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Wikipedia

Dennis Kelly

Dennis Kelly is a British writer and producer. He has worked for theatre, television and film.

Dennis Kelly
BornBarnet, London, England
OccupationPlaywright, television writer, television producer, screenwriter, film producer
EducationFinchley Catholic High School
Alma materGoldsmiths College, University of London
Notable worksDebris (2003)
Osama the Hero (2005)
Love and Money (2006)
DNA (2008)
Orphans (2009)
Matilda the Musical (2010)
Utopia (2013)

His play DNA, first performed in 2007, became a core set-text for GCSE in 2010[1] and has been studied by approximately 400,000 students each year.[2] He wrote the book for Matilda the Musical, which featured music and lyrics from musician and comedian Tim Minchin. The musical went on to win multiple awards,[3] with Kelly receiving a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical.[4] A film adaptation of the musical with screenplay by Kelly was released in December 2022.

For television, he is known for co-creating and co-writing the BBC Three sitcom Pulling, the Channel 4 conspiracy thriller Utopia, and the HBO and Sky Atlantic thriller The Third Day. Kelly also wrote the screenplay for the 2014 film Black Sea.[5]

Personal life edit

Kelly grew up on a council estate in Barnet, North London.[6] A child of an Irish family, he was one of five children and was raised as a Catholic.[7] He attended Finchley Catholic High School.[8][9] Leaving school at 16 years of age, Kelly went to work in a market and then at Sainsbury's.[10]

While working in supermarkets, he discovered theatre when he joined a local youth group, the Barnet Drama Centre.[7]

Kelly says that he struggled with alcoholism during much of his 20s.[10] He attended Alcoholics Anonymous and has been sober since 2001.[11]

At the age of 30, he graduated from Goldsmiths College, University of London with First Class Honours in Drama and Theatre Arts.

In September 2011 Kelly married Neapolitan actress Monica Nappo. They had met five years earlier when Nappo was appearing in an Italian premiere of one of Kelly's plays.[6] They separated in 2016 and divorced in 2017. In May 2022 he married Producer Katie Swinden, the couple have one daughter together.

At one point Kelly shared his home in Deptford with Vladimir Shcherban from the Belarus Free Theatre company. Kelly offered his home to Shcherban as a place to stay when Shcherban was facing homelessness. Shcherban's situation came as a result of him having to flee (with other members of the theatre company) from Belarus to London as a means to escape political censorship and persecution in the aftermath of the 2010 Belarusian presidential election, where oppositional candidates had been arrested.[12]

Career edit

Kelly has credited Sharon Horgan for making him become a writer. They had both initially met in the early 1990s at LOST youth theatre where they performed in a production of Anton Chekov's The Seagull. They again met each other some years later while both drunk in a Camden pub. In the pub Kelly explained to Horgan that he had written a play.[13] The next day Horgan phoned Kelly up and told him that they should both put the play on. Kelly has said that "I honestly think, had I not bumped into her, I wouldn’t have become a writer, because I don’t think I’d have had the drive. Sharon always had a lot of drive and was quite fearless."[14] The play that Kelly wrote was called Brendan's Visit, which was performed at the Etcetera Theatre and Canal Cafe Theatre, with Horgan playing one of the characters.[15] Kelly has disowned the play saying that "I’ve killed everyone who ever saw it, let’s never talk about that ever again. […] I don’t think I can remember what it was about but I’m definitely not going to say what it was about! It was just a sitcom with swearing which is like a lot people’s first plays."[11]

Kelly's first professionally produced play Debris was written when he was 30 years old.[16] He says he wrote it imagining he'd give himself a part. Staged at Theatre503 in 2003, it transferred the next year to Battersea Arts Centre. It was well received and he went on to write the controversially titled Osama the Hero which was produced by Hampstead Theatre, beginning a long-running relationship with the theatre.[citation needed]

He wrote After the End in 2005. It was produced by Paines Plough in his first out of London production at the Traverse, though it later came to the Bush Theatre before going on a tour of the UK and internationally in 2006.[citation needed]

Love and Money was staged at the Royal Exchange, Manchester and then at the Young Vic in 2006. That same year his sitcom Pulling,[17] co-written and starring Sharon Horgan, aired on BBC Three. It received good ratings for the channel and was well reviewed, being nominated for a BAFTA TV Award for Best Situation Comedy in 2007.[citation needed]

Returning to theatre and the Hampstead Theatre in 2007, his fake verbatim play Taking Care of Baby was another success for both writer and theatre.[citation needed]

For the 2007 National Theatre Connections Festival, he wrote DeoxyriboNucleic Acid (better known by the title DNA) which after the connections received a professional production alongside The Miracle by Lin Coghlan and Baby Girl by Roy Williams at the National Theatre in the Cottesloe.[18] The play is now used widely in schools and is on several curriculums for GCSE drama.[citation needed]

The second series of Pulling ran in 2008 and won a British Comedy Award. However, the show was not renewed for a third series, although in 2009 an hour-long special closed the series. That same year he also wrote an episode for Series 8 of Spooks.[citation needed]

In 2009, his play Orphans was staged at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre before transferring to the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[citation needed]

2010s edit

Kelly was one of the ten writers who took part in writing monologues based on a children's account for a one-off event at the Old Vic Theatre directed by Danny Boyle in London in support of Dramatic Need in 2010. His three monologues were performed by Ben Kingsley, Jenny Jules and Charlie Cox.[19]

In 2010, Kelly returned to the Hampstead Theatre once more for his response to Shakespeare's King Lear, The Gods Weep starring Jeremy Irons, with mixed reviews.[citation needed] His script adapted from Roald Dahl's book for Tim Minchin's production of the musical Matilda[20] proved highly successful, with the musical winning 99 awards between its opening in December 2010[21] and 2021, and scheduled to continue to run in the West End of London until at least December 2022.[22]

