Jemma Kennedy
Writer
Film, TV & Theatre
Jemma Kennedy is a novelist, playwright and screenwriter. Her first novel, SKYWALKING was published in 2003, and she has been writing for the stage since 2004. She was awarded a Jerwood Arvon Young Playwrights Apprenticeship in 2006 and was Pearson playwright in residence at the National Theatre in 2010.
Recent plays include: MAGGOT MOON (Unicorn Theatre); GENESIS INC. (Hampstead Theatre); THE GRAND IRRATIONALITY (Lost Theatre Studio, Los Angeles); and SECOND PERSON NARRATIVE for Tonic Theatre’s inaugural Platform play series. She is currently writing her first stage musical ELECTRIC LADIES for Universal Music.
Jemma is an accomplished adaptor for the screen. Jemma’s first feature film, CAPTAIN WEBB, was released in 2015. Jemma is currently adapting Iris Murdoch's THE SEA THE SEA for cinema and Edith Wharton's THE BUCCANEERS for Carnival Films/Monumental Pictures, along with Tom Bradby's thriller SECRET SERVICE for Potboiler Productions/ITV.
In Development
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
THE BUCCANEERS | Carnival Films/Monumental Pictures | Film adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel, co-written with Heidi Thomas |
ELECTRIC LADIES | Universal Music | book for stage musical |
PUNCTURE REPAIR | Blueprint Pictures | original feature film |
SECRET SERVICE | Potboiler Productions | TV series adaptation of Tom Bradby's novel |
TYPICAL GIRLS | Monumental Television/Channel 4 | TV drama series about women in punk |
THE SEA THE SEA | Adaptation of the Iris Murdoch novel |
Film
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
CAPTAIN WEBB 2015 | Prod. John Toba, Justin Hardy | Dir. Justin Hardy |
Theatre
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
MAGGOT MOON 2019 | Unicorn Theatre | Based on the novel by Sally Gardner |
GENESIS INC. 2018 | Hampstead Theatre | Dir. Laurie Sansom |
SECOND PERSON NARRATIVE 2015 | Tonic Theatre | Script commission as part of the Play for Platform Series |
THE GIFT 2015 | New Vic Theatre (Stoke-on-Trent) | Dir. Gemma Fairlie |
THE SUMMER BOOK 2014 | Unicorn Theatre | Based on The Summer Book by Tove Jansson |
DON'T FEED THE ANIMALS 2013 | National Theatre / NT Connections 2013 | Published by Methuen Drama (as part of NT Connections 2013 collected works) |
THE GRAND IRRATIONALITY 2013 | Lost Theatre, Los Angeles | Dir. John Pleshette |
THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER 2012 | Unicorn Theatre | Adapted from the novel by Mark Twain |
Radio
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
HOW TO REMEMBER THE DEAD 2007 | BBC Radio 4 | Afternoon Play |
Other
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
THE PLAYWRIGHTS'S JOURNEY: FROM FIRST SPARK TO FIRST NIGHT 2022 | Published by Nick Hern Books | A clear, supportive and comprehensive guide to writing a play – based on the author's long-running playwriting masterclasses, as taught at the UK's National Theatre. |
SOHO 6 SCHEME 2011 | Soho Theatre Company |