http://www.finkennedy.co.uk Fin Kennedy Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:44:23 +0000 http://www.finkennedy.co.uk en http://finkennedy.co.uk/Articles http://finkennedy.co.uk/following/finkennedy.co.uk/Articles Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:44:23 +0000 Fin Kennedy 2744055 <img src="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2744055/guardian-logo.jpg" width="448" height="309" width_o="448" height_o="309" src_o="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2744055/guardian-logo_o.jpg" data-mid="13918241" border="0" align="left"/> I am an occasional contributor to Guardian theatre blogs, as well as publishing articles about my own work on my blog at www.finkennedy.blogspot.com My Guardian clippings in full: Can video games help theatre reach the next level? Guardian online, 6 June 2011 Playwrights should learn the benefits of staying in education Guardian online, 25 January 2011 East End meets West End: why we should put communities at the heart of theatre Guardian online, 5 July 2010 Adopting playwrights is no laughing matter Guardian Theatre Blogs, 4 May 2009 Can theatre change immigration law? Guardian Theatre blogs, 2 July 2008 We're taking a risk just by writing for the stage Guardian G2 section, 15 March 2006 Ditch the mumbling smackheads! Guardian, 7 January 2004 However, I often use my blog to publish my own articles in a longer, more discursive form. Here are some recent highlights: Power to the People: Amateur Theatre in an Age of Austerity 14 March 2012 On Parliamentary lobbying and the English Baccalaureate 28 November 2011 Nuggets of Originality: What they are and why every good play needs them 28 October 2011 On Alcohol, Theatre and the Edinburgh Bubble 15 August 2011 Looking Back at The Pilot: How new writing in schools might be about to take off 12 July 2011 Bushwhacked: A playwright's manifesto for the Bush Theatre 17 May 2011 A Letter to the Arts Council: New theatre writing in schools and the ACE National Portfolio 14 April 2011 Cuts to the Arts: A list for playwrights 30 March 2011 Follow me on Twitter (@finkennedy) to get links when new articles appear. http://finkennedy.co.uk/Adopt-a-Playwright http://finkennedy.co.uk/following/finkennedy.co.uk/Adopt-a-Playwright Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:35:57 +0000 Fin Kennedy 2747808 <img src="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2747808/adoptaplaywright02_640.jpg" width="640" height="167" width_o="645" height_o="169" src_o="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2747808/adoptaplaywright02_o.jpg" data-mid="13940594" border="0" align="left"/> Adopt-a-Playwright is an innovative award set up by OffWestEnd.com founder Sofie Mason - she claims, inspired by a conversation with me! (ie. a writer's moan I had). It aims to gather a group of private patrons around one playwright per year, in order to buy them out of other work for a while so they can focus exclusively on their writing, de facto 'adoption'. I sit on the panel each year and help to choose the writer. Everyone knows how hard it is to survive as a playwright, particularly when you're starting out. I have a theory that the economics of having to write for nothing (or almost nothing) for many years imposes an 'economic filter' on who gets to write plays professionally - ie. those who can afford to. This is important because everything starts with us writers. We decide whose lives are worth putting a frame around. If new theatre writing is to thrive, and to truly be a part of the national debate in 21st century Britain, then its practitioners need to be drawn from as wide a range of backgrounds as possible. This is far from yet another 'diversity' scheme with a tacit focus on race. It is as much about gender, class and geography, as well as the ludicrous arbitrary cut-off point of age 25 for eligibility for most new writers' schemes. Adopt-a-Playwright is an imaginative response to these pressures. As a private finance initiative it is free from affilitation to any particular theatre, and simply aims to buy the writer the time and headspace to do what writers do best. You can read more about the scheme here. You can read a speech I gave at its launch, here. And you can read a scrap I got into with a theatre critic about whether the whole thing is even necessary at all, here. http://finkennedy.co.uk/Rates http://finkennedy.co.uk/following/finkennedy.co.uk/Rates Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:42:14 +0000 Fin Kennedy 2747021 <img src="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2747021/atteboro note.jpg" width="532" height="355" width_o="532" height_o="355" src_o="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2747021/atteboro note_o.jpg" data-mid="13935973" border="0" align="left"/> All this costs money I'm afraid. Here's how much. For professional play commissions at Writer's Guild/ITC rates (valid as of June 2011): £7,650 for a play over 70 minutes £5,101 for a play between 30 and 70 minutes £2,550 for a play under 30 minutes. Notes that these are minimums recommended by the Guild. You can pay me more if you like, it would certainly be appreciated :-) For teaching and workshops: Day rate: £250 Overnight rate: £350 Half day rate: £150 Hourly rate: £75 Travel is extra (I don't live in London). Accomodation expenses are required for jobs involving an overnight stay. Admin support (e.g. photocopying class resources in advance) is appreciated. Note that for young people's projects day rates for workshops with students will be required on top of the fee for writing the play. I can also project manage a production, at extra cost, if required. Fees can be negotiated for long or complex projects. Please get in touch for a quote. http://finkennedy.co.uk/Contact