Sydenham School receives visit from top playwright Simon Stephens (From News Shopper)

Sydenham School receives visit from top playwright Simon Stephens

12:58pm Wednesday 6th March 2013 in News By Patrick Grafton-Green

SYDENHAM School drama students received a visit from award-winning playwright Simon Stephens this week.

Mr Stephens - one of the UK's most successful and prolific playwrights - spent Monday (March 4) taking questions from students and inviting them to work on scenes from his 2002 play Port.

Sian Morrison, curriculum leader for performing arts, said: "Simon’s visit was very exciting for our students.

"It was a golden opportunity for them to question him about his plays they have studied, including the award-winning Port."

Mr Stephens is the writer and adaptor of numerous plays, including last year’s hit National Theatre production The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

He currently has several plays in Central London theatres and is Artistic Associate at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith.

At the end of the afternoon, he said: "It is all too easy when you get a bit of success in this business to pass-up chances to work with young people but there is something so important about being around the kinds of energy and curiosity that the young people have brought to these sessions. 

"I go away fired up myself by the potential that was palpable in the room today."