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Stella Duffy

Headshot of Stella Duffy

Stella Duffy is a writer and theatremaker. She is the co-director of the Fun Palaces campaign for cultural democracy and an annual weekend of action every October.

October 2025

  • Protesters at the Houses of Parliament, mostly women, with a Menopause Charity banner and "Join the #MenopauseRevolution" sign

    double quotation markWhat the menopause marketers won’t tell you: ageing is to be celebrated

    Stella Duffy
    Advertisers exploit our misogynistic culture, making women feel as if their bodies are broken. But better information might just help, says writer Stella Duffy

December 2022

  • GUARDIAN BOOKS DETECTIVE FINAL v2

    Guess who? Val McDermid, Ian Rankin, Sophie Hannah and other crime writers reveal their favourite detectives

    At the end of a year when murder mysteries rode high in the charts, we ask crime writers to celebrate the best fictional detectives

June 2017

  • .<br>‘Fun Palace’, Deptford, south London. - Fun Palace Makers testing out their `Giant Murder Investigation’ with local children 17-09-2014 Photograph by Martin Godwin For ARTS

    Reformation 2017
    Stella Duffy: Excellence in the arts should not be defined by the metropolitan elite

    Stella Duffy, the writer and theatre-maker, calls for a radical rethink of cultural policy in the UK

September 2015

  • Fun Palace frolics in Folkestone

    double quotation markA gallery with no pictures – why not?

    Stella Duffy
    Tate Modern’s new ‘space for conversation’ isn’t sidelining art, it’s inviting more of the public in

February 2015

  • A fun palace from 2014

    Fun Palaces 2015: realising the excellence of local communities

    Artistic excellence can only ever be subjective, writes Stella Duffy – let’s demand instead excellence of engagement and participation

November 2014

  • A doctor

    double quotation markTo my breast reconstruction surgeon

    Stella Duffy
    Stella Duffy: I stand before you, naked; you sit, fully clothed. I feel exposed, shy, uncertain. Who has told you to treat your patients this way?

March 2014

  • Billy Budd at the 2103 Glyndebourne Festival

    double quotation markArts for everyone on the BBC? Not with opera, ballet and still more Shakespeare

    Stella Duffy
    Stella Duffy: Too London, too mainstream and too establishment: Tony Hall's arts policy does not add up to the bold, imaginative vision he promised

January 2014

  • Joan Littlewood on the roof of the Theatre Royal, Stratford, 1973

    Fun palaces: Joan Littlewood's dream for culture gets second chance

    As the Olympics did for sport, a nationwide project could show that art, culture and science are also core passions for Britain

November 2013

  • Pregnant lady

    double quotation markExpectations – exploring miscarriage and trying to create life against the odds

    Stella Duffy
    Stella Duffy: Losing a child is terrible, but our play dares to suggest that it may be possible to find hope in miscarriage or infertility

September 2013

  • Joan Littlewood

    Theatre blog
    Celebrating Joan Littlewood: it's time to build her fun palaces

    The trailblazing director wanted to create fun palaces across the UK. In 2014, her centenary year, you can make it happen

August 2013

  • Other Lives: Kate Crutchley

    Other lives
    Kate Crutchley obituary

    Other lives: Actor, director and pioneer in LGBT and women's theatre

December 2012

  • Richard III at Globe

    double quotation markWomen in theatre: stand up

    Stella Duffy
    Stella Duffy: Confirmation of the lack of female actors, writers and directors has made me ask how best to tackle this inequality
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