Simon Stephens (born 6 February 1971) is an English

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and Professor of Scriptwriting at Manchester Metropolitan University. Having taught on the Young Writers' Programme at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...

for many years, he is now an Artistic Associate at the

Lyric Hammersmith The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on Lyric Square, off King Street, Hammersmith, London.

. He is the inaugural Associate Playwright of

Steep Theatre Company Steep Theatre Company is a not-for-profit theatre company located in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 2000 by Peter Moore, Alex Gillmor, and Alex Gualino, Steep has become known as one of Chicago's iconic ensemble-based ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, where four of his plays, ''

Harper Regan ''Harper Regan'' is a two-act play by Simon Stephens that premiered at the National Theatre in 2008. Setting Set in UK, Autumn of 2006 : from Uxbridge to Stockport to Manchester and back. Synopsis One woman's struggle with the difficulties ...

,'' ''Motortown'', ''Wastwater'', and ''Birdland'' had their U.S. premieres. His writing is widely performed throughout Europe and, along with

Dennis Kelly Dennis Kelly is a British scriptwriter for theatre, television and film. His play ''DNA'', first performed in 2007, became a core set-text for GCSE in 2010 and has been studied by approximately 400,000 students each year. He wrote the book ...

and

Martin Crimp Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Aust ...

, he is one of the most performed English-language writers in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

Life

Originally from

Stockport Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here. Most of the town is withi ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...

, Stephens graduated from the

University of York The University of York (abbreviated as or ''York'' for post-nominals) is a collegiate research university, located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, co ...

with a degree in History. After university, he lived in Edinburgh for several years, where he met his future wife Polly, before later completing a PGCE at the

Institute of Education IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society (IOE) is the education school of University College London (UCL). It specialises in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and is one of UCL's 11 constituent faculties. Prior to ...

. He worked as a teacher for a few years, before quitting to become a professional playwright. In 2017, Simon Stephens was appointed to a Professorship at the Manchester School of Writing, at Manchester Metropolitan University. He was a member of Scottish art punk band

Country Teasers Country Teasers were an art punk band formed in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1993. Frontman Ben Wallers also performs solo as The Rebel. He plays live shows with a Gameboy backing-track or accompanied by Country Teasers bassist Sophie Politowicz on dru ...

. He lives in London with his wife and three children.

Plays

* ''Morning Sun'' (2021).

Manhattan Theatre Club Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has ...

production premiered in October 2021 at New York City Center Stage I directed by

Lila Neugebauer Lila Neugebauer (; born 1985) is an American theatre director, writer and artistic director. She gained acclaim for her direction of the Broadway revival of Kenneth Lonergan's ''The Waverly Gallery'' in 2018. The play earned a Tony Award nominat ...

, with

Blair Brown Bonnie Blair Brown (born April 23, 1946) is an American theater, film and television actress. She has had a number of high-profile roles, including in the play '' Copenhagen'' on Broadway, the leading actress in the films ''Altered States'' ...

Edie Falco Edith Falco (born July 5, 1963) is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Carmela Soprano on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007), and Nurse Jackie Peyton on the Showtime series ''Nurse Jackie'' (2009–2015). She also ...

, and Marin Ireland. * ''Blindness'' (2020). Premiered at

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Mi ...

, directed by Walter Meierjohann. Adaptation of

José Saramago José de Sousa Saramago, GColSE ComSE GColCa (; 16 November 1922 – 18 June 2010), was a Portuguese writer and recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature for his "parables sustained by imagination, compassion and irony ith which hecon ...

's novel of the same name. * ''Fortune'' (2020). Premiered at

Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre is a centre for the performing arts located in Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. It opened in 1990 and is operated by Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture. There is a concert hall with 1999 seats and a playhouse with 834 seats as ...

, directed by Sean Holmes *''Rage'' (2018) premiered at the

Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama , image_name = Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.jpg , image_size = , motto = , established = 1949 , type = Public , staff = , vice_chancellor = , students = 779 (2017/18) , undergrad ...

, directed by Elle While Revival cast premiere at the

University of Wales Trinity Saint David , image = Crest of TSD.png , image_size = 200px , caption = Coat of armsUniversity of Wales Trinity Saint David , established = 2010 (Saint David's College, Lampeter founded 1822 and opened 1827; royal charter 1828) , ...

(2020) * ''Obsession'' (2017). (English translation of Jan Peter Gerrits' play) Premiered at the

Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhib ...

, directed by

Ivo Van Hove Ivo van Hove (born 28 October 1958) is a Belgian theatre director known as the artistic director of Toneelgroep Amsterdam in the Netherlands and for his Off-Broadway avant-garde experimental theatre productions. On Broadway, he has directed revi ...

