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Meeting Steven Pimlott in the dingy back offices of The Other Place was one of those electrifying experiences that make life worthwhile. For two hours we devoured conversation, on Racine's Athalie, Kleist's Penthisilea, and most of all on our pet projects - Milton's Paradise Lost (mine) and Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita (his), and the connections between the two. I was I think about 28 at the time but Steven never patronised. He just shared - with utter genrosity, and he challenged - with impish glee. It was as if for a couple of hours, the world of pragmatism and procedure slipped away and we were confronted only by the endless panorama of the possible.
It is typical of Steven that he realised his dream of staging the Bulgakov and in some style. He always supported me in my more outlandish ideas, and the swagger with which he undertook every imaginative expedition was an inspiration. He was a true pioneer and died with his boots on. We live gladly in his shadow.
David Farr, Artistic Director, Lyric Hammersmith