Plays, playscripts, drama

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Book SynopsisA tender portrayal of two women trying to start again after serving their time in prison. On her release from prison, Lorraine heads straight to Marie's. On the inside they used to share everything, but the friendship that once protected them now threatens to smother the fragile freedom they have found. Chloë Moss's play This Wide Night was first performed at Soho Theatre, London, in August 2008, in a production by Clean Break, the theatre, education and new writing company that works with women whose lives have been affected by the criminal justice system. It was revived, in this revised version, at Soho Theatre in November 2009. This Wide Night won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize in 2009.Trade Review'Heartrending... beautifully written: comic, colourful, full of pain and tenderness and truth' * The Times *

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Book SynopsisA hectic and hilarious morality tale for the modern world. In Heaven, Big God's mind is crumbling, Mrs God has lost her looks, and their daughter, Clem, the Goddess of Love and Sex and Beauty, has been rejected by her lover and banished to Earth. Down in the streets of Soho, Clem searches for something new, and finds it in glamorous and self-loathing reality-TV star Natty, whose fetishistic love life with rock star Baz is about to hit the headlines. Sexy, feisty and real, it is a story about love at its dirtiest, maddest and most bittersweet. Chris Hannan's play The God of Soho was first performed at Shakespeare's Globe, London, in 2011.Trade Review'Written in a heightened, lightly learned, scatological style that lifts the show to the edge of a mythical, classical plane... vibrant, sensational' * Whatsonstage.com *'Rumbustious verve... clipped, aggressive, scatological language that invites winningly vivacious performances' * Guardian *'Best of all, though, is Hannan's writing, which is dense, beautiful and shit-spattered - rather like Soho.' * Time Out *

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Book SynopsisAn acerbically brilliant satire that explores the fault line between race and property. In 1959, Russ and Bev are selling their desirable two-bed for a knock-down price, enabling the first black family to move into the neighbourhood and alarming the cosy white urbanites of Clybourne Park, Chicago. In 2009 the same property is being bought by Lindsey and Steve, a young white couple, whose plan to raze the house and start again is met with a similar response. As the arguments rage and tensions rise, ghosts and racial resentments are once more uncovered... Bruce Norris's play Clybourne Park was first performed at Playwrights Horizons, New York City, in February 2010. The play received its European premiere at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in September 2010, transferring to Wyndham's Theatre in the West End in February 2011. The play received numerous awards, including the London Evening Standard Award for Best Play, the Critics Circle Award for Best New Play, the Olivier Award for Best New Play, the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.Trade Review'The funniest play of the year' * Evening Standard *'Will make you cringe horribly even as you're cracking up with laughter' * Time Out *'Genius' * The Times *'Amazing mixture of edgy humour and deeper feeling' * Telegraph *'Stunningly well written' * Whatsonstage.com *'Outrageously funny and squirm-inducing' * Independent *

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Book SynopsisStella Feehily brings her trademark wit and emotional insight to this revealing play that goes behind the public face of charities, journalists and NGOs, and is drawn directly from workshops and interviews with aid workers, doctors, human rights defenders, government advisers, journalists and photographers. A seasoned human rights defender and her idealistic young colleague embark on a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo. For Mathilde, it's an induction into a life less ordinary. For Sadhbh it's back to madness and chaos away from her lover and London – exactly as she likes it. But while Mathilde lets off steam with a photographer and a spliff, Sadhbh has her own encounter: tea with a smart but brutal young warlord she's investigating. Stella Feehily's play Bang Bang Bang was first performed at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton, in 2011, in a production by Out of Joint that subsequently toured the UK, including performances at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in October 2011.Trade Review'Ambitious, well-researched and sharply presented' * Guardian *'Stella Feehily's best work to date' * Whatsonstage.com *

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Book SynopsisArthur Ransome's famous and much-loved children's classic is brought thrillingly to life in Helen Edmundson's wonderfully theatrical adaptation, with 'delightfully catchy and often witty' (Telegraph) songs by Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy When John, Susan, Titty and Roger are granted their wish to set sail on their beloved boat Swallow, they know it will be the summer holiday of a lifetime. But their adventure truly begins when they encounter Nancy and Peggy, the self-proclaimed Amazon Pirates, and the dastardly Captain Flint. This adaptation was first performed at the Bristol Old Vic in 2010. It had its West End premiere in 2011.Trade Review'Warm hearted, affectionate and fun' * Daily Telegraph *'Perfect – a brilliant feat of nerve and humour' * Daily Mail *'Full of wild adventure' * Guardian *'Infectious... Helen Edmundson provides a sprightly script' * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisA dark and visceral coming-of-age vampire love story, based on the acclaimed novel and film. Oskar is a bullied, lonely, teenage boy living with his mother on a housing estate at the edge of town, when a spate of sinister killings rocks the neighbourhood. Eli is the young girl who has just moved in next door. She doesn't go to school and never leaves the flat by day. Sensing in each other a kindred spirit, the two become devoted friends. What Oskar doesn't know is that Eli has been a teenager for a very long time… Jack Thorne's adaptation of Let The Right One In, based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, premiered in June 2013 at the Dundee Rep Theatre in a production by the National Theatre of Scotland, before transferring to London's Royal Court Theatre in November 2013. It won the South Bank Sky Arts Award for Theatre in 2014.Trade Review'Exquisitely sad and witty... [it will] wring your heart while scaring the mortal stuffing out of you' -- Ben Brantley * New York Times *'Extraordinary… sets new standards in atmospheric scariness… takes you to the edge of human experience with eye-opening candour, beauty and ingenuity' * WhatsOnStage *'Astonishing... at once beautifully intimate and bedazzingly epic' * Time Out *'Exquisitely beautiful and heartbreakingly sad… so painfully tender that, as you watch the show, it feels as if layers of your skin are gradually being flayed from your body' * Guardian *'Remarkable… gratifyingly scary… dark and striking' * Telegraph *'Moving and haunting... a rich and beautiful theatrical experience that is by turns gripping and tender' * Herald *'A chilling and moving piece of theatre, full of pain, terror and unexpected moments of comedy' * Scotsman *

