Sarah kane

british 1971-99

She only published five plays during her lifetime, was never commissioned by royals and her work has not been adapted into major films, but Sarah Kane has had more effect on contemporary theatre than many other 20th-century playwrights. Creating stir when her first play, Blasted, was shown in 1995, she was either hailed as a visionary or attacked for her blunt and explicit writing. She was a big part of the so-called ‘in-yer-face’ theatre, which moved towards a more provocative, socially and politically critical and gritty depiction of the world through drama. Her influence is still felt through Western theatre today, especially among young playwrights.

At one point, there were 17 simultaneous productions of Kane’s works in Germany alone