Plays, playscripts, drama

Book SynopsisWhen Dexter's mum is sent to jail for getting mixed up in a jewellery robbery, it's up to Dexter and his best friend Winter to get her out. On their journey to uncover the truth and free Mum, their detective work leads them to some surprising discoveries. Nathan Bryon's play Dexter and Winter's Detective Agency is a madcap adventure story for young people (and older detectives) to watch, read and perform. It was first produced in 2019 by Paines Plough and Theatr Clwyd on a nationwide tour, including a run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in Paines Plough's pop-up theatre, Roundabout.Trade Review'Chasing criminals has never been so much fun… jam-packed with energy and humour' * The List *'Plenty of broad comedy... the use of music and physical movement is very well observed' * The Stage *'Loud, bright and absolutely bursting with energy… a whole lot of fun and surprisingly moving' * Theatre Weekly *

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Book SynopsisZara has spent her adult life being two different people. The good Muslim daughter, all set to marry the man her family approves of – and a free-spirited British millennial, who parties as hard as she works. Over one dramatic weekend, the lies she's been telling to keep these two worlds apart begin to unravel and she is forced to confront her real identity. Danusia Samal's play Out of Sorts was the winner of Theatre503's International Playwriting Award 2018. It premiered at Theatre503, London, in October 2019.Trade Review'A deeply tender drama about belonging... Danusia Samal's script gathers complexity and emotion as the piece progresses. It is a play about race and belonging, and a coming-of-age story of friendship and betrayal, of an eating disorder and, most movingly, of the love between mothers and daughters.' * Guardian *'A compassionate, generous and well observed piece of writing that accurately captures all the small tug-of-wars that occur over religion, language and food... all of the characters are permitted depth and nuance, all of the relationships are shaded, no one is beyond redemption, and a sense of tenderness permeates the whole piece' * The Stage *'Full of humour and warmth... an acutely observed script with emotional heft' * The Upcoming *

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Book Synopsis'But deep down, we all know the only thing I did wrong was be a girl who spoke up. A girl who refused to stay silent. And... I'm still not gonna stay silent, because this stuff is too important to keep ignoring.' When social media goes into a frenzy over pictures of a girl at a party, Louise's teacher lectures all the schoolgirls on taking more responsibility for their actions. Enraged that it's them getting reprimanded - and not the boys who took the pictures - Louise wages war on the school's systemic misogyny. But when she threatens popular boy Scott, risking his claim to the School Captain title, things escalate horribly; a website appears, objectifying the girls and shaming them for their actions. Natalie Mitchell's play explores everyday feminism, consent and the changing face of teenage sexuality in an online world. Is it always true that 'when they go low', we should go high? Written specifically for young people, the play formed part of the 2018 National Theatre Connections Festival and was premiered by youth theatres across the UK. It offers rich opportunities for a large cast of all genders, with particularly strong roles for young women.

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Book Synopsis‘This is a locals’ pub. And what’s the problem with locals? They die.’ ‘Inconsiderate bastards.’ All over London, public houses become private flats. Tomorrow The Anchor closes for good. It's the end of an era, but Kenny and the gang are going out with a bang. There's a blow-up sheep, karaoke and a lot of Campari. There's secrets and grudges and forgotten dreams. As the front doors are locked and the bar is drunk dry, there's a lot more to lose than just a pub. Anna Jordan's play We Anchor in Hope premiered at The Bunker, London, in 2019, produced by The Bunker and W14 Productions in association with the Royal Court Theatre, and directed by Artistic Director Chris Sonnex.Trade Review'A nostalgic elegy for a dwindling sense of community' * The Stage *

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Book SynopsisAlex and Rupert aren't a conventional match, but a caffeinated meeting on the Underground ignites a spark. Skip forward to them fighting over baby names, nursery colours and ways to save money. All the signs of a normal family in waiting. Then Alex goes into labour, their baby is born still – and their world implodes. What follows is a window into how a couple find the strength to move forward, the will to stay together, and the determination to keep alive the memory of their child. Anything is Possible if You Think About It Hard Enough takes us to the depths of grief to find hope, and to the edge of insanity to find reason. There is humour, too, in the most unexpected places. Cordelia O'Neill's play was first presented by Small Things Theatre at Southwark Playhouse, London, in September 2021, and won the Best New Play award at the 2022 Offies (Off West End Awards).Trade Review'Cordelia O'Neill's superb two-hander... an intense evening, yet one laced with defiant humour... O'Neill has given us something raw and authentic' * The Times *'Keeps us laughing every step of the way, until suddenly the unthinkable happens' * Guardian *'[An] extraordinary play... Within the space of 80 punchy, engrossing minutes, it transforms from rom-com into something profoundly affecting: a gut-wrenching examination of the aftershock of a still-born baby on a new couple... a major new play... theatrically spellbinding yet achingly humane... Approach with caution, but go. Just go' * Whatsonstage *'Raw and heartbreaking' * The Stage *'Fizzes with delightful moments... captures a sense of grief, loss and acceptance that lingers long after the house lights come up' * Reviews Hub *

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Book SynopsisWhen two souls collide, the impact can resonate for all eternity. So it was – and so it is – with Heathcliff and Cathy. But if they can't be together, the world that struggles to contain them will simply shatter and burn… Andrew Sheridan's gripping reinvention of Emily Brontë's classic novel Wuthering Heights is a searing and ferocious celebration of passion, of desire – and of the female imagination that created this indelible masterpiece. Exposing a very different but essentially truthful side to literature's most electric couple.Trade Review'Embraces the extremity of the original… it feels at times almost like a ghost story' * Guardian *'The story is Brontë's, but the most striking element of this version is the modern-sounding dialogue… manages to marry a nineteenth century tale with a modern idiom and make it work well, making the harshness and cruelty of the original freshly shocking to a modern audience without moving radically away from the original' * British Theatre Guide *'Channels the tumultuous emotions and elemental forces that have made it such an endearing favourite among audiences… flits feverishly between Brontë's beautifully evocative prose and a more anachronistic and profane re-imagining of her words' * The Stage *'Superb… Sheridan's script distills and elevates the emotional core of the book, bringing the story to fresh life' * The Reviews Hub *

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Book SynopsisJim's writing messages. In pepperoni. On top of pizzas. His life is going nowhere. But after watching the film I Hired A Contract Killer, Jim's found a solution – he'll just put out a hit on himself. What could possibly go wrong? Alan Harris's play For The Grace Of You Go I is a darkly funny, quick-witted, fast-moving new comedy. It premiered at Theatr Clwyd, Mold, in June 2021, directed by James Grieve.Trade Review'Formally playful and deeply compassionate towards its characters' * Guardian *'A piece fizzing with ideas and invention... seriously clever comedy' * The Times *'Potent and disturbing' * The Stage *'A darkly comic play that is both hugely entertaining yet deeply unsettling' * Get the Chance *

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Book SynopsisRaffish, urbane and frequently drunk, David Highland has kept a grip on his remote coastal parish through a combination of disordered charm and high-handed determination. When his faith impels him to take a hard line with a bereaved parishioner, he finds himself dangerously isolated from public opinion. As his own family begins to fracture, David must face a future that threatens to extinguish not only his position in the town, but everything he stands for. The Southbury Child is a darkly comic play exploring family and community, the savage divisions of contemporary society, and the rituals that punctuate our lives. It was co-produced by Chichester Festival Theatre and the Bridge Theatre, London, in 2022, starring Alex Jennings and directed by Nicholas Hytner.Trade Review'Hugely cathartic, this is the play of the year so far... blissfully funny and ineffably touching... a heaven-sent new play' * Telegraph *'A rare and heartfelt portrait of post-Christian Britain' * The Times *'Electrifying, bristling with wit and ideas... Can almost be considered as a companion piece to Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem, exploring some of the same themes in a similar setting, a clash of local cultures embedded within a fracturing national culture' * Broadway World *'Beautifully crafted... Beresford has captured a moment of change in our time... It's a cracking state of the nation piece' * WhatsOnStage *'A fine new play to soothe the soul and mend the heart... Beresford plumbs the deepest human feelings [with] a scene of savage beauty I'll never forget' * Mail on Sunday *'An impressive state-of-the-nation play... Chekhovian in intensity... deeply moving, with some fabulously funny lines, while a succession of twists ensures the drama never drops' * The Stage *'Painfully funny.... properly laugh-out-loud character comedy that gets near the knuckle and stays there... the best West Country drama I've seen since Jerusalem' * Time Out *