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Book SynopsisAn intense real-life thriller centred around the most important weather forecast in the history of warfare. June 1944. One man's decision is about to change the course of history. Everything is in place for the biggest invasion ever known in Europe – D-Day. One last crucial question remains: will the weather be right on the day? Problematically there are two opposing forecasts. American celebrity weatherman Colonel Krick predicts sunshine, while Scot Dr James Stagg, Chief Meteorological Officer for the Allied Forces, forecasts a storm. As the world watches and waits, General Eisenhower, Allied Supreme Commander, must decide which of these bitter antagonists to trust. The decision will not only seal the fates of thousands of men, but could win or lose the entire war. An extraordinary and little-known true story, David Haig's play thrillingly explores the responsibilities of leadership, the challenges of prophecy and the personal toll of taking a stand. Pressure premiered at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, in May 2014 before transferring to Chichester Festival Theatre, in a production directed by John Dove, with the author playing James Stagg.Trade Review'The tension is palpable and expertly maintained throughout, with real wit and warmth as well... Haig has obviously done his research, and then smartly played with the facts for full dramatic effect. You wouldn't think a story about predicting the weather could play like a thriller, but it does… a rip-roaring evening's entertainment' * Radio Times *'Utterly engrossing… unostentatiously and with a quiet intensity, Pressure covers a lot of ground without ever resorting to patriotic cliché' * Whatsonstage.com *'This highly watchable, microscopic look into the mechanics of battle is nothing short of enthralling. It's also surprisingly humorous; Haig's dialogue feels quintessentially British and for that reason it resonates fondly' * Broadway World *'Fascinatingly original… with its moments of comedy and atmosphere of high stakes, this is an excellent documentary drama' * The Arts Desk *'Haig has researched his subject matter in great detail, but more importantly the play grabs the attention from the outset and never loosens its dramatic grip. It captures the extraordinary pressure its characters are under at this crucial turning point in the Second World War, with wit, compassion and sheer dramatic verve. By turns funny, tense and deeply affecting. I cannot recommend it too highly' * Telegraph *'Sharp, witty and affecting… events flow across the stage like sunlight and shadow on a changeable summer's afternoon – fast and hectic, tense and fraught, calm, thoughtful' * Guardian *'A tense, tight and quite brilliant drama… more moving than a dozen Saving Private Ryans' * British Theatre Guide *'Completely gripping... a play about unsung heroes, responsibility, integrity and the nature of bravery' * Financial Times *'Tempestuous and highly charged... a thunderous piece of theatre' * The Stage *

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Book SynopsisAn inventive, fast-paced comedy featuring P.G. Wodehouse’s iconic double act. Winner of the 2014 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. When a country house weekend takes a turn for the worse, Bertie Wooster is unwittingly called on to play matchmaker – reconciling the affections of his host’s drippy daughter Madeline Bassett with his newt-fancying acquaintance Gussie Fink-Nottle. If Bertie, ably assisted by the ever-dependable Jeeves, can’t pull off the wedding of the season he’ll be forced to abandon his cherished bachelor status and marry the ghastly girl himself! Based on P.G. Wodehouse’s delightfully bonkers stories, especially The Code of the Woosters, the Goodale Brothers’ dramatisation premiered at the Duke of York's Theatre, West End, in November 2013, prior to a UK tour. Written for a cast of three, who play multiple roles, this adaptation will suit any theatre company or drama group looking for a comic play to perform.Trade Review'Razor-sharp ingenuity... comedy at its purest' * Time Out *'Wodehouse himself would have loved this... captures the dotty, sunlit innocence of his work with panache' * Telegraph *'Smart and crafty... [will] entertain those who have never been exposed to Wodehouse, and devotees will lap it up' * Evening Standard *'Inventive ...shimmers with just the right dose of silliness and self-mockery' * Daily Mail *'Furiously fast and funny... clever and inventive' * Metro *'Joyous... works beautifully well... so true to the creator's madcap spirit that you can imagine him wishing he'd thought of doing it like this' * Daily Express *'A joyous farce... side-splitting... deftly crafted and imbued with Wodehouse's spirit... a riotous evening that's guaranteed to chase the blues away... glorious' * Broadway World *

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Book SynopsisAn explosive verbatim play about the 2011 London Riots, by the author of the award-winning London Road. In the summer of 2011, London was burning. Alecky Blythe took her Dictaphone to the streets… From the helicopters circling overhead to the burnt-out buildings on the street, Little Revolution records the voices and stories of a community from when the riots happened up to their present-day aftermath. Little Revolution premiered at the Almeida Theatre, London, in August 2014.Trade Review'Absolutely compelling' * Telegraph *'Alecky Blythe's work is a gold thread running through the theatre of the past decade... [Little Revolution] is needling, comic and sceptical... terrific' * Observer *

