Polly Stenham (born 16 July 1986) is an English
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 ...
known for her play ''
That Face'', which she wrote when she was 19 years old.
Background
Stenham was born and raised in London. She attributes her love of theatre to her father as he took her to various shows from a young age, including many 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 theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...
which would later stage her first play.
Before university she attended
Wycombe Abbey
Wycombe Abbey is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private girls' boarding and day school in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England.
The school was founded in 1896 by Dame Frances Dove (1847–1942), who was previously headmistress of ...
and later worked for the
Ambassador Theatre Group
ATG Entertainment, formerly The Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), is a major international live entertainment organisation headquartered in the United Kingdom, with offices in Woking (head office), London, New York, Sydney, Mannheim and Cologne. ...
and the
Arcola Theatre
Arcola Theatre is in the London Borough of Hackney. It presents plays, operas and musicals featuring established and emerging artists.
The theatre building, in the former Colourworks paint factory on Ashwin Street, Dalston, houses two studio ...
. During this time she enrolled in the Royal Court Young Writers Programme and wrote her first play.
Career
Stenham's debut play ''
That Face'' premiered 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 theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...
in London in April 2007. It was directed by
Jeremy Herrin and starred
Lindsay Duncan
Lindsay Vere Duncan (born 7 November 1950) is a Scottish actress. She is the recipient of three BAFTA nominations and one Scottish BAFTA nomination, as well as two Olivier Awards and a Tony Award for her work on stage. She has starred in sever ...
as the alcoholic mother Martha and
Matt Smith
Matthew Robert Smith (born 28 October 1982) is an English actor. He is known for playing the Eleventh Doctor in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' (2010–2013), Prince Philip in Netflix's historical series ''The Crown ( ...
as her son Henry. Stenham won the ''
Evening Standard
The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...
''s 2007 Charles Wintour Award, the
Critics' Circle Award for Most Promising Playwright and the 2007
Theatrical Management Association Award for Best New Play.
The play received praise from some reviewers, with
Charles Spencer of ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' commenting:
This is one of the most astonishing debuts I have seen in more than 30 years of theatre reviewing. Its author, Polly Stenham, a graduate of the Royal Court's Young Writers Programme, is 20 now, just 19 when she wrote a play that sent me reeling into the night... In every respect this is a remarkable and unforgettable piece of theatre.
Stenham represented the Royal Court at the 2007
Latitude Festival
Latitude Festival is an annual music and arts festival set within the grounds of Henham Park, near Southwold, Suffolk, England.
The first edition of the festival took place in 2006 and has continued annually (apart from 2020 when it was cancel ...
before ''That Face'' transferred to the
Duke of York's Theatre
The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by ...
in the
West End in 2008 with largely the same cast and again under Jeremy Herrin's direction.
Her second play, ''Tusk Tusk'' premiered in the downstairs theatre at the
Royal Court
A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be app ...
in March 2009 directed by Jeremy Herrin.
In 2011 Stenham, along with friend Victoria Williams, opened an art gallery, the Cob Studios and Gallery (named after her art collector father) in
Camden, London.
In 2013 her third play ''No Quarter'' was staged at the
Royal Court
A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be app ...
, directed by
Jeremy Herrin and starring
Tom Sturridge
Thomas Sidney Jerome Sturridge (born 5 December 1985) is an English actor. His early films include '' Being Julia'' (2004), '' Like Minds'' (2006), and '' The Boat That Rocked'' (2009). He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Pl ...
. The company also included
Taron Egerton
Taron Egerton ( ; born 10 November 1989) is a Welsh actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he performed in stage plays before gaining recognition for his starring role as a spy in the action comedy films '' Kingsman: Th ...
in his first year after studying at
RADA
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central Lond ...
.
In 2013 film director
Nicolas Winding Refn
Nicolas Winding Refn (; born 29 September 1970) is a Danish film director, screenwriter, and producer.
He directed the ''Pusher'' trilogy (1996–2005), the crime drama '' Bronson'' (2008), and the adventure film '' Valhalla Rising'' (2009). I ...
confirmed ''I Walk With the Dead'' as his next project and that Polly Stenham was confirmed to write the screenplay with Refn. They stated that the film will have an all female cast. Refn admitted that he asked Stenham to write the screenplay to tackle his own perceived inability to write female characters. The project was later renamed ''
The Neon Demon
''The Neon Demon'' is a 2016 psychological horror art film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, co-written by Mary Laws, Polly Stenham, and Refn, and starring Elle Fanning. The plot follows an aspiring model in Los Angeles whose beauty and youth ...
'' and was released in June 2016 to mixed reviews.
In 2014 her fourth play ''Hotel'' was staged at the Temporary Theatre,
The National Theatre, directed by Maria Aberg.
In 2018, ''Julie'', her adaptation of
August Strindberg
Johan August Strindberg (; ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than 60 pla ...
's ''Miss Julie'', was staged at Lyttleton Theatre, directed by
Carrie Cracknell and starring
Vanessa Kirby
Vanessa Nuala Kirby (born 18 April 1987 or 1988) is an English actress and producer. She rose to international prominence with her portrayal of Princess Margaret in the Netflix drama series ''The Crown'' (2016–2017), for which she won the Bri ...
and Eric Kofi AbrefaIn.
In 2017 Walter & Zoniel's portrait of Polly was hung at the National Portrait Gallery and in 2018 Polly was elected as a 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 800 Fellows, elect ...
in its "40 Under 40" initiative.
In October 2019 her first collection, ''Plays I'', comprising her first four plays, ''That Face, Tusk Tusk'', ''No Quarter'' and ''Hotel'' was published by
Faber & Faber
Faber and Faber Limited, commonly known as Faber & Faber or simply Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, C. S. Lewis, Margaret S ...
. Stenham's work is studied at GCSE, A-level and University level.
She is currently developing the TV series
Dope Girls with Bad Wolf Productions.
Stenham was appointed
Member of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(MBE) in the
2020 Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours for 2020 are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded ...
for services to theatre and literature.
Private life
Stenham lives 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 ...
.
She is a fan of
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...
's album ''
In Rainbows
''In Rainbows'' is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Radiohead. It was self-released on 10 October 2007 as a download, followed by a retail release internationally through XL Recordings on 3 December 2007 and in North America t ...
'', which she says she listened to constantly while writing ''Tusk Tusk''.
Work
*
Plays I' (2019) published by
Faber & Faber
Faber and Faber Limited, commonly known as Faber & Faber or simply Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, C. S. Lewis, Margaret S ...
*''Julie'' (2018) at the
Royal National Theatre
The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...
directed by
Carrie Cracknell
*''Hotel'' (2014) at the
Royal National Theatre
The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...
directed by
Maria Aberg
*''No Quarter'' (2013) 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 theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...
directed by
Jeremy Herrin
*''Tusk Tusk'' (2009) at the Royal Court Theatre directed by Jeremy Herrin
*''
That Face'' (2007) at the Royal Court Theatre then (2008)
Duke of York
Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of List of English monarchs, English (later List of British monarchs, British) monarchs ...
(2009) directed by Jeremy Herrin
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stenham, Polly
1986 births
Living people
English dramatists and playwrights
People educated at Wycombe Abbey
People educated at Rugby School
Alumni of University College London
Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature
Members of the Order of the British Empire
People educated at Wycombe Abbey