Poetry Books

Book Synopsis‘I know you want what everyone else wants. A family. A home. But you’ll never have it. Cos of what’s inside you.’ Joanne and Lisa were like sisters. Then Lisa left. Now they’re back together for one last birthday party by the railway tracks. But can they salvage their friendship, or will ghosts of the past haunt them forever? Poignant, moving and darkly funny, All the Little Lights is the searing story of young girls slipping through the cracks in society, desperately searching for friendship, family and themselves. In a world where nobody wants you, what would you do to survive? Jane Upton's All the Little Lights was joint winner of the 2016 George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright, and was nominated for Best Play at the 2017 Writers’ Guild Awards. Produced by Fifth Word, and written with support from charity Safe & Sound, the play toured the UK in 2017, following a successful run in 2015.Trade Review'Terrifically realistic and darkly funny... truly extraordinary and moving theatre' * Nottingham Post *'Couldn't be more timely or more important… laced with humour and full of characters to care about' * The Stage *'Deeply affecting work on an urgent subject… cultivates empathy without sanitising or over-determining the characters' * Exeunt Magazine *

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Book Synopsis'It's not always all about you.' Three couples. What might be. What once was. What could have been. debbie tucker green’s play premiered in February 2017 at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, in a production directed by the playwright.Trade Review'A lean, intimate triptych about language and love… in debbie tucker green's hands the stop-start patterns of everyday speech, interrupted thoughts and broken sentences, hesitations and repetitions, becomes a kind of poetry… a play about listening as much as it is talking, about speaking and not being heard; it’s a play about love, but also about bodies, the pleasures they can bring and the ways they can fail' * The Stage *'debbie tucker green's words spool from the characters' mouths like inflected lines of the most patterned poetry, at once heightened and yet utterly true to the rhythms of normal speech. But as the words flow over 80 minutes, the piece comes together with audacious clarity… it is haunted by a deep emotional tug. Its lengthy title perfectly describes what happens in front of our eyes. It is very moving and very fine' * WhatsOnStage *'Beautifully dark and recognisable... an insightful observation of how we dissect our relationships, how we talk about talking, and what 'silence' means between lovers' * Independent *'The most eloquent play about men and women I've seen for years… debbie tucker green's latest piece not only suggests a maturing talent, but also the depth that comes with experience' * Telegraph *'Oblique yet compassionate… debbie tucker green uses language as deftly as a composer might use notes' * Financial Times *'debbie tucker green's text is visceral. No one captures the pattern of fractured speech quite like her… a writer digging deeper than most to reach something profound about what it means to love one another' * Exeunt Magazine *

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Book Synopsis'What you gonna do once you free? You just gonna walk up in somebody house and be like,"Hey. I'm a slave. Help me?"' Judge Peyton is dead, and his plantation Terrebonne is in financial ruins. Peyton's handsome nephew George arrives as heir apparent, and quickly falls in love with Zoe, a beautiful 'octoroon'. But the dastardly M'Closky has other plans – for both Terrebonne and Zoe. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' exhilarating play, An Octoroon, draws on Dion Boucicault's 1859 melodrama The Octoroon to explore issues about race and identity in America today. The play won an OBIE Award when it was first seen in New York in 2014, and had its European premiere at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, in 2017. It transferred to the National Theatre, London, in 2018. An Octoroon won Branden Jacobs-Jenkins the Most Promising Playwright Award at the Evening Standard Awards in 2017. He was also named Most Promising Playwright at the Critics' Circle Awards in 2018 for his plays Gloria and An Octoroon.Trade Review'Coruscating comedy of unresolved history… this decade's most eloquent theatrical statement on race in America today' -- Ben Brantley * New York Times *'A giddy mix of the angry and the absurd… Jacobs-Jenkins is considering important issues about race and representation and making something playful and provocative from them… inspired, invigorating' * The Times *'Bizarrely brilliant… a work that is both infinitely playful and deeply serious and which dazzlingly questions the nature of theatrical illusion' * Guardian *'Half of the fun – and there is a hell of a lot of fun – in watching An Octoroon is witnessing people squirm with discomfort, unsure if to laugh, when to laugh or if they are even allowed to laugh… Jacobs-Jenkins is like one of those magicians who shows you how the trick works and still leaves you agog with wonder' * The Upcoming *'A dazzlingly playful and sharply provocative look at ideas of race, representation and the nature of theatre itself' * Evening Standard *'A dazzling deconstruction of racial representation… deeply shocking, but darkly hilarious; satire at its most scornful… with a savage and sophisticated sense of irony, Jacobs-Jenkins sinks his teeth into the relationship between representations and reality' * WhatsOnStage *'A major work of new American drama… borrowing [from original play The Octoroon] is a stroke of inspiration in itself – melodrama being a self-referential genre, the satiric contexts of then and now contrast very nicely – but it's the richness of Jacobs-Jenkins's own imagination that really sets this show soaring... make no mistake about it, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is a playwright to watch' * The Arts Desk *'How do you deal with slavery as a black American playwright? Take someone else's play, and play with it. Problematise it. Take the piss out of it. Take the piss out of the idea, too, of a 'black playwright' being constantly expected to confront race issues. But don't forget to still punch the audience in the guts. That's what Branden Jacobs-Jenkins does in An Octoroon… the play keeps you on your toes. It's bold, fearless playwrighting: laughing in the face of racism as well as allowing the horror of history to spell itself out' * Time Out *'Totally, totally bonkers… Jacob-Jenkins' text has a madcap mania and a rich vein of absurdist humour… An Octoroon is a play that refuses to kowtow to the audience's preconceptions, that dances with stereotypes and teases relentlessly with sly race politics' * The Stage *'A fresh and thought-provoking examination of the uniquely American experience of race and colour… forces the audience to confront uncomfortable issues and yet remains funny and incredibly engaging' * Broadway World *'So energetic, funny, and entertainingly demented, you can't look away' * New York Post *'The play uses the plot of the Irish playwright Dion Boucicault's 1859 melodrama The Octoroon... as the starting point for a bigger, wilder, more hilarious play about the tremendous, often tragic difficulties of identity, and life, for us all' * New Yorker *'A wildly imaginative new work' * Village Voice *