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Book SynopsisElla Hickson's version of J.M. Barrie's much-loved story puts the character of Wendy firmly centre stage, in an adaptation that is refreshingly modern but never loses the charm of the original. Winter 1908. Snow is falling across London. Wendy Darling and her brothers sleep peacefully in their bedroom, as their parents bicker downstairs. In a sudden flurry of snow their window blows open, and into their lives tumbles a mischievous boy called Peter, followed by a fractious fairy called Tink. With the aid of a little fairy dust, Wendy agrees to fly with Peter to Neverland, seeing not only the promise of an awfully big adventure, but also the chance to rediscover the key to her parents' lost happiness. Once there, she will give the Lost Boys a run for their money, defeat Captain Hook and his pirate crew, and ultimately, learn what it means to grow up. Commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Ella Hickson's Wendy & Peter Pan premiered at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in December 2013, and was revived by the RSC in 2015. It was staged at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, in an international co-production between Bunkamura in Tokyo and Leeds Playhouse in the UK. The play will suit any theatre company or youth group looking to stage a classic tale, full of magic, adventure and strong female roles.Trade Review'Sensitive, funny and intelligent... I laughed, I gasped, I cried - it is wonderful to be transported so completely by a piece of theatre' * WhatsOnStage *'Delightful... a warm, sensitive and humorous reboot' * Evening Standard *'Resoundingly successful... witty, pointed, adventuresome... Hickson isn't just subverting this story, she is strengthening it' * The Times *'A witty retelling of a classic that will surely make theatre lovers out of youngsters experiencing the art form for the first time' * Guardian *'In Hickson's clever version, Wendy, Tinkerbell and Tiger Lily get their kick-ass, girl-power moment. But her re-telling is also uncommonly thoughtful and nuanced... it seems set to become a modern classic' * Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisTwo exhilarating and teasingly entertaining one-act plays from one of the UK’s leading playwrights. Heart’s Desire sees a family awaiting their daughter’s return from Australia, though in a series of alternative scenarios, the play collapses as it keeps veering off in unexpected and ridiculous directions. Blue Kettle tells the story of conman Derek and the five women he misleads into believing he is their biological son. Try as he might, Derek’s plans are scuppered as the play is invaded by a virus. In Caryl Churchill’s ever-inventive style, the two plays in Blue Heart pull apart language and structure in a way that is theatrically remarkable and fast paced, in a stirring yet truthful exploration of family and relationships. Blue Heart was first performed at Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds, in August 1997 in a touring co-production by Out of Joint and the Royal Court Theatre. This edition was published alongside the first major revival of Blue Heart, nearly twenty years after its premiere, in a co-production by the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, and Tobacco Factory Theatres, Bristol, in 2016.Trade Review'A fiendishly clever and surreal play' Guardian * Guardian *'The play of the year' * Independent *'Substantial, provocative, immensely stylish works which create an unsettling mixture of wild laughter and profound unease... a major hit' * Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisThree of Federico García Lorca's most famous plays in a single volume, translated from the Spanish and introduced by one of Scotland's finest playwrights, Jo Clifford. 'There's fire burning in my head. There's an ocean drowning my heart.' Lorca's passionate, lyrical tales of longing and revenge put the spotlight on the rural poor of 1930s Spain and are considered masterpieces of twentieth-century theatre. These plays exhibit Lorca's intense anger at the injustices of society, and his determination to create art that might remedy it. The collection contains Blood Wedding, Yerma and The House of Bernarda Alba, in sensitive and playable translations, and a full introduction to Lorca, his times and his work. The Nick Hern Books Drama Classic Collections series brings together the most popular plays from a single author or a particular period. They offer students, actors and theatregoers a series of uncluttered, accessible editions, accompanied by comprehensive introductions. Where the originals are in English, there is a glossary of unfamiliar words and phrases. Where the originals are in a foreign language, the translations aim to be both actable and accurate – and are made by translators whose work is regularly staged in the professional theatre.

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Book SynopsisA brand-new ancient-history play in verse that tells the story of one of Britain's most iconic women: a queen, a warrior and a rebel. ‘I’d rather walk in blood than walk a slave For he your Emperor!’ AD 61, Britannia. On the furthest outreaches of the Roman Empire – at the very edge of the known world – rebellion is brewing. The King of the Iceni has died and his widow, Boudica, has tried to claim her rightful throne. For her insolence in defying Rome, the queen has been flogged, her daughters have been raped, and they have been banished from their homeland. But now, Queen Boudica has returned. And this time she has an army. She will have revenge. She will have blood. She will make Rome quake in fear. Boudica by Tristan Bernays premiered at Shakespeare’s Globe, London, in September 2017.Trade Review'An epic, blood-soaked spectacle… Bernays' writing is beautifully clear and disciplined… a thrilling, challenging and thoroughly disturbing examination of one of Britain's bloodiest – and feistiest – patriots' * WhatsOnStage *'Fast, foul and funny… Tristan Bernays writes with hints of the classics, yet it retains a sense of the modern. Bernays' words trip off the tongue, occasionally drifting into the poetic, and at other times into the coarse. Not only that but it's incredibly funny, with elements of Monty Python-esque humour running through' * Broadway World *'Audacious, inventive and vivid… a show for fans of Game of Thrones… refreshingly, Bernays has written a play in which women get to do the exciting stuff' * Evening Standard *'A huge amount of fun… a pacy, fun watch that'll thrill Game of Thrones fans' * Time Out *'Holds the stage with confidence… Bernays drives the story forward with great skill' * Guardian *'Tristan Bernays's new play offers a crackingly good central female role, which puts the first-century British queen right at the centre of the narrative… accomplished writing' * The Arts Desk *'A bloody, bawdy reimagining of the story of Boudica… Tristan Bernays's zesty play puts new flesh on the facts, but his main focus is firmly on Boudica's experience as a powerful woman in a man's world and the competing demands on her as a mother and a ruler... has a sprightly, muscular pace' * Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisEveryone has another face they hide behind… A radical re-imagining by playwright Evan Placey of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale, where civilised society meets seedy Soho in a thrilling collision of Victorian England with the here and now. Written for the National Youth Theatre, and first performed by the company at the Ambassadors Theatre in the West End in 2017, Jekyll & Hyde offers a full range of parts for schools and youth-theatre groups looking for a contemporary reinvention of a macabre classic. Evan Placey’s other plays include Consensual, Pronoun, Girls Like That (Best Play for Young Audiences at the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Awards), Mother of Him, Banana Boys and Holloway Jones.Trade Review'Incendiary... a furious, whip-smart and – that rare thing – genuinely dangerous theatrical riposte to the men who have had their hands on the levers of power for far too long... thrilling stuff' * Guardian *'Intense, exciting... a bold reimagining' * WhatsOnStage *'Ambitious, angry, and intriguing, Evan Placey's radical adaptation transforms the familiar story into a discussion of powerfully resonant contemporary issues' * The Stage *'A topical. intelligent, thoughtful, feminist take on Robert Louis Stevenson's novella... rollicking good theatre – frank, uncompromising, fresh and often quite confrontational… an ensemble piece in that it forms a fine show case for the talents of every cast member' * Sardines Magazine *'Daring and imaginative... a fine way of introducing a young audience to theatrical storytelling techniques with which they may be unfamiliar' * British Theatre Guide *

