Modern and contemporary plays / drama

Book SynopsisIn Joe and Kate Keller's family garden, an apple tree - a memorial to their son Larry, lost in the Second World War - has been torn down by a storm. But his loss is not the only part of the family's past they can't put behind them.

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Book SynopsisThis special edition of the international hit play Prima Facie features the definitive version of the award-winning script, together with colour photos and exclusive additional content, giving you a fascinating behind-the-scenes insight into the making of the production and the issues it explores. In the play, Tessa is a young, brilliant barrister who has worked her way up from working-class origins to the top of her game: defending, cross-examining and winning. But when an unexpected event forces her to confront the patriarchal power of the law – where the burden of proof and morality diverge – she finds herself in a world where emotion and integrity are in conflict with the rules of the game. After acclaimed productions in Australia and winning the Australian Writers' Guild Award for Drama, Prima Facie received its European premiere in a sold-out run at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London's West End in 2022 starring Jodie Comer in her West End debut. It was named Best New Play at both the 2023 Olivier and WhatsOnStage Awards. A filmed version, released in 2022, went on to become the highest-grossing event cinema release ever in the UK. This edition, published alongside Prima Facie's Broadway transfer in 2023, includes contributions from writer Suzie Miller, actor Jodie Comer, director Justin Martin, producer James Bierman and other key members of the creative team, letting you go deeper into the world of the play. There are also essays on the legal context and how the play has become a vehicle for change in attitudes towards the treatment of female victims of sexual assault.Trade Review'A play that roars... urgent and powerful' * Guardian *'A searing, intense indictment of the ways the legal system perpetuates the patriarchal order that has created it in the first place… The relevance of this unsettling drama for our present moment of #MeToo is obvious… joins the ranks of such works as Michaela Coel's I May Destroy You and Nina Raine's Consent… What we come to know is certainly disturbing, but, as in all great theatre, it strikes one as a true privilege to have made the journey' * Arts Desk *'An unforgettable moment of theatre' * WhatsOnStage *'An outstanding piece of theatre that has a phenomenal impact' * Reviews Hub *'A damning portrait of justice denied women… teems with rich nuance, testing sympathies… like a punch to the guts' * Telegraph *'Suzie Miller's script is shrewd and economical in its analysis of how the system treats assault survivors... timely and timeless' * Evening Standard *'A striking drama... Suzie Miller's text is pacy and punchy' * Independent *'An impassioned play about an important subject... blazing' * Time Out (London) *'A polemical monologue which makes its point in style… the cumulative effect is quite something' * The Times *'Hugely succesful and hard-hitting... What makes this play especially astonishing is how lived-in its writing feels. Miller's background as a lawyer shines in every line of dialogue... an urgent and compelling work' * Time Out (Sydney) *'A relevant and deeply disturbing indictment of how our legal system routinely fails sexual assault victims... A seriously important work' * Arts Hub (Australia) *

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Book SynopsisGlobal Voices Theatre is a female-, non-binary, migrant-led theatre company that explores and platforms international marginalised voices. They have curated events with partners such as Bush Theatre, Border Crossings, AWAN, British Library, and Roundhouse. The plays showcased at the event that led to GVT's creation were published as Global Queer Plays.Zhui Ning Chang (she/they) is a Malaysian editor, writer, educator, sensitivity reader and theatre maker based in London, UK. Her work engages with topics such as decolonialisation, migration and diaspora, speculative futures, and building support and solidarity through storytelling.Table of ContentsPreface by Victor Esses Extinct - Philip Arditti (Turkey/UK) Heartlines - Sarah Waisvisz (Canada) La Kahena, Berber Queen - Berthe Bénichou-Aboulker (Algeria), translated from French by Jessica Benhamou Papa'gina - Hana Vazana Grunwald (Israel), translated from Hebrew by Sivan Battat A People - L M Feldman (US)

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Book SynopsisErnest Miller Hemingway was born in Chicago in 1899, the son of a doctor and the second of six children. After a stint as an ambulance driver at the Italian front, Hemingway came home to America in 1919, only to return to the battlefield this time as a reporter on the Greco-Turkish war in 1922. Resigning from journalism to focus on his writing instead, he moved to Paris where he renewed his earlier friendship with fellow American expatriates such as Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein. Through the years, Hemingway travelled widely and wrote avidly, becoming an internationally recognized literary master of his craft. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954, following the publication of The Old Man and the Sea. He died in 1961.Trade ReviewThis is immediate, unmistakable Hemingway. -- Philip Young * The New York Times Book Review *

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Book SynopsisWritten when Polly Stenham was nineteen years old, That Face is a savagely funny dissection of the lives of the rich, reissued in Faber Drama''s elegant new series design.You're shaking. It's too much, isn't it? You only like good clean torture.Mia is at boarding school. She has access to drugs. They are Martha's. Henry is preparing for art college. He has access to alcohol. From Martha. Martha controls their lives. Martha is their mother.That Face premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, 2007, winning the TMA Award for Best New Play. Polly Stenham won the Charles Wintour Award and the Critics' Circle Award for Most Promising Playwright.''One of the most astonishing debuts I have seen in more than thirty years.'' DAILY TELEGRAPH''Polly Stenham is a modern successor to Tennessee Williams or Edward Albee . . . an intensely moving, skilfully crafted piece.'' DAILY EXPRESS''Stenham's god-given gift i

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Book SynopsisTen new short plays by African women tackling taboo topics on identity, gender, sexualities, family relations and power. Following the international success of Contemporary Plays by African Women, this new collection is the next step in the African Women Playwright Network (AWPN) both showcasing and encouraging the development of new work. Consisting of the ten winners of the AWPN''s international writing competition, this collection is centered around the theme of ''Tackling Taboo Topics in African Female Writing'', originally performed as staged readings at the AWPN Festival hosted by the University of Ghana in 2022. Selected from 75 submissions from nine African countries, these plays speak to contemporary and pressing issues, illuminating lived experiences of African women that are common but seldom discussed. An important resource for schools and universities looking to diversify and decolonise curricula and engage with short works for practical classes, pTable of ContentsIntroduction - by ‘Tosin Kooshima Tume, Ekua Ekumah and Yvette Hutchison Plays – with playwright biographies Yanci by Rukayat Nihinlola Banjo (Nigeria) The Arrangement by Gisemba Ursula (Kenya) A woman has Two Mouthsby Chioniso Tsikisayi (Zimbabwe) Who is in my Garden ?by Irene Isoken Agunloye (Nigeria) The Taste of Justice by Martina Omorodion (Nigeria) Desperanza by Kaulana Williams (South Africa) Oh! by Miliswa Mbandazayo (South Africa) In Her Silence by Faustina Brew (Ghana) Horny&…by Philisiwe Twijnstra (South Africa) Gnash by Katlego K Kolanyane-Kesupile (Botswana) Interview with Dr Sarah Dorgbadzi by Ekua Ekumah, AWPN-Ghana festival 2022, University of Ghana, 1-4 September. Suggested Further Reading

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Book Synopsis'It is spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black...'Under Milk Wood tells the story of a Welsh village during one spring day. It is populated by some of the best-loved characters in British literature. Lyrical, funny, moving, it is rooted in place but with a universality that has spoken to generations of readers. A Welsh epic, a work of poetic genius, a modern classic.'A tour de force of oral poetry which oozes word pictures and onomatopoeic musicality' GuardianTrade ReviewA tour de force of oral poetry which oozes word pictures and onomatopoeic musicality * Guardian *A dazzling combination of poetic fireworks and music-hall humor * New York Times *Dylan Thomas...was the most musical of poets. His work is so full of rhythm and melody that one of life's great pleasures is to read him aloud, feeling those syllables roll around your mouth while the rhythms find their ebb and flow -- Cerys MatthewsThomas stretches out his sentences into great, rolling, relentless waves, or crushes words together into compound coinages as the voices whisper and declaim: the play is bawdy, tragic, lyrical, sly, odd, familiar, broad and deep by turns * Guardian *I'm not sure anyone really needs my opinion on 'Under Milk Wood' as Thomas wrote it. But for what it's worth I think it's brilliant - time hasn't dimmed it, his language remains bracingly wild, elemental and weird * Time Out *