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Book SynopsisA fiercely funny play by the Tony Award-winning author of The Humans. Three misfit teenagers are brought together by a sex scandal in their school, with nobody taking them seriously until they speak out – with hilarious consequences. Living in a social media minefield, where peers are judgmental and adults are dictatorial and condescending, Howie, Solomon and Diwata grapple with homophobia, online privacy and how to get the lead in the school play. Stephen Karam's Speech & Debate was first performed Off-Broadway at Roundabout Underground in 2007. It received its European premiere at the Trafalgar Studios, London, in 2017, produced by Defibrillator.Trade Review'The pace is nigh-on perfect… Stephen Karam has a talent for making serious things seriously funny' * The Times *'Comically unfolds the mysteries and peculiarities of today’s youth' * Telegraph *'A triumph...hilarious, cliché-free, and immensely entertaining' * New York Times *'Bristling with vitality, wicked humour, terrific dialogue and a direct pipeline into the zeitgeist of contemporary youth' * Variety *'A bright, lively comedy' * Guardian *'Very funny... Karam has an excellent ear for the earnestness of teenagers – and for the absurdity within such earnestness' * WhatsOnStage *'A coming-of-age drama that looks at the difficulties of coming out but also self-expression and self-regard in those tricky teen years when individuals are desperately attempting to find themselves… some cracking jokes and intriguing situations' * British Theatre Guide *

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Book Synopsis‘Maybe she just doesn’t wanna be found, maybe that last day she felt freedom was when she ran, and she just didn’t stop, maybe that was it.’ When her best friend Jay goes missing, Dee withdraws into a twilight world of fragmented memories and conversations, shattered by her grief. Where should she look for Jay? What did she miss? What did Jay say? And what couldn’t she say? Somalia Seaton’s Red is an unflinching and bold exploration of the internal lives of young women. It is part of Platform, an initiative from Tonic Theatre in partnership with Nick Hern Books, aimed at addressing gender imbalance in theatre. Platform comprises big-cast plays with predominantly or all-female casts, written specifically for performance by young actors.Trade Review'A fantastic resource… the dialogue is quick, punchy and easily accessible, the characters easy to identify with… Red is a blank slate, offering opportunities for the use of a variety of theatrical styles. For this reason I would strongly recommend this play. It is versatile, well-written, and in-tune with the needs of drama teachers and students in modern Britain' * Drama Magazine *'Has a subtle, yet accessible writing style that provides ample opportunities for a young ensemble to explore, ask questions, and push their performance skills… the action is lively and energetic, the dialogue well-paced – jumping between characters with a refreshing, playful energy' * Teaching Drama *'Complex, topical and rich in emotion… Seaton's writing fizzes off the page. Her characters are strong, complex and vibrant, her themes solid and resonant and she has delivered a foundation on which girls can finally flourish' * Ink Pellet *

