Plays, playscripts, drama

Book SynopsisAcclaimed for his screenplays for TV dramas including Skins, Shameless, The Fades, This is England '86/'88/'90 and Glue, Jack Thorne first emerged as a writer of unflinching, compassionate and often challenging plays for the stage. Described as a ‘powerful voice for Britain’s youth’ (Independent), he remains one of the most distinctive talents working in theatre today and was chosen by JK Rowling to write the script for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. This collection, with a revealing introduction by the author, covers a period of intense creativity – beginning with When You Cure Me (Bush Theatre, 2005), a painful – and painfully funny – play about being very young and in love, and coping with serious illness at the same time. ‘One of the year’s finest pieces of new writing’ Evening Standard In the monologue play Stacy (Arcola Theatre, 2007), twenty-something Rob tells the story of a confusing couple of days in which everything in his life seems to have gone wrong. ‘A pin-sharp, brilliant piece of work’ Time Out 2nd May 1997 (Bush Theatre, 2009) distils all the euphoria and despair of New Labour’s landslide electoral victory into three stories told with ‘quiet profundity and verve’ (Telegraph), while Bunny (Edinburgh Fringe, 2010) is a white-knuckle ride through the streets of contemporary Britain, written for a solo female performer. ‘Terrific’ Scotsman Red Car, Blue Car is a heartbreaking short play about guilt, grief and responsibility, written for and performed at the Bush in 2011. Finally, Mydidae (Soho Theatre, 2012), a two-hander set entirely in a bathroom, is an electrifyingly intimate account of the darker side of love which hits audiences ‘like a punch in the gut’ (Whatsonstage.com) 'An absolutely top-class playwright' JK Rowling

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Book SynopsisIn the late 1600s, in a convent in Mexico, a gifted and progressive writer finds herself at the centre of a deadly battle of ideas. Celebrated by the Court but silenced by the Church, she is betrayed by the very people she thought she could trust. Inspired by the extraordinary life of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Helen Edmundson's The Heresy of Love is a powerful drama about a clash between organised religion and personal faith, full of intrigue and danger, ruthless ambitions and illicit desire. Premiered by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2012, The Heresy of Love was revived in a new production at Shakespeare's Globe, London, in 2015.Trade Review'Superb... an instant classic' * Daily Mail *'The great quality of Edmundson's play is that it has the sweep, the intrigue, and the bold theatrical effects of the original Spanish Golden Age dramas... an unmistakable winner' * Daily Telegraph *'A bold and eloquent play that confronts titanic conflicts between church and state, faith and creativity, and male and female power-structures' * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisThis anthology comprises five of the best plays from VAULT 2016, London's biggest and most exciting arts festival. Eggs is a dark comedy about female friendship, fertility and freaking out, by Florence Keith-Roach, 'rising star of the London theatre scene' (Evening Standard). Two women, living very different lives, are united by their quick wit, love of nineties’ dance music and a mounting alienation. In Mr Incredible, Adam is single. He doesn't like it. He misses Holly. He deserves Holly. Doesn't he? A monologue about love and entitlement by Camilla Whitehill, author of Where Do Little Birds Go?, who was described by The Times as 'a writer of huge promise'. The world of the celebrity PA is laid bare in Primadonna. A young first-timer navigates impossible tasks, difficult conversations and fearsome passive aggression in this one-woman play from Rosie Kellett, winner of the VAULT Festival Spirit Award. Mickey and his team of Cornermen never have much luck in the boxing world. Until, that is, they sign a young fighter whose winning ways catapult them to a level they've never known before. 'A striking new play by an exciting new writer', Oli Forsyth (Scotsman). Stephen Laughton's one-man play Run explores what it means to love, to lose, and how to grow from a boy into a man, as a gay Jewish kid sneaks out over Shabbat to meet his boyfriend – and his universe implodes. 'A vibrant, varied programme full of theatrical treats… a brilliant place to spot new talent' The Stage on VAULT 2015Trade Review'An exciting collection of new writing… VAULT is a vibrant and creatively inspiring forum, and this compendium of highlights is a real treat… a stimulating collection' * Teaching Drama *

