Penhall, Joe

Joe Penhall (b. Surrey, 1967) is an English playwright. His early work was championed by the Royal Court and he became resident dramatist at the Donmar Warehouse. From Some Voices (1994) and Pale Horse (1995) to In Love and Understanding (1997) and The Bullet (1998) there is an exploration of male relationships, usually involving one individual whose eccentricity clashes dangerously with the responsible and timid aspirations of the other; this tension, frequently brought into crisis by sudden upsurges of intrusion, violence and sexual threat, is played out in a world of moral confusion and bew...