Simon Stephens

Simon Stephens (born February 6, 1971 in Stockport , Greater Manchester ) is a British playwright.

He studied history at York University and worked in a variety of professions before becoming a teacher of English and drama at Eastbrook School in Dagenham and starting to write. His pieces - stylistically often highly fragmented monologues or dialogues - are set in the industrial cities of Central England and deal with topics relevant to the time such as social isolation and the resulting aggression and violence, destroyed family structures or the effects of the Iraq war on British society. Its central characters - almost without exception victims of the British class system - struggle with communication problems and suffer from the effects of their situation, which often turn them into social monsters. He is currently one of the most frequently performed foreign contemporary authors in German-speaking theaters. In 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2012 he was voted the best foreign playwright of the year in the critics' survey of the theater magazine Theater heute . In 2011 his drama Wastwater was named Foreign Play of the Year .

Stephens lives in London.

Plays

(U: world premiere; DSE: German-language premiere)

• 1998 Bluebird , U: Royal Court Theater , London, directed by Gordon Anderson
• 2001 Herons , U: 22 May 2002, Royal Court Theater, London, directed by Simon Usher
  • Reiher , German by Barbara Christ , DSE: March 28, 2003 Staatstheater Stuttgart , director: Sebastian Nübling
• 2002 port . U: November 12th 2002, Royal Exchange Theater, Manchester, directed by Marianne Elliott
  • Port , German by Barbara Christ, DSE: January 17, 2004, Theater Graz, director: Matthias Fontheim
• 2003 One Minute , U: 6 June 2003, Crucible Theater , Sheffield, directed by Gordon Anderson
  • One minute . German by Barbara Christ, DSE: November 5, 2004, Staatstheater Stuttgart , director: Beat Fäh
• 2004 Christmas , U: 9 January 2004, Bush Theater, London, directed by Joanne McInnes
  • Christmas , German by Barbara Christ, DSE: November 24, 2007, Staatstheater Mainz , director: Matthias Fontheim
• 2004 Country Music , U: 28 June 2004, Royal Court Theater, London, directed by Gordon Anderson
  • Country Music , German by Barbara Christ, DSE: January 14, 2005, Schauspiel Essen / Theater Graz, director: Matthias Fontheim
• 2005 On the Shore of the Wide World , U: April 18, 2005 Royal Exchange Theater Manchester, directed by Sarah Frankcom
  • On the beach of the wide world , German by Barbara Christ, DSE: March 9, 2006 Schauspielhaus Zürich , director: Karin Beier
• 2006 Motortown , U: 22nd April 2006, Royal Court Theater, London, directed by Ramin Gray
  • Motortown , German by Barbara Christ, DSE: November 23, 2006, Schauspielhaus Zürich, director: Samir
• 2007 Pornography
  • Pornography , German by Barbara Christ, DSE: Schauspiel Hannover / Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg , director: Sebastian Nübling
• 2007 Harper Regan , U: 23 April 2008, National Theater, London, directed by Marianne Elliott
  • Harper Regan , German by Barbara Christ, DSE: August 22, 2008, Salzburg Festival / Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg, director: Ramin Gray
• 2008 Sea Wall , U: 8th October 2008, Bush Theater, London, directed by George Perrin
  • Steilwand , DSE: January 10, 2010, Schauspiel Frankfurt , Frankfurt am Main, director: Lily Sykes
• 2009 Heaven , U: 11th August 2009, Traverse Theater , Edinburgh
• 2009 Punk Rock , U: 3rd September 2009, Lyric Hammersmith Theater , London, directed by Sarah Frankcom
• 2010 Ubu , U: April 16, 2010, Schauspiel Essen , director: Sebastian Nübling
• 2010 Marine Parade , music: Mark Eitzel , DSE: June 2010, Staatstheater Mainz
• 2010: T5 , U: 18th August 2010, Traverse Theater, Einburgh as part of the Edinburgh Festival , directed by Dominic Hill
  • 2011: Terminal 5 , DSE: February 16, 2011, Schauspiel Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Box; Directed by Lily Sykes
• 2011 Wastwater , directed by Katie Mitchell , WP: Royal Court Theater , London
  • 2011: Wastwater , director: Katie Mitchell, English with German surtitles; DSE: May 14, 2011, Wiener Festwochen , Hall G in the Museumsquartier Vienna
• 2011: Three Kingdoms , director: Sebastian Nübling, world premiere: Teater NO99 , Tallinn , Estonia
  • 2011: Director: Sebastian Nübling, DSE: October 15, 2011, Münchner Kammerspiele , Munich
  • 2012: Lyric Hammersmith Theater, London.
• 2014: Carmen Disruption , Director: Sebastian Nübling , Premiere: March 18, 2014, Deutsches Schauspielhaus , Hamburg.
• 2014 Birdland , U on April 9, 2014 at the Royal Court Theater, London (Director: Carrie Cracknell), DSE on October 2, 2016 at the Nationaltheater Mannheim (Director: Burkhard Kosminski )
• 2019 Maria , U: January 19, 2019, Thalia Theater, Hamburg, director: Sebastian Nübling

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://www.rowohlt-theaterverlag.de/autor/Simon_Stephens.72041.html , accessed on January 22, 2017
2. ↑ Babylon burned down in: FAZ from October 19, 2011, page 30

Web links

• Literature by and about Simon Stephens in the catalog of the German National Library
• Stephens' blog on the Guardian (English) ( Memento of 12 May 2008 at the Internet Archive )
• Interview with the BBC, November 6, 2002 (English)
• Interview in TIMEOUT, April 19, 2006 (English)
• mp3 interview on THEATREVOICE.COM, April 28, 2006 (35 min./english)
• Interview in DIE ZEIT, May 21, 2008
• Interview in THE OBSERVER, August 30, 2009 (English)