John Patrick Shanley | |
|---|---|
 Shanley in 2025 | |
| Born | (1950-10-13)October 13, 1950 (age 75) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation |
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| Education | New York University (BA) |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Notable awards | |
| Spouse | Jayne Haynes |
| Children | 2 |
John Patrick Shanley (born October 13, 1950) is an American playwright, theater director, and filmmaker. He won the 1987Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the filmMoonstruck.[1][2][3] His play,Doubt: A Parable, won the 2005Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2005Tony Award for Best Play; he wrote and directedthe film adaptation, earning a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Shanley was born into anIrish-American family inThe Bronx,New York City. His mother worked as a telephone operator, and his father was a meat-packer. The neighborhood Shanley grew up in was considered very rough.[1]
Shanley's academic career did not begin well, but ultimately he graduated fromNew York University with honors from theSteinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.[4] In his program bio for the Broadway production ofDoubt: A Parable, he mentions that he was "thrown out of St. Helena's kindergarten, banned from St. Anthony's hot lunch program and expelled fromCardinal Spellman High School." He was heavily influenced by one of his first teachers, SisterMargaret McEntee, on whom he based the character of Sister James in his play,Doubt.[5] While at Cardinal Spellman High School, he saw two school productions that influenced him:The Miracle Worker andCyrano de Bergerac.[6]
After his freshman year at New York University, Shanley was put on academic probation. He then enlisted in theUnited States Marine Corps, serving in a stateside post during the Vietnam War.[1] Following his military service, he wrote a novel, then burned it, and returned to the university with the help of theG.I. Bill, and by supporting himself with a series of jobs: elevator operator, house painter, furniture mover, locksmith, bartender. He graduated from New York University as valedictorian in 1977,[4][7] with a degree in Educational Theatre, and is a member of theEnsemble Studio Theatre.[8]
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Shanley is the author of more than 23 plays, which have been translated and performed around the world, including 80 productions a year in North America. He has often directed his own productions.[1]
He has also written for film; his second film,Moonstruck (1987), starsNicolas Cage andCher, and won threeAcademy Awards, including one for his screenplay.[9] In 1990, Shanley directed his script ofJoe Versus the Volcano. Shanley also wrote two songs for the movie: "Marooned Without You" and "The Cowboy Song."[10] He wrote the screenplay for the filmCongo (1995), which was based on theMichael Crichton book.[11]
His playDoubt: A Parable ran on Broadway from March 31, 2005, to July 2, 2006, and won four 2005Tony Awards (including Best Play),[12] theDrama Desk Award (including Outstanding Play)[13] and thePulitzer Prize for Drama.[14] Shanley wrote and directed the2008 film version, which starredMeryl Streep,Philip Seymour Hoffman,Amy Adams andViola Davis.[15] The screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award, and theWriters Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.[16]Doubt: A Parable, is featured inThe Fourth Wall, a book of photographs byAmy Arbus for which Shanley also wrote the foreword.
In 2012, Shanley wrote the libretto for an opera version ofDoubt: A Parable, which premiered at theMinnesota Opera in January 2013, with music byDouglas J. Cuomo. Until then, his experience with opera was not extensive; he had attended a few performances and had listened to recordings. As he worked on the libretto, using many lines that come directly from the play, he describes that his enthusiasm for the form grew.[17] Also in 2012, his playStorefront Church ran Off-Broadway in a production by the Atlantic Theater Company. The play concerns Bronx residents "whose lives become tangled in unexpected ways when a mortgage goes sour".[18] Storefront Church was also put up bySan Francisco Playhouse in San Francisco in December 2013 where it was very well received.[19]
His playOutside Mullingar opened on Broadway at theSamuel J. Friedman Theatre, produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club, on January 3, 2014 (in previews) and officially on January 23, 2014. The play was directed by Doug Hughes and starredDebra Messing andBrían F. O'Byrne.[20] The play is set in the Irish countryside.[21] In 2020, a film adaptation of the play was released, entitledWild Mountain Thyme.
