Plays, playscripts, drama
Samuel French Ltd The GoBetween
Book SynopsisLeo Colston - a man haunted by the events of his past - vividly recalls his unwitting role acting as a go-between for the beautiful upper-class Marian and the tenant-farmer Ted.
£13.49
Samuel French Ltd Towards Zero Outdoor Version
Book SynopsisWhen a house party gathers at Gull''s Point, the seaside home of Lady Tressilian, Neville Strange finds himself caught between his old wife, Audrey, and his new flame, Kay. A nail-biting thriller, the play probes the psychology of jealousy in the shadow of a savage and brutal murder. With reflections on suicide, depression and redemption, the play is a layered drama of piercing intelligence.
£14.42
Samuel French Ltd In Other Words
Book SynopsisThey call it ''the incident'' now. What happened, when they first met. He always said it was part of his romantic plan, but they both know that''s rubbish.Join Arthur and Jane, at the beginning, as they tell us their story. Connected by the music of Frank Sinatra, this intimate, humorous and deeply moving love story explores the effects of Alzheimer''s disease and the transformative power of music in our lives.
£13.49
Samuel French Ltd One Day When We Were Young
Book SynopsisI am scared, that once this war is over, and I am sent home, that you won''t be here. That you will have left.Leonard and Violet, young, restless and in love, spend their first night together knowing it may also be their last. It''s 1942 and, in a hotel room in Bath, they dream of their future while preparing for Leonard''s departure to the war. But the bombs begin to fall and their world will never be the same again. In the year 2002, the couple look back at what might have been.Examining the impact of the Second World War on two ordinary lives and a love that spans more than sixty years.
£13.49
Samuel French Ltd This Restless House Part One Agamemnons Return
Book SynopsisAeschylus'' Oresteia opens with Agamemnon sacrificing his daughter to the gods; an act which sets in motion a bloody cycle of revenge and counter-revenge. When he in turn is killed at the hands of his wife Clytemnestra, their son Orestes takes up the mantle of avenging his father, continuing the bloodshed until peace is ultimately found in the rule of law.Zinnie Harris reimagines this ancient drama, using a contemporary sensibility to rework the stories, placing the women in the centre. Orestes'' leading role is replaced by his sister Electra, who as a young child witnesses her father''s murder and is compelled to take justice into her own hands until she too must flee the Furies.The three plays that comprise This Restless House can be performed on their own or as part of a continuous evening. Part one being Agamemnon''s Return plays on its own, then parts two and three The Bough Breaks and Electra And Her Shadow play as dif
£14.42
Samuel French Ltd The Lovely Bones
Book SynopsisSusie Salmon is just like any other young girl. She wants to be beautiful, adores her charm bracelet and has a crush on a boy from school. There''s one big difference though - Susie is dead. Now she can only observe while her family manage their grief in their different ways. Her father, Jack is obsessed with identifying the killer. Her mother, Abigail is desperate to create a different life for herself. And her sister, Lindsay is discovering the opposite sex with experiences that Susie will never know. Susie is desperate to help them and there might be a way of reaching them...Alice Sebold''s novel The Lovely Bones is a unique coming-of-age tale that captured the hearts of readers throughout the world. Award-winning playwright Bryony Lavery has adapted it for this unforgettable play about life after loss.
£14.42
Samuel French Ltd Akhnaton
Book SynopsisAn enlightened pharaoh falls foul of his conservative court when he attempts to unite the polytheist Egyptians under one God - a course of action that forces factions of both the army and priesthood to turn against him. Undeterred, Akhnaton''s vision of a kingdom where people dwell in peace, truth, love and beauty will ultimately destroy him and all those he holds dear.Regarded as one of her most extraordinary plays, this epic historical drama is unlike anything you have read of Christie''s before.
£14.42
Samuel French Ltd A Respectable Funeral
Book SynopsisA Respectable Funeral is one of the first one act plays from the sensitive and humorous pen of Jimmie Chinn. It was presented and performed as a double bill - with one of Mr Chinn''s other plays, From Here To The Library - under the title of Back To Back in Oldham. Both plays can be performed separately or as an entertaining double bill.3 women, 1 man
£9.49
Samuel French Ltd Gaiman N Ocean at the End of the Lane
Book SynopsisReturning to his childhood home, a man finds himself standing beside the pond of the old Sussex farmhouse where he used to play. When he meets an old friend, he is reminded of a name he has not heard for many years: Lettie Hempstock. And is transported to his 12th birthday, when Lettie claimed that this wasn''t a pond at all, but an ocean...Plunged into 1983, our young protagonist struggles with the ripples of a disturbing event that makes him question his deepest assumptions about his fractured family. Striving to come to terms with his newly unknowable world, together with his new friend Lettie he must reckon with ancient forces that threaten to destroy everything and in turn learn to trust others to find his own feet. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a thrilling feat of storytelling in which fantasy, sci-fi, myth and imagination combine in an adventure that unfolds right here, in our world.
