Ken Duncum is a leading New Zealand playwright

Playwright

A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...

 and screenwriter

Screenwriter

Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...

. His scripts have won awards in theatre and television. His plays Cherish and Trick of the Light won best new New Zealand play at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards

Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards

The Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards are the theatre "Oscars" in New Zealand and honour the best stage talent and productions in the capital Wellington....

 in 2003 and 2004. His script for television drama series Cover Story won Best Script for Drama at the New Zealand Film and Television Awards and Best Writer - Comedy for Willy Nilly in 2002. Duncum's plays have toured New Zealand as well as internationally. He was awarded New Zealand's most prestigious literary award, the New Zealand Post Katherine Mansfield Prize

New Zealand Post Katherine Mansfield Prize

The New Zealand Post Katherine Mansfield Prize, formerly known as the Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship and then the Meridian Energy Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellowship, is one of New Zealands foremost literary awards...

 for 2010. The prize is NZ$100,000 for a writing residency in France.

Duncum was born in Napier

Napier, New Zealand

Napier is a New Zealand city with a seaport, located in Hawke's Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. The population of Napier is about About 18 kilometres south of Napier is the inland city of Hastings. These two neighboring cities are often called "The Twin Cities" or "The Bay Cities"...

 and studied film, theatre and television at Victoria University of Wellington

Victoria University of Wellington

Victoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a former constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and some scientific disciplines, but offers a broad range of other courses...

.

Plays

• Blue Sky Boys
• Cherish (published 2004 by Victoria University Press)
• Flipside
• Flybaby
• Horseplay
• Jism
• Panic!
• Picture Perfect
• Polythene Pam
• The Temptations of St Max
• Trick of the Light
• Waterloo Sunset

External references

• Playmarket, New Zealand Playwrights' Agency