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Book Synopsis'It's kind of a ritual, we speak the truth. Then, let go and cook.' In the bustling kitchen of a run-down Pennsylvania truck stop, the formerly incarcerated staff have been given a second chance. Under the tyrannical eye of their boss Clyde, this unlikely team strives to create the perfect sandwich, as they dream of leaving their past mistakes behind for a better life. Lynn Nottage's hilarious and hopeful play Clyde's premiered in 2021 at the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, becoming the most-produced play in the United States the following year. It received its European premiere at the Donmar Warehouse, London, in 2023, directed by Lynette Linton, who also directed the British premiere of Nottage's play Sweat at the Donmar. 'Lynn Nottage is remarkable and uniquely exhilarating' Washington Post 'Is there a better living American playwright than Lynn Nottage?' The Wall Street JournalTrade Review'A glorious, humane and penetrating comedy... uproarious fun with a serious undertow... like cult TV hit The Bear, but better' * Evening Standard *'Sublime... Lynn Nottage's mouthwatering play is a dish to be savoured' * Guardian *'Gritty but gorgeous... a vivid, life-enhancing play, full of heart, hope and humour... There are few finer writers working in contemporary American theatre than Lynn Nottage' * WhatsOnStage *'A laugh-out-loud comedy that has much to say about life beyond prison and the class circumstances that led to incarceration in the first place' * The Stage *'A mouthwatering kitchen drama from one of America's finest... Lynn Nottage's blisteringly funny play will leave you drooling' * Telegraph *'A great play... blue collar grit meets sitcom humour... a joyful feast' * The Times *'Stirs the soul with heart-wrenching intimacy' * Broadway World *'Riotously funny, peopled by characters you come to deeply care for, and skilfully constructed to keep you hooked' * Culture Whisper *'A little gem... a wonderful evocation of human hope, endeavour and creativity' * TheatreCat *

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Book SynopsisWhen professor of phonetics Henry Higgins wagers with Colonel Pickering that he could teach even a gutter-mouthed flower seller how to speak like a duchess, little does he expect that his social experiment will be riddled with difficulties, and that behind her cockney parlance the girl in question, Eliza Doolittle, has a mind, ideas and aspirations of her own. Things come to a crux when the creature starts to rebel against her creator – and the scene is set for a play that questions the class system, social appearances and the role of women in society. Universally regarded as Shaw’s most successful work, Pygmalion – here presented in its definitive 1941 version, with footnotes indicating the textual variants from the first volume edition of 1916 – has spawned a great number of adaptations, among them the famous 1956 Broadway musical My Fair Lady, and shows ancient myth’s undiminished ability to find new incarnations in modern life.

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Book Synopsis'I promise you more patience, more gratitude. I promise you less vanity, less selfishness, less complaining, less fear. I promise you. You just have to survive.' A Little Life follows the complex relationships of four college friends in New York City: Willem, an actor; Malcolm, an architect; JB, an artist; and, at the centre of their group, Jude, a lawyer. Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, changed by ambition, addiction and pride. Yet their greatest challenge is Jude himself, whose secrets – and shame – define not just his own life, but that of his friends as well. A bruising and beautiful story of love, the limits of human endurance, and the tyranny of memory, Hanya Yanagihara's novel A Little Life has sold over a million copies and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Women's Prize for Fiction. The stage adaptation – conceived by Ivo van Hove, and adapted by Koen Tachelet, van Hove and Yanagihara herself – was first performed in a Dutch-language production at Internationaal Theater Amsterdam in the Netherlands in 2018, before transferring to New York in 2022. This English-language version opened in London's West End in 2023, directed by Ivo van Hove and with a cast led by James Norton as Jude.Trade Review'A masterpiece of modern theatre... a triumph of emotional richness and devastation' * Telegraph *'Utterly compelling' * Daily Express *'A superb piece of theatre, staged with consummate skill' * Evening Standard *'Close to Greek tragedy… a production of cool temperature, handling atrocity with clinical precision, and moments of grace with an economical elegance… leaves its mark like a livid, tender bruise on the imagination' * The Stage *'Unrelenting but magnificent… in the interstices of horror and abuse, there are transcendental moments of love and affection' * iNews *'Keeps a grip so tight that it is impossible to turn away' * WhatsOnStage *'Compelling viewing… such an emotional and affecting piece of theatre' * Gay Times *'Sophisticated and searing... an almost anthropological study of pain, staged with the utmost intelligence' * Guardian *'A deftly crafted adaptation, beautifully staged' * Time Out *

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Book SynopsisThe Beauty Queen of Leenane tells the darkly comic tale of Maureen Folan, a plain and lonely woman in her early forties, and Mag her manipulative ageing mother whose interference in Maureen's first and potentially last loving relationship sets in motion a train of events that is as gothically funny as it is horrific.Trade Review'He (McDonagh) offers all the familiar delights of farce and melodrama, while at the same time offering a powerful critique of contemporary Ireland.' Michael Billington, Guardian, 22.07.10 'Martin McDonagh's play...is not the callous thing that we often hail as;black comedy', but a richly human illustration of that tragicomic paradox. If it wasn't so funny it would be squalid' Libby Purves, The Times, 22.07.10 'The dramatic tension McDonagh creates is brilliantly sustained, while the sudden twists and turns of the plot elicit genuine gasps of surprise from the audience.' Charles Spencer, Daily Telegraph, 23.07.10 'His (McDonagh's) ear for the Irish rhythms and the absurdities of everyday speech is matchless.' Georgina Brown, Mail on Sunday, 01.08.10 'Martin McDonagh is one of the top playwrights to have emerged in the 1990's' Patrick Marmion, Daily Mail, 06.08.10

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Book SynopsisCharles Dickens (1812-70) was an English writer, generally considered to be the greatest novelist of the Victorian period and responsible for some of English literature's most iconic novels and characters. He continues to be one of the best-known and most read of English authors, with multiple adaptations of his work frequently being produced.Gary McNair is a multi-award-winning writer and performer from Glasgow who aims to challenge and entertain in equal measure. Previous shows include: Square Go, Donald Robertson is Not a Stand Up Comedian, A Gambler's Guide To Dying, Letters To Morrissey, and Locker Room Talk. He has three times won the Scotsman Fringe First Award and has toured the world with his plays. His work has been translated into multiple languages including Italian, Arabic and Japanese.