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Book SynopsisNew York. A city that runs on ambition – and coffee. In the offices of a notorious Manhattan magazine, ruthless editorial assistants vie for their bosses' jobs and a book deal before they're thirty. But bestselling memoir fodder is thin on the ground, and climbing the career ladder is hard when you're trapped between Starbucks runs, jaded gossip and endless encircling cubicle walls... Branden Jacobs-Jenkins's Gloria is a razor-sharp comic drama about ambition, office warfare and hierarchies, where the only thing that matters is selling out to the highest bidder. The play was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2016, and had its UK premiere at Hampstead Theatre, London, in 2017. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins was named Most Promising Playwright at the Critics' Circle Awards in 2018 for his plays Gloria and An Octoroon.Trade Review'Confounds expectation to a heady and exhilarating degree… Gloria is pretty glorious' * The Arts Desk *'Brilliantly nuts and fresh… Jacobs-Jenkins is a seriously savvy playwright. He wears his smarts lightly' * Exeunt Magazine *'Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is one of America's boldest young playwrights… some especially sharp satire… if the stinging office comedy that Jacobs-Jenkins dishes up early on calls to mind David Mamet, there's more than a touch of the structural ingenuity of Caryl Churchill in what follows' * Evening Standard *'A shocking, unsettling and intelligent office dramedy from the sizzlingly in-vogue Branden Jacobs-Jenkins… on a sixpence, the play transforms from a farcical office satire - and a hilarious one, too - into an unsettling examination of contemporary employment culture, of unseen societal hierarchies, and of the distasteful rat race of grief that inevitably accompanies tragedy… the second invigorating UK debut in as many months from an insightful, intelligent, impish and hugely welcome transatlantic voice' * The Stage *'Another goodie from the super-smart Branden Jacobs-Jenkins… crisply funny in its relentless skewering of the pettiness and pretentions of a bunch of journalists, as well as offering a more profound look at the way traumatic experiences may be packaged up and sold to the highest bidder… sharply entertaining' * Time Out *'Clever and angry… it is fascinating and timely, and sometimes horribly funny' * TheatreCat *'Sharp, witty and inventive… the longer the play goes on and the deeper Jacobs-Jenkins digs, it becomes clear what he is writing about: not just the memory of a lost golden age that haunts American journalism, but the soullessness of the present in which any crisis is open to instant exploitation... a merciless modern satire' * Guardian *'Abounds with the sort of brutal straight-talk, honed by the illusion-dissolving acid of wage-slave experience, that’s calculated to make job-seeking millennials violently shudder even as they laugh… in less capable hands, this sort of thing could swiftly devolve into a water-cooler whinge writ large. But Jacobs-Jenkins has intelligent fun with the sense of entitlement of these gossips, back-stabbers and literary titans manqué… the evening’s essential thrill is unmistakable: the sighting of a major new talent' * Telegraph *'A whip-smart satire... A sharp-toothed comic drama with a whole lot to say' * New York Times *'Provocative, sharply observant and playfully theatrical' * Hollywood Reporter *

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Book SynopsisAn adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic one of the best-loved stories ever written that rediscovers the social conscience of the timeless tale.

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Book Synopsis'I used to be scared of them. They seemed so different. They don't scare me any more. They're just children, aren't they? Just children.' January 1941. A terrible crime is taking place in a clinic for disabled children. The perpetrators argue that it will help struggling parents and lift the financial burden on the mighty German state. One brave voice is raised in objection. But will the doctor listen? A moving examination of a terrifying moral dilemma, and a powerful story that shows what it takes for humanity and decency to be restored in a world that has abandoned them. First produced by Tara Finney Productions, Stephen Unwin's debut play All Our Children premiered at Jermyn Street Theatre, London, in 2017.Trade Review'A brave and challenging play' * The Arts Desk *'Incredibly effective… you will be hooked from start to finish' * A Younger Theatre *'A gripping battle of words... what makes the play engrossing is Unwin’s ability to explore both internal doubt and external conflict' * Guardian *'Unwin masterfully brings to light an often forgotten part of history, with vivid characterisation and gracefully authentic dialogue. He explores this dark story with profundity, while simultaneously managing to keep it relatable and real… a deeply thought-provoking piece of theatre' * Broadway World *'A passionate drama… the anger and arguments at the heart of this protest piece are strong' * Time Out *'Unwin's potent script creates a vivid picture of the social and moral landscape of Germany at the height of the Second World War... rich with argument and raw with emotion' * The Stage *'Packs an emotional punch… haunting and hard-hitting' * LondonTheatre1 *'Fascinating… it’s a magnificent, brilliantly written piece of theatre which draws the audience in to an emotional state of turmoil' * TheatreWeekly *'This play is very special… a moral and ethical debate of the highest quality... Stephen Unwin must already be a hot tip to be 2017’s best new playwright' * British Theatre Guide *

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Book SynopsisA darkly funny political thriller, winner of the 2017 Tony Award for Best Play. In 1993, in front of the world’s press, the leaders of Israel and Palestine shook hands on the lawn of the White House. Few watching would have guessed that the negotiations leading up to this iconic moment started secretly in a grand manor house in the middle of a forest outside Oslo. J.T. Rogers' play Oslo tells the true story of two maverick Norwegian diplomats who coordinated top-secret talks and inspired seemingly impossible friendships. Their quiet heroics helped lead to the groundbreaking Oslo Accords. The play had a sell-out run in New York in 2016, and received its UK premiere at the National Theatre, London, in September 2017, prior to a West End transfer.Trade Review'A serious, and seriously good, play… when the interval came, I felt deprived, like you do when you are reading a great book and have to put it down even though all you want to do is to go on reading' * The Times *'An extraordinary achievement, hands down the best new play of the season. Creating riveting drama out of the intransigence of implacable enemies is no modest trick, but darned if J.T. Rogers doesn't pull it off, and grandly... a dramatist of generous spirit writing with persuasive compassion about his characters' * Washington Post *'A tremendous piece of theatre… witty, gripping, Shakespearean in scope… what is most heartening about it is the way it quietly celebrates the peacemakers and their resolute belief in a common humanity. At a moment when acts of violence are never long out of the news, this is timely and immensely moving' * Financial Times *'A deft combination of research, fictional intuition and dramatic compression… watch, learn and marvel' * Telegraph *'This weighty subject, full of labyrinthine complexity, is lucidly distilled by JT Rogers's dramatisation of events, turning the process of negotiation and diplomacy into a gripping drama … it is a rollercoaster, with moments of great hilarity switching suddenly to high tension, along with deeply moving reminders of the horrors and sadness behind the talks' * BritishTheatre.com *'A proper political thriller… Rogers [has] a real eye for the human side of history... keeps the tension dead taut throughout' * WhatsOnStage *'Rogers' scrupulously researched work has a remarkable lightness of touch. It's witty, nimble and full of pleasing detail… works both as a piece of documentary theatre, unpacking a historical moment, and – in a time of what feels like increasing social division – a valuable reminder of just what can be achieved if people are wiling to put aside their own agendas and work towards a common good' * The Stage *'Unequivocally fascinating... Rogers' clever dialogue is very witty. You get the facts, but you get them delivered with intelligence and humor' * Variety *'As expansive and ambitious a play as any in recent Broadway history... [has an] urgent behind-the-scenes intimacy at its fast-beating heart... [Rogers' script] is a marvel of both expository efficiency and exciting showmanship, by which a big picture is revealed to be a composite shot of precisely defined, imperfect individuals. Oslo features a vast cast of characters, of widely varied temperaments and ideological stripes. Yet somehow, by the end, you feel you have come to know every single one of them' * New York Times *'Bracing and absorbing... the balance of passion, discipline, and suspense is organically, thrillingly theatrical' * Entertainment Weekly *