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Book Synopsis'Marchin' days is over man.' Patience is running out, times have changed. And progress isn't enough. Black British. African American. Here. There. Now. Snapshots of lives, snapshots of experiences of protest; violence vs non-violence, direct action vs demonstrations, ear for eye follows characters navigating their way through society today. debbie tucker green's play ear for eye premiered in October 2018 at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, in a production directed by the playwright. ear for eye was a finalist for the 2019 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. A filmed version of ear for eye, written and directed by debbie tucker green, was broadcast on BBC Two in October 2021. 'A furious dissection of racial injustice... overwhelming' - GuardianTrade Review'A furious dissection of racial injustice... overwhelming' * Guardian *'Piercing and flecked with a grim mischievous humour... debbie tucker green's stylised dialogue is punctuated with the rhythmic precision of a musical score... quietly devastating... an impassioned play about stalled progress' * Independent *'An intensely smart piece of theatrecraft. Its three components would make total sense in isolation; together they interact in a subtly devastating dance' * Time Out *'An amazingly ambitious epic... has a thrillingly unexpected theatre form and is written in green's distinctive style of reiterative and repetitive punchy dialogues, which here are both emotionally passionate and imaginatively modernistic... raises your political consciousness while expanding your sense of the beautiful' * The Arts Desk *'An insistent, unrelenting cry of protest... brilliantly written and darkly funny... this powerful, challenging drama is an urgent, impatient call for change' * BritishTheatre.com *'The thrill of seeing this play by debbie tucker green is partly generated by its passion and partly by its poetry. It is so original, ear and eye-catching... words fly like missiles, beautifully honed, finding their targets, creating a picture of a world where people of colour are constantly suppressed... excruciatingly funny but utterly devastating in its impact' * WhatsOnStage *'With ear for eye, debbie tucker green goes further than ever before in breaking down and reconstructing form, creating a complex work of economic eloquence and gestural clarity, uncompromisingly and brilliantly her own. It's tough, harrowing, and fiercely beautiful' * The Stage *

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Book SynopsisBrian and Donna's son is nine years old and he's struggling. That's what his teacher says. Says he should see a psychologist. But Brian and Donna – recently separated – never liked school, never liked teachers. An explosive triple confrontation that is funny, heartbreaking and beautifully observed, Iseult Golden and David Horan's CLASS is an award-winning play about learning difficulties: in school, in life, wherever. After a sold-out run in the Dublin Theatre Festival 2017, the play transferred to the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, in January 2018 before playing in the Traverse Theatre as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2018. CLASS won an Edinburgh Fringe First Award and was named Best Theatre Script at the 2018 ZeBBie Awards awarded by the Writers Guild of Ireland.Trade Review'A passionate 21st-century tragedy… an utterly credible, humorous yet heartbroken snapshot of a western culture in which, for some men, issues of gender, class and power can now form an utterly toxic mix of rage, resentment and desperation' * Scotsman *'Intelligent and compelling… rivetingly escalates in tension, bringing resentments about educational authority figures, working-class alienation and gender differences to the fore… a valuable piece' * Telegraph *'Explores the uncertain territory where prejudice, damage and failed intentions collide' * Guardian *'A play that kicks against an exclusionary establishment in miniature: the school a microcosm of a middle-class order' * WhatsOnStage *'Adeptly demonstrates the stakes that both teachers and parents can have in a child’s well-being and the stresses that teachers are placed under' * The Stage *'An inspired look at society through the prism of a parent-teacher meeting' * Sunday Times Ireland *

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Book Synopsis1995, the Swiss Alps. Patricia Highsmith, the queen of the thriller, now ageing and ailing, hides away in her study, surrounded by her collection of books and antique weaponry, finding solace in her seclusion, her cats and her cigarettes. A polished young man turns up, sent by her New York publisher to persuade her to write one final instalment of her best-selling series featuring the master manipulator, Tom Ripley. But as day breaks over the mountains, it becomes clear that the charming stranger is set on a far more sinister mission. Joanna Murray-Smith's play Switzerland is a gripping psychological thriller, filled with razor-sharp dialogue. It was first performed at the Sydney Opera House in 2014. The play received its UK premiere at the Ustinov Studio, Theatre Royal Bath, in 2018, before transferring to the Ambassadors Theatre in London's West End.Trade Review'A riveting psychological two-hander weaved with a compelling black humour' * The Stage *'A smartly self-referential salute to Patricia Highsmith's riveting crime tales' * Guardian *'A gripping psychological thriller. Creeps up on you and then has you on the edge of your seat' * Sunday Telegraph *'Joanna Murray-Smith demonstrates a Stoppardian gift for pithily combining intelligence, wit and pathos' * Independent *

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Book Synopsis‘It’s a bit weird to be sitting at the Arctic Circle chatting to a fit boy with your dad’s ashes in your backpack.’ Rory's dad was an explorer. Well, not literally. Literally, he was a geography teacher. But inside, she knows, he was Bear Grylls. And when he dies suddenly in an accident, Rory knows she needs to make one last expedition. With a plastic compass and Dad's ashes at her side, Rory sets off in the footsteps of all the dead beardy explorers before her, to get Dad to the North Pole. Before Mum finds out they've gone. Tatty Hennessy's play A Hundred Words for Snow is about being an explorer in a melting world. It's a coming-of-age story. With polar bears. The play won the Heretic Voices Monologue Competition and was first produced at the Arcola Theatre, London, in 2018. A new production was performed at the 2018 VAULT Festival, where it was the winner of a VAULT Origins Award for outstanding new work from the VAULT Festival. It then toured the UK, with a run at the Trafalgar Studios in London's West End in 2019. This edition also includes the diary of her research trip to the Arctic Circle, and the short play Distant Early Warning, set in 2053 in what was once Greenland.Trade Review'Inspired and fast-paced, filled with taut observations and brilliant humour… [has] creativity and joy running throughout' * LondonTheatre1 *'A real gem… warm, witty, and like its central character, heavily layered' * The Stage *'A blockbuster of how the very pointless nature of human endeavor is what makes us so brilliant' * Exeunt Magazine *'Extraordinary' * A Younger Theatre *