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Book Synopsis'With great pleasure Leyla & Joel Invite you to celebrate their marriage. Dress code is smart casual. Doors at 7.30 p.m., followed by the exchange of vows. And at the signal, the entertainment will begin. (This performance is being staged without a licence from the Ministry. We recognise the risk that each and every one of you is taking by attending and we salute your courage.)' A Mirror is an elusive, explosive play by Sam Holcroft, interrogating censorship, authorship and free speech. It premiered at the Almeida Theatre, London, in 2023, directed by Jeremy Herrin, and with a cast including Jonny Lee Miller, Tanya Reynolds and Micheal Ward.Trade Review'A beautifully crafted, mind-bending piece of work' * Evening Standard *'A Pirandellian wedding drama that achieves a series of satisfying surprises... delights in the theatrical trickery of dual identities and false realities to throw a final surprise punch' * Guardian *'Bold, inventive and original... a journey of discovery, a hall of mirrors, that takes us into a series of intricate boxes, of plays within plays, where nothing is quite as it seems... I loved it' * WhatsOnStage *'Intriguing, twisty, metatheatrical... an achievement: like nothing else you'll see on London's stages' * Independent *'Pirandello meets late Pinter meets Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman, all sharing a bottle of something strong' * The Times *'Brilliantly mischievous... The joy of Holcroft's play is that it's subversive on so many levels... incendiary and mordantly funny... a triumph' * Time Out *'Undeniably genius: the kind of rare, vigorous writing that sets your head spinning' * The Stage *'A darkly comic, Orwellian affair... as punchy as it is political... a timely production packed with intrigue and passion' * Broadway World *

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Book SynopsisJust married. Bored already. Hedda longs to be free.This vital new version by Patrick Marber (Closer, Three Days in the Country) opened at the National Theatre, London, in December 2016.''A bold, clear, finally harrowing account of the play.'' DAILY TELEGRAPH''Forces us to see Ibsen's masterpiece with fresh eyes.'' GUARDIAN

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Book SynopsisTimes are tough for the family in the woodThey''d eat like kings if only they couldBut hunger gnaws - famine stalks the landSomething quite wicked has the upper hand!Poor mother and father must do what is best...And Hansel and Gretel will be put to the test!Armed with their very last slice of breadWill they eat to surviveOr ........leave..a..........................trail...................................home..............................................instead? The school edition of Carl Grose and Kneehigh Theatre Company''s acclaimed version of Hansel & Gretel, which includes notes for teachers and those studying the play for GCSE English, as written by Anthony Banks.

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Book Synopsis“The sky was painfully big, but our worlds were small, our lives little. So when we found each other in the muddle of it all, that feeling of belonging was addictive.” Mal, Ama, Lewis and Oskar have grown up together; hedonistically charging through life – and any house party going – in rural Devon. They're railing against the stories that have been written for them as they stand at the precipice of adulthood. But all the space can be suffocating, and it’s tough sometimes – feeling so low in a place so beautiful. The powerful poetics of Malaika Kegode and soaring music of Bristol band Jakabol combine in this autobiographical gig-theatre show directed by Jenny Davies. Genre-defying and emotional, Outlier explores the impact of isolation, addiction and friendship on young people in the often-forgotten places. ★ ★ ★ ★ “the spirit of Kerouac reaches the West Country in superb drama” The Guardian ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “Stark, touching, witty… it is nothing short of brilliant” Stage Talk “Outlier is raw, tender and funny but perhaps most of all: timely” Wheelie Stagey “A poetic gem perfect to use as stimulus for those aged 16 and above” Drama & Theatre CAST: 6 (3 female, 3 male) plus chorus

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Book Synopsis''Art'' is a profound and hilarious comedy about the value of truth and friendship.My friend Serge has bought a painting.It's a canvas about five foot by four: white. The background is white and, if you screw up your eyes, you can make out some fine white diagonal lines.Serge is one of my oldest friends.Serge has bought a modern work of art for a large sum of money. Marc hates the painting and cannot believe that a friend of his could feel differently. Yvan attempts to placate both sides, with hilarious consequences. The question is: Are you who you think you are, or are you who your friends think you are?Art' premiered in this translation at Wyndham's Theatre, London, 1996. It won Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for Best Comedy, and New York Drama Critics' Circle and Tony Awards for Best Play.A remarkably wise, witty and intelligent comedy. Art has

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Book SynopsisThe final volume in Methuen Drama''s acclaimed series of work by Arthur Miller who, during his lifetime, was acknowledged as the greatest American dramatist of our age (Evening Standard). Featuring two plays from the 1990s and his final two plays (2002 and 2004), it offers the first ever publication of Miller''s final play, Finishing the Picture. Inspired by his experience during the filming of The Misfits with his then wife Marilyn Monroe, the play was completed and produced at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago, just months before the playwright''s death in February 2005.Broken Glass (1994) is set in Brooklyn in 1938 and intertwines a woman''s obsession with the news from Germany that government thugs are smashing Jewish stores, with her strange relationship with her husband. It balances private lives with public morality. . . it is also an amazingly full-blooded piece, bursting with pain and passion. (Daily Telegraph). Mr Peters'' Connections (199

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Book Synopsis'So, if you Americans already have cornflakes and Woolworths, what brings you to England?' It's 1973, and a young man from Des Moines, Iowa, has arrived on the ferry at Dover. He intends to conquer the whole of the island, like Caesar attempted before him. But Caesar didn't have to deal with counterpanes, kippers, Cadbury's Curly Wurlies, or Mrs Smegma the landlady's eccentric house rules. As Bill travels the length and breadth of Britain, through villages with names like Titsey and Little Dribbling, something strange starts to happen. Can it be true? Is he really starting to feel at home? Bill Bryson's smash-hit memoir Notes from a Small Island spent three years in The Sunday Times bestseller list, sold over two million copies, and was voted the book which best represents the UK. Tim Whitnall's hilarious stage adaptation was first produced at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury, in 2023. Written for an ensemble cast of seven (but suitable for a cast of dozens), it will appeal to amateur drama groups as a glorious celebration of one of the nation's most beloved books, and a brilliant dissection of the enduring quirks of our small island.Trade Review'A comic pleasure... has a revue-like charm... abounds in nostalgia and warmth' * Telegraph *'A thoroughly enjoyable piece of theatre... With more than 80 characters and incorporating almost as many cities, Tim Whitnall's adaptation [is] a hugely ambitious project... it manages to capture the spirit of the novel... This tour of Britain has been lovingly recreated... with a strong, diverse ensemble, gradually building up a picture of Britain over the decades... hilarious' * The Stage *'A pilgrimage of delight... Delicious fun... wonderfully vivid cameos, to great comic effect and always affectionate rather than simply caricature' * WhatsOnStage *'A whirlwind of adventure... lovingly evokes images of Britain in times gone by... ignites an unexpected surge of patriotism' * West End Best Friend *

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Book SynopsisNew revised 2020 version Chequered Flags to Chequered Futures tells the true story of Chris Gilfoy, the Rookie’s World Champion Banger Racer in 2000. In 2006 Chris was being driven along a public road in a powerful BMW by a racing friend. She was thought to be driving at 90 mph in a 30 limit. None were wearing seatbelts and, unknown to Chris, the driver was uninsured. Disastrously, they crashed into a wall, narrowly avoiding killing another driver. The consequences for all three in the car were life changing in very different ways. The play tells the fast-paced story through the words of Chris and his family with great opportunities for imaginative ensemble work. In a parallel strand of powerful monologues, Jane (the mother of the driver) tells her story of the aftermath of the accident. Suitable for: Key Stage 3/4/5, BTEC, A-Level to adult Duration: 60 minutes approximately Cast: 5 female, 3 male, 3 female/male “Mark beautifully crafts and weaves the story of the three friends and cleverly integrates some stunning monologues.” Tim Ford: Artistic Director Garrick Theatre, Litchfield