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Book SynopsisA young soldier returning from the trenches of the First World War recollects a love that dare not speak its name. Almost one hundred years later, a groom-to-be prepares for his gay wedding. Queers celebrates a century of evolving social attitudes and political milestones in British gay history, as seen through the eyes of eight individuals. Poignant and personal, funny, tragic and riotous, these eight monologues for male and female performers cover major events – such as the Wolfenden Report of 1957, the HIV/AIDS crisis, and the debate over the age of consent – through deeply affecting and personal rites-of-passage stories. Curated by Mark Gatiss, the monologues were commissioned to mark the anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which decriminalised homosexual acts in private between two men over the age of twenty-one. They were broadcast on BBC Four in 2017, directed and produced by Gatiss, and starring Alan Cumming, Rebecca Front, Ian Gelder, Kadiff Kirwan, Russell Tovey, Gemma Whelan, Ben Whishaw and Fionn Whitehead. They were also staged at The Old Vic in London. This volume includes: The Man on the Platform by Mark Gatiss The Perfect Gentleman by Jackie Clune Safest Spot in Town by Keith Jarrett Missing Alice by Jon Bradfield I Miss the War by Matthew Baldwin More Anger by Brian Fillis A Grand Day Out by Michael Dennis Something Borrowed by Gareth McLean Trade Review'Sits triumphantly in the tradition of Alan Bennett's Talking Heads: funny, poignant and closely observed' * The Times *'An unbeatable series of monologues – funny, filthy, mournful, celebratory, predatory, bathetic, heroic – of the travails and, yes, fun had in the days before this particular love could speak its name' * Guardian *

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Book Synopsis‘We’re... A man and a woman Who’ve lost a child Who first lost a child And then... each other Or maybe I should say: Who first lost a child, then themselves and then each other’ An extraordinary play that asks a simple question: is it ever possible to move on? Poison by Dutch writer Lot Vekemans, in this English translation by Rina Vergano, had a critically acclaimed run in New York in 2016, and was premiered in the UK at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, in November 2017, directed by Paul Miller. The original Dutch-language version of the play, Gif, was first performed at NT Gent/NL in December 2009.Trade Review'Almost unbearably tense, delicate yet tough… Vekemans's writing is unflinching, its sparse language and aching silences charged with scarcely articulated pain... profoundly rewarding' * The Times *'A delicate and compassionate study of grief' * Financial Times *'Uncomfortable but compelling viewing… this is obviously a play about how we react to bereavement and is based on acute psychological observation. But, on a wider level, this is also a play about marriage and the way separation or divorce can never erase remembered intimacies' * Guardian *'An absorbing dance around the truth, in which tenderness and starkness alternate and the awkward cadences of debate are chasteningly authentic… considers the effects of grief, but instead of making pain appear poetic it portrays with sober precision the essential ordinariness of its two characters' * Evening Standard *'Painful, powerful… a minutely realistic look at the oddly colourless nature of grieving, and the grim concrete structures that 21st-century secular society builds around it' * Time Out *'Quietly unflinching… an almost forensic exploration of the hard, sharp edges of grief and loss… [has a] bruising truthfulness' * The Stage *'Searing... a tear-jerker' * New York Times *'Truly astounding' * Broadway World *

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Book SynopsisIn 1949, scientist and mathematician Dr Jacob Bronowski installs a hidden, locked room in his house. Fifty years later, his grandson discovers the secrets contained in the room, unearthing echoes from across six million years of human history. David Byrne's play Secret Life of Humans was first seen during a sell-out, award-winning run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017. It had its London premiere at New Diorama in April 2018, ahead of transferring Off-Broadway. David Byrne is a playwright and director. His other plays include a radical new version of George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London.Trade Review'Ambitious, intelligent and moving... unfolds with thriller-like precision with real visual flair' * Guardian *'Bold, beautiful and utterly absorbing theatre, finding the thrilling drama inherent in the human story. It takes your breath away' * The Stage *'Presented with brilliant imagination... strikingly accomplished, absorbing and enjoyable' * Scotsman *'A masterpiece...mesermising to watch. Nothing less than a theatrical triumph' * Broadway Baby *