He wrote an adaptation of Pinocchio featuring the songs and score from the Walt Disney film for the National Theatre, opening in December 2017.[citation needed]

Kelly's one-woman play Girls & Boys had its world premiere at the Royal Court Theatre in February 2018, directed by Lyndsey Turner and starring Carey Mulligan.[23][24] This production also had a run at the off-Broadway New York theatre, Minetta Lane Theatre in June 2018, to good reviews.[25][26][27] In March 2022, State Theatre Company South Australia put on a performance of the play at the Odeon Theatre, Norwood in Adelaide as part of the Adelaide Festival. The performance was directed by the artistic director of STCSA, Mitchell Butel, and starred Justine Clarke.[20][28] This production received overwhelmingly positive reviews, receiving five stars from reviewers[29][30][31] and earning a standing ovation at least one performance.[32] In the Netherlands, the play was staged by Theater Oostpool, directed by Daria Bukvić and starring Hadewych Minis, who won the prestigious Theo d'Or prize for her solo performance.[33]

International success and other work edit

His work has been produced in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Poland, Italy, Australia, Japan, the United States, France, Belgium, Denmark, Romania and Canada.[citation needed]

Other work includes translations of Péter Kárpáti's Fourth Gate (National Theatre Studio) and The Colony, a radio play which won Best European Radio Drama at the Prix Europa, 2004.[citation needed]

Works edit

Film edit

Theatre edit

Radio edit

  • 12 Shares (2005)
  • The Colony (2004)[36]

Television edit

Abandoned, cancelled or unproduced edit

Plays edit

  • White Pig: a play written around 2002 which Kelly says was about a passive boy with food-obsessed parents who had non-real characters wandering into his life.[11] Kelly has said that, "I used to have lots of these really odd meetings with theatres where I’d go in and they’d tell me how much they loved the play and then tell me they weren’t going to do it".[37] The play was eventually performed publicly at Jacksons Lane by students of Mountview on 30 September 2016.[38] However, no professional production has been mounted and the script remains unpublished.
  • Fifty-Three Million Miles: a play Kelly says was written early in his career, set variously on a council estate, a NASA interview room, and a living pod on Mars.[16][11] The play remaineds unproduced and the script unpublished.

Television edit

  • Pulling, series 3: the television sitcom Pulling, which Kelly co-wrote with Sharon Horgan, was unexpectedly not renewed for a third series by BBC Three despite Kelly and Horgan both wanting to write another series. Instead, the channel opted for a one-hour special to tie up loose ends of the narrative.[39] The sitcom had received good ratings, critical success and a nomination for a BAFTA award.[40][41] BBC Three controller Danny Cohen denied claims the channel was chasing a younger audience, saying the series was cancelled to make room for new shows.[40][39]
  • Utopia, series 3 and 4: in October 2014, Channel 4 announced that Kelly's conspiracy thriller Utopia had been cancelled after its second series.[42][43] Kelly said, "The people who liked it really liked it, but the ratings were just bad. I don’t know why. I think going out in the summer didn’t help. It’s gutting not being able to finish the story. We did want to do a special. We said to Channel 4, ‘I could finish it off with a two-hour special,’ but they weren’t going for it. I understand, though. It was a risky show to do."[5] The show's cancellation prompted The Independent in 2015 to publish a list of "The best prematurely cancelled TV shows", with Utopia placed first.[44] In 2017 The Guardian included Utopia in a list of "the best shows that had the plug pulled on them".[45] Publications such as NME and the i newspaper website felt that Netflix should fund a continuation of Utopia for its streaming service.[46][47] In a 2020 interview about the US remake of Utopia, Kelly said there would be difficulties in making another series but he had not ruled out the possibility.[48]
  • Consider Phlebas adaptation: In February 2018, Amazon Studios announced plans to adapt Iain Banks' Consider Phlebas for television, with Kelly as writer.[49] However, development was discontinued in 2020. Kelly said Banks' estate had not yet seen anything he had written for the project but he believed they did not feel ready to proceed.[50]

Film edit

  • World War Z sequel: in 2015 Kelly was reported to have been hired to rewrite a sequel to World War Z. The film was being developed by Paramount Pictures with Brad Pitt to star, and a release slated for June 2017.[51][52] In 2019, Paramount reportedly cancelled the sequel due to budgetary issues, the death of executive Brad Grey who was a key advocate for the film, and director David Fincher's involvement with his Mindhunter series.[53] However, The Hollywood Reporter reported the cancellation was mainly due to a Chinese government ban on zombie films.[54]

Acting credits edit

Stage edit

[55][56]

Year Title Role Notes
1966 The Sound of Music Herr Zeller Regional
1975 Carousel Enoch Snow
1988-89 Follies Benjamin Stone
1990
1991 La Cage aux Folles Georges
1994-95 Damn Yankees Joe Boyd Broadway
1995-97 US Tour
1997 West End
1999 Jekyll & Hyde Sir Danvers Carew 2nd US Tour
Annie Get Your Gun Buffalo Bill / Col. William F. Cody Broadway
2002 Into the Woods Cinderella's Father

u/s The Narrator / The Mysterious Man

Los Angeles (Pre-Broadway)
Broadway
2003-04 Urinetown Senator Fipp US Tour
2011 Follies Theodore Whitman Regional
2012-13 Anything Goes Elisha Whitney US Tour