http://finkennedy.co.uk/following/finkennedy.co.uk/Contact Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:19:53 +0000 Fin Kennedy 2746970 <img src="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2746970/contact.jpg" width="610" height="480" width_o="610" height_o="480" src_o="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2746970/contact_o.jpg" data-mid="13935242" border="0" align="left"/> I'm represented by Joe Phillips at Curtis Brown Ltd. That's him up there. You can reach him on 020 7393 4459 or joe@curtisbrown.co.uk Please contact him for anything to do with professional play commissions. For teaching, workshops, speaking engagements and general enquiries please contact me directly on finkennedy@yahoo.co.uk If you'd like to keep up to date with my work I run an occasional email mailing list. Drop me a line at the address above to be added. Or you can follow me on Twitter @finkennedy, check out my blog www.finkennedy.blogspot.com or come and say hello via Facebook. http://finkennedy.co.uk/Awards http://finkennedy.co.uk/following/finkennedy.co.uk/Awards Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:04:53 +0000 Fin Kennedy 2746908 <img src="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2746908/dog.jpg" width="304" height="240" width_o="304" height_o="240" src_o="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2746908/dog_o.jpg" data-mid="13934968" border="0" align="left"/> I'm an award-winning playwright. Oh yes I am. Here's what I won and when. 2009 Scotsman Fringe First Award for The Unravelling 2008 Brian Way Award runner-up for Locked In 2007 Peter Brook Award for How To Disappear Completely And Never Be Found 2006 John Whiting Award for How To Disappear Completely And Never Be Found 2004 First Light Best Documentary award for Babes 2003 Pearson Playwright at Soho Theatre http://finkennedy.co.uk/Published-plays http://finkennedy.co.uk/following/finkennedy.co.uk/Published-plays Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:42:55 +0000 Fin Kennedy 2746812 <img src="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2746812/NickHern-Logo.png" width="430" height="93" width_o="430" height_o="93" src_o="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2746812/NickHern-Logo_o.png" data-mid="13934374" border="0" align="left"/> Most of my plays are published by Nick Hern Books and are available to buy or order from their website, or from online retailers or most bookshops. Click on the plays below to buy them. <img src="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2746812/protection.jpg" width="300" height="300" width_o="300" height_o="300" src_o="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2746812/protection_o.jpg" data-mid="13934482" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2746812/htdcanbf.jpg" width="300" height="300" width_o="300" height_o="300" src_o="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2746812/htdcanbf_o.jpg" data-mid="13934515" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2746812/urban girl book.jpg" width="300" height="300" width_o="300" height_o="300" src_o="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2746812/urban girl book_o.jpg" data-mid="13934114" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2746812/methuen.jpg" width="300" height="300" width_o="300" height_o="300" src_o="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2746812/methuen_o.jpg" data-mid="13934140" border="0" align="left"/> Don't forget, if you intend to perform any of the plays you need to arrange an Amateur Perforamce Licence, available through the publisher. If you're interested in one of my plays which isn't listed here, please get in touch. PDF copies can sometimes be arranged for research or amateur performance purposes. http://finkennedy.co.uk/Tamasha-Associate-Artist http://finkennedy.co.uk/following/finkennedy.co.uk/Tamasha-Associate-Artist Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:17:28 +0000 Fin Kennedy 2746419 <img src="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2746419/tamasha.jpg" width="340" height="408" width_o="340" height_o="408" src_o="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2746419/tamasha_o.jpg" data-mid="13931300" border="0" align="left"/> In 2011, I was appointed Associate Artist at Tamasha, along with a colleague from Mulberry School, filmmaker Tanya Singh. Together, we teamed Tamasha up with Mulberry and devised and ran a pilot training scheme for playwrights. Through Tamasha, eight playwrights were recruited to come and train under us both at Mulberry, then to take part in a series of structured workshops with some of the school's students. Each writer came up with a 15 minute play inspired by those conversations. The plays were performed at a scratch performance at Soho Theatre in June, using mixed casts of Mulberry's students performing alongside professional actors. Tamasha have since commissioned me to write a detailed project outline for how a permanent, rolling playwrights-in-schools training scheme might work. The ambition is to use Mulberry as a training base, after which writers would fan out to schools across London to begin their own residencies. Fundraising is currently taking place. If you'd like to know more please get in touch: finkennedy@yahoo.co.uk http://finkennedy.co.uk/Interviews http://finkennedy.co.uk/following/finkennedy.co.uk/Interviews Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:19:55 +0000 Fin Kennedy 2746204 <img src="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2746204/question-mark-dice.jpg" width="423" height="284" width_o="423" height_o="284" src_o="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2746204/question-mark-dice_o.jpg" data-mid="13930073" border="0" align="left"/> I usually give interviews, if you ask nicely. Here are some previous ones. To arrange a new one, get in touch: finkennedy@yahoo.co.uk