£13.49
Samuel French Ltd GirlPlay
Book SynopsisLucy is average, awkward and unassuming. And, when it comes to sex, what she lacks in experience, she makes up for in curiosity. That''s all set to change. On a night of rsts, she opens the door to a world of relationships and sex that she had only ever dreamt about. But, is the reality all she had hoped it would be? GirlPlay is an exploration of love and sex spun out in slam.
£13.49
Samuel French Ltd Nevilles Island
Book Synopsis
£14.42
Samuel French Ltd Brer Cotton
Book SynopsisLynchburg, Virginia. The former site of a thriving cotton mill is now an impoverished neighborhood. Deeply affected by all the recent killings of young black men like himself, Ruffrino, a 14-year-old militant, incites riots at school and online. As Ruffrino grows more and more at odds with his mother and grandfather, his anger builds beyond containment. Meanwhile, the family home literally sinks into the cotton field, and no one but Ruffrino seems to notice.?
£13.49
Concord Theatricals Ibsens Ghost
Book Synopsis
£13.49
Manchester University Press The Spanish Tragedy Revels Student Edition Thomas
Book SynopsisThe "revenge" play became the most durable and commercially successful type of drama on the Elizabethan stage. This example by Thomas Kyd, who was one of the originators of the genre, brings to life the intrigues of the Spanish court, dramatically juxtaposing romantic passion with violent death.
£19.71
Manchester University Press The Changeling
Book SynopsisThis classic text is the tale of a woman who becomes involved in murder without realizing the terrible price she will pay for it. This edition includes an introduction which analyzes the play in detail, and a commentary illuminating difficulties in the play for the modern reader.
£999.99
Oxford University Press Inc The Peach Blossom Fan
Book Synopsis
£21.84
Faber & Faber Outlying Islands Faber Plays
Book SynopsisIn 1939, on the eve of the Second World War, two young Cambridge ornithologists arrive on a remote, uninhabited Scottish island, sent by the government to survey the island''s birds. With them on the island are Kirk, the authoritarian leaseholder, and his niece Ellen, a young woman in love with the stars of silent comedy. Left alone on a scrap of land surrounded by the vast Atlantic, they observe each other.Poetic, intense and gripping, Outlying Islands is a glimpse of an innocence, a way of seeing and a way of being young that is about to be destroyed forever.Outlying Islands was premièred at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh in July 2002 and transferred to the Royal Court, London in Autumn 2002.
£9.50
Aurora Metro Publications Judgement
Book Synopsis
£8.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Black Men Walking
Book SynopsisA compelling, surprising new show that turns a spotlight onto Britain's missing histories. Dedicated to the Black Men's Walking Group.Thomas, Matthew and Richard walk.They walk the first Saturday of every month. Walking and talking.But this walkMaybe they should have cancelled, but they needed the walk today. Out in the Peaks, they find themselves forced to walk backwards through two thousand years before they can move forwards.Trade ReviewMixing poetry and politics, this is a stirring piece that suggests there is no situation that cannot be changed * Guardian *…this is an original and penetrating piece * Financial Times *Powerful, political, lyrical… Testament’s writing is linguistically dazzling, full of punchy humour and poetic charm * The Stage *As poetic as it is potent * WhatsOnStage *
£13.10
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Writing Queer Performance
Book SynopsisThis anthology documents a decade of some of the UK''s most exciting queer performances, through a combination of retrospective scripts, development material and visual documentation. Queer performances are expected to live a brief, bright life without leaving any textual record. Indeed, they rarely begin with complete scripts at all, being often developed instead by performance practices designed to fill noisy bars, clinking cabaret venues and fringe theatres, typically for short runs. This lack of textual documentation underplays the importance of writing to contemporary queer performances, while rendering them vulnerable to disappearance in the diaphanous archives of memory. Writing Queer Performance: Contemporary Texts and Documents features eight seminal works, captured though performance texts and visual documentation, that ensures their accessibility long after the event of live performance. Supported by a contextualizing introduction, the anthology provides
£23.74
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Sonya Kellys Druid Plays
Book Synopsis
£20.89
Heinemann Educational Books Spring Awakening
Book SynopsisWedekind's play about adolescent sexuality is as disturbing today as when it was first produced
£13.10
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC ELMINAS KITCHEN BY KWEIARMAH KWAME AUTHOR
