Simon Stephens: A Working Diary

by Simon Stephens

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.

Genres: Theatre, Nonfiction

312 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2016

Reviews

[Eleanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to renew your faith in the power of storytelling, this is the book for you. I can't recommend this enough for any writers, actors, directors - anyone with even the slightest interest in theatre. I've attacked this with three different highlighters and a biro, and I'm sure I'll be referring to it for a long time to come. Every time he talked about why we write and how we should make theatre, it made me question my own expectations of the arts. This is the uncertainty he believes theatre should strive to create in its audiences.

I can't think of another book that's made me change my thoughts on how I act and write so much. I'm inspired to fail and to learn from it. To create better art.

[Sufiyaan · Rating 5 out of 5]

probably the most interesting & useful book i’ve ever read regarding the craft of writing. also, so much more

[Tuti · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliant. there are few books i‘ve learnt so much from as through this working diary by simon stephens about his year 2014. grateful that he was generous enough to share his thoughts, almost day by day. hope he will do it again for other years.
found the thoughts about the differences in theatre landscape in the uk, europe/germany, nyc very interesting, coming from someone who really worked in all of them.
and so much more, everything really.
hopefully - to be continued?

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting read, lots of reflections on theatre, how to write. What comes through as well is Simon Stephens very much as a teacher, going throughout the world delivering workshops and supporting emerging writers, alongside him being a very successful writer. And fascinating insight into his life, and being creative, at the same time as having shows on Broadway, in Germany, in UK.

[Katie Slater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ridiculously intelligent, able to articulate so much 🤯

[Ric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not even half way through the book and I feel comfortable with the five star rating. AND I'm comfortable for calling this book required reading for anyone in or interested in theatre. I'm a playwright myself and I find nuggets on the nature of writing and the creative process on every page.

[Kris Hallett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simon Stephens may be our greatest contemporary playwright. To my mind he is certainly the most articulate about what theatre is. This diary follows him around the globe on what was certainly a mammoth year of work. We hear about the meetings, the thought processes behind the writing, the workshops and the shows (especially Birdland, Curious Incident, Cherry Orchard & Carmen Interrupted). Its a book that will appeal most to theatre geeks like myself but there is enough diversions into the art of writing to think that it may be a template for student playwrights in the future as well. Fascinating.

[Emma Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic, inspiring read.