Interruptions is inspired by Stephen Jeffreys' interest in the collective aspect of politics and his fascination with the Japanese aesthetic principle of Jo-ha-kyu. The play was first performed at UC Davis, California, in 2001. 'I had the great pleasure of working with Stephen Jeffreys on his play, The Libertine . Would that all playwrights had his openness, his talent, his hard-headedness, his experience, his enthusiasm, his complexity, and perhaps best of all his talent and interest in eliciting the best in others' - John Malkovich 'Stephen's plays always bear the kitemark of unique, handcrafted quality' - Ian Rickson