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Book SynopsisCan you remember your first time? In this hilarious and heartbreaking true story, theatre-maker and activist Nathaniel Hall can't seem to forget his. To be fair, he's had it playing on repeat for the last fifteen years… but now he's ready to lift the lid on his life-changing secret. First presented by Dibby Theatre and Waterside Arts, First Time went on to critical and audience acclaim on tour of the UK and at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It smashes through the stigma and shame of HIV, to present an uplifting and inspirational guide to staying positive in a negative world. This edition features the full script of First Time, alongside extensive material about HIV/AIDS and the themes and issues explored in the play, including several workshop plans which can be used with students and community groups. 'A truly remarkable story of triumph. I was in awe' Russell T DaviesTrade Review'A visceral, interactive and educational theatrical journey' * ThreeWeeks *'Heartbreaking and eye-opening yet extremely uplifting... a touching and effective piece of theatre, handling an exceptionally heavy subject with ease' * Broadway World *'Funny and frank... a captivating, life-affirming tale of resilience and determination' * The List *'Funny, moving and powerful' * The Reviews Hub *'Punches home political and emotional key points with devastating clarity... moving, educational and littered with quick-fire humour' * The Stage *'The raw, autobiographical passion escalates this to another level' * Scotsman *'Universal and deeply moving' * Attitude *'An unabashedly heart-on-sleeve, crowd-pleasing show but also a crucial one for raising awareness about HIV' -- Lyn Gardner * Stagedoor *'Packs an emotional punch that resonates even after you've left the theatre' * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisFrom the liberation of the electric wheelchair to the ignominy of discrimination and incarceration, there have been both great advances and terrible setbacks for disabled people in Britain over the last fifty years. Hard-hitting and hilarious, personal and poignant, CripTales comprises six fictional monologues portraying some very real experiences. From negotiating friendships and personal assistants, navigating the benefits system, and experiencing sexual fulfilment, they challenge the view that having a disability is a problem or ‘not normal’. Normal doesn’t exist! CripTales was commissioned by the BBC and broadcast on BBC Four and BBC America in 2020 to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the UK’s Disability Discrimination Act, which criminalised discrimination against disabled people in many areas of life. The production had disabled people at its core – as writers, directors and actors of all six monologues. Mat Fraser, the series’ Creative Director, said, ‘Disabled voices have been shut out of mainstream TV drama for too long and this is a chance to showcase some of the wonderful, inventive, funny, dramatic, sexy and sobering potential available… We called the series CripTales, as the word ‘crip’ has been taken by the disabled community as a self-empowering title since the late ’80s, and these are authentic stories and tales from people who identify as Deaf and Disabled people and who are embedded in disabled community.’Trade Review'Hilarious and wise and gentle and furious all at once' * The Times *'Moving and authentic… succeeds both as a collective artistic statement, and as an unusually in-depth experience in disability awareness… an emotionally complex, topically diverse series that makes a strong statement for the disability experience and disabled artists’ unique ability to interpret it' * Forbes *'A brilliant, shocking, and funny collection… feels like a significant step forward' * Culture Whisper *'Sharp, dark and unexpected all at once… these monologues give Alan Bennett a run for his money' * The i paper *'Thought-provoking, amusing and touching' * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisUp-and-coming comics Alex and Ben have been booked in the warm-up spot for a beloved but fading double act's comeback tour. Neither is delighted to be playing to a sparse crowd in a sleepy seaside town – but when it's revealed that a Hollywood director is in the audience, both acts glimpse a final chance for their big break. Cue sabotage, mistaken identity and full-on farcical mayhem, as the performance descends into a desperate battle for the limelight. With the action alternating between offstage and on, and the tone between Noises Off and Morecambe and Wise's old-school charm, The Comeback is a heart-warming exploration of bittersweet nostalgia and the enduring power of friendship. It is the joyful and dazzlingly funny debut play by The Pin's award-winning Ben Ashenden and Alex Owen – 'destined to become one of the great comedy duos' (Radio Times). It opened at the West End's Noël Coward Theatre in December 2020.Trade Review'A bulletproof nugget of comic theatre' * Guardian *'A neat conceit, played to the hilt of escalating, exhausting buffoonery… an uproarious, gag-a-minute triumph' * Telegraph *'Has plenty of charm… a high-energy meta-comedy' * The Times *'Hugely enjoyable… a complicated, fast-paced farce' * The Arts Desk *'Has everything you'd want in a comedy show… The Comeback is jam-packed with gags; from throwaway one-liners to clever call-backs which only get funnier and never lose speed or outstay their welcome. But what makes it so clever is how emotional moments are brought in and out throughout the show; you aren't just watching farcical situations, there are real moments of emotion too… an unmissable show full of heart and hysterical chaos that will leave you smiling for days' * Broadway World *'Surreal, silly and very, very funny... will simply make you laugh your socks off’ * Evening Standard *