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Book Synopsis'You see, Brenda, I'm not like other men...' In a dingy London bedsit in the late 1950s, George is planning a night on the town with his friend Gordon. Weaver wants to come too, and soon Mrs Tebbit, the landlady, has been invited. But when Mr Thomas shows up, the night takes a strange and sinister turn... Kathy Burke's first play is a gritty, darkly funny look at attitudes to homosexuality in the 1950s, a portrait of repressed sexuality and alcoholism – and an homage to the great masters of British theatre, Wilde, Coward, Pinter and Orton. Mr Thomas premiered at the Old Red Lion Theatre, London, in January 1990, directed by the playwright, and starring Ray Winstone as Weaver. Re-issued in this new edition, the play provides rich opportunities for theatre companies, and is a fascinating insight into the work of one of our best-loved actresses.

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Book Synopsis‘We should have brought a gift.’ ‘We’ve brought a gift. It’s called twenty-two thousand pounds.’ Purchased from Russia. Developed in India. Delivered to the UK. A global transaction over nine months that offers ‘a lifetime of happiness’ for all involved. Vivienne Franzmann's play Bodies explores the human cost of surrogacy, and what we’ll overlook to get what we want. The play premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, on 5 July 2017, in a production directed by Jude Christian.Trade Review'Immensely powerful and eloquently constructed… a richly humane and insightful piece' * Independent *'Engages with awkward social issues in a humane yet cautionary fashion… packs a lot of challenging ideas into 90 minutes' * Evening Standard *'An engrossing allegory for the modern age, where we consume things at the click of a button, this new work forces a consideration of what happens when we want something so badly that we try to pretend there are no consequences' * WhatsOnStage *'Brims with powerful emotions and interesting ideas' * The Arts Desk *'Explores the ethical minefield of international surrogacy through a personal story that is compelling and increasingly distressing. It’s a tough subject, but Franzmann brings a mix of dark humour and compassion to it... a piercing play about the way we live now' * Financial Times *'Hard-hitting… a hugely ambitious piece of work, exploring how people are commodified, bought and sold' * Time Out *'Bold stuff, packed with ideas… combines a dense psychological study with a philosophical question, then drops in some political bite to boot' * The Stage *'An outstanding success… Vivienne Franzmann is one of today's most sensitive and thoughtful playwrights' * British Theatre Guide *

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Book SynopsisA darkly comic debut play about confession and the gravity of young love. Ramona is sixteen, hates bananas, and she's totally cool. Honestly. She's completely cool. It's 1998, and Ramona, of Englandshire, is on a wet, midge-riddled geography field trip, deep in the Scottish Highlands. There she meets Jim, a local laddie obsessed with hermit crabs, rock erosion and spider plants. When Ramona falls for Jim's awkward charm, she gets caught in a scandal that will haunt her for years to come. Sophie Wu's Ramona Tells Jim was commissioned by and first performed at the Bush Theatre, London, in September 2017.Trade Review'Sophie Wu has a knack for nifty dialogue. Her debut play is an engaging, quirky 80-minute piece about the kinship of oddballs and the disruptiveness of innocence' * Guardian *'Wu has a sharp ear for the mundane details of everyday conversation and she develops distinctive characters without veering towards stereotypes… Ramona Tells Jim has a quirky humour, founded on the universal truth that the pieces in life’s jigsaw rarely fit together neatly' * The Reviews Hub *'[A] strong debut play… funny and charming… consistently engaging and, for all its undertow of regret, rather good fun' * Time Out *'Deliciously rich language blends with social satire in a nice piece of kooky storytelling… Wu’s text has a warmhearted flavour and a teen glow, a lovely mix of the childish and the faux-adult' * The Arts Desk *'A laugh-out-loud coming of age tale… a well-crafted study of how a single misstep can throw off a whole life' * Exeunt Magazine *

