Simon Stephens – författare

"A major new voice in British theatre" (Scotsman) Set around Limehouse Cut and the Lee River in East London, Herons is the disturbing and moving story of fourteen-year-old Billy, whose life has been made a misery by his father's actions. As the teenagers that surround him on the estate step up their campaign of bullying, the play escalates to a violent climax.Commissioned by the Royal Court, Herons premiered there on 18 May 2001.

"A major new voice in British theatre" (Scotsman) Stockport 1988-2002. Rachel Keats is growing up in town she doesn't like. Abandoned by her mother, her family life is torn to tatters as she is left to bring up her younger brother, who, increasingly is drawn to the excitement out on the streets. When her new partner starts to abuse her, and those she loves leave her behind, will she stay or will she find the strength to make her own way in the world? Praise for Herons: "filled with a sense of life's miraculous potential. It deals with damaged characters yet is imbued with a poetic lyricism" (Guardian) Port is published to tie in with the production at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester in November 2002. Simon Stephens is presently writer-in-residence at the Royal Court Theatre, London.

The new play by the Royal Court's writer-in-residence "When you close your eyes and you think about your home, what do you think about?" Robert Evans is new to the police force, and his enthusiasm for the case is keener than that of his cynical colleague Gary Burroughs. They're both looking for a missing child. But as the mother, Dr Anne Schults, wants to know, when does "missing" become "presumed dead"? Simon Stephens' new play is a disquieting portrait of the many lives that are united in the single moment it takes for a child to disappear. Praise for Simon Stephens: "A major new voice in British Theatre" - Scotsman; "Herons is filled with a sense of life's miraculous potential. It deals with damaged characters yet is imbued with a poetic lyricism" - Guardian

Dramatic new play of crime and redemption by winner of Pearson Most Promising New Playwright Award, 2001 A story of crime and redemption, starting at the mouth of the River Thames and moving across England over twenty years. It begins with a life choice for Jamie Carris and ends with a re-union with his young daughter. It is also a story about a killer.

Something is about to happen that will change one family forever. Set over the course of nine months, On the Shore of the Wide World is an epic play about love, family, Roy Keane and the size of the galaxy.

First collection from the 2004 Pearson Award-winning playwright Simon Stephens Plays: 1 brings together four of the early plays from the winner of the 2002 Pearson Best New Play Award. Since Bluebird in 1998, Stephens has gained recognition for humane plays that display a sharp observation and compassionate response to the lives of ordinary people in urban locations. Bluebird: Cabbie Jimmy overhears the weird, wonderful and violent tales of his passengers he confronts his past and his estranged wife. 'A rough gem of a play' - The Times Christmas: One night in an East end pub, four men confront their past and brace themselves for an uncertain future. 'Beautifully crafted' - What's On Herons: The disturbing story of one teenager on a violent estate in London, which saw Stephens nominated for an Olivier Award for Most Promising Playwright in 2001. Port: One woman's struggle to cope with and finally escape her life in Stockport. (Winner of Pearson Award for Best New Play.) 'A brilliant writer of immense imagination with an acute observation of people's foibles' - Independent

Danny returns from Basra to a foreign England and a different kind of battle. He visits an old flame, buys a gun and goes on a blistering road trip through the new home front. 'I don't blame the war. The war was alright. I miss it. It's just you come back to this.' Written during the London bombings of 2005, Motortown is a fierce, violent and controversial response to the anti-war movement - and to the war itself. Chaotic and complex, powerful and provocative, Simon Stephen's new play portrays a volatile and morally insecure world. Motortown premieres at the Royal Court Theatre on 21 April 2006. It follows the critically acclaimed On the Shore of the Wide World (Manchester Royal Exchange/National Theatre), winner of the Olivier Award for Best New Play (2005).