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Book SynopsisProfessor of Parapsychology, Philip Goodman, is an arch-sceptic with a mission to debunk the paranormal, wherever it occurs. But when he embarks on an investigation of three apparent hauntings – as recounted by a night-watchman, a teenage boy, and a businessman awaiting his first child – Goodman finds himself at the outer limits of rationality, and fast running out of explanations. Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman's play Ghost Stories first started terrifying audiences at Liverpool Playhouse and the Lyric Hammersmith, London, in 2010, directed by its authors along with Sean Holmes – and has since become a worldwide cult phenomenon, with two West End transfers, productions in China, Australia, Canada and Europe, and an award-winning film adaptation. It was revived at the Lyric in 2019. This official tie-in edition features the complete script for the show, and an exclusive introduction by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman, about the origins and development of the play.Trade Review'Brilliant and deeply unsettling' * Telegraph *'Genuine scary fun' * Sunday Times *'Brilliantly scary' * Daily Express *'I had to sleep with the lights on' * Metro *'An immaculately crafted evening of entertainment' * Time Out *

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Book Synopsis'I can see her just. Most people can't see her at all.' A girl made of glass. Gods and murders. A serial killer's friends. And a secret in a bottle. Four stories by Caryl Churchill. Glass, Kill, Bluebeard, and Imp premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in September 2019.Trade Review'A thrilling reminder of why Caryl Churchill is our greatest living playwright... spans everything from poetry to surrealism to tell four tales that feel both urgent to our current moment and like timeless, amber-cast fairytales... this whirlwind ride through Churchill's relentless imagination is not to be missed' * Evening Standard *'In her captivating quartet of new works Churchill casts an immediate spell over her audience, catches everyone off-guard with laugh-out-loud humour, then silences the auditorium with shards of pained recognition... the sheer audacity of the plays is exhilaratingly fresh' * The Stage *'A fascinating four-part exploration into our appetite for blood-soaked myth... funny and macabre... endlessly intriguing' * Guardian *'Audacious, haunting and often horribly funny... as aesthetically pleasing as it is droll' * Independent *'A dazzling quartet of plays about the murderous power of stories... a remarkable work... a testament to a writer whose talent burns almost too bright to look at' * Time Out *'Funny and clever... words drop like stones on a pond, creating endless ripples... a magnificent, invigorating night at the theatre' * WhatsOnStage *

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Book Synopsis‘Everyone knows, all of them… that when all’s said and done, she is no more than a fig leaf hiding the thing everyone else would be much happier never having to look at.’ An Israeli violinist. Living in her trendy canal-side Amsterdam apartment. Nine months pregnant. One day a mysterious unpaid gas bill from 1944 arrives. It awakens unsettling feelings of collective identity, foreignness and alienation. Stories of a devastating past are compellingly reconstructed to try and make sense of the present. First seen at the Haifa Theater, Israel, in 2018, Amsterdam is a strikingly original, audacious thriller by Maya Arad Yasur. It received its UK premiere, in this English translation by Eran Edry, at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, in 2019, directed by Matthew Xia, in a co-production between the Orange Tree, Actors Touring Company and Theatre Royal Plymouth.Trade Review'A fascinating, multilayered play' * The Stage *'An intense, meta-theatrical play about collective guilt and invisible otherhood' * WhatsOnStage *

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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 SynopsisTwo sweet and saucy comedies from an award-winning Irish playwright. In SAUCE, Mella is a compulsive liar, Maura is a kleptomaniac – and neither has any friends. Recently out of controlling relationships, they are thrust into uneasy freedom. Can they overcome their flaws together to avoid dying alone? Or will their compulsions engulf them in the end? A play about death and rebirth, Ciara Elizabeth Smyth's SAUCE was first staged at Bewley's Café Theatre, Dublin, in 2019 as part of Dublin Fringe Festival, and revived there in 2022. In All honey, Ru and Luke are throwing a house-warming party. But their guests are more interested in whispering in the box room than joining the festivities. Explosive characters and unfolding secrets mean the hosts will have to clean up more than red-wine stains and glitter. Ciara Elizabeth Smyth's debut play, All honey is about sex, secrets and suspicion. It premiered at the New Theatre in 2017 as part of Dublin Fringe Festival, winning the 2017 Fishamble New Writing Award. It was revived at Bewley's in 2018 and Project Arts Centre in 2020.Trade Review'A seriously impressive debut... Fast, furious and fiercely funny, All honey is a laugh-out-loud joy' * The Arts Review *'SAUCE will break your heart with a gorgeous vulnerability, while having you smirking at the cleverness of it all and laughing out loud' * The Arts Review *'[SAUCE is] a really funny show... delights in innuendo and provokes hysterics' * Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisPatrizia Pallaro's second volume of essays on Authentic Movement, eight years after her first, is a tour de force. It is indeed "an extraordinary array of papers", as Pallaro puts it, and an immensely rich, moving and highly readable sweep through the landscapes of Authentic Movement, "this form of creative expression, meditative discipline and/or psychotherapeutic endeavour". You don't need to practice Authentic Movement to get a lot out of this book, but it certainly helps! I defy anyone to read the first two sections and not be curious to have their own experience.'- Sesame Institute'Authentic Movement can be seen as a means by which analysts can become more sensitive to unconscious, especially pre-verbal aspects of themselves and their patients.'- Body Psychotherapy Journal Newsletter'This book is a collection of articles, some of which are interviews, brought together for the first time. It is very valuable to have them all together in one place...It is a wonderful collection of articles on topics you have always wanted to read, such as the role of transference in dance therapy or Jung and dance therapy. The book also includes scripts for exercises.'- SomaticsAuthentic Movement, an exploration of the unconscious through movement, was largely defined by the work of Mary Starks Whitehouse, Janet Adler and Joan Chodorow. The basic concepts of Authentic Movement are expressed for the first time in one volume through interviews and conversations with these important figures, and their key papers. They emphasize the importance of movement as a means of communication, particularly unconscious or 'authentic' movement, emerging when the individual has a deep, self-sensing awareness - an attitude of 'inner listening'. Such movement can trigger powerful images, feelings and kinesthetic sensations arising from the depths of our stored childhood memories or connecting our inner selves to the transcendent.In exploring Authentic Movement these questions are asked:- How does authentic movement differ from other forms of dance and movement therapy?- How may 'authentic' movement be experienced?Trade ReviewI am certain that anyone who has written extensively on the practice of Authentic Movement will share in my deep expression of appreciation toward Patrizia Pallaro for this exemplary compilation of papers. To date, this is the most complete compliation of the three most influential pioneers of what today has become known throughout the world as Authentic Movement. Each author's unique style of writing continually reminds the reader of the value, meaning, and purpose of this profound and often misunderstood practice that asks its participants to delve into the realms of the unconscious rarely explored within a western cultural context. -- American Journal of Dance TherapyTable of ContentsIntroduction, Patrizia Pallaro. Part I: Mary Starks Whitehouse. 1. An Approach to the Center: An Interview with Mary Whitehouse, Gilda Frantz. 2. Conversation with Mary Whitehouse. Frieda Sherman. 3. Creative Expression in Physical Movement is Language without Words. Mary Starks Whitehouse. 4. The Tao of the Body. Mary Starks Whitehouse. 5. Physical Movement and Personality. Mary Starks Whitehouse. 6. Reflections on a Metamorphosis. Mary Starks Whitehouse. 7. The Transference and Dance Therapy. Mary Starks Whitehouse. 8. C.G.Jung and Dance Therapy: Two Major Principles. Mary Starks Whitehouse. Part II: Janet Adler. 9. An Interview with Janet Adler. Neala Haze and Tina Stromsted. 10. Integrity of Body and Psyche: Some Notes on Work in Progress. Janet Adler. 11. Authentic Movement and Sexuality in the Therapeutic Experience. Janet Adler. 12.Who is the Witness? A Description of Authentic Movement. Janet Adler. 13. Body and Soul. Janet Adler. 14. The Collective Body. Janet Adler. Part III: Joan Chodorow. 15. An Interview with Joan Chodorow. Nancy Zenoff. 16. Philosophy and Methods of Individual Work. Joan Chodorow. 17. Dance Therapy and the Transcendent Function. Joan Chodorow. 18. Dance/Movement and Body Experience in Analysis. Joan Chodorow. 19. To Move and be Moved. Joan Chodorow. 20. The Body as Symbol: Dance/Movement in Analysis. Joan Chodorow. 21. Active Imagination. Joan Chodorow. Index.

