Lee Hall (playwright)
Encyclopedia
Lee Hall is an English playwright and screenwriter. He is best known for the 2000 film Billy Elliot
.
in 1966, the son of a house painter and decorator and a housewife. He was educated at comprehensive school
and then at Cambridge University, where he studied English Literature at Fitzwilliam College. After leaving Cambridge, he worked as a youth theatre fundraiser in Newcastle and at the Gate Theatre
in London. In 1997, his playwriting career was launched with the broadcast of his radio play, Spoonface Steinberg
, on BBC Radio 4
.
, the story of a northern English
boy who, in the face of opposition from his family and community, aspires to be a ballet dancer. The inspiration for the screenplay was drawn, in part, from the A. J. Cronin
novel The Stars Look Down
, which is also set in an English coal mining community during a strike
, and similarly tells the story of a miner's son who goes against the grain. The character Billy was also partly inspired by the renowned baritone
Sir Thomas Allen who came from a similar background, having been born in the northeast county of Durham
. Initially a 1999 film directed by Stephen Daldry
, for which Hall wrote the screenplay, and for which he received an Academy Award nomination, Billy Elliot was later turned into a stage musical
, with music by Elton John
and lyrics by Hall. It is enjoying a long run in the West End and opened on Broadway in 2008. It won Hall the 2009 Tony Award
for Best Book of a Musical
.
Also successful was Spoonface Steinberg
, the tale of a young autistic Jewish girl who is dying of cancer. The last in a quartet of radio plays entitled God's Country, the monologue aroused an unprecedented listener response when it was broadcast in 1997 on BBC Radio
. It was subsequently voted one of the ten best radio dramas of all time by readers of the magazine Radio Times
. Spoonface Steinberg was adapted as a television play and into a one woman show
starring 42-year-old actress Kathryn Hunter
. The play opened in 1999 and later transferred to the West End.
Hall had more limited success with his comedy Cooking with Elvis
, the protagonist of which is an Elvis Presley impersonator who has been paralyzed in a car crash. It was originally a 1995 radio play but it became a stage play in 1999. Hall's fondness for moving from one medium to another can also be seen in his work I Luv You Jimmy Spud
, which began as a 1995 radio play and was later adapted by Hall into a stage play and a film, Gabriel and Me, starring Billy Connolly
and Iain Glen
.
He has also translated plays by Carlo Goldoni
, Bertolt Brecht
and Herman Heijermans
and co-written the screenplays for recent adaptations of Jane Austen
's Pride & Prejudice
and Kenneth Grahame
's The Wind in the Willows
.
Hall's most recent play, The Pitmen Painters
, inspired by art critic William Feaver's book on the Ashington Group
, premiered at the refurbished Live Theatre
in Newcastle upon Tyne
in 2008. It tells of a group of miners from Ashington, Northumberland, who decide to learn about art and begin to paint. The production later transferred to the National Theatre
in London and opened on Broadway in September 2010. It won the 2008 Evening Standard Award for Best Play.
In 2011, controversy arose over a children's opera that Hall had written, called Beached. The opera was commissioned by Opera North
and was to have been performed by children from Bay Primary School in Bridlington
. The story is about a gay retired painter, a single father who tries to spend a quiet day at the seaside with his son, but who is interrupted by children on a school trip, dogs, a landscape painter, an amateur dramatic society, and others. After rehearsals had been going on for six months, the school threatened to pull the children out of the production if changes were not made to the libretto. Hall changed some words to accommodate their requests, but school officials, supported by Opera North, insisted on the removal of the words "I'm queer" and "I prefer a lad to a lass," and other references to the character being gay. The school eventually agreed to let the children perform if Hall changed "queer" to "gay."
More recently, Hall worked with Richard Curtis
on the screenplay for Steven Spielberg
's adaptation of Michael Morpurgo
's War Horse, due for release in December 2011. His most recent TV work is an adaptation of Nigel Slater
's Autobiography Toast
, starring Helena Bonham Carter
and Freddie Highmore
. First broadcast on BBC One
in December 2010, Toast received a gala at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival and was released in cinemas on 11 August 2011. He also worked on the screenplay for the yet-to-released Working Title
film Hippie Hippie Shake, based on Richard Neville
's memoir Hippie Hippie Shake: The Dreams, the Trips, the Trials, the Love-ins, the Screw Ups: The Sixties.
Other projects in the pipeline include a biopic of Elton John
called Rocketman and a stage musical adaptation of Pink Floyd
's The Wall.
, who was the initial director Hippie Hippie Shake.