Book SynopsisYou can''t just walk into dis bad man t''ing, you gotta learn the whole science of it. You step into that arena and you better be able to dance wid death til it mek you dizzy. The Yardies are burning up Hackney and Digger''s offer of protection for the diner smacks more of threat than promise. How can Deli save his truanting, thieving son when temptation looms so large on Murder Mile? Trade Review'Guns, drugs, crime, racism, the effects of single parenthood, the ease with which young black men reject education, the troubled relationship between black Britons and "back home", the frustrated desire to achieve ... Kwame Kwei-Armah's play covers an awful lot of bases. What makes Elmina's Kitchen remarkable, however, is his ability to address all these issues without hectoring. He takes us behind the headlines from Hackney's Murder Mile, bringing a human face to London's gang violence and showing how easy it is to make the wrong choice when struggling to survive.' Maddy Costa, The Guardian 'Elmina's Kitchen does just what the best contemporary theatre should. It urges people with half closed minds and averted eyes to confront the ignored and evaded problems of our time.' Nicholas de Jongh, Evening Standard 'This is an angry, provocative, vital play, one that demands change in society while recognising that there are no easy solutions, and is passionately political while understating that the best way to communicate with people is to keep them entertained. It is thrilling to see it at the National - and will be even more thrilling if it inspires other black playwrights to follow its lead.' Maddy Costa, The Guardian 'a scorching drama about the black experience in Britain's inner cities ... there's no mistaking its raw power, humanity and urgent concern.' Charles Spencer, Daily Telegraph 'Set in London's contemporary East End, this is an assured, humourous, ultimately grim drama ... a revenge tragedy for our times, with violent retribution tied in with today's complicated black culture of "respect".' Kate Bassett, Independent on Sunday
£13.93
Cambridge University Press Euripides Hippolytus Cambridge Translations from
Book SynopsisTreating ancient plays as living drama.Table of ContentsPreface; Background to the story of Hippolytus; Suggestions for further reading; Map; Genealogical table; List of characters; Commentary and Translation; Synopsis of the play; Pronunciation of names; Introduction to Greek Theatre; Time line; Index.
£13.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Ghosts Student Editions
Book SynopsisGhosts is Ibsen''s formidably realistic play about the effects of previous generations on the young, a stinging satire on contemporary Norwegian society and morality, and a haunting tragedy that, more than a century since it premiered, still retains its power to shock. In Ibsen''s study of the lingering poison in a marriage based on a lie, Osvald Alving returns from Paris to his mother''s home, carrying with him a dreadful secret. His mother''s delight at having him home soon turns to horror and grief. The corruption that she had hoped to spare him from when sending him away from the influence of his depraved father has in fact infected his whole body in the form of syphillis. In Mrs Alving and her son''s distrust of conventional religion and mores and Oswald''s anguish with life, Ibsen created a thoroughly modern and provocative work that created widespread outrage and shock when first produced in 1881. ''Meyer''s translations of Ibsen are a major Trade Review'Ghosts is a forboding litany of sins past which unravel to lay bare a series of creeping consequences that damn everyone involved, unwittingly or not.' Neil Cooper, Herald, 18.5.09 'Ibsen has the extraordinary capacity for building up tension like the force of water gathering behind a fracturing dyke. When the walls finally break, the ensuing flood is irresistible.' Mark Brown, Sunday Herald, 24.5.09 'Ibsen's most notable foray into the nature/nurture debate' Steve Cramer, Financial Times, 26.5.09 'When Ibsen's 1881 drama was first staged, the play didn't just tread on one taboo, it bravely waded through a messy bog of them.' Maxie Szalwinska, Sunday Times, 2.8.09
£11.45
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The May Queen A Revenge Tragedy Modern Plays
Book SynopsisIt''s not just what he''s done that makes me want to kill him. It''s everything about him that makes me want to kill him. Listen to me. And me a May Queen an'' all FrankDonohue is dead. Murdered. And as the culprits bury his death in thechaos of the Blitz, Theresa Donohue prays for revenge. Revenge for herfather, her brother and herself. But if vengeance is the Lord''s thenwho will pull the trigger? The May Queen is a dark and brutal thriller set against the backdrop of wartime Merseyside.In his professional homecoming, award-winning Liverpool writer StephenSharkey, whose work has been produced in London and Edinburgh, bringsus a story of love, family and the price of retribution. The play is aprogramme text produced with the Liverpool Everyman Theatre where itopens in May 2007.
