Stephen Unwin

Stephen Unwin is one of Britain’s leading theatre and opera directors. He founded English Touring Theatre in 1993 and opened the Rose Theatre Kingston in 2008, which he ran until 2014. He is the author of ten books, including guides to Shakespeare, Brecht, Ibsen and twentieth century drama for Faber and Faber, Nick Hern Books and Bloomsbury. In 2022 Reaktion published his Poor Naked Wretches, an original and much praised study of Shakespeare’s working people. Stephen’s second son Joey has severe learning disabilities and Stephen is a campaigner for the rights and opportunities of people like him. His stage plays includes All Our Children (London, 2017; New York 2019) and Laughing Boy (London, 2024), both of which concern the historic abuse of disabled children and young people. He writes a regular column for Byline Times, mostly on disability, as well as a popular blog on his website. http://www.stephenunwin.uk