Edinburgh theatre fanatics are mourning the loss of one of their own.
The death of Sir Tom Stoppard, an Edinburgh Fringe sensation, has deeply affected the local community.
Stoppard, an award winning playwright and cultural figure passed away on Saturday at the age of 88.
Theatre critic, Mark Shenton, said: “He had a phenomenal impact. He was probably Britain’s leading playwright.”
His budding career began in Edinburgh, with the play, ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead’ first debuting at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1966.
Young writers and actors involved in the Edinburgh theatre community are remembering his legacy, noting how special the Fringe is for up and coming artists.
After premiering at the Fringe, Rosencrantz went on to the National Theatre in London, plummeting Stoppard’s career into stardom.
Huw Turnboll, who has a masters degree in playwriting from Edinburgh University said: “Tom Stoppard’s work has been an inspiration to me and many other playwrights. I have found his use of meta-theatre in plays like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and the Real Inspector Hound to be particularly inspiring for my own work.”
Huw went on: “The Fringe means everything to aspiring playwrights as a celebration of theatre and performance, as well as an opportunity to showcase new and exciting work, the Fringe certainly had an impact on Stoppard’s career. Which makes him part of the community here.”
Over the course of six decades, Stoppard has written dozens of plays which have shaped British Theatre and inspired a whole generation of playwrights and actors.
Sir Tom, originally Tomáš Sträussler, was born to Jewish parents in Czechoslovakia. During the German occupation, his family escaped to Singapore and then relocated to Nottingham, England in 1945 after his father’s death
He began his career as a journalist in Bristol, where he was a theatre critic for the Bristol Evening World. This likely strengthened his writing abilities and skills which would later be showcased throughout his work.
Stoppard’s most popular plays include Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1966), Jumpers (1972), Travesties (1974), Night and Day (1978), The Real Thing (1982), Arcadia (1993) and Shakespeare in Love (1998).
Frequently compared to Shakespeare, Tom went on to win several awards, including an Oscar for best original screenplay. His work varies in topics, from elements of human rights, comedy, dark satire, and politics, he is often described as one of Britain’s most prolific playwright’s.
Eleanor Rennie, an English literature graduate from Edinburgh, and aspiring writer, said: “I gravitated towards a lot of his work whilst i was studying.
“Knowing he participated in the fringe sparked my love for theatre and significantly inspired my interest in music and writing. I am so sorry to hear about his passing.”