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Book SynopsisOphelia's story in a way you've never heard it before, and seven more ways as well.Ophelia is trapped, stuck inside the machinery that has created her consciousness, fighting to be heard. Hamlet, overwhelmed by the ceaseless flood of media, mindlessly watches TV, consuming a mish-mash of beauty and horror; a daily soup of innocence and violence. The two of them hopelessly confined, and separated by the Atlantic Ocean.A polemic response to Heiner Mueller's Hamletmachine, Opheliamachine is a postmodern tale of love, sex and politics in a fragmented world of confused emotions and global, virtual sexuality. Since its premiere in 2013, Magda Romanska's celebrated experimental play has been performed and studied around the world, with each culture and language feeding into and responding to Opheliamachine's collage of modern existence.This edited collection brings together eight different translations of the play, offering English, GermaTrade ReviewDifficult comedy of ideas and ideologies. * The Hollywood Reporter *An uncompromising vision. . . . fiercely confrontational new play. * Los Angeles Times *Relentlessly provocative and challenging. * LA Weekly *Table of ContentsHow to Lose a Guy in Ten Wars: Introduction to Opheliamachine by Ilinca Todorut From Elsinore to American Techno-Solitude by Maria Pia Pagani, translated by Margaret Rose Production History Opheliamachine (English) Opheliamaschine (German) Ophéliemachine (French) Opheliamachine (Italian) La Máquina de Ofelia (Spanish) Opheliamachine (Japanese) Opheliamachine (Korean) Opheliamachine (Romanian) Maszynofelia (Polish) Bibliography

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Book SynopsisAnna is starting to think she made a mistake in moving to Hull. Steph sees her city changing and misses her dad. Both are looking for somewhere to call home and something to believe in. And Sheila? She’s determined to bring people together again, the only way she knows how – karaoke! ‘Cause what we need right now is to get up on our feet, grab a mic together and belt out a ballad after a pint or five. From Pride in Poland and Windass at Wembley, to City of Culture and Brexit Britain, Us Against Whatever is an electrifying cabaret about the places we keep in our hearts, with support from Hull’s finest voices – you!

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Book Synopsis‘Here is the city that we live in Notice that the city that we live in is alive Analyse our city and you’ll find that our city even has bodily features Our city’s organs function like any living creature Our city is a living creature And if you’re wise enough, you’ll know not all of us are blood cells… Some of us are viruses.’ An epic, lyrical journey through the pulsating heart and underground soul of inner-city London. Misty is an inventive blend of gig theatre, spoken word, live art and direct address, confronting the assumptions and expectations underpinning the act of telling a story. The play premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2018, performed by the author and directed by Omar Elerian. It transferred to the Trafalgar Studios in the West End in September 2018. Misty won Best Performance Piece at the 2019 Off-West End Awards. ‘Kene has a thrilling flair for language’ The Times on good dog ‘One of Britain’s most exciting young playwrights’ GuardianTrade Review'The hot topics of race and cultural stereotyping fizz and dart about this lively and innovative piece of work… surely destined to be a big popular hit' * Evening Standard *'Kene has a poetic gift and a powerful presence… his form of performance poetry is at its most vivid in his vision of modern London with its loft extensions, pavement traffic jams and yummy mummies creating "pramageddon"' * Guardian *'Brilliantly conceived... an articulate critique of humanity's internal intolerances, as the audience is entangled into a two-hour reflection on their own preconceived perceptions of others' * Broadway World *'Inventive, subversive, slightly surreal… it's bracing to see the question of who gets to tell stories – and how they might be circumscribed – tackled head-on here, with wit, exuberance and visual flair' * Time Out *'Pulsing and potent… at once a polemic, an essay and a poem' * The Stage *'Cuts to the heart of a pressing cultural debate… as fiercely thought as it is elegantly structured' * WhatsOnStage *'Witty, hard-hitting… a powerful meditation on how we tell stories and a raw, beautiful Odyssey through the heart of London' * The Arts Desk *

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Book SynopsisThrough a series of arresting vignettes and a collection of nameless characters, Alice Birch examines the language, behaviour and forces that shape women in the 21st century. The play asks what''s stopping us from doing something truly radical to change them?Written in response to the provocation that well-behaved women seldom make history, the play is an assault on the language that has fueled violence against women throughout history. Problematic language frequently attached to women is interrogated, from lazy sexist clichés to the conventions around a marriage proposal. Through doing so, the play rails against the conventions of work, sex, motherhood, aging and love. Revolt. She said. Revolt again was first performed at the 2014 Midsummer Mischief Festival in Stratford-upon-Avon. It transferred to the Royal Court Upstairs and was more recently produced at New York''s Soho Rep.It is published here in a Student Edition alongside commentary and notes by Marissia Fragkou, who locTrade ReviewAlice Birch doesn’t want this work to be unseen. Her angry and frantic play Revolt. She aaid. Revolt again is an experimental work focused on using a feminist voice which is loud; a feminist voice which seeks to change the world not through small increments but through a revolution: through the destruction of language; through the destruction of society... * Guardian *Ms. Birch’s play, which became a hit for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2014, has a way of making you question everything you say when it comes to discussing women and their relationships with men, one another and a world in a state of unending upheaval... Linguistic confusion plagues the frantic souls portrayed... Even the play’s title, with its use of periods instead of commas, suggests the difficulty of getting words out and how inadequate they seem when you do... Yet Revolt teems with the same anarchic fury that possessed Jimmy Porter [in Look Back in Anger] and the same frustrated awareness that there are no easy fixes for an unsatisfactory social system... Instead, Ms. Birch is articulating the alternatives that come to women’s minds in dealing with how they are dealt with — as objects of love and lust, as employees and employers, as mothers and daughters. * New York Times *Acts One to Three are dialogues. Issues of gender language change into material questions of marriage, of women in capitalism, women raped and colonised, women desperate for refusal of the roles imposed on them. By Act Four, everything is deconstructed and there isn’t dialogue anymore... We witness conversations, haunting solo performances, disturbing statements about or directed to women, and a lack of genuine solutions provided in a system that benefits from oppression... In many ways, this play is a call to arms. It exposes the contradictions in simply refusing sexism in words, which is promoted as “revolutionary” by the very agents of the status quo. * Diva Mag *Table of ContentsIntroduction Historical and cultural contexts Scene analysis Critical reception List of key productions Works Cited Revolt. She said. Revolt again Notes

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Book SynopsisA unique anthology bringing together stories of queer life from international playwrights, these seven plays showcase the dazzling multiplicity of queer narratives across the globe: the absurd, the challenging, and the joyful.From the legacy of colonialism in India to the farcical bureaucracy of marriage law in Kosovo; from a school counsellor in Taiwan coming out as HIV+, to coming of age in an Israel-Palestine coexistence camp, this is a genre-spanning collection of global writing.Contempt by Danish Sheikh (India)55 Shades of Gay by Jeton Neziraj, translated by Alexandra Channer (Kosovo)No Matter Where I Go by Amahl Khouri (Jordan)Only the End of the World by Jean-Luc Lagarce, translated by Lucie Tiberghien (France)Taste of Love by Zhan Jie, translated by Jeremy Tiang (Taiwan)Peace Camp Org by Mariam Bazeed (Egypt)Winter Animals by Santiago Loza, translated by Samuel Buggeln and Ariel G

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Book SynopsisIn Killology, players are rewarded for torturing victims, scoring points for creativity.But Killology isn't sick. In fact it's marketed by its millionaire creator as a deeply moral experience. Because yes, you can live out your darkest fantasies, but you don't escape their consequences.Out on the streets, not everybody agrees with him.There is an instinctive revulsion against taking a human life. And that revulsion can be conquered.

