James Kenna
Writing on Film
Peaches: Mini-Film (Produced by _Film.Roll)
The Garden Will Not Crumble: 40-minute Proof of Concept (Featured at ACT Skyfest)
Beowulf: Her Story Presented on American Theatre Magazine's The Subtext Podcast. Hosted by Brian James Polack
Scripts: Plays and Screenplays
Current portfolio of production-ready and in-development scripts. For inquiries on scripts please email jameshkenna@gmail.com. If you'd like to read a script please share a brief introduction over email, I'm happy to share.
Short Screenplays
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The Doors (10-Minute Short)
A young man considers taking his life. A magical door opens before him, offering him a second chance to understand the path he took to get here... and perhaps change it.
Current Quarterfinalist for 2024 Vail Film Festival Short Screenplays
This Infinite Pinprick (15 Minute Short)
klorn, an alien, travels across the Galaxy on a hunch that there's life on Earth. Little does he know he's 400 years too late to meet the messenger who he first discovered. That doesn't stop Klorn from befriending a human teenager and making the galaxy a lot smaller.
Semi-Finalist Zed Fest Screenplay Competition
(RE)VISION: BORED (20-Minute Short)
After a mental breakdown, Andy flees the big city for the deslote winter of the New Jersey beach town he grew up in. His two best friends show up to confront and bring him back. An intimate examination on queer friendships and the young millenniel complex.
Full-Length
Altered (Indie, Sci-Fi)
Dig, a longtime loner, is offered a chance at true romance through a new virtual reality app. But when the veil of reality is revealed, Dig discovers he's a part of something much larger than finding love. A hauntingly funny near future sci-fi, with a twist on the "ex-machina" expectation.
SkyWalkers: Ironworking Screenplay (Indie, Drama)
A young actor, Will, takes a survival job building skyscrapers as a Manhattan Ironworker under his father. Will must balance the soul-crushing realities of his acting dreams slipping away, putting his life in the hands of a motley crew of headstrong Ironworkers, all while grappling with his growing despair and strained personal relationships.
Theatre: Full-Length
Beowulf: Her Story
(8-11 people, 60 min)
She's snarky, she's heroic, she's intent on becoming a legend: She's Beowulf. The Epic of Beowulf hilariously adapted for young adults of today. Join Beowulf and her two companions Wigulf and Yarwick as they set out to defeat Grendel, save Hrothgar, and write an Epic to last the ages.
Production at Captiol High School, WV
Killing Mr. Mouse
(3w, 2m, 80 min)
Lizzie's dreams of becoming Shell at Misney Universe come into focus when her best friend Zoe helps her get hired at Freezer The Musical... selling merchandise. Little do Zoe and Lizzie know, Mr. Mouse himself has his eye on them. Killing Mr. Mouse is a mischievous descent into the colorful chasms of corporatocracy. A blending of fantastical genres, storybook animation, and the power and friendship.
I like fantasy because I can escape the real world
(3m, 3w, 2gnp, 120 min)
Max, an awkwardly endearing high schooler, pours every ounce of his imagination into his sketchbook. Through elven men in tight leather, princesses who dream to lecture at universities, and Fantasy Cowboys Max sketches up the world and people of “Skyfall.” When the sketchbook gets destroyed, Max spirals into the world he dreamed into reality. The quirky and colorful Skyfall is everything Max imagined and, unfortunately, more. Max cannot escape his real life, not even within the creation he made to run away in the first place. A playful, violent romp into a young person’s fantastical mythos.
Den of Iron Wolf
(5m, 3w, 140 min)
In the hard-nosed land of New York City Ironworkers a young actor, Harry, takes a job to pay his bills. Surrounded by people of different generations and beliefs Harry navigates pursuing his own dreams while becoming conflictedly invested in those around him. Are his artistic ambitions selfishly holding him back? Can he find greatness, and commune with those around him no matter how different?
As Told by Their Daughters
(4 women, 90 min)
Four women embody their ironworker fathers of the past and, themselves, the daughters of today. On the anniversary of a tragedy, the daughters grapple with the legacy their fathers built--an apartment building for them all to live in. he day devolves into a spiraled retelling of the day Aura's father died.Through poetry and distinct blue-collar voices, the play explores parenthood, the performance of gender, and the specific strain of a blue-collar lifestyle.
No Young Hero
(3w, 2m, 80 min)
In a near-future science-fantasy military, four teenagers pilot giant robots to defend their dying world. An anime inspired coming of age play concerned with the quiet, painful, and joyous moments between battle--otherwise known as puberty.
You can read all my plays on the new play exchange by clicking here!
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Get in Touch
Drop me a line on any inquiries, projects, questions, and more! I'm a big believer on starting conversations and growing community.
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