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A young woman finds herself washed up back home on the Scottish archipelago of Orkney, trying to rebuild her life after a decade of addiction.
The life she has left behind in London, with all its intoxicating temptations, has pushed her to the point of destruction. Now there is wildness of a different form – an alluring wilderness that she must learn to navigate..
Speaking to the impact of isolation and loneliness and – ultimately – the resilience of people, Amy Liptrot's bestselling memoir The Outrun has been adapted for the stage by Stef Smith. Directed by Vicky Featherstone, and co-produced by The Royal Lyceum Edinburgh and Edinburgh International Festival, it premiered at the 2024 Festival..
Amy Liptrot’s The Outrun was a Sunday Times bestseller, BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week, won the Wainwright Prize and the PEN Ackerley Prize, and was shortlisted for the Wellcome and Ondaatje Prizes.
The life she has left behind in London, with all its intoxicating temptations, has pushed her to the point of destruction. Now there is wildness of a different form – an alluring wilderness that she must learn to navigate..
Speaking to the impact of isolation and loneliness and – ultimately – the resilience of people, Amy Liptrot's bestselling memoir The Outrun has been adapted for the stage by Stef Smith. Directed by Vicky Featherstone, and co-produced by The Royal Lyceum Edinburgh and Edinburgh International Festival, it premiered at the 2024 Festival..
Amy Liptrot’s The Outrun was a Sunday Times bestseller, BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week, won the Wainwright Prize and the PEN Ackerley Prize, and was shortlisted for the Wellcome and Ondaatje Prizes.
Price: $22.95
Pages: 64
Publisher: Theatre Communications Group
Imprint: Nick Hern Books
Publication Date:
15 July 2025
Trim Size: 7.75 X 5.00 in
ISBN: 9781839043833
Format: Paperback
BISACs:
DRAMA / General, DRAMA / Women Authors, DRAMA / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh
'One of Scotland's boldest chroniclers of contemporary women's lives' —The Stage on Stef Smith
'A triumph... exquisitely written... breathtakingly sure-footed and perfectly crafted' —Scotsman
'Unflinching... devastating... sums up an entire millennial generation’s struggle for pleasure... roars with a sense of yearning... a delirious spectacle... dizzyingly euphoric' —The Herald
'Ambitious... very impressive... valiantly blurs the wild and the urban to portray the writer’s introspective journey to sobriety' —Guardian
'A nifty adaptation' —Observer
'Bold and moving... Stef Smith's sharp writing ensures that every line spoken has a purpose... a beautiful adaptation of Amy Liptrot's book, brought to life by a wonderful playwright' —Broadway World
'Powerful and contemplative' —Fest Mag
'Exceptional... Smith's adaptation is smart and concise... remarkable storytelling... a sensational theatrical achievement' —The Quinntessential Review
'Beautiful and painful' —British Theatre Guide
'A triumph... exquisitely written... breathtakingly sure-footed and perfectly crafted' —Scotsman
'Unflinching... devastating... sums up an entire millennial generation’s struggle for pleasure... roars with a sense of yearning... a delirious spectacle... dizzyingly euphoric' —The Herald
'Ambitious... very impressive... valiantly blurs the wild and the urban to portray the writer’s introspective journey to sobriety' —Guardian
'A nifty adaptation' —Observer
'Bold and moving... Stef Smith's sharp writing ensures that every line spoken has a purpose... a beautiful adaptation of Amy Liptrot's book, brought to life by a wonderful playwright' —Broadway World
'Powerful and contemplative' —Fest Mag
'Exceptional... Smith's adaptation is smart and concise... remarkable storytelling... a sensational theatrical achievement' —The Quinntessential Review
'Beautiful and painful' —British Theatre Guide
Amy Liptrot is a Scottish journalist and author.
Stef Smith is a playwright whose work includes: The Outrun, adapted from Amy Liptrot's memoir (Edinburgh International Festival, 2024); Enough (Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, 2019); Nora : A Doll's House (Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, 2019; revived at Young Vic, London, 2020); Girl in the Machine (Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, 2017); Human Animals (Royal Court Theatre, London, 2016); Swallow (Traverse Theatre, 2015); Remote (NT Connections 2015); And The Beat Goes On (Random Accomplice/Horsecross); Cured (The Arches, Glasgow); Woman of the Year (Òran Mór); Grey Matter (Lemon Tree, Aberdeen); Falling/Flying (Tron, Glasgow); Roadkill (Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 2010 & 2011).
Awards include: Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre, Critics Award for Theatre in Scotland for Best New Production, Amnesty International Expression of Freedom Award, Herald Angel Award, Total Theatre Award for Innovation, The Scotsman Fringe First Award (Roadkill); Scottish Arts Club Theatre Award for Drama, The Scotsman Fringe First Award (Swallow).
She has been awarded the New Playwright Award by Playwrights Studio, Scotland. Stef was a member of the Royal Court National Writers Group in 2013. She is an Associate Artist at the Traverse Theatre.
Stef Smith is a playwright whose work includes: The Outrun, adapted from Amy Liptrot's memoir (Edinburgh International Festival, 2024); Enough (Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, 2019); Nora : A Doll's House (Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, 2019; revived at Young Vic, London, 2020); Girl in the Machine (Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, 2017); Human Animals (Royal Court Theatre, London, 2016); Swallow (Traverse Theatre, 2015); Remote (NT Connections 2015); And The Beat Goes On (Random Accomplice/Horsecross); Cured (The Arches, Glasgow); Woman of the Year (Òran Mór); Grey Matter (Lemon Tree, Aberdeen); Falling/Flying (Tron, Glasgow); Roadkill (Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 2010 & 2011).
Awards include: Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre, Critics Award for Theatre in Scotland for Best New Production, Amnesty International Expression of Freedom Award, Herald Angel Award, Total Theatre Award for Innovation, The Scotsman Fringe First Award (Roadkill); Scottish Arts Club Theatre Award for Drama, The Scotsman Fringe First Award (Swallow).
She has been awarded the New Playwright Award by Playwrights Studio, Scotland. Stef was a member of the Royal Court National Writers Group in 2013. She is an Associate Artist at the Traverse Theatre.