I want, one more time, to be absolutely in the moment . . .I am going to try as hard as I can to not be a human being.A series of suggestions on desire, death and time.Nuclear War is the searing result of a groundbreaking and form-defying collaboration between Simon Stephens and the choreographer and movement director Imogen Knight, developed by Actors Touring Company.Introduced by the author, this edition also features a suite of lyrics written by Simon Stephens for a musical collaboration with Dutch singer-songwriter Wende Snijders, performed at Schouwburg Het Park in Westerdijk, The Netherlands, in March 2017. Nuclear War was published to coincide with the world premiere of the play at the Royal Court Theatre, Upstairs, London, in April 2017.

Chekhov’s celebrated masterpiece is given vibrant new life in this dynamic new version by Olivier Award-winning playwright Simon Stephens. Switching effortlessly between the ridiculous and the profound, The Seagull forensically examines the transcendence and destructiveness of love. The burning need to create art and how harshly that need can be crushed permeates the play.Simon Stephens' new adaption of The Seagull received its premiere at the Lyric Hammersmith, London on 3 October 2017.

Is this the strangest thing that two people have ever done in the history of the world?In this uncertain world, who can predict what brings people together? When two strangers meet by chance amidst the bustle of a crowded London train station, their lives are changed forever.Multi-award-winning British playwright Simon Stephens brings his hit Broadway play to London for the first time. Brimming with blazing theatrical life it explores the uncertain and often comical sparring match that is human connection.Having received its world premiere at the Manhattan Theatre Club, New York in 2015 Heisenberg: The Uncertainty Principle makes its UK premiere in the West End in a thrilling production starring Kenneth Cranham and Anne Marie Duff, directed by Marianne Elliot.

Fatherland is a bold, ambitious show about contemporary fatherhood in all its complexities and contradictions. Created by Frantic Assembly’s Scott Graham, Karl Hyde from Underworld and playwright Simon Stephens (Punk Rock, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), this daring collage of words, music and movement confronts the complexities and contradictions of contemporary fatherhood.A vivid, urgent and deeply personal portrait of 21st-century England at the crossroads of past, present and future, the play is inspired by conversations with fathers and sons from the writers' home towns in the heart of the country. Tender and tough, honest and true, Fatherland is a vital and necessary show about what we were, who we are and what we’d like to become.The world premiere of Fatherland took place at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester on 5 July 2017 as part of Manchester International Festival. This is a revised version of the original text which coincides with performances in London at the Lyric Hammersmith as part of LIFT 2018.

Simon Stephens' explosive play Rage was written as a counterpoint for Elfriede Jelinek's Wut. Composed as 31 high-energy scenes, each one is based on a series of photos by Joel Goodman which captured the excitement and the mayhem of New Year's Eve 2015/16 in Manchester city centre. Published in the Manchester Evening News the photos quickly went viral in capturing a vital cross-section of a country on the edge. As the clock strikes twelve the celebratory mood turns into violence, racism, marriage proposals and the opening of portals. Enter the madness and get whisked into the hedonism of youth.Rage premiered at the Thalia Theatre, Hamburg in Autumn 2016 and had its UK premiere at the Royal Welsh School of Music and Drama in 2018.

This abridged edition is designed for schools and has been adapted for 10 actors playing all of the roles. With a running time of just 90 minutes it is suitable for performance in non-theatre spaces, with minimal technical requirements.The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time brings Mark Haddon's best-selling novel to life on stage, adapted by two-time Olivier Award-winning playwright Simon Stephens. Winner of seven Olivier Awards including Best Play, along with the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League and Tony Awards for Best Play, this remarkable and exhilarating "theatrical masterpiece" originated at London's Royal National Theatre in 2012 before going on to transfer to the West End for multiple seasons, followed by its acclaimed Broadway run. The play has now been seen on five continents around the world with major productions ranging from Mexico, Australia, Canada, Seoul and Japan. This brand new edition of the play has been abridged specifically with schools in mind and published following a 12-week tour of 60 secondary schools in the UK. The play tells the story of Christopher John Francis Boone, who is fifteen years old. He stands besides Mrs Shears' dead dog, Wellington, who has been speared with a garden fork, it is seven minutes after midnight and Christopher is under suspicion. He records each fact in a book he is writing to solve the mystery of who killed Wellington. He has an extraordinary brain and is exceptional at maths while ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched and distrusts strangers. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a frightening journey that upturns his world.

