John Shea (playwright)

John Shea (born February 10, 1964, in Somerville, Massachusetts) is an American playwright.[1][2] Most of his plays are set in his hometown of Somerville, an old industrial suburb of Boston which has gentrified rapidly in the early 21st century.[3] His one-man show, "JUNKIE," produced by Argos Productions, was nominated for an Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) award.

Shea's work often depicts down-and-out characters struggling with addiction, alcoholism and the legacy of their Catholic upbringing.[4] Others tackle subjects like racism, child molestation and homosexuality in the Catholic church.

Between 2005 and 2007, he was a Huntington Theatre Company Playwriting Fellow.[5] His work has been produced at the National Playwright's Conference at the Eugene O'Neil Theatre Center, Boston University's New Play Initiative, the Tristan Bates Theatre Company in London, Boston Playwright's Theatre and the Huntington Theatre Company's Breaking Ground Festival.

Shea attended the playwrighting program at Boston University.[6] He lives in the Magoun Square neighborhood of Somerville.[7]

  1. ^ Sherer, Jenna (November 5, 2007). "Shea's play a 'Comp'-elling family tragedy set in Somerville". Boston Herald. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  2. ^ Firestone, Andrew (April 20, 2011). "Somerville playwright discusses race, reality". Somerville Times. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  3. ^ Bryne, Terry (November 2, 2007). "Playwright sticks with city of Somerville". Boston Globe. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  4. ^ "Playwright John Shea sticks with what he knows: Family and Somerville - The Boston Globe". archive.boston.com. Retrieved 2018-02-10.
  5. ^ "John Shea profile". Huntington Theater Company. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  6. ^ "7 Questions with John Shea (playwright)". Boston Playwright's Theater. November 7, 2010. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  7. ^ Holder, Doug (November 25, 2007). "New play has an atmosphere of Somerville minimalism". Somerville News. Retrieved March 2, 2015.