Simon Mendes da Costa is a British

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

. He trained as an actor at the

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (BOVTS) is a drama school in Bristol, England. The institution provides training in acting and production for careers in film, television and theatre. BOVTS was an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance a ...

between 1989 and 1991. His first play, ''Table for One'', opened at the

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 London Borough of Islington ( ) is a London borough, borough in North London, England. Forming par ...

on 6 November 2001. and he was nominated for 'Most Promising Playwright' at the

Evening Standard Award The ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Awards, established in 1955, are the oldest theatrical awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. They are presented annually for outstanding achievements in London Theatre, and are organised by the ''Evening Standa ...

s in 2005. His play ''

Losing Louis ''Losing Louis'' a play by Simon Mendes da Costa, is a black comedy which first premiered at the Hampstead Theatre, London, on 24 January 2005. It was produced by Michael Codron and starred Alison Steadman and Lynda Bellingham and was directed b ...

'' premiered at the

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. History The original ''Hampstead Theatre Clu ...

, London, on 24 January 2005. It was produced by

Michael Codron Sir Michael Victor Codron (born 8 June 1930) is a British theatre producer, known for his productions of the early work of Harold Pinter, Christopher Hampton, David Hare, Simon Gray and Tom Stoppard. He has been honoured with a Laurence Olivie ...

and starred

Alison Steadman Alison Steadman (born 26 August 1946) is an English actress. She received the 1977 Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for ''Abigail's Party'', the 1991 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress for the Mike Leigh film ...

and

Lynda Bellingham Lynda Bellingham ( ; 31 May 194819 October 2014) was an English actress, broadcaster and author. She acted in television series such as ''All Creatures Great and Small (1978 TV series), All Creatures Great and Small'', ''Doctor Who'', ''Second Tho ...

and was directed by Robin Lefevre. Following

it transferred immediately to the West End before embarking on a No 1. Southern tour the following year. It also opened on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

at the Biltmore Theatre on 12 October 2006, in a different (Americanised) production called ''Losing Louie'', directed by

Jerry Zaks Jerry Zaks (born September 7, 1946) is an 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'' (1986), '' Lend Me a Tenor'' (1989), ...

. He was the Literary Associate at the

Marlowe Theatre The Marlowe Theatre is a 1,200-seat theatre in Canterbury named after playwright Christopher Marlowe, who was born and attended school in the city. It was named a The Stage Awards, Stage Awards, 2022 UK Theatre of the Year. The Marlowe Trust ...

in Canterbury, Kent (2012–2015) where he also ran multiple writing master classes. His most recent play ''A Better Woman'' opened at the Marlowe Theatre on 7 December 2015.A Better Woman, Published by Greeheart Press

References

British dramatists and playwrights Living people British male stage actors Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) British male dramatists and playwrights {{UK-bio-stub