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Book SynopsisPerforming New Lives draws together some of the most original and innovative programs in contemporary prison theatre. Leading prison theatre directors and practitioners discuss the prison theatre experience first-hand, and offer valuable insights into its role, function, and implementation. A wide range of prison theatre initiatives are discussed, from long-running, high-profile programs such as Curt Tofteland's "Shakespeare Behind Bars" in LaGrange, Kentucky, to fledgling efforts like Jodi Jinks' "ArtsAloud" project in Austin, Texas. The book offers unique insights into the many dimensions of the prison theatre experience, including: negotiating the rules and restrictions of the prison environment; establishing trust, teaching performance skills and managing crises; building relationships and dealing with conflicts; and negotiating public performances and public perceptions. Excerpts of interviews with inmates, and a conversation between practitioners in the final chapter, reveal the impact that prison theatre programs have on the performers themselves, as well as audience members, and the wider community. Exploring prison theatre processes and theory with insights into how it works in practice, and how to replicate it, this book is essential reading for drama therapists, theatre artists, and prison educators, as well as academics.Trade Review(...) this is a thought-provoking collection that effectively rehearses some of the arguments for prison theatre in a straightforward, accessible and engaging manner - eloquently describing not only the practice, but also its rationale. -- Research in Drama Education(...) an engrossing collection... These inspiring narratives invite us behind bars in some of the most challenging environments for theatre workers, where creative solutions to obstacles to the work are constantly sought. -- Griffith UniversityI picked up this book with mild interest. I quickly became gripped. It is directed at anyone interested in the role o the performing arts in criminal justice but I think it may have something valuable to say to many others working with people who, because of difficult circumstances, most often troubled beginnings, are struggling against the odds to make their way through life. -- Human Givens JournalWhen Jonathan Shailor started producing Shakespeare's plays in prisons in Wisconsin, the media lit up with debates about whether our imprisoned neighbours had the right to act, to play, and to explore new lives and roles by inhabiting the words and worlds of the stage's great authors. In this stunning collection of essays, some of the nation's leading prison educators and activists offer startling, ennobling, and definitive answers to those questions: Yes prisoners can and should act, Yes they need to play just like the rest of us, and Yes they benefit tremendously from exploring new modes of being by studying and then embodying the words of great playwrights... Performing New Lives offers remarkable case studies of how theatre-in-prison can reduce recidivism and violence by raising consciousness - all while having a great time on the stage. -- Stephen John Hartnett, Chair, Department of Communication, U.C. Denver, and editor of Challenging the Prison-Industrial ComplexTable of ContentsAcknowledgments. Foreword by Evelyn Ploumis-Devick. 1. Introduction. Jonathan Shailor, University of Wisconsin-Parkside. 2. "To Know My Deed": Finding Salvation Through Shakespeare. Laura Bates, Indiana State University. 3. Rehabilitation Through the Arts at Sing Sing: Drama in the Big House. Brent Buell, Rehabilitation Through the Arts. 4. 59 Places: Dance/Theatre in the Hampshire Jail. Amie Dowling, University of San Francisco. 5. Time In: Transforming Identity Inside and Out. Judy Dworin, Trinity College, Connecticut. 6. The Buckle on the Bible Belt. Jodi Jinks, ArtsAloud and Rude Mechanicals. 7. From the Meanest Creature: Theatre as a Vehicle for Change. Sharon Lajoie, freelance theatre artist and teacher. 8. Faith, Hope, and "Sweet Love Re-Membered": "Restoration" Theatre in Kansas Prisons. John McCabe-Juhnke, Bethel College, Kansas. 9. Fabulous Females: Secrets, Stories, and Hope: Guarding and Guiding Girls Beyond the Barbed Wire Fence. Meade Palidofsky, Storycatchers Theatre, Chicago. 10. Living with Life: The Theatre of Witness as a Model of Healing and Redemption. Teya Sepinuck, The Theatre of Witness. 11. Prison Theatre and the Promise of Reintegration. Jonathan Shailor. 12. Sculpting Empowerment: Theatre in a Juvenile Facility and Beyond. Julia Taylor, Prison Creative Arts. 13. The Keeper of the Keys. Curt L. Tofteland, Shakespeare Behind Bars. 14. Revisiting Sacred Spaces. Jean Trounstine, Middlesex Community College. 15. The Inmates, the Actors, the Characters, the Audience, and the Poet Are of Imagination All Compact. Agnes Wilcox, Prison Performing Arts. 16. "Their Minds Transfigured So Together": Imaginative Transformation and Transcendence in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Elizabeth Charlebois, St. Mary's College of Maryland. 17. A Conversation with the Authors: Prison Theatre Artists in Dialogue. The Contributors. Subject Index. Author Index.

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Book SynopsisUnfortunately due to copyright restrictions this book is not available for sale to customers in the United States of America. Set in the Lower Ninth district of a New Orleans stricken by Katrina, two men are left stranded on the roof of their house, surrounded by floodwater and floating corpses. In the hours spent waiting for rescue, they battle intense thirst, feverish hallucinations and their own tempestuous pasts. This new play from Brooklyn dramatist Beau Willimon, described as “a promising writer” by CurtainUp.com, is a tale of difficult choices, harsh realities and generational divides in the underbelly of America.

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Book SynopsisIncludes the plays Rattle, Mother Adam and Staircase Sir Harold Hobson (Sunday Times) coined the phrase The Lonely Trilogy to include Rattle (Garrick Theatre, 1962-3), Mother Adam (Arts Theatre, 1971) and Staircase (RSC, 1966-67), plays which have been in constant production throughout the years. Of the middle duologue, Hobson wrote: ‘In Mother Adam Dyer has written one of the few real tragedies of our time... It is more disturbing; it has deeper resonances; it is more beautifully written, with an imagination at once exotic and desperately familiar; it has a profounder pity, and a more exquisite falling Close.’ The eminent American journalist Walter Winchell wrote of Dyer’s ‘Profound thoughts and emotions expressed with humour... People in the shadows discovering sunshine in each other.’

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Book SynopsisThere was an owl sat up an oak;The more he heard the less he spoke;The less he spoke, the more he heard;Oh that we were all like that wise old bird. The verbatim monologues in Deep Heat are drawn from conversations Robin Soans has had or overheard, or are edited versions of interviews he has conducted in the course of research for his plays. Subjects range from people who have held high office to those who have blown them up; from those who live in large country houses to others whose home is two blankets and a pile of leaves in the corner of a disused garage. So much of what is passed on as historical fact is the version of events that those with an ulterior motive choose to project. This book doesn’t seek to judge, nor provide solutions; it seeks to redress the balance by giving a fair hearing even to those who may not share the same views as ours. Useful as audition pieces for actors, but equally of interest to the historian and sociologist in all of us. We are after all human, full of contradictions, and we can never inch our way towards greater self-knowledge if we don’t see more of the picture than is traditionally the case.Trade Review"A splendid source of new solo pieces that work brilliantly in those drama school showcases... an enlightening read" - Susan Elkin, The Stage "..always fascinating, frequently deeply insightful …. Deep Heat, which is subtitled Encounters with the Famous, the Infamous and the Unknown, is a compendium of some of the interviews that eventually found their way into [Soans’] plays. … represents the roots of a series of wonderful theatrical performances….This witty, thought-provoking book is a real one-off that deserves to sell well and undoubtedly will." –British Theatre Guide "This collection, brings together some of the best material that Soans has collected over the years from interviewing many people for his plays... an insightful read, it is also the perfect companion for actors looking for a more meaningful and powerful monologue than the usual `Tried & Tested’ – which can only be of great delight to casting directors worldwide" -The Public Reviews"A splendid source of new solo pieces that work brilliantly in those drama school showcases... an enlightening read" - Susan Elkin, The Stage "..always fascinating, frequently deeply insightful …. Deep Heat, which is subtitled Encounters with the Famous, the Infamous and the Unknown, is a compendium of some of the interviews that eventually found their way into [Soans’] plays. … represents the roots of a series of wonderful theatrical performances….This witty, thought-provoking book is a real one-off that deserves to sell well and undoubtedly will." –British Theatre Guide "This collection, brings together some of the best material that Soans has collected over the years from interviewing many people for his plays... an insightful read, it is also the perfect companion for actors looking for a more meaningful and powerful monologue than the usual ‘Tried & Tested’ – which can only be of great delight to casting directors worldwide" -The Public Reviews

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Book SynopsisPeter Bowles invites us backstage to witness the job of acting as it really is. This is a warm-hearted look at the lived experience of a jobbing actor – and a survival guide to anyone thinking of entering this most emotionally gruelling of industries. Behind the Curtain is the inside scoop on ‘the profession’as told by a master raconteur – one who has trodden the boards in the West End for five decades. Armed with an array of classic anecdotes, Bowles shares some of the infamous ad-libs, opening night disasters and dressingroom dramas that he has been party to over the years. Full of sage advice about the pitfalls of celebrity and thefluctuating fortunes of an actor – and his own journey fromTV stardom to the labour exchange and back again. With tales of some biggest personalities in the historyof showbiz such as Michael Gambon, Noel Coward,Rex Harrison, Laurence Olivier & John Gielgud, this is a book that captures the acting professionin all its eccentric glory.Trade Review[An] enjoyable little hardback - packed with good, solid pieces of advice for would-be actors as well as many humorous anecdotes - [contains] a number of fresh ideas and stories that will not be known to the general reader - should prove to be popular with the millions of fans of this versatile actor as well as youngsters keen to make their way in one of the most difficult professions that anyone could choose. Every purchaser will come away better informed and greatly entertained, which is no bad recommendation * British Theatre Guide *It's a book full of insights - literally - and will be eagerly lapped up I think, by theatre buffs who see shows only from the auditorium. I'd also recommend it warmly to anyone in training as an actor or thinking of embarking on training to be one as a way of finding out from a dishy old pro exactly what an actor's life is like ... some lovely stories... fascinating * The Stage *Full of witty asides and apercus * What's On Stage *Table of Contents"Overture and Beginners The Actor Prepares The Brown Envelope How Do You Learn Your Lines? Theatres and Dressing Rooms Billing The Actor and the Audience Touring Television and Films Auditions Sitcoms TV Commercials and Voiceovers Actor or Celebrity (and getting older)