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Book SynopsisDrama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price Ben Jonson's comedy, one of the finest of the Jacobean era. Volpone is a Venetian aristocrat, a loveable rogue who enjoys the cunning pursuit of wealth more than money itself. Pretending to be mortally ill, he watches as his greedy neighbours swarm around him with expensive gifts in the hope of inheriting his fortune. Volpone was premiered by the King's Men at the Globe Theatre, London, in 1606. This edition of Volpone, in the Nick Hern Books Drama Classics series, is edited by R.B.Parker, and introduced by Colin Counsell.

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Book SynopsisDisco Pigs is the award-winning play about two warped teenagers that confirmed Enda Walsh's place in the forefront of young Irish dramatists and was filmed in 2001 with Cillian Murphy and Elaine Cassidy. Pig and Runt are two 17-year-olds who share everything: birthday, language, worldview - and that moment when pop songs and life-changing orgasms flash by and last forever. Disco Pigs was first performed by Corcadorca Theatre Company at the Triskel Arts Centre, Cork, in September 1996, and subsequently at the 1996 Dublin Theatre Festival. It received its UK premiere at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, in August 1997, before transferring to the Bush Theatre, London, in September 1997, and then on international tour. It won the Stewart Parker Prize for the best Irish debut play and the George Devine Award in 1997. Also included in this volume is Sucking Dublin, a fierce and uncompromising short play about a group of five individuals tormented by a rape in a claustrophobic, drug-infested Dublin. Sucking Dublin was first performed by the Outreach Department of the Abbey Theatre at Basin Lane Youth Reach Centre in Dublin in 1997. It also played at the Samuel Beckett Theatre in Trinity College, Dublin, from 4 November 1997.Trade Review'A small-scale modern classic' * Time Out on Disco Pigs *

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Book SynopsisA fascinating meditation on human cloning, personal identity and the conflicting claims of nature and nurture. Bernard thought he was an only child. One day he learns the shocking truth: he is just one of a number of clones. Together, he and his father confront epic questions of identity, intimacy and belonging. Caryl Churchill's play A Number pushes the boundaries of science and ethics with an astonishing twist on the dynamics of the father/son relationship. It was originally produced at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2002, winning the Evening Standard Award for Best Play. Set Text: A Number is a set text for AS/A-Level Drama (WJEC) A Number is also available in the volume Caryl Churchill Plays: Four.Trade Review'A Number confirms Churchill's status as the first dramatist of the 21st century. On the face of it, it is about human cloning... Like all Churchill's best plays, A Number deals with both the essentials and the extremities of human experience... The questions this brilliant, harrowing play asks are almost unanswerable, which is why they must be asked' Sunday Times 'Caryl Churchill's magnificent new play only lasts an hour but contains more drama , and more ideas, than most writers manage in a dozen full-length works' Daily Telegraph 'Caryl Churchill never stands still. After the dystopian nightmare of Far Away, she now comes up with a challenging new form of moral inquiry. And the key question she ask in this play is from what the essential core of self derives: from nature or nurture, genetic inheritance or environmental circumstance?' Guardian

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Book SynopsisIn All’s Well That Ends Well, Helen, a lowly ward, risks her life to satisfy her boundless love for Bertram, a count and ward to the King of France. Following him to Paris, she concocts an endangering plan to win the King of France’s favour and induce Bertram’s hand in marriage. In the comprehensive introduction to this new, fully-illustrated Arden edition, Suzanne Gossett takes a transformative look at the play’s critical and performance history by offering fresh perspectives on the conundrum of genre, sexuality and moral dilemmas with masculinity and the structures of family. The authoritative play text is amply annotated to clarify its language and allusions, and two appendices debate the play’s authorship and review its casting. Offering students and scholars alike a wealth of insight and new research, this edition maintains the rigorous standards of the Arden Shakespeare.Table of ContentsList of illustrations General editors’ preface Preface Introduction ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL Appendix 1: Casting All's Well That Ends Well Appendix 2: The Authorship Debate Abbreviations and references Index

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Book SynopsisA varied collection of 30 contemporary duologues from Mark Wheeller's plays. Compiled at a time when social distancing is a consideration, these duologues all lend themselves to Zoom/Social Distance friendly performances. It includes duologues from: Too Much Punch For Judy Hard To Swallow Missing Dan Nolan I Love You, Mum - I Promise I Won't Die Game Over ... and many more of Mark's plays... and musicals. It also includes a previously unpublished self-contained short Sibling Saviours. All these duologues are suitable for young people to use for classroom or audition use. Despite many being ostensibly for adult performers they are all tried and tested for young people to use with amazing results. There has never before been a collection of exclusively Mark Wheeller duologues.