Screenplays
Musicals
Operas
Translations
Nominations
Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot is a 2000 British drama film written by Lee Hall and directed by Stephen Daldry. Set in the fictional town of "Everington" in the real County Durham, UK, it stars Jamie Bell as 11-year-old Billy, an aspiring dancer, Gary Lewis as his coal miner father, Jamie Draven as Billy's older...
.
Early life
Hall was born in Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
in 1966, the son of a house painter and decorator and a housewife. He was educated at comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
and then at Cambridge University, where he studied English Literature at Fitzwilliam College. After leaving Cambridge, he worked as a youth theatre fundraiser in Newcastle and at the Gate Theatre
Gate Theatre (London)
The Gate Theatre is a London fringe theatre above the Prince Albert pub in Notting Hill Gate, from which it takes its name. It opened in 1979.-External links:*...
in London. In 1997, his playwriting career was launched with the broadcast of his radio play, Spoonface Steinberg
Spoonface Steinberg
Spoonface Steinberg is a play by British playwright Lee Hall, first broadcast as a dramatic monologue on 27 January 1997.It began life as the fourth and final play in the God's Country series of linked radio dramas broadcast in 1997 on BBC Radio 4...
, on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
.
Career
Hall's most commercially successful work is Billy ElliotBilly Elliot
Billy Elliot is a 2000 British drama film written by Lee Hall and directed by Stephen Daldry. Set in the fictional town of "Everington" in the real County Durham, UK, it stars Jamie Bell as 11-year-old Billy, an aspiring dancer, Gary Lewis as his coal miner father, Jamie Draven as Billy's older...
, the story of a northern English
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
boy who, in the face of opposition from his family and community, aspires to be a ballet dancer. The inspiration for the screenplay was drawn, in part, from the A. J. Cronin
A. J. Cronin
Archibald Joseph Cronin was a Scottish physician and novelist. His best-known works are Hatter's Castle, The Stars Look Down, The Citadel, The Keys of the Kingdom and The Green Years, all of which were adapted to film. He also created the Dr...
novel The Stars Look Down
The Stars Look Down
The Stars Look Down is a 1935 novel by A. J. Cronin which chronicles various injustices in an English coal mining community. A film version was produced in 1939, and television adaptations include both Italian and British versions....
, which is also set in an English coal mining community during a strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
, and similarly tells the story of a miner's son who goes against the grain. The character Billy was also partly inspired by the renowned baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
Sir Thomas Allen who came from a similar background, having been born in the northeast county of Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
. Initially a 1999 film directed by Stephen Daldry
Stephen Daldry
Stephen David Daldry, CBE is an English theatre and film director and producer, as well as a three-time Academy Award nominated and Tony Award winning director.-Early years:...
, for which Hall wrote the screenplay, and for which he received an Academy Award nomination, Billy Elliot was later turned into a stage musical
Billy Elliot the Musical
Billy Elliot the Musical is a musical based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. The music is by Sir Elton John, and book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around motherless Billy, who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes...
, with music by Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
and lyrics by Hall. It is enjoying a long run in the West End and opened on Broadway in 2008. It won Hall the 2009 Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Book of a Musical
Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical
The Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical is awarded to librettists of the spoken, non-sung dialogue, and storyline of a musical play. Eligibility is restricted to works with original narrative framework; plotless revues and revivals are ineligible...
.
Also successful was Spoonface Steinberg
Spoonface Steinberg
Spoonface Steinberg is a play by British playwright Lee Hall, first broadcast as a dramatic monologue on 27 January 1997.It began life as the fourth and final play in the God's Country series of linked radio dramas broadcast in 1997 on BBC Radio 4...
, the tale of a young autistic Jewish girl who is dying of cancer. The last in a quartet of radio plays entitled God's Country, the monologue aroused an unprecedented listener response when it was broadcast in 1997 on BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
. It was subsequently voted one of the ten best radio dramas of all time by readers of the magazine Radio Times
Radio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
. Spoonface Steinberg was adapted as a television play and into a one woman show
One man show
The term one-man show often referred to comedian, who would stand on stage and entertain an audience. With the advent of feminism, words and phrases such as one-woman show and comedienne have entered the modern-day lexicon....
starring 42-year-old actress Kathryn Hunter
Kathryn Hunter
Kathryn Hunter is an award-winning English actress and theatre director.Hunter was born in New York to Greek parents but brought up in the UK...
. The play opened in 1999 and later transferred to the West End.
Hall had more limited success with his comedy Cooking with Elvis
Cooking with Elvis
Cooking with Elvis is dark comedy by playwright Lee Hall which was first performed in 1999 in Edinburgh.The farce was adapted from a play the author wrote for the award winning BBC Radio God's Country series and premiered in 1999 in Edinburgh. It was also performed at the Edinburgh Festival in...