Awards and honours edit

Awards

Year Award Ceremony Category Nominee Result Ref
2015 BAFTA TV Craft Awards Writer – Drama Utopia Nominated [57]
2014 RTS Programme Awards Drama Series Nominated [58]
Writer – Drama Nominated
BAFTA TV Craft Awards Writer – Drama Nominated [59]
International Emmy Awards Best Drama Series Won [60]
2013 Tony Awards Best Book of A Musical Matilda the Musical Won [4]
Outer Critics Circle Awards Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway) Won [61]
Outstanding New Broadway Musical Nominated
Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Musical Won [62]
Outstanding Book of a Musical Won
2012 South Bank Sky Arts Awards Theatre prize Won [63]
Olivier Awards Best Musical Won [64]
2011 Evening Standard Awards The Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical Won [65]
Critics' Circle Theatre Award Best Musical Won [66]
TMA UK Theatre Awards Best Musical Won [67]
WhatsOnStage Awards The SEE TICKETS Best New Musical Award Won [68]
2009 The Scotsman Fringe First Award Orphans Won [69]
The Herald (Glasgow) Herald Angel Award Won [70]
British Comedy Award Best Television Comedy Drama Pulling Won [71]
Theater heute Best Foreign Playwright Taking Care of Baby Won
The South Bank Show Awards Comedy Award Pulling Won [72]
2007 TMA Awards Best New Play Taking Care of Baby Nominated
John Whiting Award Won
Laurence Olivier Awards Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre Love and Money Nominated
BAFTA TV Award Best Situation Comedy Pulling Nominated [73]
2006 Meyer-Whitworth Award Osama the Hero Won [74]
2004 Radio & Music Award Scripting for Broadcast The Colony Won
Prix Europa Best European Radio Drama Of The Year Won [75]

Honours

On 9 November 2015, Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts awarded both Kelly and Matilda co-collaborator Tim Minchin an Honorary Doctorate in letters, validated by the University of East Anglia, for their work on Matilda the Musical.[76][77]

In July 2017 Kelly received an 'Honorary Fellowship' from Goldsmiths, University of London.[78]

