Making drama out of history with writer James Graham

A talk by award-winning dramatist James Graham, whose works for theatre, TV and cinema give new insight into real events. They include the recent TV six-parter Sherwood, This House, Labour of Love, Ink, Quiz, Brexit: The Uncivil War and many more.

James Graham is a playwright and film and television writer.

His screen work includes Quiz (ITV and AMC) in 2020, directed by Stephen Frears and was one of the most watched UK television dramas of the year; and Brexit: An Uncivil War which garnered huge public attention and critical acclaim in 2019. It was broadcast on Channel 4 and HBO starring Benedict Cumberbatch and nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie, and a BAFTA for Single Drama. His feature film X + Y was selected for the Toronto International Film Festival in 2014.

For theatre, Ink – about the early days of Rupert Murdoch – opened to huge praise at the Almeida befpre transferring to the West End in September 2017 where it played in the theatre next door to James’ other new play – political romantic comedy Labour of Love – creating theatre history. Labour of Love went on to win an Olivier Award. Ink transfered to Manhattan Theatre Club on Broadway and was nominated for six Tony Awards. His play Privacy about data surveillance culture premiered at the Donmar Warehouse in 2014 before moving to the Public Theater in New York, starring Daniel Radcliffe. His first musical, Finding Neverland, ran for 18 months on Broadway in 2015 before touring the U.S.

James’s breakout play This House premiered at the National Theatre’s Cottesloe Theatre in September 2012 and transferred to the Olivier in 2013 where it enjoyed a sell-out run, and garnered critical acclaim and a huge amount of interest and admiration from current and former MPs for his rendition of life in the House of Commons. It went on to have an Olivier-nominated sell-out revival in the West End in 2017 and it was chosen by popular vote as the best play of the 2010’s for the major theatre publisher Methuen.

James was awarded the OBE last year for ‘services to drama and young people’.

Event organised by the Friends of Durning Library