James Graham (born 8 July 1982) is a British playwright and screenwriter. His work has been staged throughout the UK and internationally, at theatres including the Bush, Soho Theatre, Clwyd Theatr Cymru and the National Theatre.

Biography

Graham grew up in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, and was educated at Ashfield Comprehensive School and the

University of Hull , mottoeng = Bearing the Torch f learning, established = 1927 – University College Hull1954 – university status , type = Public , endowment = £18.8 million (2016) , budget = £190 millio ...

, where he studied drama. His first professional play ''Albert's Boy'' was produced by the Finborough Theatre in west London, where Graham became playwright-in-residence. His first major play '' This House'' was commissioned by the

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

, where it was critically and commercially acclaimed, transferred to the larger Olivier Theatre, and was nominated for the

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

for Best New Play. ''This House'' was revived in 2016 and ran for two years, first in the West End and then on a national tour. In 2018 Graham won his first Olivier Award, for ''Labour of Love'' as best new comedy (his other play '' Ink'' was nominated for an Olivier in the same year). He wrote the book for the Broadway musical '' Finding Neverland'', and two of his own plays, ''Privacy'' and ''Ink'' (for which he received his first

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nomination), transferred to Broadway. Graham's debut feature film '' X+Y'' premiered in 2015, and he has written numerous TV dramas, including the TV films '' Coalition'' (which won the Royal Television Society award for Best Single Film) and '' Brexit: The Uncivil War'' (nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie). In 2019 Graham wrote and executive produced a three-part

TV adaptation An adaptation is a transfer of a work of art from one style, culture or medium to another. Some common examples are: * Film adaptation, a story from another work, adapted into a film (it may be a novel, non-fiction like journalism, autobiography, ...

of his stage play ''Quiz'' which aired in 2020. In June 2018, Graham was elected Fellow of the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 600 Fellows, ele ...

in its "40 Under 40" initiative. In January 2019, Graham's life and work was the subject of an in-depth

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's Flagship (broadcasting), flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News ...

documentary as part of the '' Imagine'' series. In May 2019, his play '' This House'' was voted Play of the Decade in

Bloomsbury Publishing Bloomsbury Publishing plc is a British worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction. It is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index. Bloomsbury's head office is located in Bloomsbury, an area of the London Borough of Camden. It has ...

's '60 Years of Modern Plays' public vote. He was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to drama and young people in British theatre. In 2022, it was announced that Graham had written the book for a new musical about the life of televangelist Tammy Faye Messner, with

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

and Jake Shears writing the music. 'Tammy Faye' will open at the

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325-seat producing house with an international reputation, which takes its name from the street on which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a di ...

in October 2022. His plays are published by

Methuen Methuen may refer to: *Methuen (surname) *Methuen, Massachusetts, a U.S. city **Methuen High School **Methuen Mall *Baron Methuen, a British title of nobility *Methuen Cove, South Orkney Islands *Methuen Publishing, Methuen & Co. Ltd., a British p ...

Work

Plays

*'' Tammy Faye'' (2022) (musical about the life of Tammy Faye Messner, co-written with

, which will premiere at the

) *''Shoot'' (2021) (short play written for

Sky Arts Sky Arts (originally launched as Artsworld) is a British free-to-air television channel offering 24 hours a day of programmes dedicated to highbrow arts, including theatrical performances, movies, documentaries and music (such as opera perfor ...

"Play in a Day', performed live at

Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is a Grade II listed entertainment and sports venue in London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. It is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm. Orig ...

and later broadcast on Sky Arts) *'' Best of Enemies'' (2021) (premiered at the

Young Vic The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Kwame Kwei-Armah has been Artistic Director since February 20 ...

before transferring to the West End) *''Bubble'' (2020) (premiered at the

Nottingham Playhouse Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It was first established as a repertory theatre in 1948 when it operated from a former cinema in Goldsmith Street. Directors during this period included Val May and F ...

and was live-streamed online) *''Sketching'' (2018) (premiered at

Wilton's Music Hall Wilton's Music Hall is a Grade II* listed building in Shadwell, built as a music hall and now run as a multi-arts performance space in Graces Alley, off Cable Street in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is one of very few surviving musi ...

) *''The Culture'' (2017) (premiered at the Hull Truck Theatre) *'' Quiz'' (2017) (premiered at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester before transferring to the West End) *'' Labour of Love'' (2017) (premiered at the Noel Coward Theatre) *'' Ink'' (2017) (premiered at the

before transferring to the West End and then Broadway) *'' Monster Raving Loony'' (2016) (premiered at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth) *'' The Vote'' (2015) (premiered at the

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by M ...

) *''The Children's Monologues'' (2015) (wrote the monologue "Biyonace" for the one-off event at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal ...

) *'' Finding Neverland'' (2014) (premiered at the A.R.T.) *'' The Angry Brigade'' (2014) (premiered at Theatre Royal, Plymouth) *''

Privacy Privacy (, ) is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively. The domain of privacy partially overlaps with security, which can include the concepts of a ...

'' (2014) (premiered at the Donmar Warehouse before transferring to Broadway) *'' This House'' (2012) (premiered at the National Theatre before a national tour) *''

Sixty Six Books ''Sixty-Six Books'' was a set of plays premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2011, to mark the theatre's reopening on a new site and the 400th anniversary of the King James Version. It drew its title from the 66 books of the Protestant Bible ...

'' (co-author) (2011) (premiered at the Bush Theatre) *''Basset'' (2010) (National Theatre Connections play) *''Relish'' (2010) (premiered at the Tramshed in Shoreditch) *''The Man'' (2010) (premiered at the Finborough Theatre) *''The Whisky Taster'' (2010) (premiered at the Bush Theatre) *''A History of Falling Things'' (2009) (premiered at the Clwyd Theatr Cymru) *''SuddenLossOfDignity.Com'' (2009) written in collaboration with

Zawe Ashton Zawedde Emma "Zawe" Ashton (; born 25 July 1984) is a British actress, playwright and narrator. She is best known for her roles in the comedy dramas ''Fresh Meat (TV series), Fresh Meat'' and ''Not Safe for Work (TV series), Not Safe for Work' ...

, Joel Horwood, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and Michelle Terry (premiered at the Bush Theatre) *''Tory Boyz'' (2008) (premiered at the Soho Theatre) *''Sons of York'' (2008) (premiered at the Finborough Theatre) *''Little Madam'' (2007) (premiered at the Finborough Theatre) *''Eden's Empire'' (2006) (premiered at the Finbo