Stephen Jeffreys

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John Stephen Gerrard Jeffreys

film starring Malkovich and Johnny Depp
.

Career

Jeffreys attended the University of Southampton, graduating with an English literature degree in 1972.[3] In 1975 he started working at the Royal Court Theatre in London as assistant electrician.[2] He began writing plays about the same time.[4]

His first play, Like Dolls or Angels (1977), won the Sunday Times Playwriting Award at the

Evening Standard Theatre Award and Critics' Circle Theatre Award
for Most Promising Playwright. It was based on his experience sharing a basement flat in London's Earls Court with three others who were also working in theatre.

Starting in 1994, he worked as Literary Associate for the Royal Court Theatre for eleven years, contributing to the development of plays such as Mojo by Jez Butterworth.[2] Here, he also gave playwriting workshops, which were attended by playwrights such as Simon Stephens, Roy Williams and April De Angelis. Stephens later said about Jeffreys: "Stephen Jeffreys is as important a teacher as he is brilliant a writer. Without him, I wouldn't have been able to write the plays that I have written."[5] Jeffreys was commissioned to write a book on playwriting based on his workshops, which was not yet finished when he died in 2018. Completed by his friends, colleagues and widow Annabel Arden, the book was published posthumously in 2019 by Nick Hern Books.

Besides plays, Jeffreys wrote the films

The Libertine and Diana. He co-authored the Beatles musical Backbeat and translated The Magic Flute for the English National Opera.[5]

Written works

His plays and screenplays include:

Awards

  • Sunday Times Playwriting Award (1977) for Like Dolls or Angels at the National Student Drama Festival
  • Fringe First award (1984) for Carmen 1936 at the
    Edinburgh Fringe Festival
  • Critics Circle Theatre Award
    for Most Promising Playwright (1989).

Personal life

He was married to theatre and opera director Annabel Arden.[11]

Further reading

References

  1. required.)
  2. ^ a b c Coveney, Michael (18 September 2018). "Stephen Jeffreys obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  3. ^ Arden, Annabel (18 September 2018). "Remembering Stephen Jeffreys". Nick Hern Books. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  4. ^ a b Genzlinger, Neil (20 September 2018). "Stephen Jeffreys, Playwright Known for 'The Libertine,' Dies at 68". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Playwriting By Stephen Jeffreys". Nick Hern Books. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  6. ^ "Stephen Jeffreys". Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
  7. ^ "Out of Joint".
  8. ^ "Sydney Theatre Company - Homepage". Sydney Theatre Company.
  9. ^ "Official Duke of York's Theatre Website", Ambassador Theatre Group, accessed August 22, 2011.
  10. ^ "Princess Diana film 'got it completely wrong' says former lover Hasnat Khan". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  11. ^ "Portrait of the artist: Annabel Arden, director". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 April 2014.

External links