Remembering Tom Stoppard (3 July 1937- 29 November 2025)
- ldanderson88
- 11 hours ago
- 3 min read
In light of the recent news of Tom Stoppard’s passing at the age of eighty-eight, the Dramaturgs’ Network wishes to express our gratitude to the late playwright for his generous support over the years, share some words of remembrance with our membership, and offer condolences to his family and relatives.
By now, the impressive range, breadth, and depth of Stoppard’s writing career have been extensively memorialised. Many moving and insightful tributes have been published that celebrate his unique contribution to theatrical dramaturgy.
Stoppard crafted intellectually ambitious plays that stretched the possibilities of theatrical form. His work probed complex philosophical questions and confronted the enduring wounds left by Europe’s painful political histories with unflinching moral force. He grounded all of this in emotionally complex characters, whose rich inner lives he illustrated with nuance and humanity.
When we founded the Kenneth Tynan Award, Stoppard was among the first to lend his support. He wrote us a speech, and later sent a donation, accompanied by a note that read, “It’s a good way to remember Ken. Tom S.” When we invited him to speak at the Kenneth Tynan Award ceremony in 2012, he delivered a memorably witty and insightful speech reflecting on the personal and critical influence of his late friend and colleague that you can read here. As an early-career playwright in the 1960s, Stoppard looked up to Tynan, an influential critic who shaped the discourse surrounding contemporary drama and theatre. Stoppard once wrote, “So in 1960, when I sat down to try to write a play, I was consciously trying to write for him.”
Tynan went onto play a crucial role in the early stages of Stoppard’s career, particularly in shaping his breakthrough moment. Tynan recognised the talent and potential behind Stoppard’s new play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, presented at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1966. Tynan – who by then had left the Observer and worked as the first literary manager of the National Theatre – was instrumental in convincing Laurence Olivier to stage the play. (It was then premiered the following spring in Derek Goldby’s staging, who at the age of 25 was the youngest director working for the National.) The international success the production marked the beginning of Stoppard’s journey to becoming a national treasure and established a lifelong friendship that stemmed from Tynan’s mentorship.
Stoppard remained steadfast in his generous support for many of the Dramaturgs’ Network’s events and initiatives over several years, enabling us to shape our programme of activities, engage more members, and expand our network. In the lead-up to our 2022 international roundtable, Resistance and Activism in Ukrainian Theatre - organised in partnership with the Ukrainian Institute in Kyiv to raise funds for Razom for Ukraine - Stoppard personally reached out to our organisers in an impromptu early-morning phone call, offering a generous donation and solidarity for our panel of Ukrainian artists with his characteristic blend of self-effacement and seriousness.
Katalin Trencsényi, co-founder of the Dramaturgs’ Network, says:
“We will remember Tom Stoppard not only as an extraordinary playwright who created many remarkable works exploring the human condition, but also as a generous theatre professional who recognised the importance and value of theatre criticism and dramaturgy. He played a vital role in acknowledging the work of those theatre professionals who contribute significantly to shaping the paths of playwrights. Tom Stoppard’s wit, generosity, and warmth will be greatly missed.”
Thank you, Tom.
Dramaturgs’ Network Board and Council, 1st December 2025
