Duncan Ley is an Australian

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

theatrical producer Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

who has also written for

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

's Motion Picture Company. His play ''In Cold Light'' is currently in the production phase as it is turned into a feature film by Peter Slee Productions. Duncan was a founding member of Canberra's Everyman Theatre.

Career

Playwright Credits

Ley's plays including ''Home At The End'', ''The Burning'', ''When in Rome'', ''In Cold Light'', ''For All Our Sins'', ''Final Passages'', ''Pillock for the Defence'', ''The Suspect'', and ''Last Drinks''. ''The Ides of March'' made its world premiere at The White Bear Theatre in

Kennington Kennington is a district in south London, England. It is mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth, running along the boundary with the London Borough of Southwark, a boundary which can be discerned from the early medieval period between th ...

on 28 November 2008, directed by

Adam Spreadbury-Maher Adam Spreadbury-Maher is an Australian/Irish theatre artistic director, producer and writer. He is the founding artistic director of the Cock Tavern Theatre, OperaUpClose and The Hope Theatre, and was artistic director of the Kings Hesd until ...

and starring British actress Robyn Moore best known for her portrayal as Shirley Benson on

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

's ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

''. In 2009, Ley's play ''Last Drinks'' was presented as a double bill with Stephen Fry's ''Latin''.

Awards

Ley has won a number of awards, including for his direction of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

for New Century Productions. He won "Best Original Work of the Year" and "Best Play of the Year" from the Canberra Area Theatre Awards in both 2001 and 2003, for ''The Burning'' and ''In Cold Light'' respectively. His play "The Ides of March" was short-listed for the 2007 STC Patrick White Playwright's Award.

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ley, Duncan Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Australian dramatists and playwrights Writers from the Australian Capital Territory