Simon Mendes da Costa
Encyclopedia
Simon Mendes da Costa is a playwright
.
He trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
between 1989 and 1991. His first play, Table for One, opened at the Hen and Chickens Theatre
on 6 November 2001. and he was nominated for 'Most Promising Playwright' at the Evening Standard Awards in 2005.
His play Losing Louis
premiered at the Hampstead Theatre
, London
, on the 24 January 2005. It was produced by Michael Codron
and starred Alison Steadman
and Linda Bellingham and was directed by Robin Lefevre. Following Hampstead Theatre
it transferred immediately to the West End before embarking on a No 1. Southern tour the following year. It also opened on Broadway
at the Biltmore Theatre
on October 12, 2006, in a different production called Losing Louie, directed by Jerry Zaks
.
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
.
He trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, opened by Laurence Olivier in 1946, is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama, an organisation securing the highest standards of training in the performing arts, and is an associate school of the Faculty of Creative Arts of the University of the...
between 1989 and 1991. His first play, Table for One, opened at the Hen and Chickens Theatre
Hen and Chickens Theatre
The Hen and Chickens Theatre is a fringe venue for theatre and comedy situated above a pub at Highbury in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre management was awarded to actress Felicity Wren in 1999.-External links:*...
on 6 November 2001. and he was nominated for 'Most Promising Playwright' at the Evening Standard Awards in 2005.
His play Losing Louis
Losing Louis
Simon Mendes da Costa's play, Losing Louis, is a black comedy, first premiered at Hampstead Theatre on the 26th January 2005 and later transferred to Trafalgar Studios...
premiered at the Hampstead Theatre
Hampstead Theatre
Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in the vicinity of Swiss Cottage and Belsize Park, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. In 2009 it celebrates its 50 year anniversary.The original theatre was...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, on the 24 January 2005. It was produced by Michael Codron
Michael Codron
Michael Victor Codron is a British film and theatre producer, known for his productions of the early work of Harold Pinter, Christopher Hampton, David Hare, Simon Gray and Tom Stoppard...
and starred Alison Steadman
Alison Steadman
Alison Steadman OBE is an English actress. She established her career with roles such as Beverley in Abigail's Party and Candice Marie in Nuts in May for the director Mike Leigh, to whom she was once married. In addition to her stage and radio work, she has had lead roles in The Singing Detective,...
and Linda Bellingham and was directed by Robin Lefevre. Following Hampstead Theatre
Hampstead Theatre
Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in the vicinity of Swiss Cottage and Belsize Park, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. In 2009 it celebrates its 50 year anniversary.The original theatre was...
it transferred immediately to the West End before embarking on a No 1. Southern tour the following year. It also opened on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
at the Biltmore Theatre
Biltmore Theatre
The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 261 West 47th Street in midtown-Manhattan.-History:...
on October 12, 2006, in a different production called Losing Louie, directed by Jerry Zaks
Jerry Zaks
Jerry Zaks is a German-born American stage and television director, and actor. He won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play and Drama Desk Award for directing The House of Blue Leaves, Lend Me A Tenor, and Six Degrees of Separation and the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical and Drama...
.