David Conolly is an English writer, director, comedian and actor whose production company,
Mansion Pictures, produced two feature-length films, ''
Mothers & Daughters''
[mothersanddaughtersmovie.com] and ''
The Understudy.''
Early life
Conolly was born in
Leeds
Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the thi ...
. His father, Michael, worked as a chaplain in a psychiatric hospital. After also initially working in psychiatry, he was selected to join the
National Youth Theatre of Great Britain
The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and registered charity in London. Its aim is to develop and nurture young people through creative arts and theatrical productions. Founded in 1956 as the world's first youth the ...
. This led to him making his
West End
West End most commonly refers to:
* West End of London, an area of central London, England
* West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England
West End may also refer to:
Pl ...
debut at age 17. David went on to study performing arts at
Leicester Polytechnic
De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is a public university in the city of Leicester, England. It was established in accordance with the Further and Higher Education Act in 1992 as a degree awarding body. The name De Montfort University was ta ...
. It was here that he directed the Mobil Winning New Play, Woundings, and also won contributions to the
National Student Drama Festival
The UK based National Student Drama Festival (NSDF) was founded in 1956 with the purpose of creating new art, new artists and new communities. It also runs a charity aimed at empowering young artists. The NSDF is targeted towards people age ...
with Ode to St Cecilia. Having completed his degree, David began training as an actor at
Mountview Theatre School
Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, formerly Mountview Theatre School, is a drama school in Peckham, south London, England, founded in 1945. The Academy provides specialist vocational training in acting and musical theatre, as well as production ...
before returning to the West End with ''
A Passionate Woman
''A Passionate Woman'' is a British two-part drama mini-series that aired on BBC One from 11 to 18 April 2010.
Plot
In 1950s Yorkshire, Betty Stevenson, a married mother of one, falls in love with her Polish neighbour, Alex Crazenovski aka "Cra ...
'' and the award-winning ''A Last Bus From Bradford''.
Career
David met Hannah Davis while running Lunacy, an
alternative comedy
Alternative comedy is a term coined in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era. The phrase has had different connotations in different contexts: in the UK, it was used to describe ...
night on the London fringe. They then produced the pilot of Lunacy, which led to work in
BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
Drama and Documentary.
They created festival nominated shorts and community films for the Red Cross, the Teenage Cancer Unit Trust and the National Schizophrenic Foundation. They also wrote screenplays for
Hartswood Films Hartswood Films is a British television production company founded by Beryl Vertue in 1979. They have also produced dramas such as ''Jekyll'', as well as documentaries, and the 1990s ITV/BBC sitcom ''Men Behaving Badly''.
In 2009, Hartswood opened ...
, Quentin Morrissey, and Buffalo Pictures, as well as working on Shakespearean productions at the
Open Air Theatre
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is an open-air theatre in Regent's Park in central London.
The theatre
Established in 1932, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is one of the largest theatres in London (1,256 seats) and is situated in Queen Mary� ...
,
Regent’s Park, London.
As a comedian, Conolly is often seen in the Friday night show in The Main Room at The Comedy Store on
Sunset Strip, Los Angeles, and has appeared at
Stand Up NY
Stand Up NY is a comedy club located in Manhattan’s Upper West Side on 236 West 78th street. Founded in 1986, the club is one of New York City’s oldest, always featuring diverse lineups of well-known and local comedians. Comedians Chris Rock, ...
in New York City,
Zanies in Chicago, Flappers in Burbank, The Casablanca Resort and Casino in Mesquite, The Ice House in Pasadena, The Improv in Irvine, and recently competed in the World Series of Comedy in Las Vegas. David was also the MC at the World Marbles Competition. Conolly is the host of Hindsight News, an online spoof news show.
''Mothers & Daughters''
He created a film entitled ''
Mothers & Daughters''. Six months were spent on the film with breaks to live on during production and so that Hannah and David could earn the money needed to finance the next phase of filming. ''Mothers & Daughters'' debuted in Cannes, then played in São Paulo,
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
, Quebec, Barcelona, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, The Hamptons, London, and Dinard.
''Variety'' wrote "Great performances, good pacing, sharp script", and they were nominated for the
Golden Hitchcock Award for Direction. ''Mothers & Daughters'' was selected as one of the top six British Films of the year.
''The Understudy''
''Wedding Town'' was developed for the
UK Film Council
The UK Film Council (UKFC) was a non-departmental public body set up in 2000 to develop and promote the film industry in the UK. It was constituted as a private company limited by guarantee, owned by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and ...
. Shortly after, principal photography began in New York City on their second full-length feature, ''
The Understudy'', which was subsequently completed in 2008. ''The Understudy'' received the Silver Lei for Excellence in Filmmaking at the Honolulu International Film Festival in 2009, the Roger Smith Award from Cinemonde in 2009, and the award for Best Score 2008 from the UCMF (French Composers Union). They write scripts for Hannah’s father, composer
Carl Davis
Carl Davis, (born October 28, 1936) is an American-born conductor and composer who has lived in the United Kingdom since 1961.
He has written music for more than 100 television programmes, but is best known for creating music to accompany si ...
, whom they often collaborate with. These have been performed in the
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
, London, and in
Carnegie Hall, New York.
References
External links
* http://us.vdc.imdb.de/name/nm1239373/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conolly, David
English male stage actors
Living people
Male actors from Leeds
Year of birth missing (living people)
English male film actors
National Youth Theatre members