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Book SynopsisFirst, do no harm. How do we defend the truth when no one agrees what it is and many have reason to undermine it?Very freely adapting Professor Bernhardi by Arthur Schnitzler, Robert Icke''s gripping moral thriller uses the lens of medical ethics to examine urgent questions of faith, belief, and scientific rationality.After a critically acclaimed run at London''s Almeida Theatre, The Doctor transferred to the West End in September 2022. This revised and updated edition was published to coincide with the new production.Trade Review‘A gripping moral thriller and a scorching examination of our age.’ * Financial Times *One of the peaks of the theatrical year. * Guardian *Brilliant stuff. And brave. * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisWe were bound by the same dreamTo be there and to own itor to destroy itNearly two years after the end of their affair, John and Aga meet once more. Each has filled the void left by the other: he has withdrawn into his world of wealth and privilege; she has found herself working as a chambermaid to support her family. Both recognise that the spark between them is still there. Will they rekindle what they had, or is an altogether darker game about to be played out?Magdalena Miecznicka's Nineteen Gardens is a lyrical human comedy, by turns seductive, enigmatic and explosive. The author of several novels and plays in Polish, this is Miecznicka''s first play in English.This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at London''s Hampstead Theatre, in November 2023.

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Book Synopsis'I been lookin at people on the street. This happen a other people? What the hell do they do?' Wyoming, 1963. A wild, unforgiving land where people live simple, unforgiving lives. When ranch hands Ennis and Jack take seasonal jobs on the isolated Brokeback Mountain, they find companionship in each other. And then they find something more. Brokeback Mountain tells the heartbreaking tale of an irresistible and hidden love spanning twenty years, and its tragic consequences. Based on a short story by Annie Proulx, this stage adaptation by Ashley Robinson, with songs by Dan Gillespie Sells, opened at @sohoplace in London's West End in 2023. It was directed by Jonathan Butterell, and featured Mike Faist and Lucas Hedges as Jack and Ennis, with Eddi Reader performing the songs. As Annie Proulx said of the adaptation, 'Brokeback Mountain has been recreated in several different forms, each with its own distinctive moods and impact. Ashley's script is fresh and deeply moving, opening sight lines not visible in the original nor successive treatments.' Trade Review'A potent, subtle piece of dramatic alchemy... a gem of a show' * Evening Standard *'Beautiful... the play packs a punch... with a herd of achingly lovely country ballads' * Telegraph *'A finely drawn musical miniature of quiet compulsion... has its own delicate, stirring power' * The Stage *'Tender and beautiful... like Bob Dylan/Conor McPherson's Girl from the North Country, this is a "play with music", and lightning strikes twice here... a notably superior musical offering' * iNews *'Stunning... a story fraught with emotion, tenderness, and heart... truly beautiful' * Broadway World *'An impossibly moving tale for our times... the music has a melancholy beauty that conjures the spirit of freedom and natural glory that is part of Brokeback's story... Robinson's adaptation sticks pretty close to Proulx's language, and honours the taciturn quality of the story' * WhatsOnStage *'A faithful and loving recreation of Proulx's original story, bringing with it a tenderness that could only be found in live performance... very special indeed' * Theatre Weekly *'Perfectly pitched and desolately poignant... Ashley Robinson's stage adaptation returns Annie Proulx's short story to a distilled purity... heartbreaking' * Guardian *'A memorable evening, beautifully judged. Don't miss it' * British Theatre Guide *'Heartbreaking and incredibly poignant... the most satisfying of theatrical experiences' * The Upcoming *

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Book Synopsis‘Come, you drunken spirits. Come, you battalions. You fields of ghosts who walk these green plains still. Come, you giants!’ When Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2009, it served notice of an astonishing development in the career of a writer whose debut, Mojo, had premiered on the same stage nearly fifteen years before. Unearthing the mythic roots of contemporary English life, and featuring Mark Rylance in an indelible central performance as Johnny 'Rooster' Byron, the play transferred to the West End and then to Broadway, before returning to the West End in 2011. 'Storming… restores one's faith in the power of theatre' Independent. 'Unarguably one of the best dramas of the twenty-first century' Guardian. Jerusalem was followed by the bewitching chamber play The River (Royal Court, 2012), a 'magnetically eerie, luminously beautiful psychodrama' Time Out. 'A delicately unfolding puzzle… all of it is wrapped in marvellous language… extraordinary' The Times. This volume concludes with the multi-award-winning The Ferryman (Royal Court and West End, 2017; Broadway, 2018), an excavation of lives shattered by violence, set in a farmhouse in Northern Ireland in 1981. 'A richly absorbing and emotionally abundant play… an instant classic' Independent. 'A magnificent play that uses, brilliantly, the vitality of live theatre to express the deadly legacy of violence' Financial Times. Also included here is the screenplay for the short film The Clear Road Ahead (2011), published here for the first time, and an edited transcript of a conversation between Butterworth and the playwright Simon Stephens.

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Book SynopsisKing Edward III is increasingly thought to have been written in significant part by Shakespeare. This landmark new edition by textual expert and General Editor of the Arden Shakespeare, Richard Proudfoot, offers a full account of the play's text and the evidence of Shakespeare's hand at work in it. Fully annotated with on-page notes and a lengthy critical introduction which also explores the play's production history and the impact of its historical context.Trade ReviewNo scholar could be better equipped to edit Edward III than Richard Proudfoot … His coeditor Nicola Bennett has helped him bring a long-term project to fruition. The result is an indispensable guide to the understanding and appreciation of an uneven but intriguing drama … The section of the introduction devoted to ‘the literary and dramatic reasons’ for regarding Shakespeare as part-author of Edward III is especially impressive, as it sketches the pattern of thematic and structural resemblances with Richard II, Henry V, Richard III, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and other Shakespeare plays. The place of Edward III in the Shakespeare canon seems now secure. * Bibliographical Society of America *Table of ContentsList of illustrations General editors' preface Preface Acknowledgements Introduction King Edward III Abbreviations and references Index

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Book SynopsisAnthony Burgess was an energetic writer and composer, whose work for the stage is widely admired. In Two Plays, we see him tackling major monuments of French and Russian theatre: The Miser by Molière and Chatsky by Alexander Griboyedov. Miser, Miser! is a bold reworking of Molière’s classic comedy of 1668. Harpagon the miser is hoarding a pile of gold, which he has buried in his garden. As he tries to sell off his daughter, catch himself a beautiful young bride and outwit his scheming household of clever servants, the comedy of errors intensifies. Although the original French play is written in prose, Burgess remakes it in a mixture of verse and prose, in the style of his famous adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac. This translation, discovered in the author’s archive, is the work of a writer at the height of his powers, reinventing Molière for modern audiences. Chatsky, subtitled ‘The Importance of Being Stupid’ is another verse comedy. The theme is that of the intellectual hero who rebels against the smug, philistine society in which he finds himself. First performed in 1833, Griboyedov’s play was so heavily cut by Russian censors that it was barely recognisable. The play is a virtuoso vehicle for male actors, and the source of many famous quotations. It is also notoriously difficult to translate. In Chatsky, Burgess remakes a classic Russian play in the spirit of Oscar Wilde. It is a great feast of language and invective. The complete texts of both plays are published here for the first time. Two Plays confirms Anthony Burgess’s reputation as a gifted writer for the stage, and as a translator of great wit and sophistication. MISER, MISER! CASTING: 7 men, 3 women CHATSKY CASTING: 9 men, 7 women