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Book SynopsisVery few playwrights can be identified from a single line of dialogue – debbie tucker green is one of them. This collection of her first six plays, together with a short introduction by the author, shows a dramatic artist in full control of her craft. born bad (Hampstead Theatre, 2003; winner of the Olivier Award for Best Newcomer) dives headlong into the heart of a conflicted family, unleashing wit, ferocity and verbal dexterity on the way. 'One of the most assured and extraordinary new voices we’ve heard in a long while. Electrifying' Independent on Sunday dirty butterfly (Soho Theatre, 2003) is a mesmerising study of voyeurism, power and guilt. 'There is a sly, controlled power in this writing… And now I cannot get it out of my head' Guardian generations (National Theatre Platform performance, 2005; Young Vic, 2007) follows three generations of a Black South African family comparing cooking skills – but food isn’t the only topic and the family numbers are declining. 'Devastating… will last you a lifetime' Guardian stoning mary (Royal Court Theatre, 2005) confronts the reality of global conflicts, transposing them to the West. 'The words fly around the theatre piercing the dark like gleaming shards of shrapnel' The Stage trade (Royal Shakespeare Company, 2005) shines a light on the world of female sex tourism. 'Poetry laced with shards of broken glass' Guardian random (Royal Court Theatre, 2008) is set over one day, following one family and the effects of one random act of violence. 'The writing seems to penetrate the very heart of grief' Telegraph 'debbie tucker green uses language as deftly as a composer might use notes.' Financial Times

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Book Synopsis‘I want to return to my home.’ A Northern British coastal town. Three young men are coming home from war. Their stories, set at different times over a hundred years, are beautifully interwoven in Anna Jordan's The Unreturning, a play that explores the profound effect that war has on young people’s lives, and asks – what does coming home really mean? What is home? And when experience has shattered you into a million pieces, will home help to put you together again, or treat you as an ugly truth it does not want to confront? The Unreturning was premiered at Theatre Royal Plymouth in September 2018, in a co-production between Frantic Assembly and Theatre Royal Plymouth, before touring the UK.Trade Review'A moving meditation on war and masculinity... Jordan paints a complex picture of masculinity, its crises, its toxicity and its deepest feelings... the writing is sensitive' * The Arts Desk *'A feverishly intense drama... visceral and insightful' * Time Out *'An incredibly moving show, full of beautifully interwoven stories which are sensitively told, hard-hitting and immensely poignant at the same time... there is so much for students to choose from for a scripted exam performance, and there are beautiful monologues from each character to explore' * Drama & Theatre Magazine *'Brutally and beautifully honest' * Broadway World *'Anna Jordan's poetic piece interweaves three stories, flicking back and forth in history as timeless threads are followed, linked and knotted' * British Theatre Guide *'An absorbing, thought-provoking piece of new writing... [Jordan] creates dialogue and especially soliloquies of shuddering power' * The Reviews Hub *

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Book SynopsisThree generations of the Blake family have assembled for Thanksgiving in Brigid and Richard's ramshackle pre-war apartment in Lower Manhattan. Whilst the event may have a slightly improvised air, the family is determined to make the best of its time together. As they attempt to focus on the traditional festivities, fears of the past and pressures of the future seep into the reunion and the precariousness of their position becomes increasingly evident. Stephen Karam's blisteringly funny and bruisingly sad drama, The Humans, is a stunning portrayal of the human condition; a family at its best and worst navigating the challenges of everyday life. The Humans premiered in Chicago in 2014, before transferring to the Roundabout Theatre Company, New York, in 2015; Broadway in 2016; and Hampstead Theatre, London, in 2018. The production won numerous awards, including the Tony Award and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play. A film adaptation, written and directed by Stephen Karam, was premiered in 2021.Trade Review'This potent – and finally searing – portrait is tricksier than it at first appears… ingeniously, both a naturalistic play about an ordinary family and an eerie, harrowing summation of humanity akin to Munch's The Scream' * Telegraph *'Bitingly funny, bitterly sad… Karam's writing is astonishingly genre-literate, from kitchen sink grimness to psychological thriller, with side helpings of sitcom, pulling all its referents in different directions to dissect them and build them into something new. Something familiar and not; something uncanny' * The Stage *'A wonderful play – funny and moving, involving and frightening in almost equal measures… an astonishing tour de force of story-telling; nothing happens, yet as the family talk and squabble we come to know and understand not only them, but also some of the fractures that are tearing apart American society' * WhatsOnStage *'A funny, mournful, richly detailed and deeply humane study of a beleaguered family celebrating Thanksgiving dinner in a tumbledown Chinatown apartment... Karam is a profoundly compassionate writer. He shows us the bravery and tenderness of people trying – and sometimes failing – to get on with their lives' * Guardian *'A haunting, beautifully realized play, quite possibly the finest we will see all season... Blisteringly funny and altogether wonderful' * New York Times *'[A] beautiful, funny-sad and ultimately wrenching portrait of a troubled lower-middle-class Pennsylvania family... builds on the ample promise of Karam's earlier works, confirming him as a uniquely probing investigator of the contemporary American psyche' * Hollywood Reporter *'Blisteringly funny, bruisingly sad and altogether wonderful... Written with a fresh-feeling blend of documentarylike naturalism and theatrical daring... Mr. Karam's comedy-drama depicts the way we live now with a precision and compassion unmatched by any play I've seen in recent years' * New York Times *'A kind, warm, beautifully observed and deeply moving new play, a celebration of working-class familial imperfection and affection and a game-changing work for this gifted young playwright' * Chicago Tribune *'Karam is in rare form here, showing a remarkable ear for the way families converse… For all the characters' woes, this is a warm, funny, sharply observed portrait of their abiding connections with one another' * Time Out Chicago *

