Simon Stephens - Herons

Simon Stephens first play, Bring Me Sunshine, was staged at the Assembly Rooms at the 1997 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, transferring to the Riverside Studios in London the same year. It was revived by the Royal Exchange in Manchester in 2000. His next play, Bluebird, was produced by the Royal Court in London in 1998 as part of their Choice festival of new writing and received much critical acclaim. In 2000 he was the Arts Council Resident Dramatist at the Royal Court and the Pearson Attached Playwright at the Royal Exchange in Manchester. ROYAL COURTRoyal Court Theatre presentsby Simon StephensFirst performance at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Upstairs,
Sloane Square, London on 18 May 2001. by Simon Stephens Cast in order of appearance Billy Lee Russell Billy Seymour Scott Cooper Robert Boulter Aaron Riley Stuart Morris Darren Madden Ryan Winsley Adele Kent Lia Seville Charlie Russell Nicolas Tennant Michelle Russell Jane Hazlegrove Director Simon Usher Designer Antony Lamble Lighting Designer Paul Russell Sound Designer Ian Dickinson Casting Lisa Makin, Amy Ball Production Manager Sue Bird Company Stage Manager Cath Binks Stage Management Suzanne Bourke, Louise McDermott Stage Management Work Placement Dani Youngman Costume Supervisor Suzanne Duffy Voice Coach Patsy Rodenburg Royal Court Theatre would like to thank the following for their help with this production:
Fishing Equipment from Shapes of Aberdeen, London, Imperial Tobacco Limited Hogshead, Islington, Wardrobe care by Persil and Comfort courtesy of Lever Brothers Ltd. Since 1993 Jerwood New Playwrights have contributed to some of the Royal Courts most successful productions, including SHOPPING AND FUCKING by Hark Ravenhill (co-production with Out of Joint), EAST IS EAST by Ayub Khan-Din (co-production with Tamasha), THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE by Martin McDonagh (co-production with Druid Theatre Company), THE WEIR by Conor McPherson, REAL CLASSY AFFAIR by Nick Grosso, THE FORCE OF CHANGE by Gary Mitchell, ON RAFTERYS HILL by Marina Carr (co-production with Druid Theatre Company),4.48 PSYCHOSIS by Sarah Kane and UNDER THE BLUE SKY by David Eldridge.

The Jerwood Charitable Foundation is a registered charity dedicated to imaginative and responsible funding and sponsorship of the arts, education, design and other areas of human endeavour and excellence. This season Jerwood New Playwrights are supporting PRESENCE by David Harrower, HERONS by Simon Stephens and CLUBLAND by Roy Williams. www.jerwood.org.uk UNDER THE BLUE SKY by David Eldridge (photo: Ivan Kyncl) EAST IS EAST by Ayub Khan-Din (photo: Robert Day)

Simon Stephens (writer) For the Royal Court: Bluebird (Choice Festival, 1998). Other theatre includes: Bring Me Sunshine (Assembly Rooms, 1997 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and revived Manchester Royal Exchange, 2000). Simons radio play William Curran is due to be broadcast by Radio 4 in September. Robert Boulter Theatre includes: Runaways (Questors); Grease,
Little Shop of Horrors (Watford).
Television includes: The Bill, TV commercials. Ian Dickinson (sound designer) Theatre includes: Search and Destroy (New End, Hampstead); Phaedra, Three Sisters, The Shaughraun, Writers Cramp (Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh); The Whores Dream (RSC Fringe, Edinburgh); As You Like It, An Experienced Woman Gives Advice, Present Laughter, The Philadelphia Story, Wolks World, Poor Superman, Martin Yesterday, Fast Food, Coyote Ugly, Prizenight (Royal Exchange, Manchester); Great Monsters of Western Street (Throat Theatre Company); Small Craft warnings, Tieble and Her Demon (Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards Best Design Team), The Merchant or Venice, Death and The Maiden (Library Theatre Company, Manchester). Ian Dickinson (sound designer) Theatre includes: Search and Destroy (New End, Hampstead); Phaedra, Three Sisters, The Shaughraun, Writers Cramp (Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh); The Whores Dream (RSC Fringe, Edinburgh); As You Like It, An Experienced Woman Gives Advice, Present Laughter, The Philadelphia Story, Wolks World, Poor Superman, Martin Yesterday, Fast Food, Coyote Ugly, Prizenight (Royal Exchange, Manchester); Great Monsters of Western Street (Throat Theatre Company); Small Craft warnings, Tieble and Her Demon (Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards Best Design Team), The Merchant or Venice, Death and The Maiden (Library Theatre Company, Manchester).

