Simon Stephens
Simon Stephens (born 6 February 1971) is a British-Irish playwright and Professor of Scriptwriting at Manchester Metropolitan University. Having taught on the Young Writers' Programme at the Royal Court Theatre for many years, he is now an Artistic Associate at the Lyric Hammersmith. He is the inaugural Associate Playwright of Steep Theatre Company, Chicago, where four of his plays, Harper Regan, Motortown, Wastwater, and Birdland had their U.S. premieres.[1][2][3] His writing is widely performed throughout Europe and, along with Dennis Kelly and Martin Crimp, he is one of the most performed English-language writers in Germany.[4]
Not to be confused with Simon James Stevens or Simon Stevens.
Simon Stephens
Life[edit]
Originally from Stockport, Greater Manchester,[5] Stephens graduated from the University of York with a degree in History.[6] 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. He worked as a teacher for a few years, before leaving to become a playwright. In 2017, 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.
Stephens lives in London with his wife and three children. He has three cats, a dog, a snake and a capybara as pets. In 2016, Stephens published A Working Diary, an account of his activities in 2014.[7]