Bio

Paul Kalburgi is a British screenwriter and playwright. He received his MA (Writing for Screen & Stage) from the School of Drama, Film & Media at Regent's University, London; where he graduated with distinction and was also awarded the Postgraduate Student Prize. He studied Story Analysis for film through the Writer's Program at UCLA.

Screenwriting credits include Clint Eastwood: Hollywood Outlaw, featuring Kevin Bacon and Ryan Phillippe (REELZ Channel, USA), Shortland Street (TVNZ, New Zealand), The Price of Fame (REELZ Channel, USA / Channel 5, UK) and Healing (Revelation/Genesis TV, UK – Winner, Concrete Dream Film Festival, Los Angeles). As a producer, Paul has produced programmes for a host of networks in the UK and USA since 2007, across genres including celebrity/reality, docudrama, documentary, lifestyle, factual entertainment and local news.

Select playwriting credits include Broadway or Bust (Bath House Cultural Center, Dallas), In The Tall Grass (Bishop Arts Theatre Center, Dallas – Winner ‘Outstanding New Play’ DFW Theater Critics Forum, 2018), Maxine (Stockwell Playhouse, London and Times Square Art Center, New York), Almost The Birthday Party (Etcetera Theatre, London – published by Lazy Bee Scripts) and a staged reading of The Countess (Blue Elephant Theatre, London); these last three plays all directed in London by Scott Le Crass.

Alongside his writing projects, Paul continues to facilitate playwriting courses and workshops internationally. His book, The Writers’ Toolkit: Exercises, Techniques and Ideas for Playwrights and Screenwriters, is published by Nick Hern Books, London.

Paul is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild of America where he currently serves as the New Zealand Ambassador.

Awards & Recognition

Semi-Finalist Storieroad Int. for Second Time Around
Catalyst Story Institute, Duluth, MN, 2021

Winner Best Play for Almost The Birthday Party
Alex Drummond Trophy, SCDA, Scotland, 2019

Winner Best Original Soundtrack for Healing
Concrete Dream Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA, 2018

Semi-Finalist Best Original Soundtrack for Healing
Los Angeles CineFest, Los Angeles, CA, 2018

Winner Outstanding New Play for In the Tall Grass
DFW Theater Critics Forum, Dallas, TX, 2018

Nominated Best New Play for In the Tall Grass
Irma P. Hall Theater Awards, Dallas, TX, 2018

Finalist Best New Play for Maxine
Birdhouse Theatre, Milledgeville, GA, 2016

Winner Postgraduate Student Prize
MA at Regents University, London, UK, 2015

Education

2021 - Story Analysis for film
Writers Program at UCLA

2015 - MA Writing for Screen & Stage (distinction)
School of Drama, Film & Media
Regent's University, London

Residencies

2022 - Robert Lord Writers Cottage
Dunedin, New Zealand

Published Works

2020 - The Writer's Toolkit (book)
Nick Hern Books, UK

2017 - Almost The Birthday Party (script)
Lazy Bee Scripts, UK