Draft:James E. Kenward

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  • Comment: Likely notable, but phrasing needs to be more neutral and encyclopaedic. Please also remove all external links from the main text. Kind regards, Spinster300 (talk) 18:06, 16 March 2024 (UTC).


James E. Kenward (born 18 September 1982) is an English poet, film and stage actor, as well as a director and producer.[1] Kenward was one of the cast and writers on BBC Sony Comedy Award-nominated show A Series of Psychotic Episodes, 2007, which Harry Deansway in The Guardian said offered 'A glimpse into the future of British Comedy'.[2] Kenward is known for creating the lead role of Skinner in Streets A New Kind of Musical, 2013; Charlie in The Lost Choices, 2014, and Drez in The Ghoul, 2016, starring Alice Lowe, and Paul Kaye.[3][4][5]

Early life and Career[edit]

Kenward was, as his great-uncle Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor put it 'sacked'[6] from private school Winchester College at the age of 13 and began going to raves: he vocalised Jungle Drum and Bass music, and 'worked his magic in a very different world, featuring as a club MC internationally, performing with the likes of Congo Natty, Nicky Blackmarket and Pav4n from legendary group Foreign Beggars.'[7]

Kenward rehabilitated after, 'A partying life escalated and left him at rock-bottom, living on East London rooftops.'[8] He worked on educational projects and theatre shows reflective of his experiences, in London venues like the Waterloo Vaults Theatre and the Hackney Empire.[9] One such project was ZIP, in 2010, which Kenward wrote with writer/director/producer Ray Shell whom poet Maya Angelou referred to as a 'powerhouse'.[10][11] Shell said ZIP was for 'all those young lives who have been needlessly cut short for all sorts of useless reasons'.[12]

In 2010 Kenward also worked as an actor with dramatist Edward Bond on two plays, Olly's Prison and The Fool, later speaking at a symposium about Bond's contribution to world theatre held by the English and Comparative Literary Studies department at Warwick University.[13][14] In 2013 Kenward performed in Streets A New Kind of Musical 'expertly multitasking as drug-pusher Skinner, emcee and rap-poet'.[15] He appeared in The Ghoul which received a BAFTA award nomination for Outstanding British Debut in 2018.[5][16]

In 2022 and 2023 Kenward acted in Season 1 and 2 of #1 Audible Plus and #1 Audible Original Fiction bestseller Impact Winter, written and directed by Travis Beacham, starring Liam Cunningham, Himesh Patel and Holliday Grainger.[17][18] In 2023 Kenward worked with concert pianist Bota Zakir combining his poetry with classical piano, and putting these arrangements as soundtracks to films he directed.[19] Kenward's 2023 film, Key, features cinematography by Cannes Golden Lion winner Jacob Proud, and stars T.S.Eliot Prize-winning poet Joelle Taylor.[20][21]

References[edit]

  1. ^ McMahon, Paraíc (16 November 2023). "Munich-based duo to debut fusion of poetry, piano and film in Mountshannon". Clare Echo. Free Media Ireland. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  2. ^ Deansway, Harry (2008-11-01). "Comedy preview: A Series Of Psychotic Episodes, radio". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  3. ^ Vale, Paul. "Streets". The Stage. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  4. ^ Thomson, Jamie, The Lost Choices (Drama), Louis Murrall, Mark Wingett, Anna Brook, Groundwork Films, retrieved 2024-04-09
  5. ^ a b The Ghoul (2016) - IMDb. Retrieved 2024-04-09 – via www.imdb.com.
  6. ^ Walker, Andy (10 October 2014). "Patrick Leigh Fermor: Crossing Europe and kidnapping a German general". BBC News. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  7. ^ Tynan, John. "Weaving Poetry, Piano and Film - Featuring poet James E. Kenward and concert pianist Bota Zakir". Journal of Music. Mountshannon Arts. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  8. ^ Flynn, Pat (2023-11-18). "Munich-based duo perform in Mountshannon". The Clare Herald. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  9. ^ McMahon, Paraíc (16 November 2023). "Munich-based duo to debut fusion of poetry, piano and film in Mountshannon". Clare Echo. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  10. ^ Gonzalez, Michael A. (21 March 2018). "When Crack Was Wack: Ray Shell's Lost Drug Novel". The Paris Review.
  11. ^ Loxton, Howard. "ZIP A Streetdance Musical". The British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  12. ^ Shell, Ray. "Giant Olive Theatre Company Presents Zip, A Streetdance Musical" (PDF). Giant Olive. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Theatre review: The Fool at Cock Tavern Theatre". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  14. ^ "Bond@50: The Work of Edward Bond". warwick.ac.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  15. ^ "Streets review, Cockpit, London, 2013". The Stage. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  16. ^ "Bafta Film Awards 2018: The winners in full". 2018-01-09. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  17. ^ "Impact Winter". IMDB. Skybound Entertainment.
  18. ^ Lee, Sonia. "Impact Winter Season 2". Close to the Mic. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  19. ^ Glennie, Jane (3 December 2022). "Review". Moving Poems Magazine. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  20. ^ Flood, Alison (2022-01-10). "Joelle Taylor wins TS Eliot poetry prize for 'blazing' C+nto & Othered Poems". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  21. ^ "Weaving Poetry, Piano and Film - Featuring poet James E. Kenward and concert pianist Bota Zakir". The Journal of Music | News, Reviews and Opinion. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
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