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Book SynopsisThe life of fifteenth-century heroine Joan of Arc is the stuff of legend, and her cruel death (burnt at the stake aged just nineteen) led to her being declared a martyr, granting her an impressive legacy. Following her canonisation in 1920, and against a history of overly romanticised retellings of the story, Bernard Shaw put pen to paper to give a more accurate account, without resorting to demonising her persecutors; as he writes in his preface, 'there are no villains in the piece'. It was an immediate success, securing him the Nobel Prize for Literature, although critics were initially divided by this frank approach - T.S. Eliot was outraged, saying, 'instead of the saint or the strumpet of the legends... he has turned her into a great middle-class reformer.' Nonetheless - or perhaps even because of this controversy - Saint Joan is considered one of Bernard Shaw's finest and most important plays. This edition has an introduction by Simon Mundy, who has spent several years as Vice-President of PEN International's Writers for Peace Committee, and extensive explanatory notes.Trade Review'He was a Tolstoy with jokes, a modern Dr Johnson, a universal genius who on his own modest reckoning put even Shakespeare in the shade.' (The Independent)Table of ContentsIntroduction by Simon Mundy, Preface by the author, Saint Joan, Note on the Text, Notes

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Book SynopsisThe Winds of the World is a travel book written by means of the well-known British author Talbot Mundy. The book, which got here out in 1917, is a thrilling tale that takes readers on a ride through special places and mysterious cultures. The major character of the story is an American adventurer named James Schuyler Grim. He goes on a risky quest to find out the secrets and techniques and strategies of a hidden metropolis within the Himalayas. Along together with his partner and friend, the mysterious girl referred to as Cigarette, Grim has to deal with risky settings, sneaky enemies, and the mystical unknown. As the story is going on, readers come to be immersed in the wealthy tapestry of the Himalayan vicinity, in which excessive-stakes motion mixes with old traditions and mysterious know-how. In the early 1900s, The Winds of the World is about and deals with themes of exploration, clashes among cultures, and the look for mystery which means. This book suggests how desirable Talbot Mundy is at telling tales; the people and settings are brilliantly defined. The book has movement, thriller, and a journey, which can be all things that readers love approximately Mundy's paintings. It draws readers in with its notable enchantment and the search for hidden secrets and techniques.

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Book SynopsisWith the assist of Sir Arthur Helps, Friends in Council is an eternal collection of writings that deliver deep insights into people, relationships, and how society works. Sir Arthur Helps, a fantastic Victorian author and well-known authority, skillfully leads readers into thoughtful conversations about many factors of existence. Through a series of dialogues, the book introduces a huge variety of people and situations, exploring ethical and moral dilemmas in a manner that makes you consider you studied. The portions in Friends in Council are a way to consider yourself, and they make you reflect onconsideration on how complicated human conduct is and the manner your choices can affect others. In each piece, Sir Arthur Helps' keen observations and intellectual complexity stand out, giving us a better understanding of how humans stay. The paintings pass beyond their Victorian roots and offer timeless truths and thoughts which can be though critical to readers these days. The writing style of Sir Arthur Helps is every beautiful and smooth to recognize, which makes the highbrow content cloth to be had to a large target audience. Friends in Council shows how masses Sir Arthur Helps cared about severe verbal exchange and the way he believed that thoughtful verbal exchange can also want to assist make lifestyles a lot less complicated.

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Book SynopsisA Dark Chapter from New Zealand History by James Hawthorne unfolds as a literary masterpiece that intricately weaves historic drama into the tapestry of New Zealand's past. In this compelling paintings, Hawthorne demonstrates his prowess as a terrific writer, creating a story that now not only delves into ancient occasions but additionally engages readers on an emotional and intellectual degree. The book, considered one among Hawthorne's crowning achievements, gives a brilliant exploration of a specific, perhaps tumultuous, bankruptcy in New Zealand's history. Through the lens of historic drama, the writer skillfully brings to life the characters, events, and landscapes that formed the state's trajectory. Hawthorne's writing is characterized by creativity and passion, infusing the narrative with a sense of vibrancy that transports readers to extraordinary eras and emotional landscapes. The work's brilliance lies no longer best in its historical accuracy but in its ability to attach human beings thru shared reports and information. With a fashionable but handy prose fashion, James Hawthorne invitations a numerous target audience to immerse themselves within the complexities and nuances of New Zealand's beyond. A Dark Chapter from New Zealand History stands as a literary gem, imparting each an insightful historical account and a charming exploration of the human revel in.