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Book SynopsisCornish conspiracy theorist Virgil Ploy is paranoid. He thinks that everyone is out to get him – that includes his mother and her new husband, Dusty. He might well be right. It’s hard to know who to trust these days. But then, living on top of a secret M.O.D. chemical weapons plant can do strange things to you. Very strange things indeed… Horse Piss For Blood is a bizarre and darkly funny new play about family, madness and Cornwall’s darkest secret… Are you ready for the truth?Trade Review“Grose does again what he is so good at – bringing to life a story which feeds on local lore… A fun 90 minutes” 4 stars – Whats On Stage“Grose does again what he is so good at – bringing to life a story which feeds on local lore… A fun 90 minutes” 4 stars – Whats On Stage

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Book Synopsis'The last thing I want is all these total strangers, who live literally inches away from me, knowing every last detail of my life.' When a young woman buys her first flat it seems that all her dreams are coming true. Then she meets him. Overbearing, brash, and prone to spectacular gaffs, her across-the-hall neighbour is definitely strange – yet strangely attractive. But when an innocent prank goes horribly wrong the newly-formed friendship is pushed to breaking point. Only then do the neighbours realise they don't know as much about each other as they thought they did. A vertical thriller for a time when a stranger is only one wall away.Trade Review“An 80-minute thriller with plenty of homages to Hitchcock in the script. This neat little two-hander [is] beautifully suited to studio theatre… Promising!” – The Times“An 80-minute thriller with plenty of homages to Hitchcock in the script. This neat little two-hander [is] beautifully suited to studio theatre… Promising!” – The Times

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Book SynopsisChris Mullin’s witty and irreverent take on contemporary politics adapted for the stage, reflecting three worlds during a time of crisis and change – the febrile political village of Westminster, the flash points of Africa which he toured as a minister, and the fragile community he served as an MP.Trade ReviewFast paced and very funny... Blending gossip, insight and details of the frustrations of ministerial and backbench life alike... [an] exhilarating adaptation...I cannot recommend it too highly. * Four Stars - Michael Billington, The Guardian *[An] absorbing evening...a bit of a must. * 4* The Telegraph *Anyone with even a passing interest in how this country has been governed over the past 15 years is advised to walk on in. Mullin's decency and ideological conviction - not to mention a wonderful sense of humour, directed at himself as well as his colleagues - guides our journey safely. It's impossible not to feel politics is the poorer without Mullin. * 4* Evening Standard *

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Book Synopsis"When Then is Now" brings together Brendan Kennelly's modern versions of three Greek tragedies: Antigone by Sophocles and Euripides' Medea and The Trojan Women. All three plays dramatise timeless human dilemmas as relevant now as they were in ancient times. All focus on women whose lives are torn apart by war, family conflict and despotic regimes. In his preface, Brendan Kennelly describes how writing these three plays helped him enormously at difficult times in his own life. "When Then is Now" gives living testament of his belief that 'listening to ancient voices can help us confront, understand and express many problems of today'.Trade ReviewTHE TROJAN WOMEN: 'One of the most subversive manifestations of dramatic art that has been seen in recent times...subverts the original, which itself was subversive of societal norms in 415 BC, when it was first staged...ancient drama recrafted in contemporary terms about war and men and women, well worthy of the stage of any national theatre.' - Irish Times MEDEA: 'Accessible, immediate, urgent...his language makes you feel the force of Medea's passions as closely and vividly as Euripides' audiences;' - Guardian 'Marvellously achieved... delicately honed, full-bloodedly direct and timeless in its relevance.' - Irish Independent ANTIGONE: 'Brendan Kennelly's new version of Sophocles' Antigone is probably the most substantial Irish drama since W.B. Yeats was writing.' - Irish Times.

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Book SynopsisDramatherapy is now well-established and widely used in a variety of settings with diverse groups of people. In this book, Sue Jennings presents a 'healing theatre' approach to dramatherapy, showing how it is part of our total cultural experience of theatre art, and how it can be used to find a bearable means of facing the beast at the heart of the labyrinth.Challenging received views from psychology and psychotherapy on the theoretical base of dramatherapy, she argues that the dramatic development of the individual is a primary developmental process, which is influential from conception and is shaped by cultural context. She maintains that by participating in drama and theatre as well as exploring our 'dramatic' past, a new pathway to self-knowledge and fulfilment is opened as a viable alternative to conventional practice.Illustrated with many examples, the book also includes exercises and questionnaires which can be used in practice, with students, or for self-study, illuminating the relationship between theatre and healing, and the theatrical basis of dramatherapy.Trade ReviewMy clinical background is very different from that of a dramatherapist and I was eager to find out whether my interest would be sustained throughout the book and whether I might be stimulated to find out more. I was pleasantly surprised. In summary I found this book to be both interesting and enjoyable as an introduction to the subject of Dramatherapy, without being overwhelming. -- DramatherapyI am extremely grateful to Sue for opening up immense possibilities of our work - dramatherapy is a "therapy of optimism", as this book describes; a therapy that does not simply reach back endlessly into our individual pasts for clues to the present, but states now, in the immediacy of the present, our hopes, fears, needs, desires, thereby weaving us a direct thread to our collective future, as well as our past. As you take hold of the thread of this book, I hope your journey is as exciting and fruitful as mine continues to be. -- from the foreword by Clare HigginsTable of ContentsIntroduction: The Story of Ariadne. 1. Why Drama and Dramatherapy? 2. Understanding Your Dramatic Experience. 3. Drama at the Centre and Drama at the Margins: `Threading Our Way Through'. 4. Processing Your Own Dramatised History: `Untangling the Thread'. 5. Transitional Dramas: `Threading Your Way'. 6. Your Own Dramatised Present: `Weaving Your Own Threads'. 7. Drama Ritualisation and The Living of Life: `The Need for Knots'. 8. Dramatherapy Core Concepts: `The Thread Has Led Us Through the Maze'. 9. Dramatherapy in Practice: `Who Holds the End of the Thread'. 10. My Own Personal Drama: `Hanging by a Thread'. Appendix: Dramatherapy Questionnaire. Bibliography. Further Reading.

