Sonya Kelly

Last updated
Sonya Kelly
Born
Dublin, Ireland
Alma mater Trinity College Dublin
Occupation(s)Playwright, screenwriter
Relatives Frank Kelly (uncle)

Sonya Kelly is an Irish playwright and screenwriter. [1]

Kelly was born in Dublin. Some of her family had a theatre background: her uncle Frank Kelly was a well-known actor, and an aunt who taught speech and drama sent her plays by George Bernard Shaw as a teenager. [2] She studied drama and classics at Trinity College Dublin. [3]

After graduation she got a few acting roles in Dublin's Gate Theatre before spending some time as a stand-up comedian. She then progressed to what she has described as "a medium somewhere between theatre and comedy", doing self-performing autobiographical pieces. "The Wheelchair on my Face" was the first of these followed by "How to Keep an Alien". Her first play for other actors was "Furniture". [4]

Productions of Kelly's plays "The Wheelchair on My Face" and "The Last Return" have won Scotsman Fringe First awards. [5]

She lives in Dublin with her Australian wife Kate. They met while they were both working on a play at the Project Arts Centre, Dublin. [2] Their daughter Juno was born in 2021. [6]

Kelly was a 2024 recipient of the Windham Campbell Prize for Drama. [7]

Playography

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References

  1. ↑ "Sonya Kelly". www.theagency.ie. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  2. 1 2 Dwyer, Ciara (7 February 2021). ""When I came out it didn't dawn on me that I couldn't get married"- Sonya Kelly talks about coming out, marrying an "alien" and how lockdown sparked her new. play". Irish Independent. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  3. ↑ "Sonya Kelly". Curtis Brown. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  4. ↑ Hourican, Emily (2022-10-08). "Playwright Sonya Kelly: "Despair is your friend. If you're not worried, how do you know what you're aiming for?"". Irish Independent. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  5. ↑ Falvey, Deirdre (12 August 2022). "Druid's The Last Return by Sonya Kelly wins award at Edinburgh Fringe". Irish Times. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  6. ↑ Winston, Fran (2021-06-07). "Theatre star Sonya Kelly and wife Kate Ferris welcome 'miracle' baby girl and share first pictures". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  7. ↑ "Sonya Kelly". 2 April 2024.
  8. ↑ Gardner, Lyn (9 August 2015). "Edinburgh festival review: How to Keep an Alien – a comedy of love and visas". The Observer. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  9. ↑ Meany, Helen (12 February 2021). "Once Upon a Bridge review – three worlds collide in near-death drama". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  10. ↑ Meany, Helen (7 July 2022). "The Last Return review – what queuing etiquette reveals about western imperialism". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
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