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Book SynopsisWarning: Contains dancing, chocolate cake and an epic car chase. Molly cooks. Molly does the dishes. Molly gets her little brother Joe ready for school. Molly is only twelve, but she doesn't feel much like a kid any more. Now her mum is feeling better, maybe things will get back to normal. Maybe Molly can learn to be a kid again. A touching and funny story of family, friends and fitting in, Sarah McDonald-Hughes' play How To Be A Kid is ideal for seven- to eleven-year-olds to watch, read and perform. It was first produced in 2017 by Paines Plough in their pop-up theatre, Roundabout, in a co-production with Theatr Clywd and the Orange Tree Theatre. How To Be A Kid was named Best Play for Young Audiences at the 2018 Writers' Guild Awards.Trade Review'An absolute little gem… explores mental health issues in a non-frightening, easily accessible way... this heart-warming story is sensitive, uplifting and great fun. This is storytelling at its finest' * British Theatre Guide *'There are serious life lessons to be learned in Sarah McDonald-Hughes’ new play, about the different ways people process grief, the resilience we’re capable of in times of adversity, and – most importantly – the need for families to talk openly about how they feel. All of which is delivered with a lightness of touch that ensures we never feel anything less than entertained… witty lines punctuate the sadness… this lively tale is a gentle but effective journey into difficult lives that are turned around through communication, hope and love' * Scotsman *'Sarah McDonald-Hughes' script owes its lightness of touch to the fact it never leaves the perspective of our little hero Molly… an action-packed, uplifting piece about the value of imagination and what makes a strong family, and its explanation of mental illness for a young audience is perfectly, sensitively pitched' * The List *

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Book Synopsis'I spend the night in an officer’s barracks, where no woman has ever set foot.' In the darkest recesses of Ukraine, a war is raging. A journalist takes a research trip to the front line. Teenage girls wait for soldiers on benches. A medic mourns her lover killed in action. Natal'ya Vorozhbit's play Bad Roads is a heartbreaking, powerful and bitterly comic account of what it is to be a woman in wartime. It was premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, in November 2017, in a production directed by Vicky Featherstone. It was developed by the Royal Court International Department, and translated by Sasha Dugdale. Natal’ya Vorozhbit is the leading Ukrainian playwright of her generation and has worked with the Royal Court since 2004. Her work includes The Khomenko Family Chronicles, Maidan Diaries (Royal Court) and The Grain Store (RSC).Trade Review'Complex and compelling… an all-too-vivid vision of what it is to be a woman in wartime' * The Times *'A savage look at the dehumanising impact of war… swings between matter-of-fact horror and bitter comedy… masterly and woundingly memorable' * Independent *'Despite its grim subject matter, the play is often surprisingly still and quiet, and occasionally funny too… hammer[s] home the losses, desperations, brutal necessities and impossible resiliences of women in war' * The Stage *'The patchwork of stories and images creates a powerful, occasionally indelible, picture of contemporary warfare… thought-provoking and frightening' * The Arts Desk *'Powerful… in her relentless focus on conflict’s female victims, Vorozhbit shows herself to be a Ukrainian Sarah Kane' * Guardian *'An urgent, visceral piece' * Exeunt Magazine *

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Book Synopsis‘We can do better – can’t we?’ Having both been deeply scarred by their own parents' separations, Joe and Anne never imagined they'd find themselves, years later, in the same position. Determined to place the interests of their son Alistair at the centre of their lives apart, they split with the firm objective of maintaining amicable relations at all costs. But a sudden change in circumstance triggers a chain of events that pushes their best intentions to the limit… Before they know it, they are both teetering dangerously close to the edge of an abyss. Kellie Smith's play Wilderness is a searing exploration of unconditional love and of the personal sacrifices it demands. It premiered at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, London, in March 2019.Trade Review'Finely crafted new writing' * The Stage *'Heartbreaking... establishes Kellie Smith as one to watch' * The Arts Desk *'Painfully funny' * Exeunt Magazine *

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Book Synopsis‘…and all the sins of his father and his forefathers came out of his body, through the pores of his skin, in the form of crows.’ When a son returns home after being accused of a violent crime, a mother is forced to confront the ghosts of her past when the crows visit. Inspired by true events in modern-day India, Anupama Chandrasekhar's play When the Crows Visit explores the themes of Ibsen's Ghosts and the cyclical nature of oppression. This dark and thrilling play premiered at Kiln Theatre, London, in October 2019, directed by Artistic Director Indhu Rubasingham.Trade Review'Gruesomely powerful' * Guardian *'A startling, powerful play... a triumphant translation' * Evening Standard *'A haunting beast of a play, one that persistently claws away at expectations and comforts until nothing remains but a raw, painful wound' * The Stage *'Powerful, thought-provoking and suspenseful... wonderfully dramatic and potent' * LondonTheatre1 *