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Book SynopsisThis textbook is for all students and practioners of psychodrama and drama, and professionals seeking to extend their knowledge of creative arts therapies. The author provides a comprehensive overview of the theory and practice of psychodrama, presenting a systematic analysis of its essential therapeutic ingredients. He specifies the core issues involved, discussing the interpersonal, the emotional, the imaginary, the behavioural and the cognitive elements.The book examines the professional roles assumed by psychodramatists and establishes the skills required in each role. Explored is the use of the concept of acting out, both in psychodrama and psychoanalysis, and the author also discusses the problem of resistance, and the importance of the concept and technique of closure in each psychodrama. A processing checklist is added at the end of the book as a systematic aid in evaluating the professional skills of the psychodramatist.The chapters are both pragmatic and solidly grounded in theory, thereby providing students with an effective, in-depth alternative to the traditional verbal therapies.Trade ReviewThe contributors to this book provide persuasive evidence of how psychodrama can safely be used to create paths of change for even the most severe traumatization. They discuss the possible transmission of trauma patters across generations. Using psychodrama, they create a place to act out unprocessed trauma within the containment of therapy, in order to stop the obsessive repetition of the past. -- The Bulletin of the British Psychodrama AssociationThis well-known and respected textbook is for all students and practitioners of psychodrama seeking to extend their knowledge. The author provides a comprehensive overview of the theory and practice of psychodrama, presenting a systematic analysis of its essential therapeutic ingredients. -- The Bulletin of the British Psychodrama AssociationWith this volume his ingenious and highly original work will not only help create a sounder conceptual basis for psychodrama therapy, it will also establish Kellermann as one of a precious handful of significant thinkers on the foundations of psychodrama. -- from the ForewordThe wide-ranging knowledge and experience that Kellermann demonstrates is impressive, and the results of these explorations are often convincing... this is an important book. Not an easy one perhaps, but one which addresses difficult and complex issues and will hopefully stimulate further structured thinking about the therapeutic factors in psychodrama. -- Journal of the British Psychodrama Association... this work shows evidence of a good deal of thought and effort and raises some very interesting points. -- Contemporary PsychologyBuy it! This is an excellent book on psychodrama written by one of the few true scholars in our field - the work of J L Moreno is being productively expounded by rigorous, original analyses of psychodramatic theory represented in Kellerman's work. A particularly useful inclusion in the book is the "Psychodrama Director Processing Checklist"... the book is eminently buyable. -- BPA JournalThis is an extremely wide-ranging and perceptive study which provides a detailed overview of the theories supporting the therapeutic claims made for psychodrama. There is much here that the drama/theatre worker could draw upon in non-clinical contexts particularly in the search for answers to the vexing question of precisely how people learn through imagined experience. -- 20DramaTable of ContentsForeword (Jonathan Moreno). Introduction. Chapter 1. Definition. Chapter 2. Theory. Chapter 3. The Psychodramatist. Chapter 4. Charismatic Leadership. Chapter 5. Therapeutic Aspects.ÿ20Chapter 6. Catharsis. Chapter 7. Action-Insight. Chapter 8. Tele. Chapter 9. As-If . Chapter 10. Acting Out. Chapter 11. Magic . Chapter 12. Resistance. Chapter 13. Closure. Chapter 14. Processing. References. Name and Subject Index.

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Book SynopsisThis is the first detailed account of the theory and practice of the Sesame Method, which was created by Marian Lindkvist 30 years ago, as it has evolved and been handed down experientially. It is now taught at the Central School of Speech and Drama; many of the contributors are current or former teachers at the school, or are Sesame trained therapists working in the field.The book aims to define the work of Sesame in terms of the theories upon which it is based and the method which puts these theories to use in practice in a variety of client groups. The reader is invited to enter imaginatively into the experiences of body, movement, voice, myth and ritual, and to be a witness as others explore this medium. Experts in the field spell out the theoretical base of Sesame work in its different aspects: in movement, drama, voice, myth ritual and Jungian psychological theory.Finally the contributors describe how they use the method through therapy sessions and workshops in the community with various clients, from people with physical and learning disabilities to children who have been abused and people in prisons.As well as presenting an overview of Sesame, this book will inspire readers to a rediscovery of the joys of self-expression through dance, movement and drama, through the transformative nature of the Sesame experience.Trade ReviewThe book is clearly written and the links between theory and practice are well represented. The book is a useful addition to the literature on creative and expressive approaches to therapy. -- CounsellingThis book will be of interest to all those who want to think about a non-verbal focus in therapy. -- International Journal of PsychotherapyWhat comes through all the different parts of the book is the proven success of the work of Sesame, the overwhelming sincerity and unstinting devotion of the Sesame practitioners, not only to their clients but to the organisation and for what it stands. -- RadiusThe work is beautifully presented despite the difficulties of verbal presentation. This book will appeal to all who are interested in arts approaches to therapy... Highly recommended. -- British Journal of Projective PsychologyThis is an important book...it is immensely practical as well as theoretical, describing in detail how richly symbolic work can be achieved not only in studios specially designed for the purpose but in prisons and acute psychiatric wards, as well as schools, community day centres and homes for the elderly. In these diverse and unlikely settings, Sesame has provided us with the means "to experiment with our own nature", to discover new forms of understanding and communication, to enter new modes of experience, and to grow beyond our stereotyped ways of living. It is no mean achievement. -- From the ForewordTable of ContentsForeword. Introducing Sesame, Jenny Pearson. 1. Discovering the Self, Jenny Pearson. 2. Beginning with the Body, Di Cooper. 3. Working with Myth and Story, Pat Watts. 4. Jung and the Symbol: Resolution of Conflicting Opposites, Molly Tuby. 5. Why Oblique and Why Jung?, Kharis Dekker. 6. Drama as Therapy: Some Basic Principles, Graham Suter. 7. Marian Lindkvist and Movement with Touch, Jenny Pearson. 8. The Unique Voice that lives Inside us All, Frankie Armstrong. 9. Laban and the Language of Movement, Sam Thornton. 10. Dance as You've Never Danced Before! Susi Thornton. 11. Child Drama: the Peter Slade Connection, Jenny Pearson. 12. Ritual: Journeys of the Heart, James Roose-Evans. 13. Ritual in Sesame, Morag Deane. 14. Circus Skills and Commedia, Mitch Mitchelson. 15. The Drama Gave me Inner Freedom: in Wormwood Scrubs, Colin. 16. The Minotaur in Three Settings: Prison, Acute Psychiatry and with Elderly People in Hospital, Bernie Spivack. 17. Working with Symbol in the Mental Health Centre, Jo Syz. 18. The Shared Feeling: Sesame in Acute Psychiatry, Bernie Spivack. 19. Dramatherapy in Forensic Psychiatry, Rodger Winn. 20. To Act or Not to Act? In the Secure Unit, Alan. 21. Moving Through a Block in Psychotherapy, Mary Smail. 22. A Place Called Sesame: Dramatherapy with Disturbed Children, Jenny Pearson. 23. Children Without Words: Sesame in Romania, Barbara Goossens. 24. Poetry in Motion: Drama and Movement Therapy with People with Learning Disabilities, Jocelyne James. 25. Sharing the Space Inside: One-to-One Work with People with Profound Learning Disabilities, Mary Smail. 26. Baba Yaga and Vasalisa: Myth Work with Challenging Behaviour, Elizabeth Gall. 27. Beginning to Work with the Elderly, Alison Kelly and Chris Daniel. 28. Making the Present Come Alive, Merle Baars. 29. The Story of Roundabout: Creation of a Group Practice, Deborah Haythorne and Lynn Cedar. 30. Smoke and Mirrors, Priscilla Newman. Index.