Ian is Sound Deputy at the Royal Court. Jane Hazlegrove Theatre includes: Snake in the Grass (Old Vic); Wishbones, Boom Bang-a-Bang, The Mortal Ash (Bush); The Wolves (Paines Plough tour); Heartbreak House (Coventry); My Mother Said I Never Should, Blood Wedding (Bolton); The Crucible (Manchester Library); To Kill a Mockingbird (Manchester Contact). Television includes: Without Motive, The Cops, Hero to Zero, Big Smoke, Jonathan Creek, Shooting Star. Film includes: Heidi, The Whipping Boy, The River Esk Triumph. Anthony Lamble (designer) Theatre includes: The Contractor, Troilus and Cressida (Oxford Stage Company); The Sea, Aristocrats, The Retreat from Moscow, The School of Night, Insignificance, The King of Prussia (Minerva, Chichester); A Midsummer Nights Dream, As You Like It (RNT and tour); Lettice and Lovage, Burning Everest, Exquisite Sister (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Card Boys, All of You Mine, Mortal Ash, Pondlife (Bush), Anthony has also designed productions for Leicester Haymarket, Sheffield Crucible, Almeida Music Festival, English Touring Theatre, Belgrade, Coventry, The Gate, Riverside Studios, Lyric Hammersmith. Shared Experience, Paines Plough and RSC Pit.

Opera includes: Palace in the Sky (Hackney Empire for the ENO/Lilian Baylis Programme), LOrfeo (Purcell Quartet, Japanese tour). Film includes: A Secret Audience. Anthony is a course tutor for the Motley Theatre Design Course. Stuart Morris Theatre includes: Oliver (London Palladium); Dick Daredevil (Drill Hall). Television includes: Home Farm Twins, Monsignor Renard, Casualty, Londons Burning, Anythings Possible, Shane Ritchie Experience, Middlemarch, The Tony Ferrino Phenomenon, Eastenders, Disney Club, Crimewatch, Get Your Act Together. Paul Russell (lighting designer) For the Royal Court: Not a Game for Boys. Paul Russell (lighting designer) For the Royal Court: Not a Game for Boys.

Other theatre includes: Hard Times (Watermill, Newbury); Closer (RNT international tour); Madame Butterfly (Singapore Repertory Theatre); Trainspotting, Raising Fires, One Flea Spare (amongst many other productions at the Bush); The Way You Look Tonight (Druid); Exodus (Tara Arts); The Cherry Orchard (Guildhall); Dantons Death, The Portuguese Boat Plays, The Great Highway, Rousseaus Tale, Bad Blood, Picnic/Guernica, Talking Tongues, Anowa, Dear Elena Sergeievna, Silver Face, Hunting Scenes in Lower Bavaria (Gate); Madness in Valencia, The Great Pretenders (Gate and tour); Fat Janet, lona Rain (Croydon Warehouse); Peribanez (Cambridge Arts); The Wolves (Paines Plough tour); My Mother Said I Never Should (Oxford Stage Co); Yiddish Trojan Woman (Cockpit); Boy (Everyman Liverpool/Lyric Hammersmith/BAC and national tour); Love at a Loss (BAC and national tour); Mr Director (Orange Tree); Theaker Dance (Palace and tour); Webster (Old Red Lion); The Eleventh Commandment (Hampstead); Max Clapper (Electric Cinema); Exquisite Sister (West Yorkshire Playhouse/Edinburgh festival); Musical Scenes (BAC); Pigs Ear (Liverpool Playhouse) Opera includes: Snatched by the Gods, Broken Strings (Almeida), Linda Di Chamonix, Rape of Lucretia (Guildhall), Cosi Fan Tutti (Ealing). West Side Story (Pimlico Opera at Wandsworth Prison). Paul is Resident Production Manager at the Young Vic.