Jon Brittain
Jon Brittain | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1987 (age 38–39) |
| Education | [2] |
| Occupations |
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Jon Brittain (born May 1987) is an Olivier Award-winning playwright, comedy writer and director.
Early life
Brittain was born in Chester in the northwest of England and grew up in the Netherlands,[1] where he attended the British School in The Netherlands. He graduated from the University of East Anglia with a BA in 2008,[3][4] and now lives in Tooting.[1]
Career
Brittain's play Rotterdam received its world premiere at Theatre503 in October 2015[5] and subsequently received an Off West End Award nomination for Best New Play.[6] In 2017, the play won an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement In An Affiliate Theatre.[7] He was also nominated for the Evening Standard's Charles Wintour Award for the Most Promising Playwright.[8]
Previously, he co-wrote the Fringe First Award winning A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad) and co-created the cult-hit show Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho, starring Matt Tedford as well as its sequels Margaret Thatcher Queen of Game Shows and Margaret Thatcher Queen of Hollywood.[9]
As a director, he's worked on stand-up comedian John Kearns Edinburgh Comedy Award winning shows Sight Gags for Perverts and Shtick.[10] He's also worked on shows for Tom Allen, Alfie Brown, Mat Ewins, Janine Harouni, Ania Magliano, Sara Pascoe and Tom Rosenthal. [11]
He directed the original stage production of Baby Reindeer by Richard Gadd who won Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Scotsman Fringe First Award for New Writing and an Olivier Award for Achievement in Affiliate Theatre.
In television, he was a writer during season 2 of The Amazing World of Gumball and was a staff writer on seasons 3 and 4 of Netflix's The Crown.[12] With Richard Naylor, he was head writer and co-executive producer of The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin.
Brittain wrote the book and lyrics for the musical Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!, with Matthew Floyd Jones (music and lyrics), and co-directed the West End production at the Ambassadors Theatre, London in 2024 with Fabian Aloise, produced by Francesca Moody.[13]
In April 2026, it was announced he was adapting the 2019 film Fighting with My Family into a stage musical, alongside Miranda Cooper and Nick Coler.[14] They previously wrote the UK Theatre Award winning show Billionaire Boy The Musical for NST Southampton Theatres.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work(s) | Result | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Evening Standard Theatre Awards | Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright | Rotterdam | Nominated | [8] |
| 2017 | Laurence Olivier Awards | Outstanding Achievement In An Affiliate Theatre | Rotterdam - at Trafalgar Studios 2 | Won | [7] |
| Musical Theatre Review Award | Best Musical at Edinburgh Festival Fringe | A Super Happy Story (about feeling super sad) | Won | [15] | |
| 2019 | UK Theatre Awards | Best Show for Children and Young People | Billionaire Boy the Musical | Won | [16] |
| 2020 | The Offies | Best New Musical | A Super Happy Story (about feeling super sad) | Nominated | [17] |
| 2020 | Laurence Olivier Awards | Outstanding Achievement In An Affiliate Theatre | Baby Reindeer - at The Bush Theatre (director) | Won | [18] |
| 2022 | Musical Theatre Review Award | Best Musical at Edinburgh Festival Fringe | Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder! | Won | [19] |
References
- ^ a b c "One and Other - The Irreverent Iron Lady". Archived from the original on 26 November 2015.
- ^ Jupp, Emily (8 August 2017). "Playwright Jon Brittain: 'I've made the show I would want my friends with depression to see'". Retrieved 7 January 2025.
- ^ "Creative Writing alumni A-C and published works". University of East Anglia.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Knights, Emma (26 March 2015). "UEA graduates' comedy musical mixes politics and cabaret". Eastern Daily Press. Archived from the original on 28 April 2026. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
- ^ Hitchings, Henry (9 November 2015). "Rotterdam, review: Keenly concerned with transitions and upheaval". The Standard. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
- ^ 2015: Full Run: Plays: New Play - Jon Brittain - Rotterdam - The Offies
- ^ a b "Olivier Awards 2017: Winners in full". BBC News. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
- ^ a b Theatre, West End (13 November 2016). "Evening Standard Theatre Awards – Winners 2016 | West End Theatre". www.westendtheatre.com. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ^ "Attitude Magazine - Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho review".
- ^ "The Skinny - In the Director's Chair".
- ^ "Agent website".
- ^ Bloomsbury.Domain.Store.Site. "Jon Brittain: Bloomsbury Publishing (UK)". www.bloomsbury.com. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ "Interview: Jon Brittain, writer & co-director of Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder!". West End Frame. 31 July 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
- ^ Wiegand, Chris (22 April 2026). "Smackdowns and showtunes: wrestling biopic Fighting With My Family inspires stage musical". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- ^ "A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad) wins Musical Theatre Review's Best Musical Award at Edinburgh Fringe". Musical Theatre Review. 28 August 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ^ 2020 Finalists & Nominations - The Offies
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ "Writers celebrate second Musical Theatre Review Award as Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder wins Best Musical at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022". Musical Theatre Review. 26 August 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2026.