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Book SynopsisFoundations of Expressive Arts Therapy provides an arts-based approach to the theory and practice of expressive arts therapy. The book explores the various expressive arts therapy modalities both individually and in relationship to each other. The contributors emphasize the importance of the imagination and of aesthetic experience, arguing that these are central to psychological well-being, and challenging accepted views which place primary emphasis on the cognitive and emotional dimensions of mental health and development. Part One explores the theory which informs the practice of expressive arts therapy. Part Two relates this theory to the therapeutic application of the expressive arts (including music, art, movement, drama, poetry and voicework) in different contexts, ranging from play therapy with children to trauma work with Bosnian refugees and second-generation Holocaust survivors. Comprehensive in its coverage of the most fundamental aspects of expressive arts therapy, this book is a significant contribution to the field and a useful reference for all practitioners.Trade ReviewThis book does succeed in laying common ground beneath so many individual approaches to therapy, with its emphasis upon the imagination, spontaneous creative expression and intermodal techniques. It will, I suspect, become a standard textbook for practitioners, and it is without doubt a treasure trove for researchers, but I think it also has much to offer the general reader, for all of these issues are fundamentally human ones and could have meaning to anyone. -- Research in Drama EducationTable of ContentsIntroduction, Ellen G. Levine, ISIS Canada, and Stephen K. Levine, York University, Toronto, and ISIS, Canada. Part I: Philosophical and Theoretical Perspectives 1. Poiesis and postmodernism: the search for a foundation in expressive arts therapy, Stephen K. Levine, York University, Toronto, and ISIS, Canada. 2. Soul-nourishment or the metabolism of psyche: a broad concept of diet and medicine, Paolo J. Knill, Lesley College, Cambridge and European Graduate School, Switzerland. 3. Ethics and aesthetics: the necessity of form, Majken Jacoby, ISIS, Denmark. 4. Artistic inquiry: research in expressive arts therapy, Shaun McNiff, Endicott College, Massachusetts. Part II: Clinical Perspectives 5. Voicework as therapy: the artistic use of singing and vocal sound to heal mind and body, Paul Newham, International Association for Voice Movement Therapy and Voice Movement Training. 6. The creative connection: a holistic expressive arts process, Natalie Rogers, Person-Centered Expressive Therapy Institute, California. 7. Living artfully: movement as an integrative process, Daria Halprin, Tamalpa Institute, California. 8. Layer upon layer: a therapeutic experience in the art studio, Annette Brederode, Centre for the Expressive and Creative Arts Therapies, Netherlands. 9. Music as mother: the mothering function of music through expressive and receptive avenues, Margareta Warja, Lowenstomska Psychiatric Hospital, Sweden. 10. Between imagination and belief: poetry as therapeutic intervention, Margo Fuchs, European Graduate School. 11. Poetry in the oral tradition: serious play with words, Elizabeth McKim, Lesley College Cambridge, Massachusetts. 12. Theatre of the Holocaust, Yaacov Naor, 'The Inner Theatre' psychodrama centre, Israel. 13. In exile from the body, Melinda Asher-Meyer, The Norwegian Institute of Expressive Arts Therapy. 14. On the play-ground: child psychotherapy and expressive arts therapy, Ellen G. Levine, ISIS, Canada.

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Book SynopsisThis is a clear and comprehensive work which stems from the author's broad knowledge and experience of psychology, the theatre and psychodrama. It includes discussion of the theory behind psychodrama as well as the methods used in its practice; Roine writes of technical concepts in a comprehensible and accessible style, giving examples from her work in America and Norway. As well as examining the specific field of psychodrama, she relates the topic to the history and practice of the theatre, providing new angles and insights.Expressive therapies including psychodrama are becoming steadily more influential and this book has already played a part in its development. It addresses the needs of professionals, students and teachers directly involved in psychodrama and will also be of interest to professionals in other fields.Trade ReviewThis book by the distinguished Norwegian psychodramatist Eva Roine holds much information for the dramatherapist, psychdramatist or researcher who wishes to discover the theatrical roots of the therapy. The book is a fascinating read. -- DramatherapyIn a clear and accessible style, this book includes discussion of the theory behind psychodrama, as well as the methods used in its practice. E. Roine relates also the topic of psychodrama to the history and practice of the theatre, providing new angles and insights. -- International Theatre InformationsIt was a pleasure reading and reviewing this book. [T]he first chapter includes a lot of detailed information about theory and theatre which is helpful for a practitioner who does not come from a theatrical backgorund. Thre are many helpful illustrations from her own psychodrama practice in different settings relevant to the theme covered. Her caring and warmth comes through in the way she describes her work with clients. [The book] is rich in its descriptions and its use of material from other therapeutic methods and linking them to psychodrama practice. I would recommend it to anyone interested in psychodrama, and in particular to people with an interest in theatre and its connections to psychodrama. -- CounsellingTable of ContentsForeword. 1. Theory. 2. Techniques. 3. Additional Methods. 4. Psychodrama in Practice. 5. Norwegian Experiences in Retrospect. Supplement 1. Supplement 2.

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Book SynopsisA practical handbook for those wanting to use drama and theatre to explore personal and social issues in their work with young people, Making a Leap Theatre for Empowerment has developed from ten years of active research in community settings. The authors' holistic approach to theatre-making draws on a range of disciplines, including theatre in education, community theatre, youth work, group work and conflict resolution. Suitable for use by both experienced theatre practitioners and beginners, the book provides a model that is adaptable for work with diverse groups of young people over different timescales -a day, a week, or a period of months Making a Leap -Theatre for Empowerment is a flexible resource for all professionals working with drama and young peopleTrade ReviewThis book offers the reader a comprehensive way of devising issue-based theatre with young people. The model is based on a ten-week full-time Leap project which involves three weeks of group work and training, three weeks of devising and rehearsing, and four weeks of touring. The characters are created as group members research the theme and draw on their own experiences. It allows the young people to be in control of the product they create, supported by the faciitators. There is a strong sense of empowerment. -- Arts Research DigestTable of ContentsForeword, Alec Davison. Preface. The Leap Metaphor. Introduction. The Facilitator's Guide. 1. Preparation. 2. Training. 3. Devising the show. 4. The tour. 5. Evaluation. 6. Conflict. 7. Ending. 8. Practicalities. Epilogue. Index.

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Book SynopsisIn a world where natural, social and political disasters are a daily reality, the therapist is increasingly called upon to find rapid and effective methods of treating the survivors of trauma, including sexual abuse, torture, war-related trauma, addiction, depression and bereavement. The contributors to this book provide persuasive evidence of how psychodrama can safely be used to create paths of change for even the most severe traumatization and they also discuss the possible transmission of trauma patterns across generations. Research following World War II, neurobiological studies and other recent research into PTSD has shown that many trauma symptoms are unconscious, non-verbal, right-brained experiences which cannot be accessed through talk therapy. Psychodrama creates a place to act out unprocessed trauma within the containment of therapy, in order to stop the obsessive repetition of the past.Psychodrama with Trauma Survivors documents the impact of trauma and explores the development of treatment, providing integrated models of experiential treatment for clinicians to use. It is an invaluable resource for those interested in psychodrama and those working with trauma survivors.Table of ContentsForeword. Introduction. Part 1. Treating Trauma in Action. 1. The Therapeutic Aspects of Psychodrama with Traumatized People, Peter Felix Kellermann. Part 2. Loss: The Core Emotion of Trauma. 2. Psychodramatic Methods for Facilitating Bereavement, Adam Blatner. 3. Brief Psychodrama and Bereavement, Marisol Filgueira Bouza and Jose Antonio Espina Barrio. Part 3. Traumatized People: From Victims to Survivors. 4. Psychodrama of Rape and Torture: A Sixteen-year Follow-up Case Study, Marcia Karp. 5. The Use of Psychodrama with Trauma Victims, Eva Roine. 6. Prisoners of the Family: Psychodrama with Abused Children, Anne Bannister. 7. The Use of Psychodrama in the Treatment of Trauma and Addiction, Tian Dayton. 8. Psychodrama with Adolescent Sexual Offenders, Marlyn Robson. 9. Time's Distorted Mirror: Trauma Work with Adult Male Sex Offenders, Clark Baim. 10. Psychodramatic Treatment of Dissociative Identity Disorder, Kerry Paul Altman. 11. Appearance and Treatment of Dissociative States of Consciousness in Psychodrama, Grete A. Leutz. 12. Psychodrama with Survivors of Traffic Accidents, Jorg Burmeister. Part 4. Experiential Models of Healing. 13. The Therapeutic Spiral Model: Treating PTSD in Action, M.K.Hudgins. 14. Cycles of Healing: The Treatment of Developmental Trauma, John Raven Mosher and Brigid Yukman. Part 5. Breaking the Links: Transmission. 15. Health and Death: Hidden Links Through the Family Tree, Anne Ancelin Schutzenberger. 16. Psychodrama with Vietnam Veterans and their Families: Both Victims of Traumatic Stress, Michael Burge. 17. Secondary Victims of Trauma: Producing Secondary Survivors, Rory Remer. Index.

