Conor McPherson facts for kids

Conor McPherson, born on August 6, 1971, is a famous Irish writer and director. He writes plays for the stage, scripts for movies, and directs both plays and films. He is known for his amazing work in theatre around the world. In 2013, University College Dublin gave him a special award called an honorary doctorate. This award recognized his important contributions to theatre.

About Conor McPherson

Early Life and Education

Conor McPherson was born in Dublin, Ireland. He went to University College Dublin for his education. While he was there, he started writing his first plays. He was part of the college's drama club, called UCD Dramsoc. Later, he helped start his own theatre group, the Fly by Night Theatre Company. This company performed many of his early plays.

Conor McPherson is seen as one of the best modern Irish playwrights. His plays have received excellent reviews. They have been performed all over the world, including in famous theatre districts like the West End in London and on Broadway in New York.

His Career in Theatre

Conor McPherson has written and directed many successful plays.

The Weir

His play The Weir first opened at the Royal Court Theatre. It then moved to the West End and Broadway. This play won a major award, the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play, in 1999.

Port Authority

In 2001, his play Port Authority premiered. It tells the stories of three different lives that become connected. McPherson himself directed the first production of this play in London. A critic from The New York Times loved the play. He said listening to the actors was like being a five-year-old hearing The Arabian Nights for the first time.

Shining City

His 2004 play, Shining City, was also a big hit. The Daily Telegraph newspaper called him "the finest dramatist of his generation." This play is about feelings of regret, guilt, and confusion. It takes place in a psychiatrist's office in Dublin. Most of the play features a patient talking about his life. The play is known for its everyday stories and quiet humor. It was nominated for two Tony Awards on Broadway in 2006.

The Seafarer

In 2006, McPherson made his debut at the Royal National Theatre in London. He wrote and directed the play The Seafarer. This play was very popular with critics. It starred actors like Karl Johnson and Jim Norton. Jim Norton won an Olivier Award for his acting in this play. McPherson was also nominated for awards for Best Play.

The Seafarer opened on Broadway in 2007. Many of the original team, including McPherson as director, came with it. Critics praised the play, with The New York Times calling McPherson "quite possibly the finest playwright of his generation."

Recent Plays

In 2009, McPherson wrote and directed a stage version of Daphne du Maurier's story The Birds. It opened at the Gate Theatre in Dublin.

His 2011 play, The Veil, was set in 1822. It was described as a "cracking fireside tale of haunting." In 2012, he created a new version of August Strindberg's play The Dance of Death.

In 2013, a special season of McPherson's plays was held. It included a new showing of The Weir and the first performance of The Night Alive. Both plays were highly praised. The Night Alive won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play in 2014.

Girl from the North Country

McPherson's first musical, Girl from the North Country, opened in London in 2017. This musical uses 20 songs by the famous musician Bob Dylan. The story is set in a boarding house in 1934 in Dylan's hometown, Duluth, Minnesota. Dylan's team actually asked McPherson to create a play using his songs. The musical received very good reviews.

His Work in Film

Conor McPherson has also worked a lot in movies.

Screenplays and Directing

He wrote his first movie script for the film I Went Down in 1997. This movie was praised by critics and did well at the box office.

His first movie as a director was Saltwater in 2000. It won an award for Best Film at the Berlin Film Festival. He also wrote and directed The Actors in 2003.

The Eclipse

In 2009, McPherson directed and co-wrote the film The Eclipse. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. The movie won the Melies D'Argent Award for Best European Film. At the 2010 Irish Film and Television Awards, The Eclipse won awards for Best Film and Best Screenplay. The lead actor, Ciarán Hinds, won Best Actor at the Tribeca Film Festival for his role.

Other Film and TV Work

In 2013, he wrote an episode for the TV series Quirke. In 2020, he helped write the movie version of the Artemis Fowl books by Eoin Colfer. This movie was released online on Disney+ due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Influences

Conor McPherson has said that James Joyce, a famous Irish writer, and Stanley Kubrick, a well-known film director, are two of his "heroes."

Awards for Theatre Work

Conor McPherson has won many awards for his plays, including:

List of Works

Plays

Directing Plays

• Poor Beast in the Rain (2005)

Film and TV Work