Shaun McKenna

Shaun Patrick McKenna (born 5 April 1957 in Maidstone, Kent) is an English dramatist, lyricist and screenwriter.

Shaun McKenna studied at Maidstone Grammar School and the University of Bristol (1975–1978).

He was an actor for a few years, then taught drama, and began writing in his late 20s.

He married former actress and agent Jenny Hayes in 1985; she died in 2014.

Shaun McKenna lives in West London.

Shaun McKenna's early theatre plays include Killing Camille (Paines Plough, Old Red Lion 1990, a rehearsed reading directed by Kathy Burke).

He began an association with Michael Napier Brown at the Royal Theatre in Northampton for whom he adapted Richard Llewellyn's How Green Was My Valley (1990) in which Aled Jones made his acting debut, and R. F. Delderfield's To Serve Them All My Days (1992).

He subsequently wrote a drama, Ruling Passions, which was presented at the Royal in 1995.

Musical theatre credits include Maddie (Salisbury Playhouse 1996, West End 1997) which he wrote with Steven Dexter and Stephen Keeling.

He has subsequently written a book, Maddie and Us, about the experience (see below).

He wrote the book for Lautrec (West End 2000), collaborating with Charles Aznavour.

Also that year, he and Stephen Keeling contributed additional material for La Cava.

In 2004 McKenna's musical adaptation of Terry Pratchett's Only You Can Save Mankind was premiered at the Edinburgh Festival, with music by Leighton James House and lyrics by Shaun McKenna.

In 2005 McKenna and Stephen Keeling wrote Heidi, entwining the famous children's story and the life of its creator Johanna Spyri, which was first performed in an open-air production in Walenstadt, Switzerland.

McKenna wrote book and lyrics for the stage adaptation of JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (Toronto 2006, West End 2007) with Matthew Warchus.

The show won seven Dora Mavor Moore Awards including Best Musical for McKenna and Warchus.

McKenna's work was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Musical.

Heidi II, a sequel, followed in 2007 and 2008.

The One True Thing, a prequel, has been commissioned

He wrote the book for Ben Hur Live, based on the novel by Lew Wallace shown at the O2 arena in September 2009, and in a revised version at the Fiera di Roma, Rome in 2011.

An album of songs was released in 2009, prior to a new production.

He co-wrote Murder Mystery Musical with Alister Cameron and composer Richard Brown, which was performed at the Edinburgh Festival in 2009.

In spring 2012 his stage adaptation of Charles Dance's screenplay for Ladies in Lavender, with Hayley Mills and Belinda Lang, toured the UK.

The production won five BroadwayWorld UK Awards 2012, including Best Fringe or Regional Play, Best Director (Robin Lefevre), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Hayley Mills), Best Actress in a Featured Role (Belinda Lang)and Best Actor in a Featured Role (Robert Rees).

In September 2012 the York Theater in New York premiered a workshop lab production of Last Dance, for which McKenna wrote the book.

The songs are by Paul Jabara and the show was directed by Philip Wm.

McKinley.

In 2014 his stage adaptation of Peter James's novella The Perfect Murder toured the UK, from January to April 2014 with Les Dennis and Claire Goose, and with Robert Daws and Dawn Steele from September 2014.

This toured in 2015 with a cast led by Tina Hobley, Jamie Lomas and Gray O'Brien.

In January 2016 a new tour went out with Shane Richie and Jessie Wallace.

After The Perfect Murder, McKenna was commissioned by producers Joshua Andrews and Peter James to adapt James's novel Dead Simple.

In 2017 there was a major UK tour of McKenna's stage version of Not Dead Enough starring Shane Richie, Laura Whitmore and Stephen Billington.

Bill Ward subsequently took over from Shane Richie.

In 2019, Shaun's fourth Peter James adaptation The House On Cold Hill toured the UK with a cast led by Joe McFadden, Rita Simons and Charlie Clements.

McKenna's fifth Peter James adaptation, Looking Good Dead, began a long UK tour in Leicester in June 2021 and, ended in April 2022.

It starred Adam Woodyatt and Gaynor Faye.

Laurie Brett subsequently took over the female lead.

The next play in the series Wish You Were Dead began a UK tour in February 2023, starring Clive Mantle, Giovanna Fletcher and George Rainsford as Roy Grace.

In May 2021 his original thriller Rocky Road streamed during lockdown from Jermyn Street Theatre.

Tyger Drew-Honey and Kirsten Foster played the two roles, and the show was directed by Steven Kunis and designed by Ceci Calf.