Penny Black

Penny Black , after studying drama at Schauspielschule Krauss in Vienna, started her writing career adapting YES, MY FUEHRER and THE GALIZIAN JEWESS from the novels by Brigitte Schwaiger for the Edinburgh Festival 1993 and London 1994, which won several awards. Since then she has translated and adapted over 40 plays for a variety of theatres such as the Royal Court, the Gate, the National Theatre , Lyric Hammersmith, Arcola Theatre as well as venues in America and Australia. Her translation...See more

Penny Black , after studying drama at Schauspielschule Krauss in Vienna, started her writing career adapting YES, MY FUEHRER and THE GALIZIAN JEWESS from the novels by Brigitte Schwaiger for the Edinburgh Festival 1993 and London 1994, which won several awards. Since then she has translated and adapted over 40 plays for a variety of theatres such as the Royal Court, the Gate, the National Theatre , Lyric Hammersmith, Arcola Theatre as well as venues in America and Australia. Her translation of VENEZUELA by Guy Helminger is taught on the MRes in Playwriting Studies at Birmingham University. Her translation of Nobel-prize-winner Elfriede Jelinek's SPORTSPLAY toured the UK in 2012 and was chosen as a Cultural Olympic Pop-Up event. Her first original play MAKING BABIES, which looks at IVF and all aspects of fertility, was produced in 2004 in Heilbronn, Germany and by Tiyatro Keyfi in Istanbul, 2016; SEE NO EVIL, at Southwark Playhouse in 2007; and SUDDEN SILENCE, was part of a festival of new writing at the Arcola Theatre in 2009. She is currently adapting a novel, ABSENT, by the Scottish-Iraqi writer Betool Khedairi, to be entitled HUMAN HONEY, for Merchant Culture in Glasgow. Penny also works as a dramaturg: projects include TOSCA'S KISS by Kenneth Jupp for Annette Niemtzow, NYC, and work with Simon McBurney on his MAGIC FLUTE for the DNO/ENO. Penny is president of the Dramaturgs' Network and is the 2017-2018 Royal Literary Fund Fellow at St Mary's University, Twickenham. See less