Catherine Johnson (playwright)
{{Short description|British playwright}}
{{See also|Catherine Johnson (disambiguation){{!}}Catherine Johnson}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Catherine Johnson
| image = Catherine_Johnson.jpg
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1957|10|14}}
| birth_place = Suffolk, England, UK
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| occupation = playwright, screenwriter
| nationality = British
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| notableworks = Mamma Mia!
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| awards = Bristol Old Vic/HTV Playwriting award
Thames Television Best Play award
UK Film Council script award
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}}
Catherine Johnson (born 14 October 1957){{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0424735/|title=Catherine Johnson|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=2 January 2008}} is a British playwright, producing works for stage and television. She is best known for her book for the ABBA-inspired musical Mamma Mia! and screenplay for the musical's film adaptation. The film became the highest-grossing British picture of all time in the UK,{{cite news | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/3283481/Mamma-Mia-becomes-highest-grossing-British-film.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081103035301/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/3283481/Mamma-Mia-becomes-highest-grossing-British-film.html| url-status = dead| archive-date = 3 November 2008| title = Mamma Mia becomes highest grossing British film| author = Irvine, Chris| date = 30 October 2008| accessdate = 1 January 2009| work = The Telegraph | location=London}} and the biggest selling UK DVD of all time in January 2009.{{Cite news
|url= https://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/latest/2009/01/01/mamma-mia-tops-all-time-dvd-charts-115875-21007641/
|title=Mamma Mia tops all-time DVD charts|date=1 January 2009|work=Daily Mirror
|publisher=MGN
|accessdate=22 February 2010
|last=Staff writer
}} She also co-wrote the 2018 sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
Johnson grew up in Wickwar near Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire, and attended Katharine Lady Berkeley's School in Wotton.{{cite news |title=Mamma Mia! writer Catherine Johnson returns to her roots in Wotton-under-Edge at Wotton Electric Picture House event |url=http://www.gazetteseries.co.uk/news/10951849.Mamma_Mia__writer_Catherine_Johnson_returns_to_her_roots_in_Wotton-under-Edge_at_Wotton_Electric_Picture_House_event/ |accessdate=18 August 2018 |work=Gazette |date=21 January 2014}} She was expelled from school at 16,
{{cite news
|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article5773550.ece
|title=Catherine Johnson on Mamma Mia! and new play Suspension
|publisher=Times Online
|date=21 February 2009
|accessdate=25 February 2009
|last=Billen
|first=Andrew
| location=London}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
married at 18 and divorced by the age of 24. She moved to Bristol and finding herself unemployed and with one child to support and another on the way she spotted a notice in the local paper for the Bristol Old Vic/HTV West playwriting competition. She wrote Rag Doll, using the pseudonym Maxwell Smart, a play about incest and child abuse, which won the competition and was staged by the Bristol Old Vic.{{cite news|title=Catherine Johnson|url=https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-herald/20131105/281573763452107|accessdate=9 September 2017|work=The Herald|publisher=Press Reader|date=5 November 2013}} Further plays for the Bush Theatre in London, Bristol Old Vic and Show of Strength followed along with work on television series including Casualty, Love Hurts and Byker Grove.
In 2007 Johnson instituted The Catherine Johnson Award for Best Play{{cite web|url=http://www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk/pressresources/pressreleases/catherinejohnsonaward2007.doc|title=The Catherine Johnson Award for Best Play 2007|work=Finborough Theatre|format=MS Word|accessdate=2 January 2009}} written by the five Pearson Playwrights' Scheme bursary winners from the previous year. Catherine won a bursary from the scheme in 1991. Catherine is a patron of the Wotton Electric Picture House in Wotton-under-Edge, Bristol's Myrtle Theatre Company[http://www.myrtletheatrecompany.co.uk/who.html Myrtle Theatre Company – Who We Are] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422045451/http://www.myrtletheatrecompany.co.uk/who.html |date=22 April 2009 }} and Arts and Community in Thornbury.{{cite web|url=http://www.gazetteseries.co.uk/news/4016393.Residents_to_take_centre_stage/ |title=Residents to take centre stage|work=Thornbury Gazette |accessdate=9 January 2009 }}
Credits
=Stage=
- Rag Doll (Bristol Old Vic Studio) (Winner BOV/HTV Playwriting Award) 1988
- Boys Mean Business (Bush Theatre) 1989
- Dead Sheep (Bush Theatre) (Co-winner Thames TV Best Play Award) 1991
- Too Much Too Young (Bristol Old Vic and London Bubble) 1992
- Where’s Willy? (Bristol Old Vic) 1994
- Renegades (Bristol Old Vic) 1995
- Shang-a-Lang (Bush Theatre & tour) 1998{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/oct/08/maevkennedy |title=Holiday camp comedy is no joke, says Butlins |work=The Guardian |accessdate=9 January 2009 | location=London | first=Maev | last=Kennedy | date=8 October 1999}}
- Mamma Mia! (LittleStar) 1999{{cite web|url=http://www.mamma-mia.com/|title=Mamma Mia!|publisher=Littlestar|accessdate=24 December 2008}}
- Little Baby Nothing (Bush Theatre) 2003{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2003/may/26/theatre.artsfeatures |title=Little Baby Nothing |work=The Guardian |accessdate=9 January 2009 | location=London | first=Michael | last=Billington | date=26 May 2003}}
- Through The Wire (Shell Connections, RNT) 2005{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2005/apr/06/theatre.schools |title=They know how we talk! |work=The Guardian |accessdate=9 January 2009 | location=London | date=6 April 2005}}
