Jemma Kennedy – författare

Drawing together the work of ten leading playwrights – a mixture of established and current writers – National Theatre Connections 2013 offers young performers between the ages of thirteen and nineteen everywhere an engaging selection of plays to perform, read or study. Each play is specifically commissioned by the National Theatre’s literary department and reflects the past year’s programming at the venue in the plays’ ideas, themes and styles. The plays are performed by approximately 200 schools and youth theatre companies across the UK and Ireland, in partnership with multiple professional regional theatres where the works are showcased.The volume features an introduction by Anthony Banks, Associate Director for the National Theatre Discover Programme, and each play includes notes from the writer and director addressing the themes and ideas behind the play, as well as production notes and exercises.Published to coincide with the 2013 Connections festival, and the 50th anniversary of the National Theatre, this year's collection features work from Howard Brenton, Jim Cartwright, Lucinda Coxon, Ryan Craig, Stacey Gregg, Jonathan Harvey, Lenny Henry, Jemma Kennedy, Morna Pearson, and Anya Reiss.

You are a Prince, not a pauper. And before too long the whole of England will be in your hands...Jemma Kennedy’s stage adaptation of The Prince and the Pauper is a dynamic and fast-paced adaptation of Mark Twain’s 1881 classic novel of confused identities. Set in a gritty, vibrant Tudor London, the poverty-stricken Tom Canty has a chance meeting with the young heir to the throne, Prince Edward, and – by pure coincidence – they find they look almost identical.The Prince and the Pauper tells the story of what happens when one person is mistaken for the other and what happens to them in the long-term: Tom Canty is forced into the world of the court and power, while Edward is cast down into a world of poverty and thieves, from which he must fight his way back to the court.First produced at the Unicorn Theatre, the UK's leading theatre for young audiences aged 2 – 21 from the 25th November 2012 to the 13 January 2013.

‘Off you go then and best of luckIt’s bound to be different this time though some of it might seem familiarThe big questions, we meanThe beginnings, middles, endings, et ceteraStill, not to worry, it’s all a work-in-progress’You're born a girl. You grow up. You grow old. You die. But who is in control of your life story? Can you actually choose your destiny? And how do you forge your own identity along the way?Second Person Narrative by Jemma Kennedy is part of Platform, an initiative from Tonic Theatre in partnership with Nick Hern Books aimed at addressing gender imbalance and inequality in theatre. Platform comprises big-cast plays with predominantly or all-female casts, written specifically for performance by school, college and youth-theatre groups.‘Drama is an important tool for building confidence and empowering young people. Platform will give girls opportunity to access these benefits as much as their male counterparts.’ - Moira Buffini

A clear, supportive and comprehensive guide to writing a play – based on the author's long-running playwriting masterclasses, as taught at the UK's National Theatre.This book leads you through everything you need to know, including:The theatrical tools and techniques you can use to bring your play to life on the stage (and how these differ from writing for film and TV)Discovering and trusting your writing process, with a range of approaches for developing your initial idea into a completed scriptUnderstanding your characters, including their goals and central conflicts, and using emotional logic to connect them to your storyFinding the dramatic structure and theatrical setting that best suits your playThe key elements of constructing a great scene, including how to invoke tension, deepen characterisation and create effective transitionsWriting engaging, active dialogue by finding each character's voice, balancing exposition with subtext, and rooting what a character says in their specific contextThroughout, you'll find examples from classical and modern plays, plus insights from other contemporary playwrights into their own writing journeys. Each chapter provides a set of exercises to help you practise what you've learnt.There's also advice on what to do once you've finished your script – including redrafting, receiving feedback and taking notes – and how to navigate your play's progress towards production.Whether you're an emerging playwright or embarking on your first-ever play, The Playwright's Journey will help you develop your creativity, strengthen your connection to your material, and transform your idea into a fully formed play that feels alive on the page – and the stage.'A very, very smart book which left me nodding in sage agreement with every chapter... [Lays] bare the most complex, convoluted ideas with exquisite lucidity, wit and empathy... A substantial and rare aesthetic achievement which every aspiring playwright, producer and director should read and respect' Joe Penhall'Kind, good, sane and useable advice, brilliantly written' Blanche McIntyre