his final (and best) verbatim Road Safety play was released. Chequered Flags to Chequered Futures. In 2019 Game Over was released telling the dreadful true story of the murder of fourteen-year-old Breck Bednar.

The Story Behind Too Much Punch For Judy and Hard to Swallow - Easy to Digest offer the incredible stories behind his most well-known plays and also offer ideas for study/rehearsing.

Mark has been commissioned by (amongst others) The Birmingham Rep, (Kill Jill) the Haymarket Theatre Basingstoke (The Gate Escape) The DSM Foundation (I Love You Mum - I Promise I Won't Die).
Together with Rachel, his wife, Mark wrote the stories for Tufty's Adventures and the twelve editions of the Tufty Tales comic (RoSPA 1994).

Mark offers workshops to schools here and abroad.

Mark's plays are increasingly being released on DVD including his award-winning OYT productions of Too Much Punch For Judy, Missing Dan Nolan & I Love You Mum - I Promise I Won't Die. The professional production of CHICKEN! is now available.

Book Information
ISBN 9781913630867
Author Mark Wheeller
Format Paperback
Page Count 64
Imprint Salamander Street Limited
Publisher Salamander Street Limited