MTC to Welcome Olivier Winner Joe Penhall, 27 April

Melbourne Theatre Company presents a special public talk with Olivier Award-winning writer Joe Penhall on Monday 27 April, 6pm at Southbank Theatre, The Lawler.

This free event sees Joe Penhall joined by MTC Literary Director Chris Mead to talk about success, failure and the power of story, about his theatre career in London and being a playwright in Hollywood.

Described by The Financial Times as 'one of the finest playwrights of his generation', Joe wrote Blue/Orange for the National Theatre UK starring Bill Nighy, which went on to win an Olivier Award, an Evening Standard Award, and the Critics Circle Awards for Best Play, before being staged by MTC in 2002.

In 2004 he wrote an exposé on tabloid journalism and celebrity, Dumb Show, for Royal Court Theatre, which also played to MTC audiences in 2006.

Penhall is perhaps best known for his film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Road, for which Nick Cave composed the music and more recently for his West End hit musical, Sunny Afternoon, written with Ray Davies about 1960s group The Kinks. Sunny Afternoon swept the theatre awards season this year winning four Olivier Awards including Best New Musical.

His other work includes the play Some Voices, a compassionate investigation of schizophrenia which was adapted for the screen in 2000 starring Daniel Craig; feature film Enduring Love, based on Ian McEwan's novel; award-winning television series The Long Firm; and Moses Jones for BBC Television.

Joe Penhall was born in London but was raised in Australia and has dual citizenship. Today he divides his time between London, Los Angeles and Melbourne, working across film, theatre and TV.

Joe Penhall: In Conversation is a free event but bookings are required.

For more information and to book visit mtc.com.au/joepenhall