£14.64
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC McDowall Plays 1
Book SynopsisThis is the first collection from groundbreaking playwright Alistair McDowall, an exceptionally talented and fast-rising writer. Still only in his twenties, this writer is surely going places. Whatever he dreams up next, his name will almost certainly be in lights at the Royal Court soon, if not at the National Theatre. (The Times) Having won a Judges Award at the Bruntwood Prize in 2011 and been shortlisted for the Writers'' Guild Best Play Award in 2013, Alistair McDowall is one of the most exciting playwrights of this generation.The anthology features the play that brought McDowall to people''s attention, Brilliant Adventures, up to his latest major play, Pomona, that received ecstatic reviews, transferred to the National Theatre, and hailed him as one of the most important playwrights of this generation. It also includes two previously unpublished plays. Brilliant Adventures (Royal Exchange/Live Theatre, 2013) is a fast paced talTrade ReviewThis gripping and deeply unsettling tale of inner-city lowlife is a sensory and dramatic triumph * Whatsonstage on 'Pomona' *Alistair McDowall's slippery, gripping dystopian thriller . . . enthralling, unexpectedly funny and expertly maintained. . . . Clever, creepy and compelling. * Financial Times on 'Pomona' *This is an intelligent, involving examination of the transformative potential of fatherhood – of its ability to take a man who can barely look at himself in the mirror, and make him feel all-powerful, worthy of love. For my money, it may well be the best one-man show you’re likely to see at the Fringe this year. * Daily Telegraph on 'Captain Amazing' *A monologue that crackles with invention . . . This is a terrific piece of writing – full of crackle, invention and heart * Guardian on 'Captain Amazing' *Sizzling exuberance and imagination * Observer on 'Brilliant Adventures' *Remarkable young writing talent ... there is a convincing tang of lived experience in the evocation of a practically lawless pocket of the north-east * Guardian on 'Brilliant Adventures' *A bold drama fusing gritty realism with time travel fantasy * BBC on "Brilliant Adventures" *Alistair McDowall’s fine, flinty play . . . bitterly funny * New York Times on "Talk Show" *
£20.89
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Kite Runner
Book SynopsisI became what I am today at the age of twelve. I remember the precise moment, crouching behind a mud wall on a frigid winter day in 1975 . . . looking into a deserted alley. It's wrong what they say about the past, about how you can bury it, because the past claws its way out. I realize I've been looking into that alley for the last 26 years.Afghanistan is a divided country on the verge of war and two childhood friends are about to be torn apart. It''s a beautiful afternoon in Kabul and the skies are full of the excitement and joy of a kite flying tournament. But neither Hassan or Amir can foresee the terrible incident which will shatter their lives forever.Khaled Hosseini''s first and international best-selling novel has now been adapted into a stunning stage adaptation by Matthew Spangler.This edition was published for the production at Wyndham''s Theatre, London, from 21 December 2016.Trade ReviewHosseini's ability to reach the core of experiences of love and loss places him in the company of such fine chroniclers of the new America as Chang-rae Lee. The Kite Runner is a first novel of unusual generosity, honesty and compassion. * Guardian *A devastating, masterful and painfully honest story ... It is a novel of great hidden intricacy and wisdom, like a timeless Eastern tale. It speaks the most harrowing truth about the power of evil * Daily Telegraph *The shattering first novel by Khaled Hosseini ... a rich and soul-searching narrative ... a sharp, unforgettable taste of the trauma and tumult experienced by Afghanis as their country buckled * Observer *But the play is a phenomenally powerful piece of theatre which for many people will portray Afghanistan in a totally new light * British Theatre Guide on Matthew Spangler's adaptation of 'The Kite Runner' *An accomplished adaptation by Matthew Spangler ... This show, a European premiere, stands shoulder to shoulder with the best work in the regions and judging by the thronging auditorium ... [they have] a hit on [their] hands that deserves to travel the country beyond its