Mappa Mundi

Description

A new play by the award-winning author of The Memory of Water London, the 1990s. Jack is afraid of dying, while his 40-something daughter is preparing for her wedding to a black lawyer, Sholto. As the family gathers for the forthcoming festivities, Jack attempts to reconcile himself with the unexpected decisions of those in whom he has always trusted, as well as starting to question his own, not unblemished past. A haunting play about memory, guilt and redemption."An acute and funny writer, Stephenson carves out a welcome territory that is distinctive, contemporary and theatrical" Independent Mappa Mundi is published to tie in with its premiere at the National theatre, London in October 2002

Shelagh Stephenson was born in Northumberland and read drama at Manchester University. Her first stage play, The Memory of Water, premiered at Hampstead Theatre in 1996 and subsequently transferred to the West End, where it won an Olivier Award for Best Comedy in 2000. Her second play, An Experiment With An Air Pump, opened at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. It was joint recipient of the Peggy Ramsay Award and later transferred to the Hampstead Theatre. Both plays subsequently ran at New York's Manhattan Theatre Club. Her third play, Ancient Lights, was produced at Hampstead Theatre in December 2000. She has written several radio plays, including the award-winning Five Kinds of Silence, which she adapted for the stage and which was presented at the Lyric, Hammersmith in 2000. Her screen adaptation of The Memory of Water was released in spring 2002 with the title Before You Go.

"An acute and funny writer, Stephenson carves out a welcome territory that is distinctive, contemporary and theatrical." --Independent