Posted on May 16, 2006

“The Making of a Playwright… an Evening with Mike Kenny and Barbara Marten,” will be at the Nott Memorial on Tuesday, May 23, at 7:30 p.m.

This event is free and open to the public. It will be the final offering in the 2005-06 Perspectives at the Nott Speaker Series held at Union College.

Kenny, called one of the 10 leading playwrights in the UK by The Independent, has written more than 60 plays, including more than 40 works for children and young people and many for special needs audiences and actors. He has won numerous awards, including the Writers'Guide Best Children's Play for “Stepping Stones” and the Arts Council of England's first Children's Award in 2001.

His wife, award-winning actress Barbara Marten, has appeared on British television (in the long-running “Eastenders”), in film and on stage. She starred in Kenny's “Caitlin,” a one-woman show about the wife of Dylan Thomas; her performance was termed “intense,” and “truly captivating.”

The couple will intersperse their talk with dramatic readings from Kenny's plays. A reception will follow. This event is co-sponsored by the English Department, Educational Studies, Office of the Dean of Arts & Sciences, Blue House and the President's Office.