Author: Simon Stephens
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1474251439
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 313
Book Description
2014 was a spectacular year for playwright Simon Stephens, who has been described by the Independent as 'a brilliant writer of immense imagination' and by the Financial Times as having 'emerged in this millennium as an outstanding playwright'. 2014 was a year for Simon Stephens which featured a high number of world premiere plays including one for the theatre of his birthplace, Manchester's Royal Exchange, a major new play for the Downstairs space at London's Royal Court, and a Chekhov translation for London's Young Vic; a transfer of his West End hit The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time to Broadway; and projects in Germany, a country which has seen Stephens lauded, in which he has worked extensively, and which has shaped much of his dramaturgy. In addition to these major projects, Stephens continued his role as a mentor of young writers, actors and directors, and continued to be one of the most frequent, outspoken and fiercely intelligent voices of the playwriting scene. In an exceptionally honest account, Simon Stephens opens up to us, through daily diary entries, his working practices, his inner-most thoughts, his philosophy on theatre, the arts and politics, and his feelings and reactions to specific projects he has worked on. Through this, we are given unprecedented access to the mind of one of the most important playwrights of the twenty-first century.
Simon Stephens: A Working Diary
Author: Simon Stephens
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1474251439
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 313
Book Description
2014 was a spectacular year for playwright Simon Stephens, who has been described by the Independent as 'a brilliant writer of immense imagination' and by the Financial Times as having 'emerged in this millennium as an outstanding playwright'. 2014 was a year for Simon Stephens which featured a high number of world premiere plays including one for the theatre of his birthplace, Manchester's Royal Exchange, a major new play for the Downstairs space at London's Royal Court, and a Chekhov translation for London's Young Vic; a transfer of his West End hit The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time to Broadway; and projects in Germany, a country which has seen Stephens lauded, in which he has worked extensively, and which has shaped much of his dramaturgy. In addition to these major projects, Stephens continued his role as a mentor of young writers, actors and directors, and continued to be one of the most frequent, outspoken and fiercely intelligent voices of the playwriting scene. In an exceptionally honest account, Simon Stephens opens up to us, through daily diary entries, his working practices, his inner-most thoughts, his philosophy on theatre, the arts and politics, and his feelings and reactions to specific projects he has worked on. Through this, we are given unprecedented access to the mind of one of the most important playwrights of the twenty-first century.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1474251439
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 313
Book Description
2014 was a spectacular year for playwright Simon Stephens, who has been described by the Independent as 'a brilliant writer of immense imagination' and by the Financial Times as having 'emerged in this millennium as an outstanding playwright'. 2014 was a year for Simon Stephens which featured a high number of world premiere plays including one for the theatre of his birthplace, Manchester's Royal Exchange, a major new play for the Downstairs space at London's Royal Court, and a Chekhov translation for London's Young Vic; a transfer of his West End hit The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time to Broadway; and projects in Germany, a country which has seen Stephens lauded, in which he has worked extensively, and which has shaped much of his dramaturgy. In addition to these major projects, Stephens continued his role as a mentor of young writers, actors and directors, and continued to be one of the most frequent, outspoken and fiercely intelligent voices of the playwriting scene. In an exceptionally honest account, Simon Stephens opens up to us, through daily diary entries, his working practices, his inner-most thoughts, his philosophy on theatre, the arts and politics, and his feelings and reactions to specific projects he has worked on. Through this, we are given unprecedented access to the mind of one of the most important playwrights of the twenty-first century.
Motortown
Author: Simon Stephens
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1472517687
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 77
Book Description
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).
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1472517687
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 77
Book Description
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).
Birdland
Author: Simon Stephens
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1472587693
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 138
Book Description
Everything can be quantified. All worth can be quantified. Artistic worth. Human worth. Material worth. Everything. Some food is simply better than other food. Isn't it? Some clothes are better than other clothes. Aren't they? The last week of a massive international tour and rock star Paul is at the height of his fame. Everybody knows his name. Whatever he wants he can have. He can screw anybody he wants to. He can buy anything he desires. He can eat anything. Drink anything. Smoke anything. Go anywhere. As the inevitability of the end of the road looms closer and a return home becomes a reality, for Paul the music is starting to jar. Birdland received its world premiere at the Royal Court Theatre Downstairs on 3 April 2014.
