Robin Soans

Robin Soans (born 20 June 1946) is a distinguished British actor and playwright whose work has become synonymous with verbatim and documentary theatre. Throughout his career he has blended rigorous research with dramatic storytelling, creating plays that give voice to ordinary people while probing social and political tensions. His breakthrough as a playwright came with Bet Noir at the Young Vic in 1986, but it was the 2000 Out of Joint production A State Affair that cemented his reputation for turning real‑world community issues—such as life on a Bradford estate—into compelling stage narratives. Subsequent works such as The Arab‑Israeli Cookbook (Gate Theatre, 2004) and Talking to Terrorists (Out of Joint and Royal Court) demonstrated his willingness to tackle contentious international subjects through the words of those directly involved. In 2007 he wrote Across the Divide, a piece that continued his exploration of divided societies, while his 2015 verbatim drama Crouch, Touch, Pause, Engage examined the experience of Welsh rugby star Gareth Thomas and the youth of Bridgend, touring nationally and receiving critical acclaim. As a writer he also contributed to theatre education, penning Mixed Up North for LAMDA in 2008, a play about a youth theatre group uniting racial communities in Burnley that later enjoyed a professional run with Out of Joint and Bolton Octagon. Parallel to his writing, Soans has maintained an active stage career, appearing at the National Theatre, the Royal Court, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Shakespeare’s Globe, and he even featured in Bill Douglas’s epic film Comrades about the Tolpuddle Martyrs. In 2014 he portrayed Arthur in Barney Norris’s Visitors at the Arcola, further evidencing his versatility as a performer. His contributions extend to publishing as well, having compiled The Arab‑Israeli Cookbook – The Recipes in 2004, which blends culinary tradition with cultural narrative. Robin Soans continues to influence contemporary British theatre through both his daring dramaturgy and his compelling presence on stage.