Joe Orton

Joe Orton

John Kingsley ("Joe") Orton (1 January 1933 – 9 August 1967), was an English playwright and author. His public career was short but prolific, lasting from 1964 until his death. During this brief period he shocked, outraged, and amused audiences with his scandalous black comedies. The adjective Ortonesque is sometimes used to refer to work characterised by a similarly dark yet farcical cynicism.