Sharman Macdonald
Encyclopedia
Sharman Macdonald is a Scottish
playwright, screenwriter, and former actress. She is the mother of Academy Award-nominee Keira Knightley
.
, and educated at the University of Edinburgh
, from which she graduated in 1972. She credits fellow Scot Ian Charleson
with supporting and encouraging her to follow her theatrical aspirations, and she later contributed a chapter to the 1990 book, For Ian Charleson: A Tribute. Macdonald moved to London after university, and worked as an actress with the 7:84 Theatre Company and at the Royal Court Theatre
. Although her acting career included 7 years of television work, she eventually left it, due in large part to stage fright.
While working as an actress, Macdonald wrote her first play, When I Was a Girl, I Used to Scream and Shout; it was first performed at the Bush Theatre
in 1984, and won her the Evening Standard Award for most promising playwright. Some of the themes in Scream and Shout were inspired by games that her son, Caleb, played with his friends. Of this, Macdonald has said that "it's the result of a bet, this writing life. I was desperate for a second child. Desperate never to act again. Most of all desperate to stop eating lentils, French bread and tomatoes. We were broke, Will and me. We had one child. My hormones were screaming at me to have another. So. Will bet me a child for the sale of a script".
Her other work includes The Brave, commissioned by the Bush Theatre
; When We Were Women, first performed at the Cottesloe Theatre; All Things Nice, commissioned by the English Stage Company and first performed at the Royal Court Theatre
in 1991; The Winter Guest
, which was made into a film, in 1997, directed by Alan Rickman
; The Girl With Red Hair (2005), which had its first reading in August 2003; and Windfall a film adaptation of Penny Vincenzi's best-selling novel PiVotal Pictures.
She has written two plays for the National Theatre
's Shell Connections programme; After Juliet (in which Macdonald's daughter starred as a young girl), and 2006's Broken Hallelujah.
Macdonald's resume also includes the novels The Beast (1986) and Night Night (1988), the radio plays (for the BBC
) such as Sea Urchins and Gladly My Cross Eyed Bear (1999), the libretto
to Hey Persephone!, performed at Aldeburgh
with music by Deirdre Gribbin
, and Lu Lah, Lu Lah (2010) commissioned for a young all-female cast and performed at The Parabola Arts Centre in Cheltenham
.
. They have two children, Caleb and Keira Knightley
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
playwright, screenwriter, and former actress. She is the mother of Academy Award-nominee Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley
Keira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
.
Career
Macdonald was born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, and educated at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, from which she graduated in 1972. She credits fellow Scot Ian Charleson
Ian Charleson
Ian Charleson was a Scottish stage and film actor. He is best known internationally for his starring role as Olympic athlete and missionary Eric Liddell, in the Oscar-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire. He is also well known for his portrayal of Rev...
with supporting and encouraging her to follow her theatrical aspirations, and she later contributed a chapter to the 1990 book, For Ian Charleson: A Tribute. Macdonald moved to London after university, and worked as an actress with the 7:84 Theatre Company and at the Royal Court Theatre
Royal 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...
. Although her acting career included 7 years of television work, she eventually left it, due in large part to stage fright.
While working as an actress, Macdonald wrote her first play, When I Was a Girl, I Used to Scream and Shout; it was first performed at the Bush Theatre
Bush Theatre
The Bush Theatre is based in Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 above The Bush public house by Brian McDermott, and has since become one of the most celebrated new writing theatres in the world. An intimate venue renowned for its close-up...
in 1984, and won her the Evening Standard Award for most promising playwright. Some of the themes in Scream and Shout were inspired by games that her son, Caleb, played with his friends. Of this, Macdonald has said that "it's the result of a bet, this writing life. I was desperate for a second child. Desperate never to act again. Most of all desperate to stop eating lentils, French bread and tomatoes. We were broke, Will and me. We had one child. My hormones were screaming at me to have another. So. Will bet me a child for the sale of a script".
Her other work includes The Brave, commissioned by the Bush Theatre
Bush Theatre
The Bush Theatre is based in Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 above The Bush public house by Brian McDermott, and has since become one of the most celebrated new writing theatres in the world. An intimate venue renowned for its close-up...
; When We Were Women, first performed at the Cottesloe Theatre; All Things Nice, commissioned by the English Stage Company and first performed at the Royal Court Theatre
Royal 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...
in 1991; The Winter Guest
The Winter Guest
The Winter Guest was British actor Alan Rickman's debut as a director, and stars Emma Thompson and Phyllida Law.-Plot:Set in Scotland on one wintry day, the film focuses on eight people: a mother and daughter, Elspeth and Frances ; two young boys skipping school, Sam and Tom ; two old women who...
, which was made into a film, in 1997, directed by Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman is an English actor and theatre director. He is a renowned stage actor in modern and classical productions and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company...
; The Girl With Red Hair (2005), which had its first reading in August 2003; and Windfall a film adaptation of Penny Vincenzi's best-selling novel PiVotal Pictures.
She has written two plays for the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
's Shell Connections programme; After Juliet (in which Macdonald's daughter starred as a young girl), and 2006's Broken Hallelujah.
Macdonald's resume also includes the novels The Beast (1986) and Night Night (1988), the radio plays (for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
) such as Sea Urchins and Gladly My Cross Eyed Bear (1999), the libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
to Hey Persephone!, performed at Aldeburgh
Aldeburgh
Aldeburgh is a coastal town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. Located on the River Alde, the town is notable for its Blue Flag shingle beach and fisherman huts where freshly caught fish are sold daily, and the Aldeburgh Yacht Club...
with music by Deirdre Gribbin
Deirdre Gribbin
Deirdre Gribbin is a composer from Northern Ireland. She studied at Queen's University Belfast where, at the age of twenty, she began to compose. Further studies were in London and in Denmark...
, and Lu Lah, Lu Lah (2010) commissioned for a young all-female cast and performed at The Parabola Arts Centre in Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
.
Personal life
Macdonald is married to the actor Will KnightleyWill Knightley
Will Knightley is an English actor.He has primarily worked in on the stage, and is a founder member of London's Half Moon Theatre. In addition to acting, he has performed voice-over work. He has had TV stints in The Bill, Frost, Midsomer Murders and various adverts...
. They have two children, Caleb and Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley
Keira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
.
Selected writings
- When I Was a Girl, I Used to Scream and Shout (1984, stage play)
- The Beast (1986, gently surreal novel about a family picnic at Kenwood in Hampstead) Collins, ISBN 0002230216
- The Brave (1988, stage play)
- Night Night (1988, novel about a 1980s family in emotional freefall) Collins, ISBN 0002233118
- Soft Fall the Sounds of Eden (2004, radio play)
External links
- Macdonald at Contemporary Writers
- Sharman Macdonald at United Agents
- Profile
- After Juliet Diaries