Fin Kennedy's incredible disappearing act: Dominic Cavendish The Daily Telegraph, 3 October 2008 Music OMH: Natasha Tripney June 2008 Theatre Notes: Alison Croggon 20 May, 2008 Australian Stage: Simon Piening 18 May 2008 Enlightening Entertainer: Saba Salman Guardian, 1 Aug 2007 My big break: Maddy Costa Guardian, 27 March 2007 Screen interviews Sometimes I even get talked into blethering on about my work on film. I don't like it so much but I'll do it if I have to. Stage Talk TV: Episode Five - 'Meet The Playwright' with Fin Kennedy 6 Sept 2011 Boston Court Theater, Los Angeles Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 25 April 2011 Portland Center Stage, Oregon February 2009 http://finkennedy.co.uk/Caesar-Price-Our-Lord http://finkennedy.co.uk/following/finkennedy.co.uk/Caesar-Price-Our-Lord Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:06:10 +0000 Fin Kennedy 2744517 <img src="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2744517/caesar.jpg" width="640" height="360" width_o="640" height_o="360" src_o="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2744517/caesar_o.jpg" data-mid="13920640" border="0" align="left"/> I can save you. You just need to believe. An afternoon play for BBC Radio 4. Illusionist Caesar Price has reproduced nearly all of the miracles of Jesus and built a massive cult following but is he prepared for what will happen when he decides to stage the crucifixion? In a near-future London, society is in distress. In the midst of climate chaos, people are seeking solace in the promises of new strains of religion. Illusionist Caesar Price has already walked on water; resurrected people from the dead and fed thousands from one tin of sardines. When he announces that his next 'miracle' will be the crucifixion and eventual resurrection a media frenzy erupts. Is Caesar Price merely an illusionist or is there something more? "Beautifully crafted ... a little miracle." Earstory First transmitted 25 September 2008, BBC Radio 4. Click here to listen to the play in full! http://finkennedy.co.uk/In-Development http://finkennedy.co.uk/following/finkennedy.co.uk/In-Development Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:59:41 +0000 Fin Kennedy 2744386 A sneak preview of some new plays in development... Chimeras <img src="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2744386/clip_image001_0002.gif" width="359" height="328" width_o="359" height_o="328" src_o="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2744386/clip_image001_0002_o.gif" data-mid="13920461" border="0" align="left"/> This is our species' bitter funeral pyre; That terror is the zenith of desire. Our world is on its knees. Storms rage, bombers strike and famine ravages. In the midst of the devastation, the richest of the rich strive for power. The Albachari media empire, once the eyes of world, struggles as its sight fades. Fortune favours the Casimirs, former gangsters, now a ruthless corporate militia contracted by the British government. But neither of them saw Sasha Albachari coming: infatuated heiress, spoilt art student, and brutal angel of death. An apocalyptic epic for our times: a Jacobean revenge tragedy for the 21st century. Currently seeking co-producers. Get in touch for more information. How Are You Feeling? <img src="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2744386/surgeons small.jpg" width="393" height="263" width_o="393" height_o="263" src_o="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2744386/surgeons small_o.jpg" data-mid="13920472" border="0" align="left"/> A new site specific play for Hydrocracker Theatre Company and the 2013 Brighton Festival. A future, just one notch away from our present. Economic chaos, food riots and blackouts are an everyday reality. An embattled NHS is forced to make harsh choices about who to treat. But one maverick consultant, in one pioneering hospital, thinks he has an answer. A new drug. A drug so revolutionary that it won’t just cure you – it might actually herald the next stage in human evolution … but at a terrible cost. Welcome to the world of Reversatrol. Casting the audience as characters in the tale, this unsettling promenade play will allow them to exercise free will to determine their own journey through the story – and through the real hospital in which the drama unfolds. Hydrocracker are currently seeking funders for this ambitious new project. Get in touch for more details. The Pre-Criminal Space <img src="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2744386/prayer_1502370c.jpg" width="460" height="288" width_o="460" height_o="288" src_o="http://payload22.cargocollective.com/1/6/198425/2744386/prayer_1502370c_o.jpg" data-mid="13920501" border="0" align="left"/> A new multi-writer commission for Birmingham Repertory Theatre A new play about a true story, the story of Prevent, an experimental government programme which sought to take the War on Terror into the realm of ideas. Prevent is the first ever state-sanctioned enterprise aimed at preventing crimes that have not yet taken place. Targeting British Muslims nationwide for the past eight years and costing hundreds of millions of pounds, Prevent has its roots in 9/11, took off with 7/7, and is still going strong. Some say that far from preventing terror, it has alienated thousands of British Muslims along way. But what else was the government to do? This is the story of where Prevent came from, the people who put it into practice and what got lost in translation along the way. It is also the story of some of the young Muslims affected – and of their parents, teachers, and friends. Our play asks whether the money spent on a war over the disputed territory of these young people’s minds was worth it. But perhaps most importantly of all, how will we ever know when a struggle like that is over?