Born: October 3rd, 1950
They say a playwright should write what he knows. John Patrick Shanley seems to have followed that credo. He grew up in the Bronx – the setting of many of his plays. He also attended Catholic School and witnessed the strict teaching methods of the nuns and the comparatively indulgent behavior of the priests. His school experiences would inspire him to write his most successful play, Doubt.
Aside from creating hit Broadway plays, Shanley also wrote the Oscar winning original screenplay for Moonstruck.
Notable Plays:
Danny and the Deep Blue Sea:
Two down-and-out characters meet in a seedy Bronx bar. Danny is violent and self-loathing. Roberta suffers from a failed marriage and a disastrous family life. Despite their depressing backgrounds, the two manage to find comfort – and perhaps love – in each other’s company.
Psychopathia Sexulis:
Have you heard of the old story line, “Boy Meets Girls, Boy Loses Girl”? Well, this bizarre comedy adjusts that old standard. Instead we have: “Boy Meets Girl, Boy Loses Socks.” The premise is that a young, fledging artist cannot become sexually aroused unless his pair of argyle socks is nearby. So, when his psychiatrist steals the socks from the protagonist (just as the honeymoon approaches), comic desperation sets in.
Defiance:
Set on a Marine base in the early 1970s, this “problem play” explores the roots of discrimination, infidelity, and loyalty. Lt.Colonel Littlefield hopes to smooth the racial-tension between his black and white soldiers. He decides to make Capt. Leo King, a young black marine, his “right hand man.” But does he promote King because of his qualifications? Or simply because of his skin color?
Doubt - A Parable:
This Pulitzer Prize winning drama leaves the audience debating about the morality and possible sins of its main characters. Set in a Bronx Catholic school, this play pits two rivals against one another. Rival #1: Sister Aloysius, the strict nun/educator who resents the patriarchy within Catholicism. Rival #2: Father Flynn, a friendly, easy-going priest who becomes suspected of an “inappropriate relationship” with one of his male students.
Doubt was adapted into a motion picture, written and directed by John Patrick Shanley. It stars Meryl Streep, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams.
All of John Patrick Shanley’s plays are available at Dramatists Play Service.