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Book Synopsis'Nothing is any longer one thing.' From a teenage encounter with Elizabeth I, through infatuations, voyages and even a change of gender, Orlando lives out five centuries of life and love before they finally find the courage to truly be themselves. Neil Bartlett's sparkling adaptation of Virginia Woolf's famous fantasy finds powerful contemporary relevance in her vision of equal rights to love for bodies of every kind – and brings it to life on the stage with a kaleidoscope of theatrical styles, overseen by the haunting figure of Woolf herself. It premiered at the Garrick Theatre in London's West End in November 2022, in a production directed by Michael Grandage and starring Emma Corrin in the title role. Written for a diverse ensemble of nine or more actors, this adaptation will appeal to any theatre or company looking to entertain their audiences with a bold new take on this iconic tale of love and transformation.Trade Review'Radiates gleeful intelligence, rampaging heart and tremendous fun. It couldn't feel more timely, and it's glorious' * Guardian *'Theatre to make the heart leap... this vivid, glittering drama achieves not just the improbable, but the almost impossible: it captures the brilliance of Woolf's mind, the daring of her transgressive vision and the lush gorgeousness of her prose, and refracts it on the stage in an exquisite rainbow of prismatic colour... a play that is at once a delectable queer fantasia and a freewheeling intellectual joyride through the intertwined complexities of life, literature, identity and the creative process... a blazing beacon to progress, to possibility, to freedom and the power of imagination' * The Stage *'Neil Bartlett's fleet-footed, wildly imaginative but wonderfully disciplined adaption shines literal and metaphorical light on contemporary ideas of identity... an outstandingly original theatrical pleasure' * Variety *'Joyful and groundbreaking... a triumph' * Independent *'Neil Bartlett's adaptation captures all [the novel's] sexiness and spirit... it's splendid in every sense: passionate, camp as Christmas and as warmly celebratory, too' * iNews *'An adaptation full of joy and hope and sense of possibility for the future' * WhatsOnStage *'Neil Bartlett's funny but moving adaptation... a frisky romp, wittily engaging with today's debate about gender fluidity... a joyous ode to freedom' * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisAntler steps out of her front door and throws her phone to the ground. She stamps on it. Then she climbs the tallest tree in the park. She doesn't want to be found, not by anyone. Over the course of one autumnal evening, seven teenagers' lives intertwine as they make their way through the park. And everything that seemed normal becomes extraordinary. A play about protest, power and protecting yourself, Stef Smith's Remote was commissioned as part of the 2015 National Theatre Connections Festival and proved enormously popular with youth theatres and college companies across the UK, returning for the 2023 Connections Festival.

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Book SynopsisSam Shepard has been described by the New Yorker as ''one of the most original, prolific and gifted dramatists at work today''. Here are seven of his finest plays, including True West and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Buried Child. Also included are Curse of the Starving Class, The Tooth of Crime, La Turista, Tongues and Savage/Love.The volume is introduced by Richard Gilman, who provides a fascinating profile of the author and places the plays in the context of contemporary American drama.

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Book Synopsis''She's like no one I've ever met... She's like fire and water all at once.''Warwickshire, 1582. Agnes Hathaway, a natural healer, meets the Latin tutor, William Shakespeare. Drawn together by powerful but hidden impulses, they create a life together and make a family.As William moves to London to discover his place in the world of theatre, Agnes stays at home to raise their three children but she is the constant presence and purpose of his life.When the plague steals 11-year-old Hamnet from his loving parents, they must each confront their loss alone. And yet, out of the greatest suffering, something of extraordinary wonder is born.This new play based on Maggie O''Farrell''s best-selling novel and adapted by award-winning playwright Lolita Chakrabarti (Life of Pi, Red Velvet, Hymn), pulls back a curtain on the imagined family life of the greatest writer in the English language. Hamnet is a love letter to passion, birth, grief and the magic of nature.

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Book SynopsisYou didn't come for a weekend in Scarborough to watch Homes Under The Hammer.After all those extra shifts, all Lorna wants is a night out on the town and time to reconnect with her daughter. All 16-year-old Mila wants is for the world to stop burning. And for someone to take down that Beach Body Ready' poster. Please. As mum and daughter check into their premium' room where they can almost see the sea, they quickly discover that their favourite seaside town, which was once their annual sunny escape, could really use some attention just like their relationship. Katie Redford''s Wish You Weren''t Here is a hilarious and heart-warming exploration of family relationships, the agony of growing up, and how to find your way in the world when you can't help thinking you're just not good enough. This edition was published to coincide with Theatre Centre''s UK tour in January 2024.

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Book Synopsis‘Tempest has a gift for shattering and transcending convention.’ New York TimesPhiloctetes lives in a cave on a desolate island: the wartime hero is now a wounded outcast. Stranded for ten years, he sees a chance of escape when a young soldier appears with tales of Philoctetes’ past glories. But with hope comes suspicion – and, as an old enemy emerges, he is faced with an even greater temptation: revenge.Kae Tempest is now widely acknowledged as a revolutionary force in contemporary British poetry, music and drama; they continue to expand the range of their work with a new version of Sophocles’ Philoctetes in a bold new translation. Like Brand New Ancients before it, Paradise shows Tempest’s gift for lending the old tales an immediate contemporary relevance – and will find this timeless story a wide new audience.Trade ReviewTempest . . . doesn't just leap off the page, but leaps into your throat and demands to be shouted all the way out. -- Marlon JamesOne of the brightest British talents around. [Tempest's] spoken-word performances have the metre and craft of traditional poetry, the kinetic agitation of hip-hop and the intimacy of a whispered heart-to-heart . . . drawing on ancient mythology and sermonic cadence to tell stories of the everyday * Guardian *Tempest stitches together words with such animate grace that language acquires an almost tactile quality . . . [An] hypnotically persuasive vision * New York Times *Breathe[s] new life into old classic forms . . . I loved its vision, powerful and merciful. -- Ali Smith, on Brand New Ancients

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Book Synopsis'O'Brien! They've got you too!' 'They got me a long time ago.' Winston Smith is in prison, found guilty of Thoughtcrimes against Big Brother. As part of his reconstruction, he must re-enact key moments from his past life, with the help of other thought criminals, so that everyone can learn from his mistakes. Including his biggest mistake of all: falling in love with Julia. George Orwell's classic dystopia 1984 is a still-resonant vision of the tolls of living under totalitarianism. Constructed almost entirely from dialogue taken from the original novel, this bold and powerful dramatisation restores the blazing heart of Orwell's work: a doomed love story, with the lovers at its centre. This pre-eminently stageable version, adapted with an eye on economy by Nick Hern for a cast of five or more, is ideal for any school, youth group or amateur company looking to bring Orwell's chilling vision to life on stage.

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Book Synopsis'There's a knock at the door.' Fifteen years after Nora Helmer slammed the door on her stifling marriage, leaving her family behind, she's back with an urgent request. Lucas Hnath's funny, probing and bold play is both a continuation of Ibsen's complex exploration of traditional gender roles, and a sharp contemporary take on the struggles inherent in all human relationships across time. A Doll's House, Part 2 premiered at South Coast Repertory, California, in 2017, and transferred to Broadway later that year. It received its UK premiere at the Donmar Warehouse, London, in 2022, directed by James Macdonald with a cast led by Noma Dumezweni as Nora.Trade Review'Smart, funny and utterly engrossing… This unexpectedly rich sequel reminds us that houses tremble and sometimes fall when doors slam, and that there are living people within, who may be wounded or lost… Mr. Hnath has a deft hand for combining incongruous elements to illuminating ends' -- Ben Brantley * New York Times *'Hnath's play is less a conventional sequel than a thought experiment inspired by the original. Luckily, Hnath is no mean thinker... Provocatively, the play functions as both homage and riposte, casting a critical eye on Nora's choices and trying to wrestle with their consequences... Hnath writes fast, vibrant dialogue – much of it in a salty, modern vernacular' * Guardian *'Provocative, funny and, ultimately, generous... A Doll's House, Part 2 demonstrates just how imposing is that big doorway Nora walked through once upon a time, and the guts it takes to keep walking through it, again and again' * Washington Post *'Freedom versus responsibility, attachment versus solitude, domestic stability versus individual growth – these subjects are thrashed out in the explosive context of gender and social class' * Los Angeles Times *'Lucid and absorbing... Judiciously balances conflicting ideas about freedom, love and responsibility' * Time Out New York *'As much an ingenious elaboration and deconstruction of A Doll's House as a sequel, and it stands perfectly on its own' * Hollywood Reporter *'Scintillating and genuinely thought-provoking... a play that asks many-faceted questions about love, loneliness and freedom' * The Stage *'Razor-sharp and frequently hilarious' * Time Out *'How on earth do you follow up Ibsen's masterpiece? Exactly like this. Lucas Hnath's audacious sequel is nothing less than essential viewing' * Telegraph *'Thrilling... intricately layered... the rare sequel that richly delivers' * Arts Desk *