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1472587693
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 138
Book Description
Everything can be quantified. All worth can be quantified. Artistic worth. Human worth. Material worth. Everything. Some food is simply better than other food. Isn't it? Some clothes are better than other clothes. Aren't they? The last week of a massive international tour and rock star Paul is at the height of his fame. Everybody knows his name. Whatever he wants he can have. He can screw anybody he wants to. He can buy anything he desires. He can eat anything. Drink anything. Smoke anything. Go anywhere. As the inevitability of the end of the road looms closer and a return home becomes a reality, for Paul the music is starting to jar. Birdland received its world premiere at the Royal Court Theatre Downstairs on 3 April 2014.
The Theatre of Simon Stephens
Author: Jacqueline Bolton
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1474238645
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 265
Book Description
Simon Stephens is one of Britain's and arguably Europe's pre-eminent playwrights. He has garnered numerous awards for both his original works and his adaptations, with his adaptation of Mark Haddon's novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time winning 7 Olivier Awards including Best Play and enjoying acclaim on Broadway. In the first book to provide a critical account of the full variety of Stephens's work, Jacqueline Bolton gives a detailed analysis of his plays and their production, reviews current discourses around his work and offers a framework for future enquiry. Essays from Basil Chiasson (University of Calgary), James Hudson (University of Lincoln) and Cristina Delgado-Garcia (Manchester Metropolitan University) provide additional international perspectives, while contributions from theatre practitioners Sean Holmes, Marianne Elliot, Sarah Frankcom and Sebastian Nuebling illuminate the work from a director's viewpoint. Since the beginning of his professional career in 1998, Stephens's award-winning plays have been translated into over a dozen languages, been produced on four continents, and feature prominently in the repertoires of theatres across Europe. His collaborations with actors, directors, dramaturgs, designers, novelists, musicians and choreographers have produced a dramaturgically diverse body of plays, musicals, adaptations, texts and monologues. As Bolton demonstrates, this extensive oeuvre has been animated by a search for optimism within chaos and violence. In its coverage of work from 1998's Bluebird to Carmen Disruption in 2015, the Companion contextualizes Stephens's ouevre through his embrace of aesthetics and processes encountered in European theatre and, in particular, the impact this has had upon attitudes towards the function of writing and the role of the audience in live performance. The Companion serves as an engaging study of one of the most restlessly creative and important dramatists of our generation.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1474238645
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 265
Book Description
Simon Stephens is one of Britain's and arguably Europe's pre-eminent playwrights. He has garnered numerous awards for both his original works and his adaptations, with his adaptation of Mark Haddon's novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time winning 7 Olivier Awards including Best Play and enjoying acclaim on Broadway. In the first book to provide a critical account of the full variety of Stephens's work, Jacqueline Bolton gives a detailed analysis of his plays and their production, reviews current discourses around his work and offers a framework for future enquiry. Essays from Basil Chiasson (University of Calgary), James Hudson (University of Lincoln) and Cristina Delgado-Garcia (Manchester Metropolitan University) provide additional international perspectives, while contributions from theatre practitioners Sean Holmes, Marianne Elliot, Sarah Frankcom and Sebastian Nuebling illuminate the work from a director's viewpoint. Since the beginning of his professional career in 1998, Stephens's award-winning plays have been translated into over a dozen languages, been produced on four continents, and feature prominently in the repertoires of theatres across Europe. His collaborations with actors, directors, dramaturgs, designers, novelists, musicians and choreographers have produced a dramaturgically diverse body of plays, musicals, adaptations, texts and monologues. As Bolton demonstrates, this extensive oeuvre has been animated by a search for optimism within chaos and violence. In its coverage of work from 1998's Bluebird to Carmen Disruption in 2015, the Companion contextualizes Stephens's ouevre through his embrace of aesthetics and processes encountered in European theatre and, in particular, the impact this has had upon attitudes towards the function of writing and the role of the audience in live performance. The Companion serves as an engaging study of one of the most restlessly creative and important dramatists of our generation.