- Through The Wire (new version) (Myrtle Theatre, Bristol 2006)
- City of One (Myrtle Theatre, Bristol 2008)
- Trade It? (Show of Strength), Bristol 2008, contributor{{cite news|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article4220457.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616153051/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article4220457.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 June 2011|title=Trade It? at Bristol City Centre|work=TimesOnline|accessdate=4 January 2009 | location=London | first=Sam | last=Marlowe | date=27 June 2008}}
- Suspension (Bristol Old Vic) 2009{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/bristol/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_7819000/7819425.stm |title=Mamma Mia writer reveals new play |publisher=BBC Bristol |accessdate=9 January 2009 | date=9 January 2009}}
{{cite web
|url=http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/23686/suspension
|title=The Stage / Reviews / Suspension
|magazine=The Stage
|date=4 March 2009
|accessdate=13 March 2009
|last=Brien
|first=Jeremy
}}
=Television series=
- Casualty (Season 7, 1992, episodes 5 & 13) BBC{{cite web |url=http://www.holby.tv/db/index.php?id=10,1295,0,0,1,0 |title=Casualty Files: Series 7 |work=Holby TV |accessdate=24 December 2008 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090604015705/http://www.holby.tv/db/index.php?id=10%2C1295%2C0%2C0%2C1%2C0 |archivedate=4 June 2009 }}
- Love Hurts (Season 2, episodes 5 & 7; Season 3 episodes 1, 2, 3, & 10) BBC{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108840/fullcredits#writers|title=Love Hurts|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=24 December 2008}}
- Band of Gold (Series 3, episodes 5 & 6) Granada TV{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111890/fullcredits|title=Band of Gold|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=24 December 2008}}
- Byker Grove (Series 9) BBC{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0163437/fullcredits#writers|title=Byker Grove|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=24 December 2008}}
- Love in the 21st Century (episodes 2, 3 & 5) Channel 4{{cite web|url=http://www.redproductioncompany.com/pastproductions.asp?menuid=75|title=Red Productions: Love in the 21st Century|accessdate=24 December 2008}}
- Linda Green (episode 3) BBC{{cite web|url=http://www.redproductioncompany.com/pastproductions.asp?menuid=67|title=Red Productions: Linda Green|accessdate=24 December 2008}}
=Television films=
- Rag Doll (HTV)
- Just Like Eddie (HTV)
- Where’s Willy? (HTV)
- Sin Bin (BBC)
- Forget You Ever Had Children (Picture Palace/ITV) in production{{cite web|url=http://www.picturepalace.com/projectsindevelopment/|title=Projects in Development|publisher=Picture Palace|accessdate=24 December 2008}}
- Dappers (pilot – in production) BBC
{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/bristol/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8518000/8518538.stm
|title=Bristol writer Catherine Johnson on her new TV drama|publisher=BBC Bristol
|accessdate=16 February 2010|date=16 February 2010
|last=Wakefield
|first=Kate
}}
{{cite news
|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2010/01_january/07/drama.shtml
|title=BBC Three winter/spring 2010|publisher=BBC Press Office
|accessdate=17 February 2010
}}
=Feature films=
Awards
Her career accolades to date include the Bristol Old Vic/HTV Playwriting award (1987), and the Thames Television Writer-in-Residence and Best Play awards (1991) Mamma Mia! was also nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Musical (2000) and for a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical Book (2002). Catherine received The UK Film Council script award at The Women in Film and TV 2008 Awards and also jointly with Judy Craymer and Phyllida Lloyd, The ITV achievement of the year award.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/dec/05/women-in-film-awards-2008-winners/print|title=The Women in Film and TV 2008 Awards|work=The Guardian|accessdate=2 January 2009 | location=London | date=5 December 2008}} Mamma Mia! was named Best Musical at the UK National Film Awards in September 2008,{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7605231.stm |title=Mamma Mia! scoops two film awards|publisher=BBC News |accessdate=10 January 2009 | date=9 September 2008}} and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy in December 2008.{{cite web
|url=http://www.goldenglobes.org/nominations/year/2008/
|title=Nominations and Winners 2008
|work=Hollywood Foreign Press Association
|accessdate=22 February 2010
|url-status=dead
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111208201458/http://www.goldenglobes.org/nominations/year/2008/
|archivedate=8 December 2011
}} In January 2009, Mamma Mia! was nominated for the Outstanding British Film award at the BAFTA 62nd British Academy Film Awards.
{{cite web
|url = http://www.bafta.org/awards/film/film-nominations-in-2009,657,BA.html
|title = Film Nominations in 2009 – Film – Awards – The BAFTA site
|publisher = British Academy of Film and Television Arts
|accessdate = 16 January 2009
|url-status = dead
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20090117024112/http://www.bafta.org/awards/film/film-nominations-in-2009%2C657%2CBA.html
|archivedate = 17 January 2009
}}
See also
{{Portal|Theatre}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{YouTube|6jE_ffcWXGk|Ashley Coates interview with Catherine Johnson}}
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/bristol/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_7819000/7819588.stm Johnson speaks about Mamma Mia, BBC Points West, 9 July 2008]
- [http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsJ/johnson-catherine.html Catherine Johnson at doollee.com]
- {{IBDB name|84809}}
{{ABBA}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Catherine}}
Category:British dramatists and playwrights
Category:People educated at Katharine Lady Berkeley's School