References edit

  1. ^
  2. ^ Sierz, Aleks (25 November 2013). Introduction. Dennis Kelly: Plays Two: Our Teacher's a Troll; Orphans; Taking Care of Baby; DNA; The Gods Weep. By Kelly, Dennis. London: Oberon Books Ltd. ISBN 9781783195114.
  3. ^ Awards section on the Matilda The Musical website
  4. ^ a b "Tony award winners 2013 – the full list". The Guardian. 10 June 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  5. ^ a b Kelly, Stephen (22 November 2014). "Director Kevin Macdonald and writer Dennis Kelly on going back to basics for gripping submarine thriller Black Sea". The Independent. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Dennis Kelly: I can't imagine a more violent writer than Shakespeare". Evening Standard. 10 April 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  7. ^ a b Sierz, Aleks (27 July 2005). . The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  8. ^ Alumni page on the Finchley Catholic High School website
  9. ^ Caven, James (21 December 2015). "Finchley school appeals for photographs and memories as preparations get under way for 90th anniversary". Barnet Borough Times. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  10. ^ a b Costa, Maddy (10 September 2013). "Dennis Kelly: 'I thought that drinking was all I had to offer'". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d DENNIS KELLY: 20% HOT, 100% ALIVE on the Writerly blog
  12. ^ Shcherban, Vladimir (20 September 2014). "Too much British theatre is defined by finance and funding". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  13. ^ Horgan, Sharon (March 2015). "Sharon Horgan talks to Dennis Kelly". Chain Reaction. Series 10. BBC. BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  14. ^ Saner, Emine (4 October 2019). "Sharon Horgan's unstoppable rise as master of honest comedy". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  15. ^ Sharon Horgan's Acting CV
  16. ^ a b Kelly, Dennis (28 February 2008). "Identity crisis". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  17. ^ "Pulling", BBC
  18. ^ , National Theatre, 2008, archived from the original on 8 June 2009
  19. ^ , Children's Monologues, November 2010, archived from the original on 31 August 2012
  20. ^ a b "Girls & Boys". Adelaide Festival. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  21. ^ "The Matilda the Musical story". Tim Minchin. 6 November 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  22. ^ "Matilda The Musical". Theatre News and Reviews. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  23. ^ Gardner, Lyn (22 February 2018). "Dennis Kelly on Girls and Boys: 'I was shocked Carey Mulligan did it'". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  24. ^ Billington, Michael (15 February 2018). "Girls and Boys review – gut-wrenching Carey Mulligan charts a marriage's end". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  25. ^ Brantley, Ben (28 June 2018). "Review: Carey Mulligan Tells a Harrowing Tale of 'Girls & Boys'". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  26. ^ Scheck, Frank (27 June 2018). "'Girls & Boys': Theater Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  27. ^ Schama, Chloe (27 June 2018). "Theater Can Be Dishearteningly Inaccessible. Carey Mulligan's Devastating New Play Is Changing That". Vogue magazine. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  28. ^ "Girls & Boys". State Theatre Company South Australia. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  29. ^ Tune, Cathy (2 March 2022). "Girls & Boys: When Families Fall Apart ~ Adelaide Festival 2022 Review". The Clothesline - Digital Arts Magazine. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  30. ^ Forester, Gordon (2 March 2022). "Girls & Boys (State Theatre Company South Australia, Adelaide Festival) ★★★★★". Limelight. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  31. ^ Evans, Steve (1 March 2022). "Adelaide Festival review: Girls & Boys". InDaily. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  32. ^ Lanzi, Lisa (March 2022). "Girls and Boys". Stage Whispers. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  33. ^ "Winnaars VSCD Toneelprijzen 2021 & 2022 bekend". VSCD.nl (in Dutch). 11 September 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  34. ^ "The Ritual Slaughter of Gorge Mastromas at The Royal Court Theatre". The Royal Court Theatre. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  35. ^ . www.doollee.com. Archived from the original on 6 July 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  36. ^ "BBC - The Wire - The Colony - Writers Room". www.bbc.co.uk.
  37. ^ Audio and transcript of part one of 'Nation Theatre Connections Playwrights Roundtable' on the TheatreVOICE website
  38. ^ 'Autumn/Winter Season 16' Mountview brochure
  39. ^ a b Cohen, Danny; Holmwood, Leigh (2 October 2008). "BBC3 axes Pulling after two series". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  40. ^ Raphael, Amy (16 May 2009). "There's no moral centre to Pulling because we don't have one!". The Guardian. London.
  41. ^ "C4 Utopia". Twitter. 9 October 2014.
  42. ^ "Exclusive: C4's Utopia won't return for series 3". Den of Geek. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  43. ^ Rentoul, John (18 January 2015). "The best prematurely cancelled TV shows from Deadwood to Ripper Street". The Independent. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  44. ^ "My So-Called Life to Utopia: are these the most foolish TV cancellations ever?". The Guardian. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  45. ^ Bartleet, Larry (16 June 2015). "10 TV shows cancelled before their time that Netflix should resurrect". NME. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  46. ^ Butler, Mark (13 November 2017). "Why Utopia deserves a Netflix revival". inews. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  47. ^ Mellor, Louisa (17 September 2020). "UK Utopia Creator Dennis Kelly: 'There's Always a Possibility of Going Back'". Den of Geek. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  48. ^ "Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks". 21 February 2018. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  49. ^ "Amazon cancels TV adaptation of Iain M. Banks' sci-fi Culture series". 26 August 2020. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  50. ^ Siegel, Tatiana; Kit, Borys (30 October 2015). "'World War Z' Sequel Moves Forward After 'Jurassic World 2' Drama (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  51. ^ McNary, Dave (30 October 2015). "Brad Pitt's 'World War Z' Sequel Draws Dennis Kelly for New Draft". Variety. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  52. ^ Perez, Rodrigo (6 February 2019). "Paramount Pulls The Plug On David Fincher's 'World War Z' Sequel". The Playlist. from the original on 8 February 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  53. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (18 May 2019). "Zombie Films at Cannes: What's Up With All the Undead?". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on 20 May 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  54. ^ Dennis Kelly BwayWorld
  55. ^ Dennis Kelly IBDB
  56. ^ Television Craft | Writer - Drama in 2015 webpage on the BAFTAs website
  57. ^ RTS PROGRAMME AWARDS 2014 on the Royal Television Society website
  58. ^ Television Craft | Writer - Drama in 2014 webpage on the BAFTAs website
  59. ^ "International Emmys: UK's 'Utopia' Wins Best Drama; Belgium's 'What If' Takes Comedy (FULL LIST)". Variety. 24 November 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  60. ^ "2012-13 Outer Critics Circle Award Winners Announced - PIPPIN Tops List with 7, Followed by KINKY BOOTS". broadwayworld.com. 13 May 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  61. ^ . Playbill. 29 April 2013. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  62. ^ "Matilda wins at South Bank awards". BBC News. 1 May 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  63. ^ "Olivier Award Winners Announced - Matilda Dominates!". London Theatre. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  64. ^ Jury, Louise; Foster, Alistair (10 April 2012). "Sheridan Smith crowned queen of London stage at our Theatre Awards". The Evening Standard. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  65. ^ "The Critics' Circle Theatre Awards 2011". The Critics' Circle. 25 January 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  66. ^ . THEATRE AWARDS UK. Archived from the original on 29 December 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  67. ^ "Full List: 2012 Whatsonstage.com Award winners". WhatsOnStage. 19 February 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  68. ^ Wiegand, Chris (14 August 2009). "Traverse scores a hat-trick in Edinburgh's Fringe First awards". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  69. ^ "Angels fly off with awards". The Herald. 15 August 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  70. ^ 2009 Winners on the British Comedy Awards website
  71. ^ "Pulling scoops South Bank Award". Chortle. 21 January 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  72. ^ 2007 Television Award for Situation Comedy on the BAFTAs website
  73. ^ Meyer Whitworth Award winners on the Playwright's Studio Scotland website
  74. ^ PRIX EUROPA 2004 - AWARDS PDF
  75. ^ MountviewLDN (13 November 2015). "Writer Dennis Kelly's Hilarious Graduation Advice". Archived from the original on 13 December 2021 – via YouTube.
  76. ^ Snow, Georgia (11 November 2015). . The Stage. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017.
  77. ^ Goldsmiths honours Hope Powell CBE, Dennis Kelly, Gabriel Prokofiev, and Dorothy Cross on the Goldsmiths website

External links edit

  • Dennis Kelly at IMDb
  • entry on Doollee(subscription required) 6 July 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  • London Evening Standard, 9 March 2010