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Book SynopsisThis is not a story about the Yorkshire Ripper. It's 1975 and Sharon just wants to marry Donny Osmond. Her mum, June, is working to keep girls like Helen off the street, and Fiona is desperate to get inside the Milgarth Police Station incident room. Between the years of 1975 and 1980, the women of Leeds lived in fear. With no clue as to who was responsible for the sustained attacks and murders across the city, the authorities urged women to stay at home. From the fear and fury, a steadfast solidarity arose, birthing the Reclaim the Night movement and echoing down the generations to this day. Charley Miles's play There Are No Beginnings was premiered at Leeds Playhouse in October 2019, in a production featuring Julie Hesmondhalgh.Trade Review'A heated play with a panoramic sense of empathy... surprisingly funny and full of fury... a raw, emotive depiction of a generation overshadowed by these murders' * Guardian *'Sensitively handled... Miles can write beautifully' * The Stage *'A quietly gripping two hours' * Telegraph *'Passionate and thought-provoking... Miles' beautiful writing adds poetry to the passion' * BritishTheatre.com *'An impressively theatrical piece of work... powerful and important' * Yorkshire Post *'An unblinking and sensitive look at how male violence can mar the lives of a whole generation of women' * Exeunt Magazine *

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Book SynopsisNell and Oscar meet on a beach in Dorset. It's 1595… or maybe 1610. Oscar has returned from university and Nell is doing fuck-all. They will meet here, again and again, on this beach for the next four hundred years. Stuff will change. As it does with time. They will try to keep up. A kaleidoscopic exploration of cultural progress, Marek Horn's play Wild Swimming is an interrogation of gender and privilege, and a wilfully ignorant history of English Literature. The play premiered at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, produced by FullRogue in association with Pleasance Futures and Bristol Old Vic Ferment, and directed by Julia Head. It subsequently transferred to the Bristol Old Vic, and toured the UK in 2020.Trade Review'Huge fun... a bold, anarchic and life-affirming celebration of progress and friendship... a thorough and empathetic interrogation of what it really means to move forward, told with spontaneity, honesty and creative flair' * Broadway Baby *'Joyful, clever and funny... Horn’s script is so alive that the whole thing fizzes with energy... a fascinating way to get to grips with gender history' * Edinburgh Festivals Magazine *'A consistent source of delight... Horn's writing is gorgeously supple... a pure sugar-hit of joy' * Exeunt Magazine *'An irreverent exploration of gender dynamics... a charmingly wild piece of feminist theatre' * Fringe Review *'Deliciously immodest, formally inventive and searingly clever' * Guardian *'A confident comedic time-travelling exploration of gender rights, power and history... delivers laughs throughout... sarcastic barbs, a puckish spirit and big ideas all merrily co-exist here' * The Stage *

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Book SynopsisDrama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price George Farquhar's immortal comedy about two young gentlemen with a misguided plan to get enrich themselves at the expense of a series of young heiresses. A pair of London gentlemen, Archer and Aimwell, pose as a Lord and his servant in order to procure one handsome dowry to split between them. While Aimwell, the 'lord', works on the affections of Lady Bountiful's daughter Dorinda, his 'servant' Archer makes his bid for her son's wife. George Farquhar's play The Beaux Stratagem was first produced at the Theatre Royal, London, in 1707. This edition, in the Nick Hern Books Drama Classics series, is edited and introduced by Simon Trussler.

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Book SynopsisAn affectionate and witty comedy of recollection from one of the twentieth century's most significant writers. Eugene O'Neill's only well-known comedy, Ah! Wilderness is a family-based saga set in the years just before the First World War. Richard Miller is deeply enamoured with his 'best girl', the pretty and pure Muriel. But when her cantankerous father finds out about their plans to spend Independence Day together, he demands that she write to him breaking off the whole thing. Richard is distraught, heartbroken, and seems about ready to knuckle under to strong liquor and fast women... Can his father Nat reach across the generation gap and bring his son back to the family – and Muriel? Eugene O'Neill's play Ah! Wilderness was premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre in October 1933. It was first staged in the UK at Westminster Theatre, London, in 1936. This edition includes a full introduction, biographical sketch and chronology.

