Dennis Kelly facts for kids

Dennis Kelly is a talented British writer and producer. He creates stories for plays, television shows, and movies.

One of his most famous plays is DNA. It was first performed in 2008. This play became a key text for GCSE students in 2010. Around 400,000 students study it every year. Dennis Kelly also wrote the story for Matilda the Musical. This musical has songs by Tim Minchin. Matilda the Musical has won many awards. Kelly himself won a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical. A movie version of the musical, also written by Kelly, was released in December 2022.

For television, he helped create and write the BBC Three show Pulling. He also wrote the Channel 4 thriller Utopia. Another show he worked on is The Third Day for HBO and Sky Atlantic. Kelly also wrote the movie script for Black Sea in 2014.

Dennis Kelly's Early Life and Education

Dennis Kelly grew up in North London, in an area called Barnet. He was one of five children in an Irish family. He went to Finchley Catholic High School. After leaving school at 16, he worked in a market and then at a supermarket.

While working, he found his love for theatre. He joined a local youth drama group called the Barnet Drama Centre. At age 30, he graduated from Goldsmiths College. He earned a top degree in Drama and Theatre Arts.

In September 2011, Kelly married actress Monica Nappo. They met when she was in one of his plays in Italy. They separated in 2016. In May 2022, he married producer Katie Swinden. They have one daughter.

Kelly once shared his home with Vladimir Shcherban. Shcherban was from the Belarus Free Theatre company. He had to leave Belarus to escape political problems.

How Dennis Kelly Started Writing

Dennis Kelly credits Sharon Horgan with helping him become a writer. They first met at a youth theatre in the 1990s. They met again years later and Kelly told Horgan he had written a play. Horgan encouraged him to put the play on stage. Kelly said her encouragement was very important for his career.

His first play was called Brendan's Visit. It was performed at the Etcetera Theatre. Kelly later said he didn't like this early play very much.

First Professional Plays

Kelly's first play to be professionally produced was Debris. He wrote it when he was 30 years old. It was first shown at Theatre503 in 2003. The play was well-received. He then wrote Love and Money, which was staged in 2006.

In 2005, he wrote After the End. This play was shown in different places across the UK and internationally.

Television Success with Pulling

In 2006, his TV show Pulling aired on BBC Three. He co-wrote it with Sharon Horgan. The show was popular and got good reviews. It was even nominated for a BAFTA TV Award in 2007.

The second series of Pulling came out in 2008. It won a British Comedy Award. However, the show was not continued for a third series. Instead, a special episode was made in 2009 to finish the story.

Plays for National Theatre Connections

For the 2007 National Theatre Connections Festival, Kelly wrote DeoxyriboNucleic Acid. This play is better known as DNA. After the festival, it had a professional production at the National Theatre. DNA is now widely used in schools. It is part of the curriculum for GCSE drama.

In 2009, his play Orphans was staged. It was shown at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh.

Dennis Kelly's Work in the 2010s

In 2010, Kelly wrote three short plays called monologues. These were based on children's stories. Famous actors like Ben Kingsley performed them at the Old Vic Theatre.

The Success of Matilda the Musical

Also in 2010, Kelly wrote the script for Matilda the Musical. This musical is based on Roald Dahl's book. It has music by Tim Minchin. Matilda has been incredibly successful. It won many awards and has been running in London's West End of London for many years.

In December 2017, Kelly's adaptation of Pinocchio opened. It featured songs from the 1940 Walt Disney movie. This play was shown at the National Theatre.

Girls & Boys Play

Kelly's one-woman play Girls & Boys premiered in February 2018. It was shown at the Royal Court Theatre and starred Carey Mulligan. The play also had a successful run in New York City. In March 2022, it was performed in Australia as part of the Adelaide Festival. This production received excellent reviews.

International Recognition and Other Projects

Dennis Kelly's plays have been performed in many countries. These include Germany, Italy, Australia, Japan, and the United States.

He has also worked on radio plays. One of his radio plays, The Colony, won an award in 2004. It was named Best European Radio Drama at the Prix Europa.

Dennis Kelly's Creative Works

Movies Written by Dennis Kelly

• Matilda the Musical (2022) - He wrote the script based on the musical.
• Black Sea (2014) - He wrote the script for this movie.

Plays Written by Dennis Kelly

Radio Plays by Dennis Kelly

• 12 Shares (2005)
• The Colony (2004)

Television Shows Written by Dennis Kelly

• Spooks BBC Series 8
• Pulling for BBC Three (co-written with Sharon Horgan)
• Utopia for Channel 4
• The Circuit for Channel 4 (co-written with Sharon Horgan)
• The Third Day for HBO and Sky One
• Together for BBC Two

Projects That Were Not Produced

Sometimes, creative projects do not get made. Here are some of Dennis Kelly's projects that were planned but not produced.

Television Projects Not Produced

• Pulling, series 3: The TV show Pulling was very popular. Dennis Kelly and Sharon Horgan wanted to write a third series. However, BBC Three decided not to continue it. Instead, they made a one-hour special to finish the story. The channel wanted to make room for new shows.
• Utopia, series 3 and 4: In October 2014, Channel 4 announced that Utopia was cancelled. This was after its second series. Kelly said the show had loyal fans, but the viewing numbers were not high enough. He was sad not to finish the story. Many fans and critics felt the show was cancelled too soon.

Film Projects Not Produced

• World War Z sequel: In 2015, Kelly was asked to rewrite a sequel to the movie World War Z. Paramount Pictures was developing the film with Brad Pitt. However, the sequel was later cancelled. This was due to budget issues and other reasons.
• The Sandkings: In 2021, Kelly was working on a movie script for Netflix. It was based on a short story by George R. R. Martin called "Sandkings".

Awards and Special Recognitions

Dennis Kelly has won many awards for his writing.

Awards

Honours On November 9, 2015, Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts gave Dennis Kelly an Honorary Doctorate. This was for his work on Matilda the Musical. Tim Minchin, who worked with him on Matilda, also received this honour.

In July 2017, Kelly received an 'Honorary Fellowship' from Goldsmiths, University of London.