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Book Synopsis'Just cos it's in your imagination doesn't mean it's not real.' Noah and Celeste Quilter met on a blind date organised by a newspaper, fell in love, got married and had a baby. But from the very earliest days of their relationship, they were under surveillance. And when they started a fight for their future, they never guessed it would cost them their lives. In a modern world where reality is whatever we imagine it to be, how do we know the stories we tell ourselves are true? What happens when there's only one person in the whole world you can truly trust? And what if they never take the bins out? Rapture by Lucy Kirkwood is a slippery thriller about love, power and belief which premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in June 2022, directed by Lucy Morrison. It was promoted under the title That Is Not Who I Am, by Dave Davidson, a pseudonym.Trade Review'Brilliantly tricksy... a remarkably layered, brain-boggling story, in which reality and sanity are under constant scrutiny... Rapture is a thriller, a trickster, and an absolute romp' * Guardian *'Undoubtedly a majorly significant piece of writing... a strange political mystery that's exhilarating to watch, but full of things that are frightening to contemplate' * Independent *'Explosive... thrilling theatre' * Reviews Hub *'Audacious, gloriously cynical, and painfully relevant... unravels with calculated twists and turns, looming mystery, violence, and thrills... When all the cards are laid bare, the true extent of the writer's creativity can only be gaped at in awe; like a spider, they have woven a narrative web and trapped the audience in it' * Broadway World *'An enjoyably slippery, enthralling piece of work... Fascinating, and gripping throughout' * Evening Standard *'An urgent, unsettling thriller... a knotty interrogation of truth in an era of fake news... Kirkwood's layered text relentlessly challenges the audience to assess our own engagement with the piece, raising troubling questions about how we assess information, what sources we trust, and how much of what we're told we are prepared to believe' * The Stage *'Exciting and transgressive... this is intense and overwhelming theatre, raising powerful questions' * The Upcoming *'A deeply chilling and hyper real thriller, a masterpiece of fabrication' * Culture Whisper *

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Book Synopsis'I wonder what I have to do for people to recognise me as a threat. Do I have to smash a glass over the head of every single man I come into contact with, just so I leave a mark?' Irina takes erotic photos of average-looking men. Always behind the lens, she watches, she moulds, and she stalks. These boys are putty in her hands, just the way she likes it. When the opportunity to show her photographs in a fashionable London gallery coincides with a new boy to obsess over, cracks begin to appear. How far can she push her new prey for the perfect shot, or has she already gone too far? Based on the critically acclaimed debut novel by Eliza Clark, which was a finalist for the Women's Prize Futures Award, Boy Parts is a pitch-black psychological thriller that subverts the erotic gaze and asks what happens when our need for connection gets twisted. This stage adaptation for one actor by Gillian Greer was premiered in 2023 at Soho Theatre, London, in a co-production between Metal Rabbit Productions and Soho Theatre, and directed by Sara Joyce. Praise for Eliza Clark's novel: 'Hilariously sardonic… Will make most readers howl with laughter and/or shut their eyes in horror' Guardian 'A carnival funhouse ride: terrifying, feverish, hilarious' Julia Armfield 'Boundaries are for breaking and if anyone can crash through and reinterpret the fear of our time, Eliza Clark can' Mslexia 'Hallucinogenic, electric and sharp' Jessica Andrews 'Delightfully and deviously rooted in the now with its delectable internet and culture references and evocative and real-feeling portrait of women' Dazed 'Smart, stylish, and very funny' Lara Williams 'Explores the darkest corners of artistic practice, sexuality and violence with bold wit and fearlessness. A dazzling, horrifying debut' Irish TimesTrade Review'A striking and visceral adaptation... captures all the humour of Irina's complex life, as well as those difficult moments that make a perfect thriller' * The Stage *'Thrilling and frankly terrifying... breathlessly compulsive, edge-of-your-seat stuff... unquestionably a striking piece of theatre' * WhatsOnStage *'Enthralling... one of the best page-to-stage adaptations we've seen... Greer transposes Clark's voice exquisitely... it's sharp, entertaining, vicious, thrilling, morbid, uncomfortable, and alarmingly irresistible' * Broadway World *'Engrossing and darkly funny' * New York Times *'Brings Eliza Clark's subversive and visceral novel to the stage in uncompromising style... balances the horror and humour with equal grace' * Theatre Weekly *'Exhilarating and sinister' * West End Best Friend *

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Book Synopsis'Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of any sort of… disappointed love.' Catherine Morland knows little of the world, but who needs real-life experience when you have novels to guide you? Seizing her chance to escape her claustrophobic family and join the smart set in Bath, she meets worldly, sophisticated Isabella Thorpe – Iz, to her friends – and so Cath's very own adventure begins. This playful and surprising reimagining of Northanger Abbey is infused with the spirit of Jane Austen's original novel and fizzes with imagination and humour. It was premiered in 2024 at the Orange Tree Theatre, London, before touring to Octagon Theatre, Bolton, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, and Theatre by the Lake, Keswick.Trade Review'A smartly playful adaptation that pulses with real passions... it asks big, clever questions about personal agency, authorship and control... Austen would thoroughly approve' * Evening Standard *'Moves at a tremendous clip... the wooing is done with such subtlety and good humour' * The Times *'An incisive adaptation that approaches the tale from a fresh, contemporary angle... exuberantly, unashamedly silly... Quick-fire scenes jump about in time, skilfully picking apart the narrative with flashbacks that offer new context, or cutting away to asides where the characters debate their real intentions... an appealing, intriguingly flawed protagonist... unexpected and intriguing' * The Stage *'A spirited three-hander romp... it's exhilarating, transmuting Austen's daftest novel into something really quite beautiful' * Time Out *'A very modern, knowing take, clearly powered by love for the original tale' * WhatsOnStage *'A playfully daring take on Jane Austen's original novel - and it works... There are lovely meta moments [with a] tight, witty script... and Cooper brilliantly transforms the conventional ending... it's all fantastic fun' * Reviews Hub *'Very entertaining... engaging and imaginative' * LondonTheatre1 *'A vivaciously queer take on Jane Austen that will make readers and audiences think twice' * Observer *'A three-hander lark, with much nifty work with hats and coats, parents and relatives mischievously cross-cast, and a bittersweet take on happy ever after' * TheatreCat *'Clever, funny and seriously silly... The laughs don't stop... brilliant small-scale theatre' * Arts Desk *'Playful, witty and laced with innuendo' * All That Dazzles *

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Book Synopsis'The short play – very traditional to Irish theatre – is a little jewel of a structure, a lightning flash on a different world, the illumination made all the more acute by brevity' Deirdre Kinahan Deirdre Kinahan is an award-winning playwright and member of Aosdána, Ireland's elected organisation of outstanding artists. This volume brings together five of her short plays, taken from the full span of her writing career, each of them shining a light into a forgotten corner of our humanity, giving voice to irrepressible characters that the world has done its best to overlook. In Bé Carna (Tall Tales, 1999), five women reflect on their lives as prostitutes on the streets of Dublin, a dark tale inspired by true-life stories, reverberating with humanity, warmth and comic humour. In Hue & Cry (Tall Tales/Bewley's Café Theatre, 2007), two Dublin cousins, Damian and Kevin, are reunited for a family funeral in a highly charged encounter full of disillusion, denial and dark laughter. In Bogboy (Tall Tales/Solstice Arts Centre, 2010), originally written as a radio play for RTÉ, two lost souls – a young heroin addict and a reclusive middle-aged farmer – discover a budding friendship in the bogs of Meath, until a terrible secret comes to light. Wild Notes (Solas Nua, Washington D.C., 2018) explores the impact of colonialism through a meeting between Frederick Douglass, the escaped slave and abolitionist who visited Ireland in the 1840s, and a young Irishwoman hoping to emigrate to the country he's running from. An Old Song, Half Forgotten (Abbey Theatre, 2023) opens a window into the life and soul of an older actor who is living in care with Alzheimer's disease, rebuilding a man just as he begins to crack and fade.