dennis, kelly, american, football, offensive, tackle, american, football, jamaican, judge, judge, this, biography, living, person, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, adding, reliable, sources, contentious, material, about, living, person. For the American football offensive tackle see Dennis Kelly American football For the Jamaican judge see Dennis Kelly judge This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification Please help by adding reliable sources Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page especially if potentially libelous Find sources Dennis Kelly news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Dennis Kelly is a British writer and producer He has worked for theatre television and film Dennis KellyBornBarnet London EnglandOccupationPlaywright television writer television producer screenwriter film producerEducationFinchley Catholic High SchoolAlma materGoldsmiths College University of LondonNotable worksDebris 2003 Osama the Hero 2005 Love and Money 2006 DNA 2008 Orphans 2009 Matilda the Musical 2010 Utopia 2013 His play DNA first performed in 2007 became a core set text for GCSE in 2010 1 and has been studied by approximately 400 000 students each year 2 He wrote the book for Matilda the Musical which featured music and lyrics from musician and comedian Tim Minchin The musical went on to win multiple awards 3 with Kelly receiving a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical 4 A film adaptation of the musical with screenplay by Kelly was released in December 2022 For television he is known for co creating and co writing the BBC Three sitcom Pulling the Channel 4 conspiracy thriller Utopia and the HBO and Sky Atlantic thriller The Third Day Kelly also wrote the screenplay for the 2014 film Black Sea 5 Contents 1 Personal life 2 Career 2 1 2010s 2 2 International success and other work 3 Works 3 1 Film 3 2 Theatre 3 3 Radio 3 4 Television 3 5 Abandoned cancelled or unproduced 3 5 1 Plays 3 5 2 Television 3 5 3 Film 4 Acting credits 4 1 Stage 5 Awards and honours 6 References 7 External linksPersonal life editKelly grew up on a council estate in Barnet North London 6 A child of an Irish family he was one of five children and was raised as a Catholic 7 He attended Finchley Catholic High School 8 9 Leaving school at 16 years of age Kelly went to work in a market and then at Sainsbury s 10 While working in supermarkets he discovered theatre when he joined a local youth group the Barnet Drama Centre 7 Kelly says that he struggled with alcoholism during much of his 20s 10 He attended Alcoholics Anonymous and has been sober since 2001 11 At the age of 30 he graduated from Goldsmiths College University of London with First Class Honours in Drama and Theatre Arts In September 2011 Kelly married Neapolitan actress Monica Nappo They had met five years earlier when Nappo was appearing in an Italian premiere of one of Kelly s plays 6 They separated in 2016 and divorced in 2017 In May 2022 he married Producer Katie Swinden the couple have one daughter together At one point Kelly shared his home in Deptford with Vladimir Shcherban from the Belarus Free Theatre company Kelly offered his home to Shcherban as a place to stay when Shcherban was facing homelessness Shcherban s situation came as a result of him having to flee with other members of the theatre company from Belarus to London as a means to escape political censorship and persecution in the aftermath of the 2010 Belarusian presidential election where oppositional candidates had been arrested 12 Career editKelly has credited Sharon Horgan for making him become a writer They had both initially met in the early 1990s at LOST youth theatre where they performed in a production of Anton Chekov s The Seagull They again met each other some years later while both drunk in a Camden pub In the pub Kelly explained to Horgan that he had written a play 13 The next day Horgan phoned Kelly up and told him that they should both put the play on Kelly has said that I honestly think had I not bumped into her I wouldn t have become a writer because I don t think I d have had the drive Sharon always had a lot of drive and was quite fearless 14 The play that Kelly wrote was called Brendan s Visit which was performed at the Etcetera Theatre and Canal Cafe Theatre with Horgan playing one of the characters 15 Kelly has disowned the play saying that I ve killed everyone who ever saw it let s never talk about that ever again I don t think I can remember what it was about but I m definitely not going to say what it was about It was just a sitcom with swearing which is like a lot people s first plays 11 Kelly s first professionally produced play Debris was written when he was 30 years old 16 He says he wrote it imagining he d give himself a part Staged at Theatre503 in 2003 it transferred the next year to Battersea Arts Centre It was well received and he went on to write the controversially titled Osama the Hero which was produced by Hampstead Theatre beginning a long running relationship with the theatre citation needed He wrote After the End in 2005 It was produced by Paines Plough in his first out of London production at the Traverse though it later came to the Bush Theatre before going on a tour of the UK and internationally in 2006 citation needed Love and Money was staged at the Royal Exchange Manchester and then at the Young Vic in 2006 That same year his sitcom Pulling 17 co written and starring Sharon Horgan aired on BBC Three It received good ratings for the channel and was well reviewed being nominated for a BAFTA TV Award for Best Situation Comedy in 2007 citation needed Returning to theatre and the Hampstead Theatre in 2007 his fake verbatim play Taking Care of Baby was another success for both writer and theatre citation needed For the 2007 National Theatre Connections Festival he wrote DeoxyriboNucleic Acid better known by the title DNA which after the connections received a professional production alongside The Miracle by Lin Coghlan and Baby Girl by Roy Williams at the National Theatre in the Cottesloe 18 The play is now used widely in schools and is on several curriculums for GCSE drama citation needed The second series of Pulling ran in 2008 and won a British Comedy Award However the show was not renewed for a third series although in 2009 an hour long special closed the series That same year he also wrote an episode for Series 8 of Spooks citation needed