David had successes in the West End and also wrote horror stories and children's stories.

Back in his home town of Leicester it is said that he had been an influence on Sue Townsend, the creator of Adrian Mole, through a writers' group that he ran, in the seventies.

He received an honorary degree of doctor of letters from the University of Leicester earlier this year. In spite of all his achievements he was a gentle and modest man and his death is a great loss to the world of amateur dramatics.

David is survived by his wife, Sylvia, (above) who accompanied him on his last visit to the School.

Mike Brewer

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from Harry Lowe
I read the news of David Campton’s death with great sadness and would like to record my personal thoughts and memories of David the man and playwright.

I met David at my first Swanwick in 1997, at his talk on The One Act Play, and I then attended his course on Plays in 1998. We were all invited to write a five-minute piece to be read and worked on and it was only then that I realised that this deceptively quiet and gentle man had a remarkably shrewd brain, combined with a genuine love and understanding of theatre.

He taught from the heart with the experience gained from a lifetime in the theatre and over a hundred one-act plays and twenty full-length stage plays to his credit.

His teaching philosophy is embodied in his excellent book ‘Becoming a Playwright’ in which he states you learn by doing it, that playwriting can be learned and that no one should be discouraged, belittled or turned away. He was an inspiring teacher and a perceptive playwright and his plays are regularly performed at one-act festivals throughout the country.

In fact, it was he who encouraged me to try my hand at directing a play in a local festival. I was as green as grass and I asked him to suggest some plays of his that had a timeless element and were open to interpretation by an inexperienced but hopeful writer/director (yours truly!). I chose a play of his (But Not Here) and wrote explaining my ideas and asking if they were in line with his thoughts when writing the play. He gently pointed out that the playwright provides the working plans for a play but getting it on stage is the job of the director, cast and crew. If they do a better job than the writer envisaged then he should be delighted.

David went on to offer his help and advice by phone or letter; he sold me the scripts at a knockdown price and halved the performance fee. When I told him I was having trouble finding some sound effects he rummaged in his attic for an old cassette and sent me a copy.

Throughout rehearsals and performance he sent me encouraging letters and little anecdotes about his own experiences of casting, acting and directing to cheer me up.

I doubt if I would have made it without his help and I shall never forget David and the help that he, as a very busy and great writer, gave to a novice.

It was a privilege to share time and thoughts with him and the death of this very kind and dedicated writer is a great loss to the theatre and to all who knew or worked with him.

My thoughts and condolences are with his wife, Sylvia, who was his constant companion and champion at Swanwick and beyond.

Harry Lowe 97/Jackson

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Recent years saw the passing of other Swanwick stalwarts.

We note their passing. here