Peter Kenna

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Peter Joseph Kenna
Born March 18, 1930(1930-03-18)
Balmain, New South Wales
Died November 29, 1987 (aged 57)
Sydney, Australia
Occupation playwright, film and screenwriter
Nationality Australian

Peter Joseph Kenna (18 March 1930–29 November 1987) was an Australian playwright, radio actor and screenwriter.

Born in Balmain, New South Wales, Kenna left school at fourteen and took up various jobs. He started working in the theatre by participating in concert parties at the camps in Sydney during World War II.[1] Kenna's first play was written when he was twenty-one.[1]

Kenna died in Sydney on November 27, 1987 after a long illness.

Contents

[edit] Career

In 1959 the play The Slaughter of St Teresa’s Day was produced in Sydney, based on the life of Tilly Devine. The play was turned into a television drama in 1960.[2]

Kenna wrote the screen play for the film, The Good Wife produced in 1987, a WW11 drama about a man, his wife and his brother. The film starred Bryan Brown, Rachel Ward and Sam Neill. Rachel Ward won the Tokyo International Film Festival award for best actress for the film, and Jennie Tate the Australian Film Institute award for Best Achievement in Costume Design.

[edit] Works

[edit] Plays

  • Animal Grab[3]
  • An Eager Hope[3]
  • The Fair Sister[3]
  • The Landladies[3]
  • Muriel's Virtues[3]
  • The Slaughter Of St. Teresa's Day (1972, Currency Press)
  • A Hard God (1974, Currency Press) ReviewCritical essayReviews
  • Listen Closely (1977, Currency Press)
  • Mates (1977, Currency Press)
  • Talk to the Moon (1977, Currency Press)
  • Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted (1977, Currency Press)
  • Furtive Love (1980, Currency Press)

[edit] Television writing

  • The Slaughter of St Theresa's Day (1960) (adapted for TV)
  • Dust or Polish (1972) (TV, adaptation of a novel by Norman Lindsay)
  • The Emigrants (1976) (BBC TV)
  • A Hard God (1981) (adapted for TV)

[edit] Film

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Agent Details - Kenna, Peter Joseph. Austlit. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
  2. ^ The Slaughter of St Theresa's Day (1960) (TV). Imdb. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
  3. ^ a b c d e Plays by Peter Kenna. Doollee.com: the Playwrights Database. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.

[edit] References


Persondata
NAME Kenna, Peter Joseph
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION playwright, radio actor and screenwriter
DATE OF BIRTH 18 March 1930
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH 29 November 1987
PLACE OF DEATH Sydney Australia