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Book Synopsis`Okay I'm sorry but I don't want to have a meal. I want to talk and find out a bit more about you and ideally have sex. Or maybe not full sex but - I need to be home by 11 p.m.' Dating again after a complex break-up, Jessie is trying to get her personal life in order - before her kids wake up. From actress, comedian, writer and doodler Jessie Cave, Sunrise is an honest, tender-hearted and uproariously funny story about crying in the woods, sexual misadventures at Harry Potter conventions and Instagram espionage - but also about motherhood and trying to get stuff done. This published edition also includes dozens of never-before-seen doodles by Jessie. She's very happy to (over)share it with you. Sunrise was performed as a critically acclaimed live show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, at Soho Theatre, London, and on tour around the UK.Trade Review'Devastatingly honest, wickedly funny… Sunrise pitches us right into Cave's life, and her head' Guardian; 'An exquisite show from one of the more creative minds in comedy today… It is painfully funny, hilariously sad and makes oversharing a thing of comic genius. There is no corner of Jessie's life into which her blindingly honest comic light does not shine' Scotsman 'Confessional comedy that is unstoppably amusing as well as compellingly complex… crammed full of telling details that are amusing, or painful, or more likely both at once, this is comic storytelling of the highest order' The Times: 'Not everyone can make heartbreak this entertaining… it's the little details that make this so special – revealing all the things she's secretly thinking, while we either empathise or wince in recognition. So open, so honest, so inspirational' ThreeWeeks; 'Emotional, occasionally filthy, and frequently very funny… it adds up to a rich tapestry which, while laying Cave bare, also has much to say about the double bind of being a modern woman – from balancing career and being a role model with having children, to dating, rejection and abuse. It's all done with the lightest of touches and enormous charm, and it confirms Cave as one of comedy's most compellingly unique voices' i

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Book SynopsisOne night in a small town in County Cork, where everyone knows everyone, things spiral terrifyingly out of control. What will happen now to Emma? To her family? To the others? This stage adaptation of Louise O’Neill’s devastating novel, Asking for It, shines an unflinching light on the experience of a young woman whose life is changed for ever by a horrific act of violence. Adapted by Meadhbh McHugh, in collaboration with its director Annabelle Comyn, the play premiered at the Everyman, Cork, in 2018, before transferring to the Abbey Theatre, Dublin.Trade Review'Fearless theatre that focusses on an hugely topical current issue' * WhatsOnStage *'With a script by Meadhbh McHugh that is sharp and also very funny, Asking for It not only stays faithful to the novel, it goes further, raising it up to heaven and down to hell, too. It is worth the hype' * Irish Independent *'Powerful, provocative, hard-hitting, shocking… a sharply observed and at times wincingly true-to-life portrayal of a family and its disintegration… funny, infuriating and unbearably sad' * Irish Examiner *

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Book Synopsis‘Listen!’ In this collection of new essays, the world-renowned director Peter Brook offers unique and personal insights into sound and music – from the surprising impact of Broadway musicals on his famous Midsummer Night's Dream, to the allure of applause, and on to the ultimate empty space: silence. It is studded throughout with episodes from the author's own life and career in opera, theatre and film – including working on many of his most notable productions, and intimate first-hand accounts of collaborating with leading figures including Truman Capote, Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh – and ranges across musical styles and cultures from around the world. Playing by Ear is full of Brook's shafts of insight and perception, and written with his customary wit and wisdom. It is a rich companion to his earlier reflections on Shakespeare in The Quality of Mercy and on language and meaning in Tip of the Tongue.Trade Review'Incisive and perceptive… gives readers a unique opportunity to enter the mind of one of the most imaginative and enduring theatre directors of the last three-quarters of a century. It functions as a meditation on music and sound but also provides pleasant reminders of the life and career of an indisputably great man' * British Theatre Guide *