scheduled stops of Brighton and Liverpool * Daily Telegraph on Matthew Spangler's adaptation of "The Kite Runner" *Matthew Spangler’s dramatisation, worked on with Hosseini’s help and blessing, rightly seizes on the potent personal story at the heart of the novel: the tale of two boys, Amir and his father’s servant Hassan, brought up as near brothers in the same house. The staging traces their story simply and vivaciously * Financial Times on Matthew Spangler's adaptation of "The Kite Runner" *An enthralling tale beautifully told, at once topical and emotionally resonant * Daily Telegraph on Matthew Spangler's adaptation of "The Kite Runner" *Matthew Spangler's script . . . preserves Hosseini's sensitive portrait of a friendship marred by tribalism and betrayal. * Evening Standard on Matthew Spangler's adaptation of "The Kite Runner" *Khaled Hosseini's 2003 novel [has] been transformed into a seriously good piece of storytelling theatre that takes flight just as the onstage kites do . . . This stage adaptation . . . is that rare and magnificent thing: a real sleeper hit . . . it feels in the tradition of War horse and could well be the best page-to-stage show since then . . . it has a similar integrity that speaks of a real commitment by its creative team to telling this story with an unforced economy that is also full of emotional weight. Matthew Spangler's adaptation offers a gripping portrait of two young lives that become inextricably linked. * Stage on Matthew Spangler's adaptation of "The Kite Runner" *The touching story of the novel is carried on stage by the turbulent ups and downs, echoing the ducking and diving of a fighting kite that will come up winning. * Independent on Matthew Spangler's adaptation of "The Kite Runner" *Adaptor Matthew Spangler has admirably condensed Hosseini's epic novel . . . there is no sense of constriction . . . Spangler skilfully balances the scenes in Asia with those of the Afghan refugees seeking to maintain their dignity and culture in the West. * Sunday Express on Matthew Spangler's adaptation of "The Kite Runner" *
£14.21
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Lucy Light and Tumble Tuck
Book SynopsisDo you get to design your boobs? Is it like Build-A-Bear?Meet Lucy and Jess; two best friends who obsess over boys, booze and their boobs. But when her mother dies of breast cancer, Lucy is forced to make a decision that will change her body forever. A story that spans ten years, Lucy Light is a powerful duologue between two women that offers a nostalgic look at our relationship with our bodies, the hereditary nature of cancer, and the strength of female friendships.My front crawl is a bit f***ing feminineTumble Tuck is a funny, brutal and honest one person piece about body image, mental health and relationships, that seeks to examine what it means to be successful in a world where medals matter.In these two complementary new plays, Sarah Milton offers up two strong female led narratives with dynamic, complex characters.This edition was published to coincide with the London production of Lucy Light at The Vault Festival 2019.Trade Review4 Stars This is an absorbing and important hour of theatre. * The Stage on Lucy Light *5 Stars Lucy Light is an absorbing, truthful, and poignant hour of theatre. Sarah Milton's writing is raw and incredibly important * The National Student *With an admirable lightness of touch, Milton steers her characters into darker psychological terrain...compelling story, deftly told. * The Stage on Tumble Tuck *5 Stars Milton’s physicality takes us to the pool and beyond...Energetic and engaging * Theatre Full Stop on Tumble Tuck *
£13.93
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC ERIS
Book SynopsisYou know what would really fuck them off? If you went out there and found the least suitable, most inappropriate, most outrageous hunk of a man that this fine city has to offer, and the pair of you rock up to that church service in May, arm in arm. Seán is feeling wronged because his boyfriend Tim has been excluded from a family wedding back home in Ireland. What does it matter that they've just broken up? The problem for his family is that Tim is femme, fabulous and worst of all, English. Spurred on by righteous anger, Seán is determined to do something about it. As Greek myths, hook-up apps, and the musical stylings of Sinéad O'Connor collide, Seán launches into his hunt for the most disruptive plus-one possible.