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Book SynopsisDrama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price The Italian Court is riddled with corruption in this classic Jacobean tragedy. The Duke Brascino is openly seducing a married woman, Vittoria, while plotting the murder of his own wife. Vittoria's brother Flamineo, a cold-blooded murderer, tries to exploit his position as Brascino's servant and pander. Finally Brascino's enemies, outraged by his perversions, seek a vicious revenge. John Webster's play The White Devil was first performed at the Red Bull Theatre, London, by Queen Anne's Men in 1612. This edition, in the Nick Hern Books Drama Classics series, is edited by J.R. Brown, with an introduction from Simon Trussler.

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Book SynopsisDrama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price A classic Restoration-era comedy about the sexual exploits of two officers, the womanising Plume and the cowardly Brazen, as they go about their task of recruiting soldiers in the town of Shrewsbury. George Farquhar's play The Recruiting Officer was first staged at Drury Lane in 1706. It was an immediate hit and went on to become one of the most frequently performed plays of the 18th century. This edition in the Nick Hern Books Drama Classics series is edited and introduced by Simon Trussler.

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Book SynopsisDrama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price At the whim of Dionysos, a son is torn to pieces by his own mother during the famous women-only Bacchanalian ritual. The story of revenge by the half-man half-god on Pentheus, King of Thebes, and all his people. This version of Euripides' Bacchae is translated and introduced by Kenneth McLeish and Frederic Raphael.

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Book SynopsisA dark and wickedly funny farce about one man's twisted attempts to find a woman he can control completely. Adapted from Molière's classic comedy The School for Wives by Liz Lochhead, 'Scotland's greatest living dramatist' (Scotland on Sunday). He's old, rich and determined to find the perfect wife. She's young, innocent and in debt to him. He'll have her by any means possible... 'Wives like your one, those with all the smarts, The ballbreakers, they're the ones to break our hearts... So pick a simple girl - it's not rocket science!' Liz Lochhead's play Educating Agnes was first staged by Theatre Babel at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, in 2008.Trade Review'A daft, boisterous, big-hearted comedy that merrily weaves references to Kinsey and Cosmo on to Molière's 17th-century frame' * Guardian *'Lochhead has fashioned a fabulous script, working Molière's playful rhymes into a robust, clever and hilarious Scots-English... shifts brilliantly between "high" and "low" registers, all the better to draw out the play's comedy of hypocritical sexual manners' * Telegraph *'Pure bliss... Lochhead's extraordinary facility for manipulating the meter has never been bettered. She exploits every trick in the book to make the verse sayable but maintain the comic effect' * The Times *

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Book SynopsisDrama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price Francis Beaumont's The Knight of the Burning Pestle is a five-act satire on chivalric romances, generally considered the earliest whole parody (or pastiche) play in English. The play's structure is that of a play within a play. The intended performance of The London Merchant - the tale of an apprentice's efforts to win the hand of his master's daughter - is interrupted by a request from the audience to stage the story of a heroic grocer who kills a lion with a pestle. Rafe is dragged from the audience to play this hero. Both stories get muddled up and the conventions of theatre get thoroughly mauled. The play was first performed at Blackfriars Theatre, London, in 1607. This edition in the Nick Hern Books Drama Classics series is edited and introduced by Colin Counsell.