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Book SynopsisSalome is Oscar Wilde’s most experimental—and controversial—play. In its own time, the play, written in French, was described by a reviewer as “an arrangement in blood and ferocity, morbid, bizarre, repulsive.” None, however, could deny the importance of Wilde’s creation. Contemporary audiences and reviewers variously regarded Salome as the symbol of a thrilling modernity, a challenge to patriarchy, a confession of desire, a sign of moral decay, a new form of art, and a revolt against the restraints of Victorian society. Less well known than Wilde’s beloved comedies, Salome is as enduringly modern and relevant.This edition uses the English translation done by Wilde’s lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, and overseen and corrected by Wilde himself. Appendices detail the play’s sources and provide extensive materials on its contemporary reception and dramatic productions.Trade Review“Salome illuminated! This edition presents Salome as a formally complex, richly intertextual, and generative phenomenon of international modernism. Kimberly Stern sets a superbly annotated text between an extensive introduction and several appendices documenting the play’s literary, cultural, and visual sources, its reception, and its translation, illustration, and performance histories. The edition offers copious source materials to augment the text, some requisite and some unexpected. Stern’s adept and unprecedented selection of contextual sources enhances the powerful and recurrent fascination of a play that has continuously spawned adaptations as well as controversy. This is where all students of Salome should start.” — Heidi Hartwig, Central Connecticut State UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroductionOscar Wilde: A Brief ChronologyA Note on the TextSalomeAppendix A: Sources Matthew 14:1-12, The Bible: Authorized King James Versionwith Apocrypha (2008) “Descent of the Goddess Ishtar into the Lower World,”The Sacred Books and Early Literature of the East (1917) From Heinrich Heine, Atta Troll (1843) From J.C. Heywood, Herodias: A Dramatic Poem (1867) From Oscar Wilde, “Review of J.C. Heywood’s Salome,”Pall Mall Gazette (15 February 1888) From Stéphane Mallarmé, “La scéne: Nourrice—Hérodiade”(1864-67) From Gustave Flaubert, “Hérodias” (1877) William Wilde, “Salome” (1878) From Joris-Karl Huysmans, Á Rebours (1884) From Maurice Maeterlinck, La Princesse Maleine (1889) Appendix B: A Visual History Gustave Moreau, “The Apparition” (1876) Aubrey Beardsley, Design for the Title Page to the English Edition of Salome (1894) Aubrey Beardsley, Final Design for the Title Page (1894) Aubrey Beardsley, “The Woman in the Moon” (1894) Aubrey Beardsley, “The Climax” (1894) Appendix C: Contemporary Responses From Edgar Saltus, Oscar Wilde: An Idler’s Impression (1917) Pierre Louÿs, “Salomé: à Oscar W.” (30 June 1892) Letter from Oscar Wilde to Richard Le Gallienne (22/23 February 1893) From a Letter from Bernard Shaw to Oscar Wilde (28 February 1893) From a Letter from Max Beerbohm to Reginald Turner (February 1893) From “Salomé,” The Times (23 February 1893) From a Review of Salomé, Pall Mall Gazette (27 February 1893) Letter from Stéphane Mallarmé to Oscar Wilde (March 1893) From William Archer, “Mr. Oscar Wilde’s New Play,”Black and White (11 May 1893) From Lord Alfred Douglas, “Salomé: A Critical Overview,” The Spirit Lamp (1893) Appendix D: Translation History Letter from Lord Alfred Douglas to John Lane (30 September 1893) From a Letter from Lord Alfred Douglas to John Lane (16 November 1893) From a Letter from Oscar Wilde to Lord Alfred Douglas (January-March 1897) From a Letter from Robert Ross to Frank Harris (undated) From Lord Alfred Douglas, Autobiography (1929) Translation Chart Appendix E: Performance History From Charles Ricketts, Self-Portrait (1939) From Graham Robertson, Time Was (1931) Photograph of Sarah Bernhardt in Costume as Salome (1891) From a Letter from Oscar Wilde to William Rothenstein (July 1892) “Mr. Oscar Wilde on Salome,” The Times (2 March 1893) From Oscar Wilde, “The Censure and Salome,” Pall Mall Budget (30 June 1892) Bernard Partridge, “A Wilde Idea,” Punch Magazine (9 July 1892) From a Letter from Max Beerbohm to Reginald Turner (June 1892) Oscar Wilde, “Plan de la scene” (1891) From M.J. du Tillet, “Théâtres” [review of the Paris premiere of Salome], Revue bleue politique et littéraire (1896) From Jean de Tinan, “Théâtre de l’oeuvre: Salomé” [review of the Paris premiere], Mercure de France (March 1896) From “Salome,” The Saturday Review (13 May 1905) Photograph of Alice Guszalewicz in Costume as Salome (c. 1910) “The Cult of the Clitoris,” The Vigilante (16 February 1918) From the Verbatim Report of the Trial of Noel Pemberton Billington, MP, on a Charge of Criminal Libel (1918) Select Bibliography

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Book SynopsisAs finely worked as a Swiss watch and as funny as the human condition permits ... the zigzag brilliance of the text as the clunky lines of the farce-within-a-farce rub against the sharp dialogue of reality. The GuardianA play-within-a-play following a touring theatre company who are rehearsing and performing a comedy called Nothing On, results in a riotous double-bill of comedic craft and dramatic skill. Hurtling along at breakneck speed it shows the backstage antics as they stumble through the dress-rehearsal at Weston-super-Mare, then on to a disastrous matinee at Ashton-under-Lyne, followed by a total meltdown in Stockton-on-Tees.Michael Frayn''s irresistible, multi-award-winning backstage farce has been enjoyed by millions of people worldwide since it premiered in 1982 and has been hailed as one of the greatest British comedies ever written. Winner of both Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for Best Comedy.This edition features a new introduction by Michael BlTrade ReviewAs finely worked as a Swiss watch and as funny as the human condition permits ... the zigzag brilliance of the text as the clunky lines of the farce-within-a-farce rub against the sharp dialogue of reality * Guardian *A spot on parody ... achieves an almost mathematical elegance as Frayn calculates all the many and varied ways in which it can all go wrong. Noises Off is cunningly structured. * Telegraph *A classic farce and a fiendishly ingenious homage to the form ... raucously delightful * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisZiegler's thoughtful, empathetic play brings home with bitter comedy the unlovely male-domination of this world in the 1950s ... glorious. IndependentLondon 1953. Scientists are on the verge of discovering what they call the secret of life: the DNA double helix. Providing the key is driven young physicist Rosalind Franklin. But if the double helix was the breakthrough of the 20th century, then what kept Franklin out of the history books? A play about ambition, isolation, and the race for greatness. Photograph 51 premiered in the UK in London''s West End in 2015 in a production which starred Nicole Kidman, where it won the WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Play. Published for the first time in Methuen Drama''s Modern Classics series, this edition features a brand-new introduction by Mandy Greenfield.Trade ReviewI'd wager that it won't be too long before Photograph 51 gets the big-screen treatment itself, and Ziegler hints at all sorts of additional stories that seem ripe for expansion... As it is, the playwright's interest lies not just in the hurtling advances of science and the casualties such quests leave in their wake but, equally, in Franklin's dual prescence as a person out of step with her fellow scientists for reasons of both gender and religion. * The Arts Desk *Engrossing * Independent *A perfect science-history play, with all the hurtling momentum of a race towards discovery, all the step-by-step deductions, competition and backhanded betrayals * Variety *

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