Port
Author: Simon Stephens
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1472520602
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 118
Book Description
I see you in the morning, on the first morning I stayed over at your house. Waking up. Watching you lying asleep next to me. You looked, you looked. It was like. I think about that more than you probably think I do. Stockport 1988-2002. Racheal Keats is growing up in a town she doesn't like with a family in tatters and a future she cannot picture. As those she loves begin to let her down or leave her behind, can Rachel find the strength to make her own way in the world? Port premiered at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, in November 2002. It was later staged in the Lyttelton at the National Theatre, opening in January 2013. Both productions were by Marianne Elliott.
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1472520602
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 118
Book Description
I see you in the morning, on the first morning I stayed over at your house. Waking up. Watching you lying asleep next to me. You looked, you looked. It was like. I think about that more than you probably think I do. Stockport 1988-2002. Racheal Keats is growing up in a town she doesn't like with a family in tatters and a future she cannot picture. As those she loves begin to let her down or leave her behind, can Rachel find the strength to make her own way in the world? Port premiered at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, in November 2002. It was later staged in the Lyttelton at the National Theatre, opening in January 2013. Both productions were by Marianne Elliott.
Punk Rock
Author: Simon Stephens
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1408126362
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 114
Book Description
William Carlisle has the world at his feet but its weight on his shoulders. He is intelligent, articulate and f***ed. In the library of a grammar school, William and his fellow Sixth-Formers are preparing for their mock A-Levels while navigating the pressures of teenage life. They are educated and aspirational young people but step-by-step, the dislocation, disjunction and latent aggression is revealed. Punk Rock premiered at the Lyric Hammersmith on 3 September 2009 in a co-production between the Lyric Hammersmith and the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester.
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1408126362
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 114
Book Description
William Carlisle has the world at his feet but its weight on his shoulders. He is intelligent, articulate and f***ed. In the library of a grammar school, William and his fellow Sixth-Formers are preparing for their mock A-Levels while navigating the pressures of teenage life. They are educated and aspirational young people but step-by-step, the dislocation, disjunction and latent aggression is revealed. Punk Rock premiered at the Lyric Hammersmith on 3 September 2009 in a co-production between the Lyric Hammersmith and the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester.
Sea Wall
Author: Simon Stephens
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350114669
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 20
Book Description
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.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350114669
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 20
Book Description
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.
Bluebird
Author: Simon Stephens
Publisher: Dramatists Play Service Inc
ISBN: 9780822225744
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 68
Book Description
THE STORY: BLUEBIRD charts a night in the life of London mini-cab driver Jimmy McNeill. We share with him a night of his fares--the despondent and delirious, the inspired, inspiring and insane. Jimmy is a surprising cabbie: a writer fallen from grac
Publisher: Dramatists Play Service Inc
ISBN: 9780822225744
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 68
Book Description
THE STORY: BLUEBIRD charts a night in the life of London mini-cab driver Jimmy McNeill. We share with him a night of his fares--the despondent and delirious, the inspired, inspiring and insane. Jimmy is a surprising cabbie: a writer fallen from grac
Heisenberg: The Uncertainty Principle
Author: Simon Stephens
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350064874
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 64
Book Description
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.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350064874
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 64
Book Description
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.
Harper Regan
Author: Simon Stephens
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472574680
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 132
Book Description
If you go, I don't think you should come back. On a startlingly bright autumn night in 2006, Harper Regan walked away from her home, her husband and daughter, and kept walking. She told nobody that she was going. She told nobody where she was going. She put everything she ever built at risk. For two lost days and nights, until it looked as though her entire life might unravel, she didn't turn back. From Uxbridge to Stockport to Manchester and back again, Harper Regan navigates the UK, exploring family, love and delusion. It received its world premiere at the National Theatre, London, in 2008.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472574680
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 132
Book Description
If you go, I don't think you should come back. On a startlingly bright autumn night in 2006, Harper Regan walked away from her home, her husband and daughter, and kept walking. She told nobody that she was going. She told nobody where she was going. She put everything she ever built at risk. For two lost days and nights, until it looked as though her entire life might unravel, she didn't turn back. From Uxbridge to Stockport to Manchester and back again, Harper Regan navigates the UK, exploring family, love and delusion. It received its world premiere at the National Theatre, London, in 2008.