, the protagonist of which is an Elvis Presley impersonator who has been paralyzed in a car crash. It was originally a 1995 radio play but it became a stage play in 1999. Hall's fondness for moving from one medium to another can also be seen in his work I Luv You Jimmy Spud
I Luv You Jimmy Spud
I luv you Jimmy Spud is a play set in Newcastle upon Tyne by British playwright Lee Hall starring Michael Walpert as Stephen . Originally commissioned by BBC Radio Four, it was first broadcast in 1995...
, which began as a 1995 radio play and was later adapted by Hall into a stage play and a film, Gabriel and Me, starring Billy Connolly
Billy Connolly
William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...
and Iain Glen
Iain Glen
Iain Glen is a Scottish film and stage actor.Iain Glen was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and trained at RADA where he won the Bancroft Gold Medal. He was married to Susannah Harker from 1993 to 2004; they have one son, Finlay...
.
He has also translated plays by Carlo Goldoni
Carlo Goldoni
Carlo Osvaldo Goldoni was an Italian playwright and librettist from the Republic of Venice. His works include some of Italy's most famous and best-loved plays. Audiences have admired the plays of Goldoni for their ingenious mix of wit and honesty...
, Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
and Herman Heijermans
Herman Heijermans
Herman Heijermans , was a Dutch writer.Heijermans grew up in a liberal Jewish family as the fifth of 11 children of Herman Heijermans Sr. and Matilda Moses Spiers...
and co-written the screenplays for recent adaptations of Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
's Pride & Prejudice
Pride & Prejudice (2005 film)
Pride & Prejudice is a 2005 British romance film directed by Joe Wright. It is a film adaptation of the 1813 novel of the same name by Jane Austen and the second adaption produced by Working Title Films. It was released on September 16, 2005, in the UK and on November 11, 2005, in the...
and Kenneth Grahame
Kenneth Grahame
Kenneth Grahame was a Scottish writer, most famous for The Wind in the Willows , one of the classics of children's literature. He also wrote The Reluctant Dragon; both books were later adapted into Disney films....
's The Wind in the Willows
The Wind in the Willows (2006 film)
The Wind in the Willows is a 2006 live-action television adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's classic novel The Wind in the Willows. It was a joint production of the BBC and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and starred Matt Lucas , Bob Hoskins , Mark Gatiss , and Lee Ingleby . Rachel Talalay directed...
.
Hall's most recent play, The Pitmen Painters
The Pitmen Painters
The Pitmen Painters is a play by Lee Hall, inspired by a book by William Feaver about the Ashington Group. Following a sell out run at both the Live Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne in 2007 and its transfer to the Royal National Theatre, and returned to the National for a limited season before heading...
, inspired by art critic William Feaver's book on the Ashington Group
Ashington Group
The Ashington Group was a small society of artists from Ashington, Northumberland, which met regularly between 1934 and 1984. Despite being composed largely of miners with no formal artistic training, the Group and its work became celebrated in the British art world of the 1930s and...
, premiered at the refurbished Live Theatre
Live Theatre Company
The Live Theatre Company is a theatre and company based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The company aims to attract new audiences for its accessible work as well as its friendly and informal theatre space....
in Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
in 2008. It tells of a group of miners from Ashington, Northumberland, who decide to learn about art and begin to paint. The production later transferred to the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
in London and opened on Broadway in September 2010. It won the 2008 Evening Standard Award for Best Play.
In 2011, controversy arose over a children's opera that Hall had written, called Beached. The opera was commissioned by Opera North
Opera North
Opera North is an English opera company based in Leeds. The company's home theatre is the Leeds Grand Theatre, but it also presents regular seasons in several other cities, at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, the Lowry Centre, Salford Quays and the Theatre Royal, Newcastle...
and was to have been performed by children from Bay Primary School in Bridlington
Bridlington
Bridlington is a seaside resort, minor sea fishing port and civil parish on the Holderness Coast of the North Sea, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It has a static population of over 33,000, which rises considerably during the tourist season...
. The story is about a gay retired painter, a single father who tries to spend a quiet day at the seaside with his son, but who is interrupted by children on a school trip, dogs, a landscape painter, an amateur dramatic society, and others. After rehearsals had been going on for six months, the school threatened to pull the children out of the production if changes were not made to the libretto. Hall changed some words to accommodate their requests, but school officials, supported by Opera North, insisted on the removal of the words "I'm queer" and "I prefer a lad to a lass," and other references to the character being gay. The school eventually agreed to let the children perform if Hall changed "queer" to "gay."