In 2009 his play Orphans was staged at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre before transferring to the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe citation needed 2010s edit Kelly was one of the ten writers who took part in writing monologues based on a children s account for a one off event at the Old Vic Theatre directed by Danny Boyle in London in support of Dramatic Need in 2010 His three monologues were performed by Ben Kingsley Jenny Jules and Charlie Cox 19 In 2010 Kelly returned to the Hampstead Theatre once more for his response to Shakespeare s King Lear The Gods Weep starring Jeremy Irons with mixed reviews citation needed His script adapted from Roald Dahl s book for Tim Minchin s production of the musical Matilda 20 proved highly successful with the musical winning 99 awards between its opening in December 2010 21 and 2021 and scheduled to continue to run in the West End of London until at least December 2022 22 He wrote an adaptation of Pinocchio featuring the songs and score from the Walt Disney film for the National Theatre opening in December 2017 citation needed Kelly s one woman play Girls amp Boys had its world premiere at the Royal Court Theatre in February 2018 directed by Lyndsey Turner and starring Carey Mulligan 23 24 This production also had a run at the off Broadway New York theatre Minetta Lane Theatre in June 2018 to good reviews 25 26 27 In March 2022 State Theatre Company South Australia put on a performance of the play at the Odeon Theatre Norwood in Adelaide as part of the Adelaide Festival The performance was directed by the artistic director of STCSA Mitchell Butel and starred Justine Clarke 20 28 This production received overwhelmingly positive reviews receiving five stars from reviewers 29 30 31 and earning a standing ovation at least one performance 32 In the Netherlands the play was staged by Theater Oostpool directed by Daria Bukvic and starring Hadewych Minis who won the prestigious Theo d Or prize for her solo performance 33 International success and other work edit His work has been produced in Germany Austria Switzerland Slovakia the Netherlands Ireland Iceland the Czech Republic Bulgaria Poland Italy Australia Japan the United States France Belgium Denmark Romania and Canada citation needed Other work includes translations of Peter Karpati s Fourth Gate National Theatre Studio and The Colony a radio play which won Best European Radio Drama at the Prix Europa 2004 citation needed Works editFilm edit Matilda the Musical 2022 Writer based on the 2010 stage musical Black Sea 2014 WriterTheatre edit Original works Girls amp Boys 2018 premiered at the Royal Court Theatre The Ritual Slaughter of Gorge Mastromas 2013 premiered at the Royal Court Theatre 34 Things That Make No Sense 2011 performed as part of Theatre Uncut A Response to the Countrywide Spending Cuts premiered at Southwark Playhouse True Love Sums and Christmas 2010 monologues performed as part of The Children s Monologues one off event at the Old Vic Theatre The Gods Weep 2010 premiered at the Hampstead Theatre Orphans 2009 premiered at the Traverse Theatre transferred to the Soho Theatre Our Teacher s a Troll 2009 premiered at Mull Theatre by the National Theatre of Scotland D N A 2008 part of National Theatre Connections Pupation 2007 written as a 10 minute play and completed by Natasha Bell Georgia Lester Indiana Seresin and Joey Sims premiered at Hampstead Theatre Unpublished Murder at Gobbler s Wood 2007 written with Enda Walsh and Robin French premiered at the Latitude Festival at Henham Park Unpublished Taking Care of Baby 2007 premiered at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre Love and Money 2006 premiered at the Royal Exchange Theatre After the End 2005 premiered at the Bush Theatre Osama the Hero 2005 premiered at the Hampstead Theatre Blackout 2004 premiered at the Soho Theatre Unpublished Debris 2003 premiered at Theatre503 Brendan s Visit 1997 premiered at the Etcetera Theatre Unpublished Adaptations and translations Pinocchio 2017 music from the 1940 Disney film premiered at the National Theatre From Morning to Midnight 2013 a translation original play by Georg Kaiser premiered at the National Theatre Matilda the Musical 35 2010 music by Tim Minchin premiered at the Courtyard Theatre The Prince of Homburg 2010 a translation original by Heinrich von Kleist premiered at the Donmar Warehouse Rose Bernd 2005 a translation original play by Gerhart Hauptmann premiered at the Arcola Theatre The Fourth Gate 2004 a translation original play by Peter Karpati premiered at the National Theatre Radio edit 12 Shares 2005 The Colony 2004 36 Television edit Spooks BBC Series 8 Pulling for BBC Three co written with Sharon Horgan Utopia for Channel 4 The Circuit for Channel 4 co written with Sharon Horgan The Third Day for HBO and Sky One Together for BBC TwoAbandoned cancelled or unproduced edit Plays edit White Pig a play written around 2002 which Kelly says was about a passive boy with food obsessed parents who had non real characters wandering into his life 11 Kelly has said that I used to have lots of these really odd meetings with theatres where I d go in and they d tell me how much they loved the play and then tell me they weren t going to do it 37 The play was eventually performed publicly at Jacksons Lane by students of Mountview on 30 September 2016 38 However no professional production has been mounted and the script remains unpublished Fifty Three Million Miles a play Kelly says was written early in his career set variously on a council estate a NASA interview room and a living pod on Mars 16 11 The play remaineds unproduced and the script unpublished Television edit Pulling series 3 the television sitcom Pulling which Kelly co wrote with Sharon Horgan was unexpectedly not renewed for a third series by BBC Three despite Kelly and Horgan both wanting to write another series Instead the channel opted for a one hour special to tie up loose ends of the narrative 39 The sitcom had received good ratings critical success and a nomination for a BAFTA award 40 41 BBC Three controller Danny Cohen denied claims the channel was chasing a younger audience saying the series was cancelled to make room for new shows 40 39 Utopia series 3 and 4 in October 2014 Channel 4 announced that Kelly s conspiracy thriller Utopia had been cancelled after its second series 42 43 Kelly said The people who liked it really liked it