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Book SynopsisBased on a study conducted with chronically ill children, Pediatric Dramatherapy: They Couldn't Run So They Learned To Fly shows how children who are unable to verbalize their feelings or inner conflicts can do so through dramatherapy. The major sources of stress for chronically ill children are examined as they relate to situations within selected stories. Through detailed case studies, commentaries and analysis this groundbreaking book demonstrates a connection between the child's symbolic expression and the struggle with illness. The use of puppets, masks, make-up and costume accessories enhances the children's ability for self expression.This fascinating study will be a significant resource for all those working with traumatized children as well as an important contribution to the emerging field of arts medicine.Trade ReviewThe format of the book makes it very simple and easy to read. This is a well-researched book which provides a rare insight into an area of work which is not well documented. -- DramatherapyTable of ContentsList of illustrations. Acknowledgements. Foreword, by Robert J. Landy. 1. An Introduction. 2. Journey through the literature. 3. Prelude to the magic: The method. 4. Their stories unfold. 5. Afterthoughts. Appendix A: Results. Appendix B: Story Selection. References. Further reading. Subject index. Name index.

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Book SynopsisA collection of shorter plays from stage and television by one of the UK's foremost political playwrights. Included are: Blood Sports, five hilarious sketches on sporting subjects Ball Boys, an unlikely match between Marx and tennis Baby Love, a powerful and moving account of a baby-snatcher The National Theatre, 'Three Sisters' in a strip club The Midas Connection, an ironic look at gold dealing Especially suitable for performances by groups with limited time and/or resources, all the pieces engage – however wryly – with important issues. The whole collection sheds fascinating new light on Edgar the dramatist.

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Book SynopsisTwo compelling and thought-provoking plays from one of the twentieth century's most significant writers. Anna Christie Eugene O’Neill’s epic Pulitzer Prize-winning play about love and forgiveness charts one woman’s longing to forget the dark secrets of her past and hope for salvation. Exiled from her home by the Old Devil Sea to the inland plains, Anna Christie’s life changed for ever at just five years of age. Fifteen years later, she is reunited with the father who sent her away, and sets sail in search of a new beginning. Anna Christie was first staged at the Vanderbilt Theater, New York, in November 1921. Its first London production was at the Strand Theatre in April 1923. The Emperor Jones An expressionistic chronicle of a black dictator's flight from his oppressed subjects. Brutus Jones rules his island's citizens from his opulent palace with tyrannical ease – until the day that they all disappear. They have retreated to the hills, following their former native leader Lem, and plan to revolt. It is time for the Emperor to make good his escape. The Emperor Jones was first performed at the Playwrights' Theater, New York, in November 1920. Its UK premiere was at the Ambassadors' Theatre, London, in September 1925. This edition includes a full introduction, biographical sketch and chronology.Trade Review'The first serious American play about black experience... a historic landmark and a shattering piece of theatre' * Guardian on 'The Emperor Jones' *'There is a raw vigour and humanity in Anna Christie that few other dramatists can match' * Telegraph on 'Anna Christie' *'O'Neill is like an American Shakespeare, the father of American drama' * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisTwo powerful expressionist plays from the early career of one of the twentieth century's most significant writers. The Hairy Ape is a nightmarish condemnation of the dehumanising effects of industrialisation on the American people. Robert 'Yank' Smith, an animalistic stoker, breaks free from his engine-room confines when he is spurned by the glamorous society woman, Mildred Douglas. Looking to find his free self out in the 'real' world, Yank goes on the rampage – but how much will his freedom cost him? And is there really any such thing? First staged at the Playwrights' Theater, New York, in March 1922. All God's Chillun Got Wings is a vigorous social commentary based around a violently dysfunctional mixed-race marriage. Ella is the neurotically jealous white wife of Jim, a driven, charismatic black man. She sabotages his career, effectively destroying him, before her frenzy lapses into remorseless dependency. First performed in 1924 at the Provincetown Playhouse, New York, in a production starring Paul Robeson. This edition includes a full introduction, biographical sketch and chronology.Trade Review'A stark and forceful piece' * Exuent Magazine *'O'Neill's play is an existentialist rollercoaster powered by a poetry' * Time Out *'In a time of austerity and job losses the playwright's rant against the ruling classes, giving voice to the embittered working man, does not go amiss' * Londonist *

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Book SynopsisBased on the true story of Alma Rattenbury, who, in 1935, went on trial with her eighteen-year-old lover for the murder of her husband. In the play, Terence Rattigan pits Alma against a formidable lady juror, whose own life offers a plangent counterpoint to the central tale of love, betrayal, guilt and obsession. Published in this edition alongside a major revival of the play at The Old Vic, London, Cause Célèbre was Rattigan's last play and was still running in the West End at the time of his death in 1977. It comes, like the other volumes in NHB's uniform edition of Rattigan's plays, with an authoritative introduction by Rattigan scholar Dan Rebellato. ‘Few dramatists of this century have written with more understanding of the human heart than Terence Rattigan’ - Michael BillingtonTrade ReviewReviews from Rattigan's centenary revival, 2011: 'mixes anguish, suspense, humour and compassion to often electrifying effect' Telegraph 'stands the test of time... behind the play one senses the compassionate understanding for the outcast that was always Rattigan's trump card as a dramatist' Guardian 'still knocks its characters off their smugly held moral high ground with more eloquence and ruthlessness than anything produced by today's current crop of playwrights' Independent

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Book SynopsisDrama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price A classically bawdy Restoration Comedy, widely regarded as one of the filthiest and funniest plays ever written. The City of London in the seventeenth century. Harry Horner wants to seduce as many women as possible, but he needs to convince their husbands that he’s physically incapable of any such thing. Cannily, his faux impotence also allows him to sniff out and unmask those respectably virtuous ladies who secretly ache for him. William Wycherley's The Country Wife was first performed in January 1675, by the King's Company, at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

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Book SynopsisTwo plays, from the award-winning author of Iron. Your Turn to Clean the Stair is a comically sinister study of the tensions in an Edinburgh tenement. Old Mrs Mackie has always been in charge of her stair, the communal stairwell she shares with inhabitants like tough single-mum Kay and brittle young couple Lisa and Brian. And then there's dodgy Bobby who just gets on everyone's nerves. So when – after avoiding his stair-cleaning duties once again – Bobby's body is found at the bottom of the stairs, the question is not did he fall or was he pushed, but whodunnit? Rona Munro's play Your Turn to Clean the Stair was first performed at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, in April 1992 and subsequently on tour. Fugue is a psychological horror story about a woman suffering a mental breakdown. Kay, a 24-year-old secretary, encounters her alter ego as she suffers an emotional breakdown in the Grampian Hills. Fugue was first performed at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, in April 1983.Trade Review'Neat, well-organised psychological whodunnit – full of wit and energy' * Guardian *'Develops almost imperceptibly from slice-of-life realism into a subtle study of sexual relationships and contrasting attitudes to sex' * Scotsman *

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Book SynopsisAn enchanting collection of witty music and skits about the Bard. Devised for, and first performed by, the Royal Shakespeare Company, this show has been a hit with audiences all over the world. It includes songs and sketches by Alan Bennett, Noël Coward, Stephen Sondheim, Fry and Laurie, Monty Python, Victoria Wood and many more. Christopher Luscombe and Malcom McKee's The Shakespeare Revue was first staged the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1994, later transferring to the West End.Trade Review'Absolute bliss' * The Times *'A rave review' * Daily Telegraph *'I adored it' * Daily Mail *'Hilarious' * Time Out *

