Only Human

Today’s entertainment may be fast and furious, but playwright SIMON STEPHENS tells MELAINNE CHIEW that the real trick is to slow down…with theatre

- Melainne Chiew

ENGLISH PLAYWRIGHT SIMON Stephens conjures up plots that sometimes revolve around offbeat situations, but his characters often shine through hopeful moments and modest revelations. In his 2015 production, Heisenberg: The Uncertainty Principle, an older man and a young woman start an unlikely romance after a serendipitous encounter in a crowded train station. Their meeting is random and their lives glaringly dissimilar, but their paths are somehow intertwined.

“In a broken world, people remain connected,” the two-time Olivier Award-winning dramatist contemplates. “The world lends itself to pessimism, and optimism is the only mature position.”

Indeed, there is a thread common to his uncommon scenarios. Life is uncertain but somewhat comical, and his characters resonate with the audience in remaining profoundly human.

Coasting through an age of instant gratification and its flurried stream of content might leave us wondering if a more languidly paced theatre fits anymore. “In a world of acceleration, we need to move slowly,” Stephens offers. “Theatre is more relevant today than it ever was. It is one space that demands strangers to engage in a shared experience for a while. If we [playwrights] tell our stories with truth and complexity we may exercise the humanness of our audience.”