James Sweeney

Playwright & Screenwriter

About

I’m drawn to material that’s original, bold, and pushes audiences to break from convention. I write the kind of work I want to experience myself — exciting, edgy, layered, and emotionally deep, with a healthy dose of black humour.Ticket links for 'MAKE IT COUNT' performances are directly below. If you’d like to get in touch with me, or leave any feedback after watching a show, please use the contact form at the bottom of the page. It's very much appreciated.

18th–20th June 2026 – Make It Count – Louth Tickets

Completed Works

  • STAGE PLAY - MAKE IT COUNT: is a high-concept comedy-drama. When Jonas dies unexpectedly, he is granted a second chance to relive the last sixteen years with the woman he loves. Armed with knowledge of the future, he attempts to perfect their life — only to discover that controlling fate slowly destroys the very love he is trying to save. Guided by the Grim Reaper’s well-meaning but inexperienced husband, Jonas becomes trapped in a time loop where every “improvement” carries unforeseen consequences.

  • FILM - LIFE DEBT: A traumatised ex-soldier coerced into causing a deadly coach crash joins forces with a compromised detective to expose the shadowy network controlling them both.

  • TV PILOT - KATE: Haunted by her past in Moscow, an ex-spy is drawn into the world of a powerful British family and tasked with retrieving stolen diaries that could ignite a geopolitical crisis.

  • FILM - ONE MORE YEAR: 10 years after KATE the TV Pilot.

  • FILM - ARK: A man is sent back to 2001 with a divine mission: protect a brilliant young physicist and escort her to a godlike being on the Moon to prevent Earth’s collapse. But every choice he makes in the past risks dooming the future he’s trying to save.

Recent Successes

  • Make It Count - Winner - Best Stage Play - International Best Script Awards - 2026

  • Make It Count - Winner - Scratch Night - Full production, scheduled for 18-20 June 2026 at Louth Riverhead Theatre.

  • Life Debt - Winner - Best Thriller at the New York Script Awards - 2025

  • Life Debt - Finalist - Oxford Script Awards - 2026

  • Life Debt - Finalist - Berlin International Screenwriting Festival - 2025

  • Life Debt - Finalist - London Best Script Award - 2025

  • One More Year - Finalist - Chicago Script Awards - 2025

  • One More Year - Finalist - New York Script Awards - 2025

Contact