Phyllis Nagy
Encyclopedia
Phyllis Nagy is a theatre and film director
, screenwriter
and dramatist.
under the artistic direction of Stephen Daldry
for whom she served as the Royal Court's writer-in-residence in the mid-1990s.
Nagy's plays have been performed in many counties. They include Weldon Rising, first produced by the Royal Court Theatre in association with the Liverpool Playhouse in 1992; Butterfly Kiss
, first produced by the Almeida Theatre
Company in 1994; The Scarlet Letter, an adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne
’s classic novel, commissioned and first produced by the Denver Centre Theatre in 1994; Trip's Cinch, commissioned and first produced by the Actors Theatre of Louisville in 1994 and received its UK premiere in 2002; The Strip, commissioned and first produced by the Royal Court Theatre in 1995; and Disappeared, a joint winner of both the 1992 Mobil International Playwriting Prize and the 1995 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Disappeared premiered at the Royal Court in 1995 in a production directed by the author which subsequently toured the UK before a London run at the Royal Court Theatre. The play went on to win the Writers Guild of Great Britain Best Regional Play award and the Eileen Anderson/Central Television Best Play award. In February 1999 Disappeared was presented at the Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago by RoadWorks Productions.
Nagy's most recent plays are Never Land, which premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in January 1998 in a co-production with The Foundry; and The Talented Mr Ripley, adapted from the novel by Patricia Highsmith which premiered at the Palace Theatre Watford in October 1998 and later produced by the Melbourne Theatre Company in February 1999. Her version of Chekov’s The Seagull
was produced at Chichester Festival Theatre in the summer of 2003. In 2005 she directed a production of The Scarlet Letter at the same venue.
and an adaptation of Kate Atkinson
's Case Histories.
(2005), her screen debut. The film starred Ben Kingsley
and Annette Bening
(both also Emmy nominated), and garnered a total of 12 Emmy Award
nominations, 3 Golden Globe nominations, 3 Screen Actors Guild Award nominations and numerous other media awards. It premiered on HBO in February 2006.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and dramatist.
Theatre career
Nagy moved to London in 1992, where her playwriting career began in earnest at the Royal Court TheatreRoyal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
under the artistic direction of Stephen Daldry
Stephen Daldry
Stephen David Daldry, CBE is an English theatre and film director and producer, as well as a three-time Academy Award nominated and Tony Award winning director.-Early years:...
for whom she served as the Royal Court's writer-in-residence in the mid-1990s.
Nagy's plays have been performed in many counties. They include Weldon Rising, first produced by the Royal Court Theatre in association with the Liverpool Playhouse in 1992; Butterfly Kiss
Butterfly Kiss
Butterfly Kiss is a 1995 British film, directed by Michael Winterbottom and written by Frank Cottrell Boyce. It stars Amanda Plummer and Saskia Reeves...
, first produced by the Almeida Theatre
Almeida Theatre
The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325 seat studio theatre with an international reputation which takes its name from the street in which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diverse range of drama and holds an annual summer festival of...
Company in 1994; The Scarlet Letter, an adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer.Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts to Nathaniel Hathorne and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning. His ancestors include John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch Trials...
’s classic novel, commissioned and first produced by the Denver Centre Theatre in 1994; Trip's Cinch, commissioned and first produced by the Actors Theatre of Louisville in 1994 and received its UK premiere in 2002; The Strip, commissioned and first produced by the Royal Court Theatre in 1995; and Disappeared, a joint winner of both the 1992 Mobil International Playwriting Prize and the 1995 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Disappeared premiered at the Royal Court in 1995 in a production directed by the author which subsequently toured the UK before a London run at the Royal Court Theatre. The play went on to win the Writers Guild of Great Britain Best Regional Play award and the Eileen Anderson/Central Television Best Play award. In February 1999 Disappeared was presented at the Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago by RoadWorks Productions.
Nagy's most recent plays are Never Land, which premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in January 1998 in a co-production with The Foundry; and The Talented Mr Ripley, adapted from the novel by Patricia Highsmith which premiered at the Palace Theatre Watford in October 1998 and later produced by the Melbourne Theatre Company in February 1999. Her version of Chekov’s The Seagull
The Seagull
The Seagull is the first of what are generally considered to be the four major plays by the Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov. The Seagull was written in 1895 and first produced in 1896...
was produced at Chichester Festival Theatre in the summer of 2003. In 2005 she directed a production of The Scarlet Letter at the same venue.
Film
She is developing two films for Film Four: an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's The Price of SaltThe Price of Salt
The Price of Salt is a romance novel by Patricia Highsmith, written under the pseudonym Claire Morgan. The author – known as a suspense writer following the publication of her previous book, Strangers on a Train – became notorious due to the story's latent lesbian content and happy...
and an adaptation of Kate Atkinson
Kate Atkinson
Kate Atkinson MBE is an English author.She was born in York, and studied English Literature at the University of Dundee, gaining her Masters Degree in 1974. She subsequently studied for a doctorate in American Literature. She has often spoken publicly about the fact that she failed at the viva ...
's Case Histories.
Awards
She was nominated for Emmy Awards for writing and directing Mrs. HarrisMrs. Harris (film)
Mrs. Harris is a 2005 American drama film written and directed by Phyllis Nagy. The teleplay, based on the book Very Much a Lady by Shana Alexander, focuses on the tempestuous relationship between Herman Tarnower, noted cardiologist and author of the New York Times bestseller The Complete Scarsdale...
(2005), her screen debut. The film starred Ben Kingsley
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
and Annette Bening
Annette Bening
Annette Carol Bening is an American actress. Bening is a four-time Oscar nominee for her roles in The Grifters, American Beauty, Being Julia and The Kids Are All Right, winning Golden Globe Awards for the latter two films...
(both also Emmy nominated), and garnered a total of 12 Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nominations, 3 Golden Globe nominations, 3 Screen Actors Guild Award nominations and numerous other media awards. It premiered on HBO in February 2006.
See also
- Aston, E. (2002) Feminist Views on the English Stage - Cambridge University Press ISBN 9780521800037