Prodigal Son, which he directed, was producedOff-Broadway by the Manhattan Theatre Club. It opened on February 9, 2016, and featuredTimothée Chalamet,Robert Sean Leonard,Annika Boras, Chris McGarry and David Potters. The play concerns a lonely teen fromThe Bronx who attends a private school in New Hampshire.[22] His playThe Portuguese Kid opened on October 24, 2017, at the New York City Center Stage I, produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club. Directed by Shanley, the cast featuredJason Alexander,Sherie Rene Scott,Mary Testa, Aimee Carrero and Pico Alexander.[23] His new playBrooklyn Laundry opened on February 6, 2024, at the Manhattan Theatre Club. Shanley directed, with a cast featuringCecily Strong,David Zayas,Florencia Lozano, and Andrea Syglowski.[24]
Shanley resides inNew York City. He has been married and divorced twice; with his second wife, Jayne Haynes, he adopted two sons, both born in 1992.[25]
| Year | Title | Playwright | Director | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Welcome to the Moon | Yes | No | Ensemble Studio Theater, Off-Broadway | [26] |
| 1983 | Danny and the Deep Blue Sea | Yes | No | Circle in the Square Theatre, Off-Broadway | [27] |
| 1984 | Savage in Limbo | Yes | No | Gate Theatre, London | [28] |
| 1985 | The Dreamer Examines His Pillow | Yes | No | 47th Street Theatre, Off-Broadway | |
| 1986 | Italian American Reconciliation | Yes | No | Manhattan Theatre Club, Off-Broadway | |
| 1986 | Women of Manhattan | Yes | No | Off-Broadway | [29] |
| 1987 | All for Charity | Yes | No | Ensemble Studio Theater | [30] |
| 1990 | The Big Funk | Yes | Yes | New York Shakespeare Festival | [31] |
| 1991 | Beggars in the House of Plenty | Yes | Yes | Off-Broadway Manhattan Theatre Club | [32] |
| 1992 | The Wild Goose | Yes | No | Ensemble Studio Theater | [33] |
| 1993 | Four Dogs and a Bone | Yes | Yes | Manhattan Theatre Club, Off-Broadway | [34] |
| 1996 | Missing Marisa/Kissing Christine | Yes | Yes | Primary Stages, Off-Broadway | [35] |
| 1998 | Psychopathia Sexualis | Yes | No | Manhattan Theatre Club, Off-Broadway | |
| 2001 | Where's My Money? | Yes | Yes | LAByrinth Theatre Company Manhattan Theatre Club | [36] |
| 2001 | Cellini | Yes | Yes | Second Stage Theatre, Off-Broadway | |
| 2003 | Dirty Story | Yes | No | Off-Broadway | [37] |
| 2004 | Doubt: A Parable | Yes | No | Manhattan Theatre Club, Off-Broadway Walter Kerr Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2004 | Sailor's Song | Yes | No | Joseph Papp Public Theatre, Off-Broadway | [38] |
| 2005 | Defiance | Yes | No | Manhattan Theatre Club, Off-Broadway | |
| 2007 | Romantic Poetry | Yes | Yes | Manhattan Theatre Club, Off-Broadway | [39] |
| 2010 | Pirate | Yes | No | Powerhouse Theater Vassar & New York Stage and Film | [40] |
| 2012 | Storefront Church | Yes | Yes | Atlantic Theater Company, Off-Broadway | |
| 2014 | Outside Mullingar | Yes | No | Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2016 | Prodigal Son | Yes | Yes | New York City Center, Off-Broadway | |
| 2017 | The Portuguese Kid | Yes | Yes | Manhattan Theatre Club, Off-Broadway | |
| 2021 | Candlelight | Yes | No | New Ohio Theatre, Off-Off-Broadway | [41] |
| 2024 | Brooklyn Laundry | Yes | Yes | Manhattan Theatre Club, Off-Broadway |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Moonstruck | No | Yes | |
| Five Corners | No | Yes | [42] | |
| 1989 | The January Man | No | Yes | [43] |
| 1990 | Joe Versus the Volcano | Yes | Yes | |
| 1993 | Alive | No | Yes | [44] |
| We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story | No | Yes | [45] | |
| 1995 | Congo | No | Yes | |
| 2008 | Doubt | Yes | Yes | |
| 2020 | Wild Mountain Thyme | Yes | Yes |
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Danny i Roberta | TV movie | |
| 2002 | Live from Baghdad | [46] | |
| 2018 | The Portuguese Kid | ||
| 2019 | Great Performances | Episode: "Cuomo: Doubt" |
In 2002 Shanley was inducted into theBronx Walk of Fame.[47]