More recently, Hall worked with Richard Curtis
Richard Curtis
Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis, CBE is a New Zealand-born British screenwriter, music producer, actor and film director, known primarily for romantic comedy films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones's Diary, Notting Hill, Love Actually and The Girl in the Café, as well as the hit...
on the screenplay for Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
's adaptation of Michael Morpurgo
Michael Morpurgo
Michael Morpurgo, OBE FKC AKC is an English author, poet, playwright and librettist, best known for his work in children's literature. He was the third Children's Laureate.-Early life:...
's War Horse, due for release in December 2011. His most recent TV work is an adaptation of Nigel Slater
Nigel Slater
Nigel Slater is an English food writer, journalist and broadcaster. He has written a column for The Observer Magazine for over a decade and is the principal writer for the Observer Food Monthly supplement. Prior to this, Slater was food writer for Marie Claire for five years...
's Autobiography Toast
Toast (film)
Toast is a British TV film directed by S.J. Clarkson, and based on cookery writer Nigel Slater's autobiographical novel of the same name....
, starring Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter is an English actress of film, stage, and television. She made her acting debut in a television adaptation of K. M. Peyton's A Pattern of Roses before winning her first film role as the titular character in Lady Jane...
and Freddie Highmore
Freddie Highmore
Alfred Thomas "Freddie" Highmore is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in the films Finding Neverland, Five Children and It, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Arthur and the Invisibles, August Rush, The Golden Compass, The Spiderwick Chronicles, and Toast.-Early life:Highmore was...
. First broadcast on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in December 2010, Toast received a gala at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival and was released in cinemas on 11 August 2011. He also worked on the screenplay for the yet-to-released Working Title
Working Title Films
Working Title Films is a British film production company, based in London, UK. The company was founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe in 1983. It produces feature films and several television productions, including films starring comic actor Rowan Atkinson...
film Hippie Hippie Shake, based on Richard Neville
Richard Neville (writer)
Richard Neville is an Australian author and self-described "futurist", who came to fame as a co-editor of the counterculture magazine Oz in Australia and the United Kingdom in the 1960s and early 1970s...
's memoir Hippie Hippie Shake: The Dreams, the Trips, the Trials, the Love-ins, the Screw Ups: The Sixties.
Other projects in the pipeline include a biopic of Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
called Rocketman and a stage musical adaptation of Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
's The Wall.
Marriage
Hall is married to film director Beeban KidronBeeban Kidron
Beeban Kidron is an English Film Director known for her much-lauded adaptation of Jeanette Winterson's autobiographical novel Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and for directing Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason...
, who was the initial director Hippie Hippie Shake.
Works
Plays- I Luv You Jimmy SpudI Luv You Jimmy SpudI luv you Jimmy Spud is a play set in Newcastle upon Tyne by British playwright Lee Hall starring Michael Walpert as Stephen . Originally commissioned by BBC Radio Four, it was first broadcast in 1995...
(1995) - The Love Letters Of Ragie Patel (1997)
- The Sorrows Of Sandra Saint (1997)
- Spoonface SteinbergSpoonface SteinbergSpoonface Steinberg is a play by British playwright Lee Hall, first broadcast as a dramatic monologue on 27 January 1997.It began life as the fourth and final play in the God's Country series of linked radio dramas broadcast in 1997 on BBC Radio 4...
(1997) - Cooking with ElvisCooking with ElvisCooking with Elvis is dark comedy by playwright Lee Hall which was first performed in 1999 in Edinburgh.The farce was adapted from a play the author wrote for the award winning BBC Radio God's Country series and premiered in 1999 in Edinburgh. It was also performed at the Edinburgh Festival in...
(1999) - NE1 (2000)
- The Chain Play (2001)
- Child Of The Snow (2005)
- Two's Company (2005)
- The Pitmen PaintersThe Pitmen PaintersThe Pitmen Painters is a play by Lee Hall, inspired by a book by William Feaver about the Ashington Group. Following a sell out run at both the Live Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne in 2007 and its transfer to the Royal National Theatre, and returned to the National for a limited season before heading...
(2007)
Screenplays
- Billy ElliotBilly ElliotBilly Elliot is a 2000 British drama film written by Lee Hall and directed by Stephen Daldry. Set in the fictional town of "Everington" in the real County Durham, UK, it stars Jamie Bell as 11-year-old Billy, an aspiring dancer, Gary Lewis as his coal miner father, Jamie Draven as Billy's older...