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Book SynopsisJohn, a wealthy, brilliant, and successful PhD student with cerebral palsy, hires Jess, a recent graduate who has fallen on hard times, as his new carer. Across town, truck driver Eddie attempts to support and re-engage with his estranged wife, Ani, following a terrible accident that has left her quadriplegic. As four very different lives collide and entwine, roles are unapologetically flipped, reversed and exposed - who is actually caring for whom? Martyna Majok's exquisitely original, honest and deftly funny new play Cost of Living explores our need to connect and be loved regardless of the gulfs that disability, race, class, and wealth place between us. Winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Cost of Living was first seen at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2016, and had its UK premiere at Hampstead Theatre, London, in January 2019.Trade Review'A richly empathetic work that asks searching questions about who or what defines us, and what we owe to each other. Frank, funny and thrumming with feeling, in its best moments it bypasses the head and strikes right at the heart' * Broadway World *'A rare combination of matter-of-fact candour and watchful empathetic insight' * Independent *'Dares to venture to places few dramas go, examining with a kind of wide-eyed truthfulness the lives of a marginalised quartet struggling to get by... Majok's writing has a poetic naturalism' * WhatsOnStage *'A tough drama that earns its poignancy... gets under your skin through its ability to provoke feeling without lapsing into sentimentality' * Guardian *'Cost of Living is perfection. It reawakens my belief in the poetry of theater and highlights its purpose as the critical eye on our human existence… Majok brilliantly infuses her characters and dialogue with biting humor' * New York Theatre Guide *'Full of effective moments… deeply felt' * Village Voice *'Sensational... poses colossal questions in scenes so bracingly intimate that you might be tempted to look away were they not so utterly magnetic... manages to capture, in the span of 100 minutes, how it feels to be alive... the kind of theater that imprints on the body and lives in your bones... one of the most poignant and arresting new dramas on Broadway in recent memory' * Variety *'Immensely haunting… Majok has engineered her plot to lead naturally to moments of intense and complicated pungency… If you don't find yourself in someone in Cost of Living, you’re not looking' * New York Times *'Deeply moving, bracing and harrowing' * The Hollywood Reporter *

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Book Synopsis‘If the sky dropped the stars or the river drained the water there would be outrage, but we treat children like this and there is silence.’ Something's not right. Children are being raised by animals. A mother is slowly sinking in the bath. The trees are left doing the paperwork. The air is filled with screams of children howling for help. And some twins want to tell you a story about how everything got so fucked up. A spiralling odyssey of dizzying theatricality, Wolfie is a bold, fantastical fairytale following two twins separated at birth and asks who is truly responsible for society's most vulnerable children. Ross Willis's debut play is a wildly imaginative, irreverent look at life in and after the care system. It was premiered at Theatre503, London, in March 2019, directed by Theatre503 Artistic Director Lisa Spirling. Wolfie was awarded Best Play at the 2020 Writers' Guild Awards, and Best New Play at the 2020 Off-West End Awards. It also earned Willis a nomination for Best Writer at the 2019 Stage Debut Awards and Most Promising Playwright at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards.Trade Review'Playful, anarchic... Willis has a gift for surreal dialogue' * Guardian *'A striking debut... a fairy tale with bite, sinking its teeth into the frailties of the care system and the human cost of its limitations... Ross Willis is a fresh and fearless voice, clearly itching to test the boundaries of theatre' * Evening Standard *'Wild, raw, full of fury and wonder, this debut play is a ragged thing of ferocious beauty... Willis's writing snarls, snaps, howls at the moon and gazes at the stars; it is tender, thrillingly vital and glittering with hope' * The Times *'Laugh-out-loud funny yet never hesitating to be brutally honest when necessary, this is a bold start from the award-winner Willis, surely one worth keeping a beady eye on' * WhatsOnStage *'A strange and striking debut play... Mighty Boosh’-esque doses of weirdness' * Time Out *'Splendidly surreal' * Broadway World *

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Book Synopsis1968. East Berlin. Anna and Hans are married, in love and moving up in the world – but it is a world ruled by suspicion. Who can be trusted when everyone is listening? Can we ever escape our past? Written by playwright Ella Hickson, and co-created with sound designers Ben and Max Ringham, ANNA unfolds with all the tension of a spy thriller, and the inexorable revelations of an Ibsen play. ANNA premiered at the National Theatre, London, in May 2019, directed by Natalie Abrahami, with the audience wearing individual headsets to direct their attention amongst the overlapping scenes on stage. This uniquely formatted edition of the script features all of the play's dialogue, including the scenes seen but not heard in performance.Trade Review'A swift spy thriller set during the Cold War that's as slick and stylish as it is technologically savvy... a wonderfully plotted play, full of history, mystery and horror... oppressive, intense, and impressively intelligent' * The Stage *'Unpredictable to the last; every time you think you know where things are going, Hickson's script thrills in proving you wrong and the tension never drops... consistently gripping, Anna is a superb spy drama' * BritishTheatre.com *'From the start, the action is taut... it twists and turns, consistently pulling on the threads that join public and private spaces together' * A Younger Theatre *'Electrifying... as unsettling as it is nail-biting... a thrilling hour of Cold War drama that is tautly told... Anna is a rare thing of beauty: a play one hates to stop watching' * The Reviews Hub *'Marvellous... a political thriller with a retro edge... a complex multilayered plot worthy of Le Carré' * The Times *'Intimate and disturbing' * Observer *'A layered, engrossing and remarkable piece... constantly challenges us to look anew, to change our focus' * WhatsOnStage *'Fascinating... Anna is both an audio experiment and an investigation of the lies and suspicion surrounding life in communist East Berlin' * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisMark Williams is tired of his marriage and tired of his job teaching astronomy at the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. Angela Vasquez is a young single mother training to be a nurse. Norman Ketterly is fighting for his life in a cancer ward. Their intertwining stories unspool under a canopy of stars too vast to imagine and too beautiful to comprehend, especially when the travails of life on Earth threaten to blot it out. Kenneth Lonergan's play The Starry Messenger is a bittersweet exploration of love, hope and the mysteries of the cosmos. It premiered in New York in 2009, and received its UK premiere at Wyndham's Theatre, London, in May 2019, featuring Matthew Broderick and Elizabeth McGovern.Trade Review'A quirkily profound script with a wry, idiosyncratic freshness' * Independent *'Twists away from every expectation... a compassionate portrait of lost souls grasping for love, meaning, or perhaps just a moment of belonging in a fleeting existence' * Broadway World *'Gentle, compassionate comic drama… has the sweet taste of redemption' * The New York Times *'Lacing questions large and small, about ourselves and the cosmos, with characteristic sensitivity, compassion and humour… a heartbreaking story' * Variety *'Wryly observant' * Guardian *'A rich and engrossing new play… a sprawling, mature, leisurely profound serious comedy about everyday desperation and cosmic mysteries' * Newsday *'Moving and beautifully written' * New York Post *