* ''The Seagull'' (2017). Premiered at the

Lyric Hammersmith The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on Lyric Square, off King Street, Hammersmith, London.

, directed by Sean Holmes * ''Fatherland'' (2017). Co-created with Frantic Assembly's Scott Graham and Karl Hyde for the

Manchester International Festival The Manchester International Festival is a biennial international arts festival, with a specific focus on original new work, held in the English city of Manchester and run by Factory International. The festival is a biennial event, first tak ...

at the Royal Exchange. *''

The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a " play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François Villon, with mu ...

'' (2016) premiered at the National Theatre, directed by

Rufus Norris Rufus Norris (born 16 January 1965) is a British theatre and film director, who is currently the Artistic Director and Joint Chief Executive of the National Theatre. Life and career Norris grew up in Africa and Malaysia, attended North Bromsgr ...

, a new adaptation of

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

's book and lyrics (music by

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fru ...

) *'' Heisenberg'' (2015) premiered

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

at the New York City Center-Stage II, directed by

Mark Brokaw Mark Brokaw is an American theatre director. He won the Drama Desk Award, Obie Award and Lucille Lortel Award as Outstanding Director of a Play for '' How I Learned to Drive''. Life and career Brokaw was raised in Aledo, Illinois, and graduated f ...

*''Song From Far Away'' (2015) premiered at the

Young Vic The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Kwame Kwei-Armah has been Artistic Director since February 201 ...

, directed by Ivo van Hove *''The Cherry Orchard'' (2014) premiering at the Young Vic, directed by Katie Mitchell *''Carmen Disruption'' (2014) premiering at Deutsches Schauspielhaus, directed by Sebastian Nübling *''Blindsided'' (2014) premiered at the

Royal Exchange Theatre The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann's Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal ...

, directed by Sarah Frankcom *''Birdland'' (2014) premiered at the

, directed by

Carrie Cracknell Carrie Cracknell (born 1980) is a British theatre director. She was Artistic Director of the Gate Theatre, London from 2007–2012. She was Associate Director at both the Young Vic (2012–2013) and the Royal Court (2013–2014). Background ...

*''London'' (2012) incorporating ''Sea Wall'' and ''T5'' premiered at

Salisbury Playhouse Salisbury Playhouse is a theatre in the English city of Salisbury, Wiltshire. It was built in 1976 and comprises the 517-seat Main House and the 149-seat Salberg, a rehearsal room and a community & education space. It is part of Arts Council En ...

, directed by George Perrin *''Morning'' (2012) premiered at the

Traverse Theatre The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 1963 by John Calder, John Malcolm, Jim Haynes and Richard Demarco. The Traverse Theatre company commissions and develops new plays or adaptations from contemporary p ...

, directed by Sean Holmes *''

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time ''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'' is a 2003 mystery novel by British writer Mark Haddon. Its title refers to an observation by the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes (created by Arthur Conan Doyle) in the 1892 short story " ...

'' (2012) premiered at the National Theatre, directed by Marianne Elliott, adapted from the

Mark Haddon Mark Haddon (born 28 October 1962) is an English novelist, best known for ''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'' (2003). He won the Whitbread Award, the Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award, Guardian Prize, and a Commonwealth Wr ...

novel of the same name *''A Doll's House'' (2012) premiered at the

, directed by

American premiere at

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...

(2014) * ''Three Kingdoms'' (2011) premiered at

Theatre NO99 Theatre NO99 was a theatre in Tallinn, Estonia that began to operate in February 2005. It was a state-owned repertoire theatre that has its own building with two theatre halls in central Tallinn. The theatre closed in 2019. The theatre's name ...

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...

, directed by Sebastian Nübling, English premiere at the

Lyric Hammersmith The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on Lyric Square, off King Street, Hammersmith, London.

(2012) , German premiere at the Munich Kammerspiele (2011) * ''

I Am the Wind ''I Am the Wind'' () is a 2007 play by the Norwegian writer Jon Fosse. It is about two men, The One and The Other, who travel by boat until The One commits suicide by drowning himself. Production history The play was written for the Bergen Internat ...

'' (2011) translation of the

Jon Fosse Jon Olav Fosse (born 29 September 1959) is a Norwegian author and dramatist. Biography Jon Fosse was born in Haugesund, Norway. A serious accident at age seven brought him close to death; the experience significantly influenced his adulthood wr ...

play premiered at the

, directed by

Patrice Chéreau Patrice Chéreau (; 2 November 1944 – 7 October 2013) was a French opera and theatre director, filmmaker, actor and producer. In France he is best known for his work for the theatre, internationally for his films '' La Reine Margot'' and ...