There's a hole running through the centre of my stomach. You must have all felt a bit awkward because you can probably see it. Sea Wall is a delicate monologue, completely devastating and beautifully powerful.Alex’s story, spoken directly to the audience, begins full of clear light and smiles, as he speaks about his wife, visiting her father in the South of France, having a daughter, photography, and the bottom of the sea. His tone is natural, happy and engaging, with flickers of questions about belief and religion glimpsed under the surface. But his contentment falls away into deep and heart-breaking grief, crumbling to pieces with a vividness that is incredibly moving.

LOOK ME IN THE EYE AND TELL ME YOU’LL NEVER LEAVE ME.A woman wakes up with a stranger beside her. A student argues with his lover. A single mother fights to feed her baby. A married man flirts with two younger women. And far away, one devastating event is about to change all their lives forever.Artistic Director Sarah Frankcom says goodbye to the Royal Exchange with an extraordinary new play by Simon Stephens, with original music by Jarvis Cocker. Connecting five relatives in five disparate English towns, from Blackpool to Durham, LIGHT FALLS is a richly layered play about life in the face of death, about how our love survives us after we’ve gone – and about how family, community and kindness help the North survive.

Theatre has a complex history of responding to crises, long before they happen. Through stage plays, contemporary challenges can be presented, explored and even foreshadowed in ways that help audiences understand the world around them. Since the theatre of the Greeks, audiences have turned to live theatre in order to find answers in uncertain political, social and economic times, and through this unique collection questions about This anthology brings together a collection of 20 scenes from 20 playwrights that each respond to the world in crisis. Twenty of the world’s most prolific playwrights were asked to select one scene from across their published work that speaks to the current world situation in 2020. As COVID-19 continues to challenge every aspect of global life, contemporary theatre has long predicted a world on the edge. Through these 20 scenes from plays spanning from 1980 to 2020, we see how theatre and art has the capacity to respond, comment on and grapple with global challenges that in turn speak to the current time in which we are living. Each scene, chosen by the writer, is prefaced by an interview in which they discuss their process, their reason for selection and how their work reflects both the past and the present. From the political plays of Lucy Prebble and James Graham to the polemics of Philip Ridley and Tim Crouch. From bold works by Inua Ellams, Morgan Lloyd Malcom and Tanika Gupta to the social relevance of Hannah Khalil, Zoe Cooper and Simon Stephens this anthology looks at theatre in the present and asks the question: “how can theatre respond to a world in crisis?” The collection is prefaced by an introduction from Edward Bond, one of contemporary theatre’s most prolific dramatists.

"Stephens writes dramas set in uncaring, uncompromising worlds, whose characters speak in a language at once naturalistic and yet artificially pared-down and whose uncertain attempts to assert their own identities sometimes lead to gratuitous and brutal acts of violence." - Financial TimesA fifth collection of plays by one of Britain's most prolific contemporary playwrights, Simon Stephens, charting his work from 2011-2016, ranging from London's Royal Court Theatre, Manchester's Royal Exchange and Broadway. Wastwater (2011) "Metaphoric, allusive, and thoroughly disturbing in its evocation of suspicion and uncertainty, Wastwater is a thought-provoking play whose quiet intensity stays with you for days — its effect is like that of a ugly stone dropped into a pool, which results in constant ripples of dirty water lapping at your subconscious" (Aleks Sierz)Birdland (2014) "Mega-fame and limitless cash can turn a man into a monster, and Simon Stephens's new play excellently evokes its hero's spiritually shrunken world" (Michael Billington, Guardian) Blindsided (2014) “the dialogue has a rare quality of moment-by-moment intensity" (Telegraph)Song From Far Away (2015) "a meditative monologue – a searching study of impotently self-aware emotional insufficiency" (Independent) Heisenberg (2016) "Mr. Stephens ... is an uncannily subtle dramatist who never wears his depths on the surface ... he probes clichés until they fall apart, before reassembling them into solid but transformed shapes, reminding us why such clichés have become enduring elements of our collective mythology." (Ben Brantley, New York Times)