but the ratings were just bad I don t know why I think going out in the summer didn t help It s gutting not being able to finish the story We did want to do a special We said to Channel 4 I could finish it off with a two hour special but they weren t going for it I understand though It was a risky show to do 5 The show s cancellation prompted The Independent in 2015 to publish a list of The best prematurely cancelled TV shows with Utopia placed first 44 In 2017 The Guardian included Utopia in a list of the best shows that had the plug pulled on them 45 Publications such as NME and the i newspaper website felt that Netflix should fund a continuation of Utopia for its streaming service 46 47 In a 2020 interview about the US remake of Utopia Kelly said there would be difficulties in making another series but he had not ruled out the possibility 48 Consider Phlebas adaptation In February 2018 Amazon Studios announced plans to adapt Iain Banks Consider Phlebas for television with Kelly as writer 49 However development was discontinued in 2020 Kelly said Banks estate had not yet seen anything he had written for the project but he believed they did not feel ready to proceed 50 Film edit World War Z sequel in 2015 Kelly was reported to have been hired to rewrite a sequel to World War Z The film was being developed by Paramount Pictures with Brad Pitt to star and a release slated for June 2017 51 52 In 2019 Paramount reportedly cancelled the sequel due to budgetary issues the death of executive Brad Grey who was a key advocate for the film and director David Fincher s involvement with his Mindhunter series 53 However The Hollywood Reporter reported the cancellation was mainly due to a Chinese government ban on zombie films 54 Acting credits editStage edit 55 56 Year Title Role Notes1966 The Sound of Music Herr Zeller Regional1975 Carousel Enoch Snow1988 89 Follies Benjamin Stone19901991 La Cage aux Folles Georges1994 95 Damn Yankees Joe Boyd Broadway1995 97 US Tour1997 West End1999 Jekyll amp Hyde Sir Danvers Carew 2nd US TourAnnie Get Your Gun Buffalo Bill Col William F Cody Broadway2002 Into the Woods Cinderella s Father u s The Narrator The Mysterious Man Los Angeles Pre Broadway Broadway2003 04 Urinetown Senator Fipp US Tour2011 Follies Theodore Whitman Regional2012 13 Anything Goes Elisha Whitney US TourAwards and honours editAwards Year Award Ceremony Category Nominee Result Ref2015 BAFTA TV Craft Awards Writer Drama Utopia Nominated 57 2014 RTS Programme Awards Drama Series Nominated 58 Writer Drama NominatedBAFTA TV Craft Awards Writer Drama Nominated 59 International Emmy Awards Best Drama Series Won 60 2013 Tony Awards Best Book of A Musical Matilda the Musical Won 4 Outer Critics Circle Awards Outstanding Book of a Musical Broadway or Off Broadway Won 61 Outstanding New Broadway Musical NominatedDrama Desk Awards Outstanding Musical Won 62 Outstanding Book of a Musical Won2012 South Bank Sky Arts Awards Theatre prize Won 63 Olivier Awards Best Musical Won 64 2011 Evening Standard Awards The Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical Won 65 Critics Circle Theatre Award Best Musical Won 66 TMA UK Theatre Awards Best Musical Won 67 WhatsOnStage Awards The SEE TICKETS Best New Musical Award Won 68 2009 The Scotsman Fringe First Award Orphans Won 69 The Herald Glasgow Herald Angel Award Won 70 British Comedy Award Best Television Comedy Drama Pulling Won 71 Theater heute Best Foreign Playwright Taking Care of Baby WonThe South Bank Show Awards Comedy Award Pulling Won 72 2007 TMA Awards Best New Play Taking Care of Baby NominatedJohn Whiting Award WonLaurence Olivier Awards Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre Love and Money NominatedBAFTA TV Award Best Situation Comedy Pulling Nominated 73 2006 Meyer Whitworth Award Osama the Hero Won 74 2004 Radio amp Music Award Scripting for Broadcast The Colony WonPrix Europa Best European Radio Drama Of The Year Won 75 HonoursOn 9 November 2015 Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts awarded both Kelly and Matilda co collaborator Tim Minchin an Honorary Doctorate in letters validated by the University of East Anglia for their work on Matilda the Musical 76 77 In July 2017 Kelly received an Honorary Fellowship from Goldsmiths University of London 78 References edit Archived webpage from 2016 of Dennis Kelly s page on his agent s website Sierz Aleks 25 November 2013 Introduction Dennis Kelly Plays Two Our Teacher s a Troll Orphans Taking Care of Baby DNA The Gods Weep By Kelly Dennis London Oberon Books Ltd ISBN 9781783195114 Awards section on the Matilda The Musical website a b Tony award winners 2013 the full list The Guardian 10 June 2013 Retrieved 17 March 2021 a b Kelly Stephen 22 November 2014 Director Kevin Macdonald and writer Dennis Kelly on going back to basics for gripping submarine thriller Black Sea The Independent Retrieved 12 March 2021 a b Dennis Kelly I can t imagine a more violent writer than Shakespeare Evening Standard 10 April 2012 Retrieved 11 March 2021 a b Sierz Aleks 27 July 2005 In pursuit of monsters The Telegraph Archived from the original on 12 November 2012 Retrieved 11 March 2021 Alumni page on the Finchley Catholic High School website Caven James 21 December 2015 Finchley school appeals for photographs and memories as preparations get under way for 90th anniversary Barnet Borough Times Retrieved 11 March 2021 a b Costa Maddy 10 September 2013 Dennis Kelly I thought that drinking was all I had to offer The Guardian Retrieved 11 March 2021 a b c d DENNIS KELLY 20 HOT 100 ALIVE on the Writerly blog Shcherban Vladimir 20 September 2014 Too much British theatre is defined by finance and funding The Guardian Retrieved 11 March 2021 Horgan Sharon March 2015 Sharon Horgan talks to Dennis Kelly Chain Reaction Series 10 BBC BBC Radio 4 Retrieved 24 March 2021 Saner Emine 4 October 2019 Sharon Horgan s unstoppable rise as master of honest comedy The Guardian Retrieved 18 March 2021 Sharon Horgan s Acting CV a b Kelly Dennis 28 February 2008 Identity crisis The Guardian Retrieved 11 March 2021 Pulling BBC DNA National Theatre 2008 archived from the original on 8 June 2009 Dramatic Need Children s Monologues November 2010 archived from the original on 31 August 2012 a b Girls amp Boys Adelaide Festival Retrieved 1 March 2022 The Matilda the Musical story Tim Minchin 6 November 2010 Retrieved 1 March 2022 Matilda The Musical Theatre News and Reviews 20 September 