Penelope Skinner is a British

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 ...

. Born in 1978, she came to prominence after her play ''Fucked'' was first produced in 2008 at the

Old Red Lion Theatre The Old Red Lion (ORL), also known as the Old Red Lion Theatre (ORLT) and The Old Red, is a pub and fringe theatre, at Angel, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre was founded in 1979 as the Old Red Lion Theatre Club. The pub was Grad ...

and the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the ...

to critical acclaim and has had other plays staged in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

including at the

Bush Theatre The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. Artistic Directors * Brian McDermott ...

, National Theatre and

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 theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

. Skinner's play ''Eigengrau'', staged at the

in 2010, was a critical and box office hit and Skinner was nominated for the

Evening Standard Award The ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Awards, established in 1955, are the oldest theatrical awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. They are presented annually for outstanding achievements in London Theatre, and are organised by the ''Evening Standa ...

for Most Promising Playwright in 2010. Her play ''The Village Bike'' was her first play to be staged at the

where it had a sell out, twice-extended run starring

Romola Garai Romola Sadie Garai ( ; born 6 August 1982) is a Hong Kong-born British actress and film director. Known for her extensive work on stage and screen, she often acts in period films. Her early film roles include '' Nicholas Nickleby'' (2002), '' ...

and directed by Joe Hill-Gibbins, winning her the

George Devine Award George Alexander Cassady Devine (20 November 1910 – 20 January 1966) was an English theatrical manager, director, teacher, and actor based in London from the early 1930s until his death. He also worked in TV and film. Early life and education ...

and the

for Most Promising Playwright in 2011. In 2011, she wrote episodes for the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

series '' Fresh Meat''. In the same year, her play ''The Sound of Heavy Rain'' was produced by

Paines Plough Paines Plough is a British touring theatre company founded in 1974, currently led by artistic directors Charlotte Bennett and Katie Posner. The company commissions, develops and produces new plays for touring, and helps playwrights develop their ...

and

Sheffield Theatres Sheffield Theatres is a theatre complex in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It comprises four theatres: the Crucible, the Lyceum, the Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse, and (as of January 2025) the Montgomery Theatre. These theatres make up ...

touring in Roundabout. In 2012. her play ''Fred's Diner'' was staged at the

Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Mart ...

's pop-up stage, following which ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' newspaper described Skinner as "Our leading young feminist writer." In 2013, Skinner co-wrote the screenplay for the film ''

How I Live Now ''How I Live Now'' is a novel by Meg Rosoff, first published in 2004. It received generally positive reviews and won the British Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and the American Printz Award for young-adult literature. Plot Fifteen-year-ol ...

''. In 2015, Skinner's play "Linda", staged at London's Royal Court theatre, "raises important questions with bracing rhetorical force" Timeout. Also in 2015, her off-broadway play "The Ruins of Civilisations" was described as offering "a powerful portrait of an anguished woman fixating on the prospect of a baby as a source of affection, hope and escape" by The Guardian, In 2018, her play "Meek", staged at the Traverse in Edinburgh, "probes into power, resistance and men's rights" In 2023, Skinner's play "Lyonesse" opened at The Harold Pinter Theatre. The German-language premiere will take place at Theater Baden-Baden in January 2025.

Work

*2023 ''Lyonesse'', Harold Pinter Theatre; London directed by

Ian Rickson Ian David Rickson (born 1963) is a British theatre director. He was the artistic director at the Royal Court Theatre in London from 1998 to 2006.

*2018 ''Meek'' premiered at

Traverse Theatre The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded as The Traverse Theatre Club in 1962 by John Calder, John Malcolm, Jim Haynes, Richard Demarco, Terry Lane, Andrew Muir, John Martin and Sheila Colvin. The Traverse Th ...

directed by Amy Hodge *2017 ''Linda'' Manhattan Theatre Club, New York; directed by

Lynne Meadow Lynne Meadow is an American theatre producer, director and a teacher. She has been the artistic director of the Manhattan Theatre Club since 1972. Career A cum laude graduate of Bryn Mawr, Meadow attended the Yale School of Drama.

*2015 ''Linda'' Royal Court Theatre *2015 ''The Ruins of Civilization'' premiered at

Manhattan Theatre Club Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Lynne Meadow has been the company’s Artistic Director and visionary since 1972. Barry Grove joined the company in 19 ...

directed by Leah C. Gardiner *2012 ''Fred's Diner'' premiered at

directed by Tim Hoare *2011 ''The Sound of Heavy Rain'' premiered as part of

's Roundabout Season directed by James Grieve *2011 '' The Village Bike'' premiered at the

directed by Joe Hill-Gibbins *2011 ''

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

'' co-written with

Moira Buffini Moira Buffini (born 29 May 1965) is an English dramatist, director, and actor. Early life Buffini was born in Cheshire to Irish parents, and attended St Mary's College at Rhos-on-Sea in Wales as a day girl. She studied English and Drama at Gold ...

Matt Charman Matthew Charman (born 5 June 1979) is a British screenwriter, playwright, and producer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his 2015 film '' Bridge of Spies'', directed by Steven Spielberg and co-written with ...

and

Jack Thorne Jack Thorne FRSL (born 6 December 1978) is a British playwright, television writer, screenwriter, and producer. A massive fan of hard science fiction, he is best known for writing the stage play '' Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', the fil ...

premiered at the National Theatre directed by Bijan Sheibani *2010 ''Come To Where I'm From Season'' a short play commissioned by

premiered at the

Oxford Playhouse The Oxford Playhouse is a theatre designed by Edward Maufe and F. G. M. Chancellor. It is situated in Beaumont Street, Oxford, opposite the Ashmolean Museum. History The Playhouse was founded as ''The Red Barn'' at 12 Woodstock Road (Oxford), W ...

*2010 ''Don't Look Back'' 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. Nadia Fall has been artistic director since 2025, succeeding ...

directed by Natalie Ibu *2010 ''Eigengrau'' premiered at the

directed by Polly FindlayBushtheatre.co.uk
*2008 ''Fucked'' premiered at the

directed by Daniel Goldman then went to the

in 2009

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skinner, Penelope Living people British women dramatists and playwrights Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century English dramatists and playwrights 21st-century English women writers British women screenwriters 21st-century British screenwriters