Simon Stephens International Plays: A Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark Blue; Maria; Fortune; Three Ghosts
Jun 2026 · Bloomsbury Publishing
Ebook
320
Pages
About this ebook
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.
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 transform...
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About the author
Simon Stephens began his theatrical career in the literary department of the Royal Court Theatre, where he ran its Young Writers' Programme. His plays for theatre include Bluebird (Royal Court Theatre) Herons (Royal Court Theatre, 2001); Port (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, 2002); One Minute (Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, 2003 and Bush Theatre, London, 2004); Christmas (Bush Theatre, 2004); Country Music (Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, 2004); On the Shore of the Wide World (Royal Exchange Theatre and National Theatre, London, 2005); Motortown (Royal Court Theatre Downstairs, 2006); Pornography (Tricycle Theatre, London, 2009); Harper Regan (National Theatre, 2008); Sea Wall (Bush Theatre, 2009); Heaven (Traverse Theatre, 2009); Punk Rock (Lyric Hammersmith, London, 2009); The Trial of Ubu (Essen Schauspielhaus/Toneelgroep Amsterdam, 2010); A Thousand Stars Explode in the Sky (co-written with David Eldridge and Robert Holman; Lyric Hammersmith, London, 2010); Wastwater (Royal Court Theatre Downstairs, 2011); Morning (Lyric Hammersmith, 2012); an adaptation of A Doll's House (Young Vic, 2012); an adaptation of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (National Theatre, 2012); Blindsided (Royal Exchange, 2014); and Birdland (Royal Court, 2014). His radio plays include Five Letters Home to Elizabeth (BBC Radio 4, 2001) and Digging (BBC Radio 4, 2003). Awards include the Pearson Award for Best New Play, 2001, for Port; Olivier Award for Best New Play for On the Shore of the Wide World, 2005; and for Motortown German critics in Theater Heute's annual poll voted him Best Foreign Playwright, 2007. His adaptation of Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Play.
Simon Stephens began his theatrical career in the literary department of the Royal Court Theatre, where he ran its Young Writers' Programme. His plays for theatre include Bluebird (Royal Court Theatre) Herons (Royal Court Theatre, 2001); Port (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, 2002); One Minute...
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