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Book SynopsisThree of Scotland's top playwrights have combined forces on a single play.Trade Review'A thoughtful and quizzical piece... The great thing about Gilt is that it never gives the knee-jerk answers that you might expect... terrific' * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisA chillingly grotesque farce set in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, banned for decades in the USSR and revived in this uproarious new version by Declan Donnellan. Moscow, 1924. The early days of the Soviet Union. Communism is everywhere - little understood but greatly feared. A landlord must pretend to be a Communist. His cook is mistaken for the missing princess Anastasia, and his lodger is threatening them with the militia. Nikolai Erdman's play The Mandate was written in 1924 and first performed in 1925 in a production directed by Vsevolod Meyerhold. This English version by acclaimed director Declan Donnellan was first performed at the National Theatre, London, in 2004, in a production directed by Donnellan.Trade Review'A comedy that's perfect for our times' * Independent *'Declan Donnellan's lively translation brings to life an unsettling transitional world, which combines Jazz Age flappers and farcical antics with an ominous threat offstage. An illuminating take on how we all might behave in dangerous, chaotic times' * Time Out *'A bilious attack on the panic, fear and loss of identity of post-revolutionary Russia... compelling viewing' * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisShocking and beautiful, a powerful play about the impact of a soldier's injury in a foreign conflict on his family back home. Wounded in the war in Iraq, a young farmer-turned-soldier returns home with injuries that have extraordinary consequences. Lust, temptation, sibling rivalry and the pressures of the past combine with the struggle to maintain a rural existence. Jonathan Lichtenstein's play The Pull of Negative Gravity was first staged at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, as part of the 2004 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It received a Fringe First Award.Trade Review'Heartbreaking' * Guardian *'Lean, taut dialogue, gasp-inducing plot twists and spot-on characterisation... an uncomfortable yet absolutely essential piece of work' * Fest Magazine *'There are hazards in any drama dealing with the aftermath of war, in this case the Iraq conflict as experienced by a farming family in Wales. But Lichtenstein's sensitive handling of his serious subject matter... gives this play a strong shape and an emotional honesty... It's a mark of Lichtenstein's eloquence that we are caught up in the action, sharing their devastation and desperation, as they confront the awfulness of the effects of brutal modern warfare' * Independent *

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Book SynopsisAn irreverent and provocative drama questioning the basis of Christianity, by the author of The Romans in Britain. The most famous conversion in history - when Saul became Paul on the road to Damascus - was a trick. It was actually Jesus appearing to him. Jesus did not die on the cross but was rescued and sheltered by his brother James, by Peter and by Peter's wife, Mary Magdalene. But they prefer to keep Paul in the dark because, although he is mistakenly preaching that Christ rose again, at least it keeps him busy and gets the Christian message out there... Now imprisoned by Nero, Peter finally tells Paul the truth before they go to their deaths as the first Christian Martyrs. Howard Brenton's play Paul was first performed at the National Theatre, London, in 2005.Trade Review'Powerful and thrilling... The beauty, compassion and sense of mystery in Paul's words sends shivers down the spine' * Daily Telegraph *'An exciting play that explores big issues' * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisA hugely warm-hearted, comic tale of close-knit Indian family life in England, by the author of East is East. The wedding feast is over and the bridegroom's father is dancing the bhangra, but the groom himself is curiously reluctant to make his way to the bedroom... In fact he's so woefully inhibited by the proximity of his parents and his brother's childish pranks that his beautiful virgin bride remains just that. Six weeks later, the whole family start to panic. But 'Rafta, rafta...' or 'All in good time'! Based on Bill Naughton's 1963 play All in Good Time, Ayub Khan Din's play Rafta, Rafta... was first performed at the National Theatre, London, in the Lyttelton auditorium in April 2007, directed by Nicholas Hytner. It won Best New Comedy at the 2008 Olivier Awards. Rafta, Rafta... was later adapted for the big screen with the title All in Good Time.Trade Review'Triumphant' * Time Out *'Tremendous... a superb piece of popular theatre that has you laughing uproariously at one moment and surprised by tears the next. It fills the whole theatre with an unforgettable sense of communal warmth' * Daily Telegraph *'A hearty, hilarious good natured romp fitted with gloriously earthy characters' * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisWe all want something to believe in. It's 1987 and Frankie Vah gorges on love, radical politics, and skuzzy indie stardom. But can he keep it all down? Following the multi award-winning What I Learned From Johnny Bevan, Luke Wright's second verse play deals with love, loss and belief, against a backdrop of grubby indie venues and 80s politics. Expect frenetic guitars, visceral verse, and a Morrissey-sized measure of heartache. Written and performed in deft verse by Fringe First and Stage Award for Acting Excellence winner Luke Wright. 'Pulsating, poetic story-telling' **** (Lyn Gardner, Guardian).Trade Review“With Frankie Vah, he’s managed to craft a gorgeously-worded powerhouse of a play, in one of the only verse dramas that could claim to get a crowd cheering and stamping their feet throughout. Again.” * Broadway Baby *