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Book Synopsis'A vinaigrette of despair poured over a salad of joy.' Lola is sixteen years old, sharp-witted and has her whole life ahead of her – until she's diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour. Now her brilliant mind is rapidly turning into useless mush. So she's promised herself two things before she dies: 1. She's going to get All The Sex and 2. She'll definitively discover the Meaning of Life. Stuart Slade's play Glee & Me is an unexpectedly optimistic portrayal of love and the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit. It won the Judges Award in the 2019 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting, and was first performed at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, in September 2021.Trade Review'A joyous play that asks how life is best lived when death's inevitability is impossible to ignore' * The Times *'Ferocious black humour' * Whatsonstage *'A play about life and how we live it, not about death in all its inevitability... a witty and warm-hearted celebration' * Guardian *'Frank, fresh, and blessedly unmawkish... remarkably believable – and extremely funny' * Independent *'Fiercely funny... heart-wrenching but ultimately comforting' * The Stage *

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Book SynopsisSummer 1860, an elegant country house, a young boy is found dead in an outside privy. All clues point towards the murderer being a member of the grieving household. Called to the scene is the most celebrated detective of his day, Jonathan Whicher from Scotland Yard. But this case challenges him in ways he's never been challenged before. Over twenty years later, still haunted by the case, Whicher visits the murderer. As they replay the past, they start to question the nature of truth, the desire for certainty and the possibility of redemption. This compelling stage adaptation of Kate Summerscale's gripping bestseller opened at The Watermill Theatre, Newbury, in May 2023. This ensemble piece provides rich opportunities for companies looking to intrigue their audiences with a fresh take on a dark Victorian mystery. Trade Review'A true crime classic turned into a tense drama... ingeniously plotted... Kate Summerscale's Victorian potboiler is deftly condensed in a production that brings out the misogyny and class snobbery of the era' * Guardian *'Taut and magnetic... Alexandra Wood's bold adaptation turns the book's structure on its head... electric' * The Times *'An utterly transporting piece of storytelling that will keep you gripped as it carefully carries you towards its conclusion' * Broadway World *'Powerful... a wonderfully concise retelling and reexamination of the facts... The story unfolds with pleasing clarity' * WhatsOnStage *'Alexandra Wood's dramatisation for the stage intuitively captures the atmosphere of Summerscale's book... keeps the audience on its toes, piecing together fragments of the case and steering toward a remarkable conclusion... exposes the deep-seated, class-ridden misogyny of the Victorian era' * The Stage *

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Book SynopsisSix Characters in Search of an Author (1921) is a metatheatrical drama by Luigi Pirandello. Viewed as an important work of absurdist literature, the play was a critical failure when it was first staged in Rome. Revised by its author and bolstered by successful performances in New York City, Six Characters in Search of an Author has been recognized as a pioneering examination of the nature of creativity, the relationship of the director and actors to the work of art, and the psychological stress associated with staging a theatrical production. While preparing to rehearse a new play by director Luigi Pirandello, a theatre company is interrupted with the arrival of six strangers on set. After a moment of frustration and confusion, the director is told that they are six unfinished characters whose story cannot be told without his intervention. The Father, Mother, Son, Stepdaughter, Boy, and Child refuse to leave, forcing the director to convince his actors to help them fulfill their wish. As the story begins to take shape, the characters exert more and more control over the set and the participation of the other actors, soon overtaking the director entirely. Strange and compelling, Six Characters in Search of an Author is a unique play which saw resistance from critics and theatergoers for one reason only: its methods forced them to question the nature of reality itself. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Luigi Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author is a classic work of Italian literature reimagined for modern readers.

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Book SynopsisUsher is a Black, queer writer, working a day job he hates while writing his original musical: a piece about a Black, queer writer, working a day job he hates while writing his original musical... Michael R. Jackson's blistering original musical follows a young artist at war with a host of demons – not least of which are the punishing thoughts in his own head – in an attempt to understand his own strange loop. A Strange Loop received its world premiere at Playwrights Horizons in New York in 2019. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, as well as Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical at the 2022 Tony Awards – and every other 'Best Musical' award on Broadway. It received its British premiere at the Barbican Theatre, London, in 2023, with Michael R. Jackson winning Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer at the 2023 Stage Debut Awards. 'A metafictional musical that tracks the creative process of an artist transforming issues of identity, race and sexuality that once pushed him to the margins of the cultural mainstream into a meditation on universal human fears and insecurities' Pulitzer Prize CommitteeTrade Review'Explosively imaginative. Dazzlingly one-of-a-kind' * Washington Post *'Audacious and uproarious... a meta masterpiece' * Guardian *'A dazzling ride. No measure of praise could be too much' * New York Times *'Screamingly funny. Unmissable. The musical we've been waiting for' * Time Out *'To watch this show is to enter, by some urgent, bawdy magic, an ecstatic and infinitely more colorful version of the famous surreal lithograph by M. C. Escher: the hand that lifts from the page, becoming almost real, then draws another hand, which returns the favor. Which came first? A Strange Loop is complex, teasing, thrilling' * New Yorker *'Brilliant… Harrowing… one-of-a-kind… Hyper-observant and hyper-verbal, Jackson lets his remorselessly satirical eye wander, to hilarious and devastating effect… What makes A Strange Loop so powerful, is not an attempt to find "our common humanity" but an insistence on speaking its own idiosyncratic truth' * Vogue *'An exhilarating cocktail of hilarious lyrical complexity… Michael R. Jackson is a musical talent with deep wells of invention' * Time Out New York *'Phenomenal... both a raw and unflinching interrogation of identity and the most furiously entertaining show on Broadway' * Variety *'Dazzling... spectacularly bold... a challenging, uncompromising show... irreverent and funny... Jackson's songs are slick, tuneful and accessible... An enormous number of musicals have opened in the West End in the last couple of months, but none of them have a tenth of the audacity and imagination of A Strange Loop' * Time Out *'Triumphant, emotionally lacerating... I sat with my mouth agape, astonished and grateful that something so brutally honest and rigorously constructed had finally broken through to a Broadway stage' * LA Times *'A blast and a revelation... an astonishing tour-de-force' * WhatsOnStage *'Magnificent... a strikingly original, highly entertaining tour of identity politics and the struggles of selfhood' * Guardian *'A thrillingly strange, playful and hilarious new musical, stuffed with catchy tunes... extraordinary... I'd watch it again in an instant' * Evening Standard *'A cleverly complex piece of drama, that's also incredibly uplifting and joyful... musical theatre heaven' * Theatre Weekly *'An experience you won't forget' * Independent *'Magnificent... dazzling... joyous, clever and alive. Don't miss it' * iNews *

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