Script File

Hemings and Condell (or The Men Who Saved Shakespeare)

"Hemings and Condell" is the remarkable true story of John Hemings and Henry Condell, Shakespeare's best friends, fellow players and "fixers", who try to solve all of Shakespeare's problems, so that he can concentrate on writing.

  • Martin Keady
    Writer
    The Final (or A Short Film About Football); Moon the Loon, a one-act play about the legendary Who drummer, Keith Moon; and Shards, A Collection of Short Poems.
  • Project Type:
    Screenplay
  • Number of Pages:
    140
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Runner-up in the 'Son of a Pitch' Pitching Competition, 2009 Screenwriters Festival, UK
    London
    June 12, 2017
    Runner-up
Writer Biography - Martin Keady

I am an award-winning scriptwriter, poet and journalist. As a scriptwriter, my major credits include: The Final (or A Short Film About Football), which was broadcast on Channel 4; Moon the Loon, a play about the legendary Who drummer, Keith Moon, which was premiered at the Edinburgh Festival; and Hemings and Condell, a screenplay about John Hemings and Henry Condell, Shakespeare's best friends, fellow players and "fixers", who try to solve all his problems, so he can concentrate on writing (www.theshakespeareplays.com). As a journalist, I have written extensively for numerous publications and websites, including Channel4news.com, Racing and Football Outlook, Scriptlab, Last Word on Sports and The Shakespeare Standard. As a poet, I have written a collection of short poems, called Shards, extracts from which have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

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Writer Statement

"Hemings and Condell" is my first full-length feature screenplay and is the story of Shakespeare as it's never been told before: through the eyes of his best friends, fellow players and "fixers", John Hemings and Henry Condell. They accompany Shakespeare on his rise from penniless player to world-famous playwright – in the process surviving fire, plague and even involvement in a plot to kill the Queen (Elizabeth I) – solving all his problems for him, so that he can concentrate on writing. And in the end, they save Shakespeare: without Hemings and Condell, the 'Shakespeare' we know today - the greatest writer who ever lived - simply would not exist.