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Book SynopsisA re-invention of George Eliot's classic story of loss, tragedy and the relentless nature of fate. Outgrowing - but still hopelessly devoted to - her family, Maggie befriends the disfigured Phillip Wakem, son of a local lawyer. But their fathers become embroiled in a bitter legal dispute that only the prosperous Wakem can win, and the Tullivers find fate dealing them the first harsh hand of many. With their father dead, the family must face up to their cold future together. Helen Edmundson's stage adaptation of George Eliot's novel The Mill on the Floss was first performed by Shared Experience Theatre Company in 1994.Trade Review'Not only reinvents the book, but pushes the boat of theatricality way beyond its usual moorings... The central concept is having three Maggies - a conceit that is thrillingly effective in performance' * Guardian *'More compelling and fully human than the original' * The Times *'With rare theatrical vibrancy, Helen Edmundson's free adaptation distils the essence of George Eliot's feminist novel' * Evening Standard *

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Book SynopsisA road movie for the stage, following two young lads from Motherwell on their trip from dislocation to location. Alex and Brian are a pair of Scottish smalltown boys going nowhere, who get out the only way they know how – doing a runner with a prized surfboard in the only transport available: a worn-out Lada. But the surfboard belongs to Binks, Alex's psychopathic gangster boss, and he's hot on their heels as they head north for Thurso – where the surf is up all year round. Stephen Greenhorn's play Passing Places was premiered at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, in 1997.Trade Review'Tremendous new comedy' * Herald *'Greenhorn conveys all the wonders and frustrations of life on the road. Passing Places is another in a growing body of Scottish plays seeking out answers to a spiritual lack with grace and good humour' * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisA comedy of low-life manners from the man whose "strength is his satirical observation of English tribal customs."--Guardian (UK)

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Book SynopsisDrama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price A ghoulish and bloody 16th-century tragedy. The ghost of a murdered courtier is promised by Revenge that he will see his murderer killed by his mistress. The two ghostly figures sit down to watch the violent proceedings. Thomas Kyd's play The Spanish Tragedy is credited with establishing a new genre in English theatre, the revenge play or revenge tragedy. This edition of the play in the Nick Hern Books Drama Classics series includes an introduction by Simon Trussler.Trade Review'A murky world of royal skulduggery, hangings, knifings and delayed revenge, which is by no means remote from our own violent times' * Evening Standard *

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Book SynopsisTwo plays from playwright Gary Mitchell, known for his powerful explorations of the conflicts troubling Northern Ireland. Tearing the Loom is a searing portrait of a community divided against itself, set in a weaver's cottage in County Armagh at the time of the 1798 Rebellion. It was first performed at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast, in 1998. In a Little World of Our Own is a powerful illustration of how the conflict in Northern Ireland affects whole families, and of how the violence of the streets is brought into the heart of the home. It was first performed at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, in 1997.Trade Review'Utterly compelling piece of theatre' * Irish Times on In a Little World of Our Own *'That rarest of experiences: a viscerally and emotionally charged juggernaut which slams into the body leaving the head and heart reeling in its wake' * Tribune on In a Little World of Our Own *

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Book SynopsisA riotously funny satirical farce in the tradition of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and Shakespeare in Love, from the author of The Libertine. Elizabeth I is tottering at death's door. Conspirators are everywhere. Lucius Bodkin, an Elizabethan stand-up comedian, becomes unwillingly involved in the political skullduggery and jiggery-pokery surrounding the ailing queen. The Clink could pass itself off as a long-lost Elizabethan comedy. In fact it is a brilliant political satire offering many sharp parallels with our own times, when art must be sponsored, but to be sponsored it must be 'safe'. Stephen Jeffreys's play was first staged by Paines Plough in 1990 on tour in Britain and Holland.

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Book SynopsisNicholas Wright's version of Wedekind's celebrated erotic masterpiece is the first to be based on the author's original text, restoring the clarity, the daring and the sexual explicitness of a modern masterpiece written a hundred years before its time. Lulu is the story of the decline and fall of a young woman possessed of a fatal combination of sexuality and innocence. She passes from German and Parisian high society to the streets of Jack the Ripper's London – destroying, and ultimately destroyed by, her lovers. Wedekind originally wrote his extraordinary 'monster tragedy' a full twenty years before the First World War. Finding no-one prepared to stage it on account of its sexual candour, he toned it down and rewrote it as two full-length dramas, which is how The Lulu Plays were published and produced throughout most of the twentieth century. Nicholas Wright's version, based on Wedekind's original text, reveals the author's original conception for the play. It was premiered at the Almeida Theatre, London, in 2001.Trade Review'Nicholas Wright's excellent adaptation' * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisA simple and delightfully inventive re-telling of the stories from the Arabian Nights. It is wedding night in the palace of King Shahrayar. By morning the new Queen Shahrazad is to be put to death, like a thousand young brides before her. But she has one gift that could save her – the gift of storytelling. Can the young Queen transport the vengeful King to the mystical land of her stories? On her side she has a rich array of characters including Ali Baba, Es-Sinbad the Sailor and Princess Parizade – adventurers in strange and magical worlds populated by giant beasts, talking birds and crafty thieves. Will her silver-tongued storytelling save her life? This edition was published alongside the Young Vic's production in 1998.Trade Review‘The best demonstration all year of the living power of theatre' * Observer *

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Book SynopsisA darkly comic thriller set in the grim, seething and sometimes hilarious criminal world of Dublin's suburbs. Carl, a youngish but overweight Dublin taxi driver, owes Jackie three grand in gambling debts. Jackie wants the money, and he wants it now, not least because an armed robbery he has master-minded has just gone badly wrong. From there it is all downhill for Carl and his father-in-law George. And not in a good way. Robert Massey's play Rank was first staged by Fishamble: The New Play Company in October 2008 as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival. It transferred to the Tricycle Theatre, London, in November 2008.Trade Review'Enjoyable... filthily funny... the stakes are terrifyingly high' * Guardian *'A cracking comedy thriller... shuffles menace, high-stakes anxiety and light relief in a carousel of black comedy' * Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisA timely, provocative and witty look at the campaign to redefine Britishness for a multicultural society. Who is head of the Church of England? How many members are there in the Welsh Assembly? What is the main function of the Council of Europe? Emma is a dedicated ESOL teacher (English for Speakers of Other Languages), teaching British citizenship to people from Somalia, Serbia, the Congo, India and Egypt. At the same time, Tetyana, Mahmood and Chong have their own, very different reasons for wanting to pass the citizenship test. As the Home Office worries away at the questions in the test, Emma faces a challenge to her deepest-held beliefs. David Edgar's play Testing the Echo was first staged by Out of Joint on a UK tour in 2008.Trade Review'A powerful new play... important and disturbing' * Scotsman *

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Book SynopsisA funny, vibrant and moving version of Chekhov's Three Sisters, set amongst the Jewish community in wartime Liverpool. From the award-winning writer Diane Samuels (Kindertransport) and well-known actress and writer Tracy-Ann Oberman. Liverpool, 1946. A year after the sudden death of their father, sisters Gertie, May and Rita Lasky share their once grand home on Hope Street with their asthmatic brother Arnold, Auntie Biel (who still keeps her packed suitcase under the spare bed) and old family friend Dr Nate Weinberg (who claims, hand on heart, to be on the wagon). As the sisters regularly welcome GIs and pilots from the nearby American base, each continues her own search for meaning amidst the shattered remains of their city, in a rapidly changing world. Three Sisters on Hope Street was first staged at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool, in 2008, transferring to Hampstead Theatre, London.Trade Review'Heartwarming... fascinating and powerfully affecting' * Telegraph *'An extraordinary play' * Sunday Times *'A bold, fresh and fruitful reinterpretation' * Times *

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