Three new plays from three of the UK's most celebrated playwrights. All rooted in West London, the plays explore race, identity and our sense of place and purpose, presented together as one piece, Out West. The Overseas Student by Tanika GuptaLondon. 1888. An 18-year-old Gandhi has just arrived from India to study Law. Miles from home, his wife and his family, we see him navigate a time of uncertainty, growth and opportunity. As he builds a new life, he explores the joys of money, food and women whilst facing the struggles of class and imperialism. Gupta’s sharp and profound play is an insight into the teenage years of a man we know will grow up to be one of the most significant figures in history.Blue Water and Cold and Fresh by Simon StephensLondon. 2020. A walk back in time. A walk that may change everything he’s ever believed.In the wake of city lockdown living and the Black Lives Matter protests, one man’s journey across London raises difficult truths he has to confront. The death of a loved one. His father’s racism. His own white privilege. This heartfelt piece explores what it means to be a father, husband and son.Go, Girl by Roy WilliamsLondon. 2020. Working as a security guard at Westfield and a mother to a teenage daughter, Donna sees her life as unremarkable. Why have things not turned out how she pictured when she was a young girl, inspired by the words of Michelle Obama? The hope and excitement she once felt has now become isolation and judgement of the choices she has made. Until one night Donna gets a call from her daughter that makes her rethink her entire life. As their bravery and humanity is tested, Donna realises just how remarkable they both truly are. A celebration of Black women, everyday heroism and female resilience.

I have kind of become invisible. Nobody looks at me. Not like they used to. You reach an age. Like my age and people stop looking at you. They stop checking you out.In Greenwich Village a generation or so ago, the city is alive. Joni Mitchell sings, friends and lovers come and go, and the regulars change at the White Horse Tavern.As 50 years pass, one woman’s life is revealed in all its complexity, mystery and possibility in this enthralling world premiere about mothers and daughters, beginnings and endings in New York City.Simon Stephens’s new play, commissioned by MTC, premiered off-Broadway in November 2021 starring Blair Brown, Edie Falco and Marin Ireland.

I came to New York when I was seventeen. I had all these ideas about how my life was gonna turn out. When I think about those ideas now, I don’t know if I should laugh or shit.In a back street in the West Village, Jacob Towney tries to save the restaurant that has been his home for longer than he can remember and release his daughter to the life he dreams she can have. His place is a home for the odd ghosts of the village. It is out of place and out of time and running out of luck.This edition was published to coincide with the off-Broadway premiere at New York’s Atlantic Theater, in February 2023.

“t was then that I decided to write you these letters.One crisp winter day in New York, Willem receives a phone call – it’s time to go home.Home to Amsterdam – to an estranged family and forgotten relationships. As he reflects on his life, unwilling to face the future, he finds himself reaching out to the brother he has lost.This revised edition of Simon Stephens’s landmark play, is published to coincide with the revival at HOME Manchester, February 2023, starring Will Young

Rediscover Anton Chekhov's acclaimed works in radical, creative new ways.The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard: Chekhov's major plays have been perennially popular since the late 19th century. But, as a new wave of diverse, contemporary theatre makers engage with his legendary works, these classics are transformed and reimagined by bold new approaches. In doing so, Chekhov's original drama is not only explored but reanimated and interrogated in revolutionary ways.From an ambitious one-person production, to a dance-poetry-play hybrid, to an intergalactic voyage, Chekhov’s work has never been so expansive or his experimental spirit so realised. This collection draws together seven contrasting adaptations, ranging from the formally inventive, to those that relocate the originals in times and places that expose forces of privilege and power.With an introduction by Frances Babbage which equips the reader with key methods of conceptualising dramatic adaptation, as well as providing a critical overview of the long history of Chekhovian rewritings for the stage, Adapting Chekhov in the 21st Century is a much-needed tool for adaptation and theatre studies students and Chekhov enthusiasts alike.

