Jack Thorne Plays: One

Acclaimed for his screenplays for TV dramas including Skins, Shameless, The Fades, This is England '86/'88/'90 and Glue, Jack Thorne first emerged as a writer of unflinching, compassionate and often challenging plays for the stage. Described as a 'powerful voice for Britain's youth' (Independent), he remains one of the most distinctive talents working in theatre today and was chosen by JK Rowling to write the script for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

This collection, with a revealing introduction by the author, covers a period of intense creativity – beginning with When You Cure Me (Bush Theatre, 2005), a painful – and painfully funny – play about being very young and in love, and coping with serious illness at the same time. 'One of the year's finest pieces of new writing' Evening Standard

In the monologue play Stacy (Arcola Theatre, 2007), twenty-something Rob tells the story of a confusing couple of days in which everything in his life seems to have gone wrong. 'A pin-sharp, brilliant piece of work' Time Out

2nd May 1997 (Bush Theatre, 2009) distils all the euphoria and despair of New Labour's landslide electoral victory into three stories told with 'quiet profundity and verve' (Telegraph), while Bunny (Edinburgh Fringe, 2010) is a white-knuckle ride through the streets of contemporary Britain, written for a solo female performer. 'Terrific' Scotsman

Red Car, Blue Car is a heartbreaking short play about guilt, grief and responsibility, written for and performed at the Bush in 2011.

Finally, Mydidae (Soho Theatre, 2012), a two-hander set entirely in a bathroom, is an electrifyingly intimate account of the darker side of love which hits audiences 'like a punch in the gut' (Whatsonstage.com)

'An absolutely top-class playwright' JK Rowling



Jack Thorne's plays for the stage include adaptations of Let the Right One In (National Theatre of Scotland at Dundee Rep, the Royal Court and the Apollo Theatre, London, 2013/14) and Stuart: A Life Backwards (Underbelly, Edinburgh and tour, 2013); Mydidae (Soho, 2012; Trafalgar Studios, 2013); an adaptation of Friedrich Dürrenmatt's The Physicists (Donmar Warehouse, 2012); Bunny (Underbelly, Edinburgh, 2010; Soho, 2011); 2nd May 1997 (Bush, 2009); When You Cure Me (Bush, 2005; Radio 3's Drama on Three, 2006); Fanny and Faggot (Pleasance, Edinburgh, 2004 and 2007; Finborough, 2007; English Theatre of Bruges, 2007; Trafalgar Studios, 2007); and Stacy (Tron, 2006; Arcola, 2007; Trafalgar Studios, 2007). His radio plays include Left at the Angel (Radio 4, 2007), an adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (2009) and an original play People Snogging in Public Places (Radio 3's Wire slot, 2009). He was a core writer in all three series of Skins (E4, Channel 4, BBC America), writing five episodes. His other TV writing includes The Fades (2012 BAFTA for Best Drama Series), Shameless, Cast-Offs, This is England '86 (2011 Royal Television Society Award for Best Writer – Drama), This is England '88, This is England '90 and the thirty-minute drama The Spastic King. His work for film includes the features A Long Way Down, adapted from Nick Hornby's novel, and The Scouting Book for Boys, which won him the Star of London Best Newcomer Award at the London Film Festival 2009.