Skylight is a play by British dramatist David Hare

David Hare (dramatist)

Sir David Hare is an English playwright and theatre and film director.-Early life:Hare was born in St Leonards-on-Sea, Hastings, East Sussex, the son of Agnes and Clifford Hare, a sailor. He was educated at Lancing, an independent school in West Sussex, and at Jesus College, Cambridge...

. It opened at the Royal National Theatre, Cottesloe, directed by Richard Eyre

Richard Eyre

Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre CBE is an English director of film, theatre, television, and opera.-Biography:Eyre was educated at Sherborne School, an independent school for boys in the market town of Sherborne in north-west Dorset in south-west England, followed by Peterhouse at the University...

, in 1995. The production then moved to the Wyndham's Theatre

Wyndham's Theatre

Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by the actor/manager Charles Wyndham . Located on Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, it was designed by W.G.R. Sprague about 1898, the architect of six other London theatres between then and 1916...

  for a short run from 13 February 1996, after winning the Laurence Olivier Award for the 1995 season.

Plot

East London school teacher Kyra Hollis is visited on the same night by son and father Edward and Tom Sargeant. Kyra had been living with the Sargeant family years earlier, but left after her affair with Tom was discovered by Tom's wife, who has since passed. Edward now accuses Kyra of having left him as well, as he saw her as a big sister; and he demands to know why she left his life.

Shortly thereafter, Tom, a wealthy restaurateur, with real life references to Terence Conran

Terence Conran

Sir Terence Orby Conran, FCSD, is an English designer, restaurateur, retailer and writer.-Early life and education:Terence Conran was born in Kingston upon Thames, the son of Christina Mabel and South African-born Gerard Rupert Conran, a businessman who owned a rubber importation company in East...

, appears unheralded and for no apparent reason. Kyra's less than glamorous lifestyle leads him to poke fun at her to the point of insult, accusing her of self-punishment. After Kyra cooks a spaghetti dinner (which the actress actually cooks on stage), the talk turns to their relationship, and it becomes clear that their chances to be rekindled rest on whether one of them can change their preconceived notions of the other.

Awards and nominations

Awards

• 1996 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play
• 1997 Theatre World Special Award for Ensemble Performance (Michael Gambon
  Michael Gambon
  Sir Michael John Gambon, CBE is an Irish actor who has worked in theatre, television and film. A highly respected theatre actor, Gambon is recognised for his roles as Philip Marlowe in the BBC television serial The Singing Detective, as Jules Maigret in the 1990s ITV serial Maigret, and as...
  
  , Lia Williams
  Lia Williams
  Lia Williams is an English actress and film director, notable for many stage, film, and television appearances. She is possibly best known for her role in the motion picture, Dirty Weekend...
  
   and Christian Camargo
  Christian Camargo
  Christian Camargo is an American actor, perhaps best known for his role of Brian Moser in the Showtime drama Dexter.-Early life:...
  
  )

Nominations

• 1996 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor (Michael Gambon)
• 1997 Tony Award for Best Play
• 1997 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Michael Gambon)
• 1997 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (Lia Williams)
• 1997 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play (Richard Eyre
  Richard Eyre
  Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre CBE is an English director of film, theatre, television, and opera.-Biography:Eyre was educated at Sherborne School, an independent school for boys in the market town of Sherborne in north-west Dorset in south-west England, followed by Peterhouse at the University...
  
  )
• 1997 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play (Michael Gambon)
• 1997 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play (Lia Williams)