Rediscover Anton Chekhov's acclaimed works in radical, creative new ways.The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard: Chekhov's major plays have been perennially popular since the late 19th century. But, as a new wave of diverse, contemporary theatre makers engage with his legendary works, these classics are transformed and reimagined by bold new approaches. In doing so, Chekhov's original drama is not only explored but reanimated and interrogated in revolutionary ways.From an ambitious one-person production, to a dance-poetry-play hybrid, to an intergalactic voyage, Chekhov’s work has never been so expansive or his experimental spirit so realised. This collection draws together seven contrasting adaptations, ranging from the formally inventive, to those that relocate the originals in times and places that expose forces of privilege and power.With an introduction by Frances Babbage which equips the reader with key methods of conceptualising dramatic adaptation, as well as providing a critical overview of the long history of Chekhovian rewritings for the stage, Adapting Chekhov in the 21st Century is a much-needed tool for adaptation and theatre studies students and Chekhov enthusiasts alike.

“When we travel abroad we see our home with a clarity that we may never have been offered before.” (Simon Stephens)In this compelling international collection, Olivier and Tony Award-winning playwright Simon Stephens continues his bold interrogation of human fragility, connection, and transformation across cultures and continents.From the haunting intimacy of A Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark Blue, to the lyrical solitude of Maria, the existential unease of Fortune, and the spectral reckoning of Three Ghosts, Stephens crafts theatrical worlds that transcend geography. These plays—written and premiered in cities from Stuttgart to Tokyo—are united by a restless curiosity and a deep empathy for the lives we lead in silence and in chaos.Whether collaborating with European directors or writing for stages far from home, Stephens' international work is marked by a fearless embrace of aesthetic diversity and emotional truth. This collection is a testament to his belief that theatre, at its best, is a conversation across borders.

“When we travel abroad we see our home with a clarity that we may never have been offered before.” (Simon Stephens)In this compelling international collection, Olivier and Tony Award-winning playwright Simon Stephens continues his bold interrogation of human fragility, connection, and transformation across cultures and continents.From the haunting intimacy of A Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark Blue, to the lyrical solitude of Maria, the existential unease of Fortune, and the spectral reckoning of Three Ghosts, Stephens crafts theatrical worlds that transcend geography. These plays—written and premiered in cities from Stuttgart to Tokyo—are united by a restless curiosity and a deep empathy for the lives we lead in silence and in chaos.Whether collaborating with European directors or writing for stages far from home, Stephens' international work is marked by a fearless embrace of aesthetic diversity and emotional truth. This collection is a testament to his belief that theatre, at its best, is a conversation across borders.

Don’t panic.Don’t be scared.This must feel strange to you.It felt strange to me…From quiet sorrows to breathtaking beauty, the mystery of human experience unfolds before you. In An Ark, four guides shepherd you into an understanding of the human condition, encompassing the joy of first love and the inevitability of death.The first play created for mixed reality, this genre-defying collaboration between Tony Award–winning writer Simon Stephens (Vanya, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), critically acclaimed director Sarah Frankcom (UK Theatre Award for Our Town), and mixed reality pioneer Todd Eckert, An Ark explores the elemental meaning of life with the energy and humanity that are the hallmarks of their work.This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere production by Tin Drum at The Shed, New York, featuring the ensemble cast of Ian McKellen, Golda Rosheuvel, Arinzé Kene, and Rosie Sheehy.

Pornography is Simon Stephens' stark and shattering new play that powerfully captures a portrait of a fractured, insecure Britain. Written in reaction to London crashing from the euphoria and promise at being awarded the 2012 Olympics into the chaos and reality of the 7/7 bombings, the play is composed of seven stories that serve as a countdown to the catastrophic attack on London. Each playlet focuses on a different individual dramatising their life in the run-up to the tragedy. Published to coincide with the English language premiere at the Traverse Theatre in August as part of the International Edinburgh Festival before transferring to the Birmingham Rep, this is the first stage play to confront the London bombings of 7 July 2005.