Shaun McKenna is an award-winning British dramatist. Prolific and versatile, he is known for both original dramas and adaptations.
His credits range from theatre plays to prime-time TV, acclaimed West End musicals to documentaries, spectacular arena shows to classic radio dramas. Born in Kent, he now lives in West London.
Coming Up…
The Lord of the Rings plays Chicago from July 2024
Paul Hart’s beautiful and intimate production of Shaun’s Tolkien-based musical, first seen at the Watermill Theatre in 2023, will play a season at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre with previews beginning on July 19th 2024. This will be the first stop on the production’s international tour, details of which will be announced in June.
The Forsyte Saga
Shaun’s stage adaptation, co-written with Lin Coghlan, produced by Troupe Productions and directed by Joshua Roche will play at London’s Park Theatre from October to December 2024
The Looking Glass Wars
Shaun is working with Frank Beddor and Teresa Lin on the development of an exciting large scale musical based on this Alice in Wonderland origin story. More details to follow.
Picture You Dead
Shaun’s seventh Peter James stage adaptation, set in the murky depths of the art world, will tour the UK in 2025, produced by Joshua Andrews.
The Return of Peter Pan
The world premiere production of this family musical, co-written with Stephen Keeling and John Havu and with orchestrations by Stefan Mens, opened in Theater Regensburg, Germany, in November 2023 and plays in repertoire into 2024.
Bette and Joan and Baby Jane
Shaun has co-written the Book with Tracy-Ann Oberman for this musical about the famously feuding film stars. Lyrics by Nikki Racklin, Music by James Cleeve. After a successful presentation in February 2024, the first production is expected in 2025.
Maddie
A new, revised version of Shaun’s first musical, co-written with Stephen Keeling and Steven Dexter, played the New York Theatre Festival in late November 2023 prior to an Off Broadway run at the Players Theatre, New York in Spring 2025.
The Paradine Case
Shaun’s courtroom drama, The Paradine Case, freely adapted from the novel by Robert Hichens, will tour the UK in 2025 under the management of BKL.
Exhibitionists
This “dazzling” new romantic comedy, co-written with Andrew Van Sickle, about the misadventures of five gay men in California opened the new Kings Head Theatre in Islington in January 2024 and is now in development as a movie.