John Shea (playwright)

{{short description|American playwright (born 1964)}}

John Shea (born February 10, 1964, in Somerville, Massachusetts) is an American playwright.{{cite news|last1=Sherer|first1=Jenna|title=Shea's play a 'Comp'-elling family tragedy set in Somerville|url=http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/arts_culture/2007/11/shea%E2%80%99s_play_%E2%80%98comp%E2%80%99_elling_family_tragedy_set_somerville|accessdate=March 2, 2015|publisher=Boston Herald|date=November 5, 2007}}{{cite news|last1=Firestone|first1=Andrew|title=Somerville playwright discusses race, reality|url=http://www.thesomervilletimes.com/somerville-playwright-discusses-race-reality|accessdate=March 2, 2015|publisher=Somerville Times|date=April 20, 2011}} Most of his plays are set in his hometown of Somerville, an old industrial suburb of Boston which has gentrified rapidly in the early 21st century.{{cite news|last1=Bryne|first1=Terry|title=Playwright sticks with city of Somerville|url=http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2007/11/02/playwright_sticks_with_city_of_somerville|publisher=Boston Globe|date=November 2, 2007|accessdate=March 1, 2015}} His one-man show, "JUNKIE," produced by Argos Productions, was nominated for an Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) award.

Shea's work often depicts down-and-out characters struggling with addiction, alcoholism and the legacy of their Catholic upbringing.{{Cite web|url=http://archive.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2007/11/02/playwright_sticks_with_city_of_somerville/|title=Playwright John Shea sticks with what he knows: Family and Somerville - The Boston Globe|website=archive.boston.com|language=en|access-date=2018-02-10}} Others tackle subjects like racism, child molestation and homosexuality in the Catholic church.

Between 2005 and 2007, he was a Huntington Theatre Company Playwriting Fellow.{{cite web|url=http://www.huntingtontheatre.org/artists/John-Shea|title=John Shea profile|publisher=Huntington Theater Company|accessdate=March 2, 2015}} His work has been produced at the National Playwright's Conference at the Eugene O'Neil Theatre Center, Boston University's New Play Initiative, the Tristan Bates Theatre Company in London, Boston Playwright's Theatre and the Huntington Theatre Company's Breaking Ground Festival.

Shea attended the playwrighting program at Boston University.{{cite web|title=7 Questions with John Shea (playwright)|url=http://playwrightsperspective.blogspot.com/2010/11/7-questions-with-john-shea-playwright.html|publisher=Boston Playwright's Theater|date=November 7, 2010|accessdate=March 2, 2015}} He lives in the Magoun Square neighborhood of Somerville.{{cite news|last1=Holder|first1=Doug|title=New play has an atmosphere of Somerville minimalism|url=http://somervillenews.typepad.com/the_somerville_news/2007/11/new-play-has-an.html|accessdate=March 2, 2015|publisher=Somerville News|date=November 25, 2007}}