Nancy Harris is an Irish playwright and screenwriter. She was awarded the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature in 2012.

Early life and education

Harris is the daughter of

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

and Eoghan Harris. She was educated at Trinity College Dublin, earning a B.A. in Drama Studies and Classical Civilization, and the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

, where she completed an M.Phil. in Playwriting Studies (a course founded by playwright David Edgar) in the Department of Drama and Theatre Arts.

Career

In 2009, Harris adapted

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy Tolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; ,Throughout Tolstoy's whole life, his name was written as using Reforms of Russian orthography#The post-revolution re ...

's '' The Kreutzer Sonata'', creating a one-act monologue for the

Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Gearóid Ó Lochla ...

in Dublin, which was then also presented in New York City in 2012. She was awarded The Stewart Parker Award 2012 for her first original full-length play ''No Romance'' which premiered at The

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre (), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland () is a theatre in Dublin, Ireland. First opening to the public on 27 December 1904, and moved from its original building after a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the p ...

in Dublin. The play was also nominated for an Irish Times Theatre Award, a Zebbie Award and was a finalist for The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize in 2012. Her play ''Our New Girl'', premiered at The Bush Theatre London and was long-listed for an Evening Standard 'Most Promising Playwright Award' in 2013. In December 2017, the Gate Theatre presented Harris' unique spin on a classic fairytale, about the challenges of reimagining ''The Red Shoes'' for a new generation. Harris had two commissioned plays opening in September 2019: ''The Beacon'' for

Druid Theatre The Druid Theatre Company, referred to as Druid, is an Irish theatre company, based in Galway, Ireland. As well as touring extensively across Ireland, the company's productions have played internationally to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the ...

which premiered at the Town Hall Theatre, Galway before transferring to the

, Dublin in October and ''Two Ladies'' for The Bridge theatre, starring

Zoë Wanamaker Zoë Wanamaker (born 13 May 1949) is an American-born British actress who has worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. Wanamaker was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2001 by Qu ...

and

Zrinka Cvitešić Zrinka Cvitešić (born 18 July 1979) is a Croatian film, television and theatre actress. Biography The elder of two daughters, Zrinka Cvitešić was born in Karlovac, in the Karlovac County to Ivan and Višnja Cvitešić. Her mother played ...

. Harris wrote the stage musical adaptation of '' The Magician's Elephant'' (based on Kate DiCamillo's novel) with Marc Teitler for the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

Having been delayed a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was rescheduled to premiere in winter 2021. On television, she was BAFTA nominated for her episodes of the Channel 4 series '' Dates'' and contributed scripts for '' Secret Diary of a Call Girl'', '' The Good Karma Hospital'' and the epic miniseries '' Troy: Fall of a City''. She was the screenwriter for '' The Dry'', a comedy about a party girl returning home to Ireland to a troubled family. Her play ''Somewhere Out There You'' opened at the

in September 2023 as part of Dublin Theatre Festival. Her play ''The Beacon'' is slated to open in fall 2024 as an Off-Broadway production by the Irish Repertory Theatre with actress Kate Mulgrew in the lead.

Personal life

Harris lives in London. She is married to Ghanaian scientist, Kwasi Agyei-Owusu.

References

External links

*
From the Archive: Bushgreen Meets Nancy Harris

Stewart Parker Trust Award Wins for Nancy Harris, Stacey Gregg and Paul Mercier

Irish Theatre Magazine review of ''No Romance''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Nancy Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Alumni of the University of Birmingham Alumni of Trinity College Dublin 21st-century Irish dramatists and playwrights Irish women dramatists and playwrights Irish television writers Irish women television writers 21st-century Irish women writers 21st-century Irish screenwriters Writers from County Dublin