Despite the very different demands of each medium, plays have long been rich source material for film. Likewise, historical events are often fertile ground for playwrights. Here are just a few examples of films based on real-life events and characters which were first dramatized for the stage…

1. Frost/Nixon (2008)

Play: Frost/Nixon by Peter Morgan (2006)

The source material for Morgan’s play was a high-profile interview conducted in 1977 between showy British television personality David Frost and former US president Richard Nixon. The play and film essentially work as a battle of will between the two very different men, as Frost attempts to elicit an apology from Nixon for Watergate.

2. The Miracle Worker (1962)

Play: The Miracle Worker by William Gibson (1959)

Directed by Arthur Penn, this film is based on the true story of Helen Keller, a deaf-blind girl, and her teacher, Anne Sullivan. The story focuses on how Sullivan helps Keller learn to communicate and become independent.

3. Amadeus (1984)

Play: Amadeus by Peter Shaffer (1979)

Directed by Miloš Forman, the film is a highly fictionalized account of the lives of composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. While it takes liberties with historical facts, it is based on real historical figures and events.

4. The Elephant Man (1980)

Play: The Elephant Man by Bernard Pomerance (1977)

Directed by David Lynch, the film tells the story of Joseph Merrick, a severely deformed man in 19th-century London, and his life in the freak shows before being rescued by Dr. Frederick Treves.

5. Inherit the Wind (1960)

Play: Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee (1955)

Directed by Stanley Kramer, the film is a dramatized version of the 1925 Scopes “Monkey” Trial, which dealt with the teaching of evolution in schools. Although names and some details were changed, it is based on real events and people.

6. A Man for All Seasons (1966)

Play: A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt (1960)

Directed by Fred Zinnemann, the film is based on the life of Sir Thomas More, who opposed King Henry VIII’s separation from the Catholic Church and refused to endorse him as the head of the Church of England.

7. The Laramie Project (2002)

Play: The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project (2000)

Directed by Moisés Kaufman, the film is based on the true story of the reaction to the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay university student in Laramie, Wyoming. The play and film are based on hundreds of interviews conducted by the Tectonic Theater Project.

8. A Few Good Men (1992)

Play: A Few Good Men by Aaron Sorkin (1989)

Directed by Rob Reiner, this film is based on a real-life incident involving the court-martial of two U.S. Marines accused of murdering a fellow Marine. The play and film explore military justice and the ethics of following orders.

9. Chicago (2002)

Play: Chicago by Maurine Dallas Watkins (1926)

Directed by Rob Marshall, this film is based on the true stories of two women, Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner, who were accused of murder in 1920s Chicago. The play was originally written by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins, who covered the trials. The musical adaptation of the play became a hit on Broadway before being turned into the Oscar-winning film.

10. The Crucible (1996)

Play: The Crucible by Arthur Miller (1953)

Directed by Nicholas Hytner, this film is based on the Salem witch trials of 1692. Although the play and film take some artistic liberties, they are rooted in the real historical events where a series of accusations of witchcraft led to widespread hysteria and the execution of innocent people.