£10.79
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Red Velvet
Book SynopsisChakrabarti has crafted a rich psychological study that's also a shrewd portrait of the theatre as an institution its vanities and strange conventions, its politics and sense of community, the opportunities it presents for both progress and blinkered traditionalism. Evening StandardTheatre Royal, Covent Garden, 1833. Edmund Kean, the greatest actor of his generation, has collapsed on stage while playing Othello. A young Black American actor has been asked to take over the role. But as the public riot in the streets over the abolition of slavery, how will the cast, critics and audience react to the revolution taking place in the theatre?Based on the true story of Ira Aldridge, an African-American actor who, in the 19th century, built an incredible reputation around the world. Red Velvet premiered at the Tricycle Theatre, London, in October 2012. This new Modern Classics edition features an introduction by Kenneth Branagh.Trade ReviewChakrabarti's writing is funny and fierce . . . the issues 'Red Velvet' deals with are far from past tense. * Time Out London *Chakrabarti smartly draws parallels between the world of Shakespeare's Othello, the 1830s and our own society. She writes shrewdly about the theatre's role as an instrument of both social progress and conservatism . . . an arresting and sometimes very funny play. * Evening Standard *
£13.10
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Cape
Book SynopsisInua Ellams: Born in Nigeria in 1984, Inua is an internationally touring poet, playwright, performer, graphic artist & designer. He is an ambassador for the Ministry of Stories and has published four books of poetry: Candy Coated Unicorns and Converse All Stars', Thirteen Fairy Negro Tales' 'The Wire-Headed Heathen' and '#Afterhours'. His first play The 14th Tale was awarded a Fringe First at the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival and his fourth Barber Shop Chronicles sold out its run at England's National Theatre. He is currently touring 'An Evening With An Immigrant' and working on The Half God of Rainfall a new play in verse. In graphic art & design, online and in print, he tries to mix the old with the new, juxtaposing texture and pigment with flat shades of colour and vector images. He lives and works from London, where he founded the Midnight Run, a nocturnal urban excursion. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.Trade ReviewIt feels like a very contemporary piece which will resonate with young people and which could easily be linked to current events and news for literacy events. * Teaching English *Table of Contents1. Introduction and Teacher Resources by Synergy Theatre Project 2. Cape Playtext
£10.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Riots
Book SynopsisThe Government has so far refused a Public Inquiry into the riots that shook our cities this Summer, so the Tricycle is mounting its own.This verbatim play builds a real-time picture of the riots as they unfolded. And then, from interviews with politicians, police, teachers, lawyers, community leaders, as well as victims and on-lookers, The Riots analyses what happened, why it happened, and what we should do towards making a better future for ourselves and our city. Astonishing stories and equally astonishing conclusions told by the many voices that have been stirred up by the riots.
£13.93
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Beneathas Place
Book SynopsisSome things we do for those we are responsible for, some things for ourselves, and some things we do for the ancestors.Today, it's all three!1959. The first wave of independence is sweeping across Africa and Beneatha has left the prejudice of 1950s America for a brighter future with her Nigerian husband in Lagos. But on the day they move into their new house in the white suburbs, it doesn't take long for cracks to appear, changing the course of the rest of their lives.Present day. Now a renowned Dean whose colleagues are questioning the role of African American studies for future generations, Beneatha returns to the same house in search of answers. Inspired by Lorraine Hansberry''s ground-breaking modern classic, A Raisin in the Sun, Beneatha's Place challenges today's culture wars about colonial history and reckoning with the past. A razor-sharp satire from Young Vic Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah, about the power of knowing your hi
£13.10
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Wood of Words
Book SynopsisFriendship makes us fresh.And doth beget new courage in our breasts.A new play for young people and schools, created from Shakespeare's works.In this wood of words, a band of newcomers arrive to witness banishments, storms, unhappy endings, reunions, and murder most foul... and try to make sense of it all. This unique and thoughtful adaptation for young performers of several of Shakespeare's works is co-written by director Chris White and award-winning playwright Hannah Khalil, in honour of the 400th anniversary of the First Folio this year.The Wood of Words was created as part of the Associate Schools Programme (the RSC's long term partnership programme with schools and theatre partners). This edition was published to coincide with the Playmaking Festival at the RSC, in July 2023.