*''Wastwater'' (2011) premiered at the

, directed by

Katie Mitchell Katrina Jane Mitchell (born 23 September 1964) is an English theatre director. Life and career Mitchell was born in Reading, Berkshire, raised in Hermitage, Berkshire, and educated at Oakham School. Upon leaving Oakham, she went up to Ma ...

*''The Trial of Ubu'' (2010) premiered at the Toneelgroep in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

, (2012) English premiere at the

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. Roxana Silbert has been the artistic director since ...

, directed by

*''T5'' (2010) premiered at DryWrite at the Roundhouse, directed by Vicky Jones, and further developed at the

as part of Traverse Live!, directed by Dominic Hill *'' A Thousand Stars Explode in the Sky'' (2010) written with David Eldridge and Robert Holman premiered at the

Lyric Hammersmith The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on Lyric Square, off King Street, Hammersmith, London.

, directed by Sean Holmes *''

Marine Parade Marine Parade is a planning area and residential estate located in the Central Region of Singapore. Straddling the tip of the southeastern coast of Pulau Ujong, Marine Parade serves as a buffer between the Central and East regions of the ci ...

'' (2010) with music by

Mark Eitzel Mark Eitzel (born January 30, 1959) is an American musician, best known as a songwriter and lead singer of the San Francisco band American Music Club. Biography Eitzel spent his formative years in a military family living in Okinawa, Taiwan, Ohi ...

premiered at the

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

Festival directed by Jo McInnes *'' Punk Rock'' (2009) premiered at the

, directed by Sarah Frankcom *''Canopy of Stars'' (2008) premiered at the

Tricycle Theatre The Kiln Theatre (formerly the Tricycle Theatre) is a theatre located in Kilburn, in the London Borough of Brent, England. Since 1980, the theatre has presented a wide range of plays reflecting the cultural diversity of the area, as well as ...

as part of the 'Great Game' series *''Sea Wall'' (2008) premiered in the Broken Space Season at

Bush Theatre The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. The Bush Theatre strives to create a s ...

, directed by George Perrin *''Pornography'' (2007) premiered at the

directed by Sean Holmes *''

'' (2007) premiered at the National Theatre, directed by Marianne Elliott *''Motortown'' (2006) premiered at the

, directed by Ramin Gray *''

On the Shore of the Wide World ''On the Shore of the Wide World'' is a play by English playwright Simon Stephens. It opened 18 April 2005, at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, under the direction of Sarah Frankcom. On May 26, the production transferred to the Cottesloe s ...

'' (2005) premiered at the

, directed by Sarah Frankcom *''Country Music'' (2004) premiered at the

, directed by Gordon Anderson *''Christmas'' (2004) premiered at the

, directed by Joanne McInnes *''One Minute'' (2003) premiered at the ATC, directed by Gordon Anderson *''Port'' (2002) premiered at the Royal Exchange, directed by Marianne Elliott *''Herons'' (2001) premiered at the

, directed by Simon Usher *''Bluebird'' (1998) premiered at the

, directed by Gordon Anderson *''Bring Me Sunshine'' (1997) premiered at the

Edinburgh Fringe Festival The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

, directed by Heather Davies

Awards

*''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'' won the

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

for Best New Play 2013 and the 2015

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

for Best Play *''Punk Rock'' was nominated at the TMA Awards for Best New Play in 2010, and was also nominated for the Evening Standard Award for Best New Play in 2010 *''Pornography'' won the

Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland The Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) are an annual event awarding performances "substantially produced in Scotland, or developed, rehearsed and premiered in Scotland". Awards ceremony The ceremony is itinerant in terms of location, sw ...

for Best New Play in 2008-09 *''On the Shore of The Wide World'' won the

for Best New Play in 2006"Olivier Awards, 2006"
olivierawards.com, accessed 3 February 3016 *''One Minute'' won at the

Tron Theatre Awards ''Tron'' (stylized as ''TRON'') is a 1982 American science fiction action-adventure film written and directed by Steven Lisberger from a story by Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird. The film stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a computer programmer ...

as Best New Play in 2003 *''Port'' won the Pearson Award for Best New Play in 2001

References

External links

Simon Stephens at Doollee
*
Official website of the Sea Wall movie
performed by Andrew Scott {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Simon 1971 births Living people People from Stockport Alumni of the University of York English male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights 20th-century English male writers 21st-century English dramatists and playwrights 21st-century English male writers