playwright

by storm in 1995 with his break-out hit Mojo, carving a name for himself among the edgiest playwrights. The writer-centric Royal Court Theatre first took an interest in Butterworth and produced his play about underground rock ‘n roll in late 1950s Soho, London. Butterworth explains, "I was interested in that historical moment: rock'n'roll landing like a spaceship on postwar, just-out-of-rationing Britain." Lauded by critics and presented with numerous awards for his sensational Mojo, Butterworth was among the hottest British playwrights.

After Mojo’s whirlwind success, Butterworth turned his gage towards the silver screen. He was commissioned to adapt Mojo into a screenplay and made his directorial debut with this film, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival featuring playwriting legend, Harold Pinter. In 2001, he directed another self-penned screenplay, Birthday Girl, starring Nicole Kidman. A year later, Butterworth premiered his newest play, The Night Heron.

 A master of both playwriting and screenwriting, Butterworth explains that the two are very different crafts for him: “Screenwriting and playwriting always strike me as like different sports that I can play. It’s like cricket and football; they don’t really have much to do with each other except a lot of strenuous activity.” He confesses that screenwriting comes easier to him but that he is fascinated by the stage because it poses more of a challenge to him as a writer.

In 2005, Butterworth moved his young family from fast-paced London to the fresh air of the English country side. Butterworth found respite his new rural environment. He also prides himself on raising pigs on his humble farm, which he and his family eat.

Fresh air did this now middle-aged playwright well. A few years after his move, he pumped out two major hits in one year. Butterworth premiered Parlour Song in 2008 at the Atlantic Theatre, which transferred to the Almeida for its English debut. In the fall of that same year, he opened Jerusalem at The Royal Court Theatre, which received extraordinary praise before a successful transfer to the West End. Long-time collaborator Ian Rickson, who has directed most of Butterworth stage plays, notices, “Having children and animals has had a really powerful effect on [Butterworth’s] work