£13.37
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Until I Return The Selected Plays of Ismail
Book SynopsisDiscover the complex histories and experiences of the Palestinian people through the work of Ismail Khalidi. With compelling characters, engaging storytelling, quick-witted humor, and unwavering political commitment, Khalidi has entertained and informed audiences in America and around the globe, providing diverse perspectives on the Palestinian experience from the British Mandate era to the challenges faced under occupation today. This new collection spans Khalidi's career, featuring both his early monodramas and never-before-published new plays. An essential intervention in academic and artistic discourses that often overlook or marginalize Palestinian and Arab voices, Khalidi's work proves him to be an influential figure on an international scale, bridging the Americas and the Middle East. Until I Return: The Selected Plays of Ismail Khalidi further contextualizes his work with an essay by Professor Edward Ziter (NYU Tisch, USA), an enlightening interview with the playwright co
£23.74
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Seagull
Book SynopsisTwo years after its disastrous opening in 1896, "The Seagull" was successfully revived at the Moscow Art Theatre. Checkhov's self-mocking description of the play was: "A comedy - 3F, 6M, four acts, rural scenery (a view over a lake); much talk of literature, little action, five bushels of love".
£12.71
Samuel French Ltd The Norman Conquests Acting Edition
Book Synopsis
£14.99
Samuel French Ltd Random Harvest
Book SynopsisIt is set in the period preceding the Second World War. It is told in the first person of Harrison, and tells the story of Charles Rainier, a wealthy businessman, and politician, from his time in the army during World War I, his subsequent memory loss and partial recovery, his assuming control of the family business and his attempts to recover his memory as Hitler invades Poland.6 women, 6 men
£13.49
Samuel French Ltd Peerless
Book SynopsisAsian-American twins M and L have given up everything to get into The College. So when D a one-sixteenth Native American classmate gets their spot instead they figure they've got only one option: kill him. A darkly comedic take on Shakespeare's Macbeth about the very ambitious and the cut-throat world of high school during college admissions.
£13.49
Samuel French Ltd Do You Feel Anger
Book SynopsisSofia was recently hired as an empathy coach at a debt collection agency – and clearly, she has her work cut out for her. These employees can barely identify what an emotion is, much less practice deep, radical compassion for others. And while they painstakingly stumble towards enlightenment, someone keeps mugging Eva in the kitchen. An outrageous comedy about the absurdity – and the danger – of a world where some people’s feelings matter more than others’.
£13.49
Ivan R. Dee Six Characters in Search of an Author Plays For
Book SynopsisRobert Brustein's highly acclaimed adaptation of Pirandello's masterpiece, a study in illusion and reality which follows a group of characters who try to fashion their life stories into acceptable drama. Plays for Performance Series.Trade ReviewIngenious...a striking re-imagining of Six Characters that heightens the play's theatricality even as it grounds it in the mundane.... It keeps faith with Pirandello's case for the peculiarly irresistible power of illusion. * The New York Times *
£10.24
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Venice Saved
Book SynopsisTowards the end of her life, the French philosopher and mystic Simone Weil (1909-43) was working on a tragedy, Venice Saved. Appearing here in English for the first time, this play explores the realisation of Weil's own thoughts on tragedy. A figure of affliction, a central theme in Weil''s religious metaphysics, the central character offers a unique insight into Weil's broader philosophical interest in truth and justice, and provides a fresh perspective on the wider conception of tragedy itself.The play depicts the plot by a group of Spanish mercenaries to sack Venice in 1618 and how it fails when one conspirator, Jaffier, betrays them to the Venetian authorities, because he feels compassion for the city''s beauty. The edition includes notes on the play by the translators as well as introductory material on: the life of Weil; the genesis and purport of the play; Weil and the tragic; the issues raised by translating Venice Saved. With additional suggestions for further rTrade ReviewSimone Weil has long been admired for her reading of The Iliad in which she identified the true hero and subject as force. In Venice Saved, her own attempt at dramaturgy, force once again takes center stage in the form of a conspiracy amongst a band of exiles to topple a city in the service of empire and personal glory. What, if anything, can withstand such force? Beauty? Friendship? Pity? Redemptive suffering? Venice Saved provides new insights to Weil’s moral and political philosophy. -- Lucian Stone, Associate Professor of Philosophy,University of North Dakota, USAThis highly readable translation of Simone Weil’s unfinished and only play, Venise Sauvée, highlights universal themes such as violence, power, friendship, beauty, and affliction. But Weil’s