Song from Far Away

About Mark EitzelSimon Stephens

Simon Stephens began his theatrical career in the literary department of the Royal Court Theatre where he ran its Young Writers' Programme. His plays for theatre include Bluebird (Royal Court Theatre) Herons (Royal Court Theatre 2001); Port (Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester 2002); One Minute (Crucible Theatre Sheffield 2003 and Bush Theatre London 2004); Christmas (Bush Theatre 2004); Country Music (Royal Court Theatre Upstairs 2004); On the Shore of the Wide World (Royal Exchange Theatre and National Theatre London 2005); Motortown (Royal Court Theatre Downstairs 2006); Pornography (Tricycle Theatre London 2009); Harper Regan (National Theatre 2008); Sea Wall (Bush Theatre 2009); Heaven (Traverse Theatre 2009); Punk Rock (Lyric Hammersmith London 2009); The Trial of Ubu (Essen Schauspielhaus/Toneelgroep Amsterdam 2010); A Thousand Stars Explode in the Sky (co-written with David Eldridge and Robert Holman; Lyric Hammersmith London 2010); Wastwater (Royal Court Theatre Downstairs 2011); Morning (Lyric Hammersmith 2012); an adaptation of A Doll's House (Young Vic 2012); an adaptation of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (National Theatre 2012); Blindsided (Royal Exchange 2014); and Birdland (Royal Court 2014). His radio plays include Five Letters Home to Elizabeth (BBC Radio 4 2001) and Digging (BBC Radio 4 2003). Awards include the Pearson Award for Best New Play 2001 for Port; Olivier Award for Best New Play for On the Shore of the Wide World 2005; and for Motortown German critics in Theater Heute's annual poll voted him Best Foreign Playwright 2007. His adaptation of Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Play. Mark Eitzel has released over 17 albums of original material with American Music Club and as a solo artist. The Guardian has called him Americas greatest living lyricist and Rolling Stone once gave him their Songwriter of the Year award. Born in California his family travelled to Okinawa Taiwan and eventually to the UK where he spent his formative years. He eventually moved back to San Francisco and in 1983 formed AMC who released seven albums before breaking up in 1995. The band reunited in 2004 for two full-lengths Love Songs for Patriots and The Golden Age. In April of 2012 while working on his last solo record Eitzel suffered a heart attack which forced him to slow down and delayed the albums release. In 2015 he wrote music for Simon Stephens Song from Far Away (Toneelgroep Amsterdam and Young Vic; dir. Ivo Van Hove) his second collaboration with the English playwright following the Brighton based Marine Parade (Brighton Festival; dir. Jo McInnes). In 2017 Mark released 'Hey Mr Ferryman' which UNCUT magazine called Eitzel at his unflinching best and Q said Eitzel's best album in years with Spain's El Pais gave it new album of the week as did Rolling Stone Germany. Mark is again collaborating with Simon Stephens on a new musical Cornelia St (Atlantic Theatre; dir. Neil Pepe) debuting Feb 2023 and also a solo album tentatively titled Fall Risk The American Music Club early back catalogue will be reissued as a box set at the end of 2023.