2021 Retrieved 1 March 2022 Gardner Lyn 22 February 2018 Dennis Kelly on Girls and Boys I was shocked Carey Mulligan did it The Guardian Retrieved 28 February 2022 Billington Michael 15 February 2018 Girls and Boys review gut wrenching Carey Mulligan charts a marriage s end The Guardian Retrieved 28 February 2022 Brantley Ben 28 June 2018 Review Carey Mulligan Tells a Harrowing Tale of Girls amp Boys The New York Times Retrieved 1 March 2022 Scheck Frank 27 June 2018 Girls amp Boys Theater Review The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved 1 March 2022 Schama Chloe 27 June 2018 Theater Can Be Dishearteningly Inaccessible Carey Mulligan s Devastating New Play Is Changing That Vogue magazine Retrieved 1 March 2022 Girls amp Boys State Theatre Company South Australia Retrieved 1 March 2022 Tune Cathy 2 March 2022 Girls amp Boys When Families Fall Apart Adelaide Festival 2022 Review The Clothesline Digital Arts Magazine Retrieved 3 March 2022 Forester Gordon 2 March 2022 Girls amp Boys State Theatre Company South Australia Adelaide Festival Limelight Retrieved 3 March 2022 Evans Steve 1 March 2022 Adelaide Festival review Girls amp Boys InDaily Retrieved 3 March 2022 Lanzi Lisa March 2022 Girls and Boys Stage Whispers Retrieved 3 March 2022 Winnaars VSCD Toneelprijzen 2021 amp 2022 bekend VSCD nl in Dutch 11 September 2022 Retrieved 9 February 2023 The Ritual Slaughter of Gorge Mastromas at The Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre Retrieved 10 September 2013 doollee com the playwrights database of modern plays www doollee com Archived from the original on 6 July 2006 Retrieved 9 August 2009 BBC The Wire The Colony Writers Room www bbc co uk Audio and transcript of part one of Nation Theatre Connections Playwrights Roundtable on the TheatreVOICE website Autumn Winter Season 16 Mountview brochure a b Armstrong Stephen 27 April 2009 Popular but pulled The Guardian Retrieved 11 March 2021 a b Cohen Danny Holmwood Leigh 2 October 2008 BBC3 axes Pulling after two series The Guardian Retrieved 11 March 2021 Raphael Amy 16 May 2009 There s no moral centre to Pulling because we don t have one The Guardian London C4 Utopia Twitter 9 October 2014 Exclusive C4 s Utopia won t return for series 3 Den of Geek Retrieved 10 January 2018 Rentoul John 18 January 2015 The best prematurely cancelled TV shows from Deadwood to Ripper Street The Independent Retrieved 16 March 2021 My So Called Life to Utopia are these the most foolish TV cancellations ever The Guardian 22 June 2017 Retrieved 16 March 2021 Bartleet Larry 16 June 2015 10 TV shows cancelled before their time that Netflix should resurrect NME Retrieved 16 March 2021 Butler Mark 13 November 2017 Why Utopia deserves a Netflix revival inews Retrieved 16 March 2021 Mellor Louisa 17 September 2020 UK Utopia Creator Dennis Kelly There s Always a Possibility of Going Back Den of Geek Retrieved 12 March 2021 Consider Phlebas by Iain M Banks 21 February 2018 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Amazon cancels TV adaptation of Iain M Banks sci fi Culture series 26 August 2020 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Siegel Tatiana Kit Borys 30 October 2015 World War Z Sequel Moves Forward After Jurassic World 2 Drama Exclusive The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved 24 March 2021 McNary Dave 30 October 2015 Brad Pitt s World War Z Sequel Draws Dennis Kelly for New Draft Variety Retrieved 24 March 2021 Perez Rodrigo 6 February 2019 Paramount Pulls The Plug On David Fincher s World War Z Sequel The Playlist Archived from the original on 8 February 2019 Retrieved 6 February 2019 Siegel Tatiana 18 May 2019 Zombie Films at Cannes What s Up With All the Undead The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on 20 May 2019 Retrieved 22 May 2019 Dennis Kelly BwayWorld Dennis Kelly IBDB Television Craft Writer Drama in 2015 webpage on the BAFTAs website RTS PROGRAMME AWARDS 2014 on the Royal Television Society website Television Craft Writer Drama in 2014 webpage on the BAFTAs website International Emmys UK s Utopia Wins Best Drama Belgium s What If Takes Comedy FULL LIST Variety 24 November 2014 Retrieved 30 November 2014 2012 13 Outer Critics Circle Award Winners Announced PIPPIN Tops List with 7 Followed by KINKY BOOTS broadwayworld com 13 May 2013 Retrieved 3 May 2013 Nominations Announced for 58th Annual Drama Desk Awards Playbill 29 April 2013 Archived from the original on 1 May 2013 Retrieved 3 May 2013 Matilda wins at South Bank awards BBC News 1 May 2012 Retrieved 18 March 2021 Olivier Award Winners Announced Matilda Dominates London Theatre 8 June 2016 Retrieved 17 March 2021 Jury Louise Foster Alistair 10 April 2012 Sheridan Smith crowned queen of London stage at our Theatre Awards The Evening Standard Retrieved 17 March 2021 The Critics Circle Theatre Awards 2011 The Critics Circle 25 January 2011 Retrieved 19 January 2012 THEATRE AWARDS UK 2011 THEATRE AWARDS UK Archived from the original on 29 December 2011 Retrieved 19 January 2012 Full List 2012 Whatsonstage com Award winners WhatsOnStage 19 February 2012 Retrieved 17 March 2021 Wiegand Chris 14 August 2009 Traverse scores a hat trick in Edinburgh s Fringe First awards The Guardian Retrieved 18 March 2021 Angels fly off with awards The Herald 15 August 2009 Retrieved 18 March 2021 2009 Winners on the British Comedy Awards website Pulling scoops South Bank Award Chortle 21 January 2009 Retrieved 18 March 2021 2007 Television Award for Situation Comedy on the BAFTAs website Meyer Whitworth Award winners on the Playwright s Studio Scotland website PRIX EUROPA 2004 AWARDS PDF MountviewLDN 13 November 2015 Writer Dennis Kelly s Hilarious Graduation Advice Archived from the original on 13 December 2021 via YouTube Snow Georgia 11 November 2015 Matilda writers Tim Minchin and Dennis Kelly awarded honorary degrees from Mountview The Stage Archived from the original on 3 August 2017 Goldsmiths honours Hope Powell CBE Dennis Kelly Gabriel Prokofiev and Dorothy Cross on the Goldsmiths websiteExternal links editDennis Kelly at IMDb entry on Doollee subscription required Archived 6 July 2006 at the Wayback Machine I can t imagine a more violent writer than Shakespeare London Evening Standard 9 March 2010 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dennis Kelly amp oldid 1203167145, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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