tragedy, written at a time when her native France was being overtaken by Hitler’s Germany, is particularly resonant for the 21st century, as we confront new forms of brutality, the politics of fear, and ever-growing social divisiveness. -- A. Rebecca Rozelle-Stone, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of North Dakota, USAThe genealogy of Venice Saved in Weil’s lifework is laid out here with sensitivity and accuracy, exposing her key themes: force, affliction, attention, love, kenosis, void, and the cross. Weil contemplated suffering and redemption at the core of existence, and in Venice Saved she sought to distill their quintessence. -- Lissa McCullough, California State University Dominguez Hills, author of The Religious Philosophy of Simone WeilTable of ContentsTranslators’ Biographies Preface Acknowledgements List of abbreviations Chapter 1 Simone Weil: An Inhabited Philosophy Chapter 2 The Genesis and Purport of Venice Saved Chapter 3 Weil and the Tragic Chapter 4 On the Translation Venice Saved: Tragedy in Three Acts by Simone Weil Translators’ Notes Bibliography Further reading Index
£999.99
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Positive Stories for Negative Times Season Four
Book SynopsisElla Hickson is an award-winning playwright whose work has been performed throughout the UK and abroad. Her recent play Anna', a sonic collaboration with Ben and Max Ringham, opened at the National Theatre in Spring, 2019. Other theatre includes, 'Swive' (2019) at The Globe, The Writer' (2018) and Oil' (2016) at The Almeida Theatre, and Wendy and Peter Pan' (2015) at The Royal Shakespeare Company. She is a member of the Royal Society of Literature, a MacDowell Fellow and recipient of The Catherine Johnson Award. She is developing new work with The Old Vic, Tim Minchin and The National Theatre, and television projects with Kudos Productions and Warp Films.Hannah Low is a Chinese-Scottish writer, actor and youth theatre practitioner based in Edinburgh Scotland who graduated in 2019 with a First Class BA(Hons) degree in Musical Theatre. Most recently, Hannah was selected as a mentee for Playwright's Studio Scotland's 2024 programme, working with Douglas Maxwell to develop a new play. Hannah makes vibrant, narrative-led, interdisciplinary work for stage. Her projects are currently supported by Vanishing Point and Imaginate, and funded by Creative Scotland and the Edinburgh City Council Diversity and Inclusion fund.Travis Alabanza is a performer, writer and theatre-maker. In 2016/17 they became the youngest recipient of the artist-in-residence at the Tate workshop programme, starred in Scottee's theatre production Putting Words in your Mouth at the Roundhouse and the Royal Exchange adaptation of Derek Jarman's Jubilee, performed in venues such as V&A, Tate, ICA, the Roundhouse and Barbican and had their work featured in The Guardian, BBC, Huck Magazine and more. Known for increasingly paving much of the UK conversation around trans politics, Alabanza has become a staple of the London queer scene and further afield. Their debut poetry book Before I step Outside (you love me) released in 2017 has been shipped to over 19 countries worldwide and listed as one of the top trans literary books of 2017. Alabanza's unique mixture of performance, poetry, style, political views and risk-taking performances has taken them across the country, Europe and internationally working regularly with artists such as Alok Vaid-Menon, Duckie, David Hoyle, Scottee and others.Mammalian Diving Reflex creates performances by looking for contradictions to whip into aesthetically scintillating experiences. They create site and social-specific performance events, theatre productions, participatory gallery installations, videos, art objects and theoretical texts to foster dialogue and dismantle barriers between individuals of all backgrounds by bringing people together in new and unusual ways.James Ley is an Edinburgh-based writer who has written plays for A Play, A Pie and A Pint, Glasgay! and The Edinburgh Festival Fringe. His work has been performed at Òran Mór, The Citizens Theatre, The Tron Theatre and The CCA. Mentored through the Playwrights' Studio, Scotland and a finalist in Glasgay!'s Playfest 2010 competition, he was awarded an Arts Council Literature Residency at CovePark in 2010 and has recently been awarded a grant from The Tom McGrath Trust.
£16.14
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) The United States vs Ulysses
Book Synopsis
£10.99
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Marriage Material
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£10.99
Faber & Faber Ballet Shoes
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£10.44
Samuel French Ltd The Men From The Boys
Book SynopsisThirty years after the characters in The Boys in the Band gathered in Michael''s Manhattan duplex to celebrate Harold''s birthday, six of the survivors are assembled again in the same apartment for another occasion: a Celebration of Life for one of the original boys, who has died. This funny, acerbic, and tender sequel does not toe any politically correct line. Rather, it is full of debates about and criticisms of the post-liberation world, allowing these men to realize how much they have changed, and how much further they have to go.
£18.17