(2000) - Gabriel and Me (2001)
- Pride and PrejudicePride & Prejudice (2005 film)Pride & Prejudice is a 2005 British romance film directed by Joe Wright. It is a film adaptation of the 1813 novel of the same name by Jane Austen and the second adaption produced by Working Title Films. It was released on September 16, 2005, in the UK and on November 11, 2005, in the...
(2005) - The Wind in the WillowsThe Wind in the Willows (2006 film)The Wind in the Willows is a 2006 live-action television adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's classic novel The Wind in the Willows. It was a joint production of the BBC and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and starred Matt Lucas , Bob Hoskins , Mark Gatiss , and Lee Ingleby . Rachel Talalay directed...
(2006) - ToastToast (film)Toast is a British TV film directed by S.J. Clarkson, and based on cookery writer Nigel Slater's autobiographical novel of the same name....
(2010) - War HorseWar Horse (film)War Horse is a 2011 British-American war drama film directed by Steven Spielberg and is intended for release in the United States on 25 December 2011 and in the United Kingdom on 13 January 2012...
(2011)
Musicals
- Billy Elliot the MusicalBilly Elliot the MusicalBilly Elliot the Musical is a musical based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. The music is by Sir Elton John, and book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around motherless Billy, who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes...
(2005)
Operas
- Beached (2011)
Translations
- Mr Puntila and His Man MattiMr Puntila and his Man MattiMr Puntila and his Man Matti is an epic comedy by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. It was written in 1940 and first performed in 1948....
by Bertolt BrechtBertolt BrechtBertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
(1998) - A Servant to Two Masters by Carlo GoldoniCarlo GoldoniCarlo Osvaldo Goldoni was an Italian playwright and librettist from the Republic of Venice. His works include some of Italy's most famous and best-loved plays. Audiences have admired the plays of Goldoni for their ingenious mix of wit and honesty...
(1999) - Mother Courage and Her ChildrenMother Courage and Her ChildrenMother Courage and Her Children is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin...
by Bertolt BrechtBertolt BrechtBertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
(2000) - The Good HopeThe Good HopeThe Good Hope, a play written by Herman Heijermans in , was translated in a new version for the Royal National Theatre which relocated the action to the Yorkshire fishing community of Whitby in 1900, by Lee Hall, writer of the award-winning Billy Elliot and Spoonface Steinberg.The voyage of The...
by Herman HeijermansHerman HeijermansHerman Heijermans , was a Dutch writer.Heijermans grew up in a liberal Jewish family as the fifth of 11 children of Herman Heijermans Sr. and Matilda Moses Spiers...
(2001)
Awards and nominations
Awards- 1999 Pearson Playwrights' Scheme AwardPearson Playwrights' SchemeIn 1973, Howard Thomas, then managing director of Thames Television, launched the Thames Television Theatre Writers Scheme to support and celebrate new writing in the theatre. He believed that television owed much to the theatre for its supply of creative talent...
- 2000 British Independent Film Award, Best Screenplay: Billy Elliot
- 2006 Laurence Olivier Award, Best New Musical: Billy Elliot the Musical
- 2008 Evening Standard Award, Best Play: The Pitmen Painters
- 2009 Drama Desk AwardDrama Desk AwardThe Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
, Outstanding Book of a MusicalDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a MusicalThe Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee which comprises New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors...
: Billy Elliot the Musical - 2009 Tony AwardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
, Best Book of a MusicalTony Award for Best Book of a MusicalThe Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical is awarded to librettists of the spoken, non-sung dialogue, and storyline of a musical play. Eligibility is restricted to works with original narrative framework; plotless revues and revivals are ineligible...
: Billy Elliot the Musical - 2009 Drama League AwardDrama League AwardThe Drama League Awards, created in 1935, honor distinguished productions and performances both on Broadway and Off-Broadway, in addition to recognizing exemplary career achievements in theatre, musical theatre, and directing...
, Distinguished Production of a Musical: Billy Elliot the Musical (shared with Elton JohnElton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
) - 2009 Outer Critics Circle AwardOuter Critics Circle AwardThe Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets...
, Outstanding New Score: Billy Elliot the Musical (shared with Elton John)
Nominations
- 2001 Academy Award, Best Original ScreenplayAcademy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay)The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best script not based upon previously published material. Before 1940, there was an Academy Award for Best Story for writing. For 1940, it and the award in this article were separated into two awards. Beginning with the...
: Billy Elliot - 2009 Tony AwardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
, Best Original ScoreTony Award for Best Original ScoreThe Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the composers and lyricists of the best original score written for a musical in that year. The score consists of music and lyrics...
: Billy Elliot the Musical (shared with Elton John)