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Book Synopsis Mariage Blanc is a tragic farce set in a middle class household in Poland of the late nineteenth century and concerns itself with respectable attitudes towards love and sex in the society of that period. The Hunger Artist Departs takes its origin and inspiration from a short story by Kafka in which a showman travels from town to town with his inpressarion , starving himself for long periods of time for people''s amusement.

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Book SynopsisMore than any other public figure, VOclav Havel has reflected on the opportunities and dilemmas facing humankind as a result of the Communism''s collapse. His life serves as an example of responsible and moral action, even at the cost of much personal suffering. In the first book to bring together Havel''s life and work, James Pontuso examines the Czech president''s political philosophy. Pontuso argues that Havel''s life as a dissident and political leader, his political writings, and his plays are part of a whole and must be understood as intimately connected to one another. In this engaging work, Pontuso skillfully explores these connections and explains Havel''s prescriptions for political life.Trade ReviewJames Pontuso shows his remarkable mastery of the many nuances and complexities of Václav Havel´s life and work under the communist and post-communist social and political conditions. His thought-provoking book is important for all those who are interested in basic human values and transformation politics. -- Alena Hromadkova, Charles University, Czech RepublicIt is not hard to write a lively book about Václav Havel, but James Pontuso has done much more than that. Pontuso shows us how and why a poet and a playwright became a politician and a president at the hinge in history when central Europe emerged from its communist coma. There is more life in this story than just its lively central character. -- Robert A. Strong, Washington and Lee UniversityI meet very few people, Czechs and foreigners included, that know the latest history of the Czech Republic as well as Dr. Pontuso. And even fewer that have been able to put it in a broader context. I have not read a book on Václav Havel with such a pleasure as this one. Pontuso shows that studying the topic with both diligence and sympathy is worth it! -- Dr. Hana Ripkova, J. William Fulbright Commission in the Czech RepublicPontuso portrays Vaclav Havel not just as 'one of the most articulate political leaders of his generation,' but as a statesman who in his deeds and thoughts approximates the Platonic ideal of a Philosopher-King. This book is a must for philosophers, literary critics, and all students of post-communist transitions. -- Dr. Krzysztof Jasiewicz, Washington and Lee University[This] is the best book-length treatment of Havel's oeuvre (an integration of the writings and the political activity) that I know of. -- David S. Danaher, University of Wisconsin-Madison * Slavic and East European Journal *In this intellectual biography, Havel emerges as a kind of matrioshka doll: a politician inside a dissident, inside a playwright, inside a philosopher. That makes the outer shell commanding, and Pontuso gives full vent to an exploration of the Czech leader's moral philosophy and philosophy of fundamental meaning, weaving throughout his debt to and dissent from Martin Heidegger. * Foreign Affairs *Pontuso deserves praise for showing how Havel corrects and breaks with his intellectual influences (primarily Martin Heidegger), mounts a powerful defense of common sense against existentialism and postmodernism, and addresses perennial themes from the canon of political philosophy. Pontuso does a masterful job explicating Havel's philosophy, but he also highlights how mush faith Havel places in culture and moral rhetoric as opposed to political institutions and party politics. * Society *Table of ContentsChapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 A Life like a Work of Art Chapter 3 A Hesitant Philosopher Chapter 4 A Dissident in an "Unnatural" World Chapter 5 An Ironic Playwright Chapter 6 Free Markets and Civil Society: Citizen in the Global Economy Chapter 7 An "Untactical" President Chapter 8 Index Chapter 9 About the Author

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Book SynopsisIn 1959, Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun energized the conversation about how Americans live together across lines of race and difference. In Reimagining A Raisin in the Sun, Rebecca Ann Rugg and Harvey Young bring together four contemporary plays that, in their engagement with Hansberry's play, illuminate the tensions and anxieties that still surround neighborhood integration.

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