A Slow Fire - (Modern Plays) by Simon Stephens (Paperback)

About the Book

Part thriller, part excavation of the soul, Simon Stephens' gripping new play sees the world on the other side of an apocalypse.

Book Synopsis

The hope is what matters.

In a disused bunker on the edge of an imaginary city in the aftermath of an apocalypse, Ashton and Reece have spent years looking for hope in the stories they act out. And then one day, from nowhere, a stranger arrives. He has a generator. He has fresh meat. And he has a gun.

The staggering new play from Tony and Olivier award-winning playwright Simon Stephens is part thriller, part excavation of the soul.

This edition was published to coincide with the UK premiere production by Glass Mask Theatre at Jermyn Street theatre in August 2026.

Review Quotes

"In Simon Stephens's astonishing new play, hope is a bleak experiment" --The Irish Times

About the Author

For more than twenty-five years Simon Stephens' work has been widely translated and produced throughout the world. He has won many Awards including Olivier and Tony Awards for new plays. His 2026 play An Ark staged by Tim Drum Collective at the Shed in New York was one of the first plays ever written for Mixed Reality . His radical adaptation of Uncle Vanya, Vanya, starring Andrew Scott ran in London's West End and at the Lucille Lortel, New York between Autumn 23 and Spring 25. His most famous play is his adaptation of Mark Haddon's best-selling novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. He has had thirty five original plays produced professionally.