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Book SynopsisA group of people sit around a table theorising, categorising and telling stories. Their real purpose is never quite clear, but they continue on, searching for the monstrous. Part satire, part sacred rite, Annie Baker's play The Antipodes asks what value stories have for a world in crisis. First seen at Signature Theatre, New York, in 2017, the play had its UK premiere at the National Theatre, London, in 2019. 'The most original and significant American dramatist since August Wilson' Mark Lawson, The GuardianTrade Review'Annie Baker's philosophical study of storytelling is pure pleasure' * Evening Standard *'A disquieting, dazzling piece... lingers long, long after its ending' * Telegraph *'There is simply no playwright like Annie Baker... hyper real, surreally odd and extremely funny' * Metro *'Another cryptic masterpiece from Annie Baker... utterly, gloriously out there and will doubtless horrify some people... endlessly shifting and complex' * Time Out *'An examination of fiction and reality that refuses to give up its own mysteries... so sharp, and so pertinent, venturing to worlds where most playwrights fear to tread. Hours after the performance had ended, I found I was still thinking of the play and its themes, pulling at threads, thrilled by its rich ambition. Annie Baker. What a writer' * WhatsOnStage *'Complex and many-layered, and in the course of the play she has characters tell some cracking stories in fantastic ways... excruciating and masterful at the same time, this is a huge allusion of a play – always skirting, never defining – and all the more potent, and relevant, for it' * The Stage *'Monstrously clever: a philosophical Fright Night... addresses [its] ideas with such witty, idiosyncratic strangeness, and such innate theatricality... spry, surprising, very funny, and likely to haunt the subconscious' * Broadway World *'Endlessly fascinating… The Antipodes leaves you glowing with a wondering satisfaction. I mean the happy satiety that comes from being in the hands of a real right-brain/left-brain author who channels her ineffable instincts with a master artisan's practical skills… Ms. Baker has established herself as one of the freshest voices in American theater. Here she also provides evidence of her peerless ear for contemporary language' * New York Times *'Tantalizing… In John, a play set in a quaintly eerie bed and breakfast, Baker flirted with occult suspense. Here, in a drama confined to a fluorescent room… she edges into symbolist territory. Baker's signature hyper-realism makes room for an irrational dimension that lightly evokes the supernatural enigmas of Maurice Maeterlinck and August Strindberg' * Los Angeles Times *

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Book SynopsisA beautiful, ferocious play about the bonds that tie us, and how we sometimes need to break them. One sister stayed at home to care for Dad. The other set out to 'make a difference'. Reunited under their childhood roof, Pauline and Rachel unearth more than the ten years between them. It's a huge gap. Almost insurmountable. And each is determined to let the other know exactly who has done things right. Charley Miles's Daughterhood 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'A visceral exploration of separation and estrangement in a severed family… from its masterful character development, to its candid, conscious portrayal, Daughterhood proves not only a literary masterpiece, but also a rare and poignant echo of our current age' * Theatre Weekly *'A very well written piece that explores the subject matter sensitively and convincingly' * The Reviews Hub *'Each character is beautifully drawn in this witty, realistic script' * BritishTheatre.com *'Compelling... [has] ferocious emotional depth' * The List *'Sharply observes the complex, envy-laced relationship between siblings' * Guardian *

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Book Synopsis'We ain't killers' 'How you figure that?… Iss in the blood.' When a letter arrives from the mother they thought was dead, twenty-one-year-old twins Racine and Anaia travel from the Dirty South to the California desert, to a yellow house with teal shutters. They're on a mission to avenge her past, and they're ready to take down anyone who stands in their way. A revenge tale about two women seeking justice and taking control of their own narratives, Is God Is collides the ancient and the modern, the tragic and the Spaghetti Western, hip-hop and Afropunk. Aleshea Harris's play had its world premiere at Soho Rep., New York, in February 2018, winning the Relentless Award, and the Obie Award for Playwriting. It received its British premiere in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in September 2021, directed by Ola Ince.Trade Review'A snarly new master of high-octane carnage has risen into view… putting her own audacious stamp on that most venerable of pop genres… Is God Is sees fit to bring down the house' * New York Times *'Unforgettably original… Is God Is is simultaneously very funny and deeply troubling and its effects spring from the care with which Harris manipulates and fires words. Although it takes place in a landscape that Quentin Tarantino, Sergio Leone and Sam Shepard would all recognise, the way she moves within that world is entirely her own' * WhatsOnStage *'A rich, funny, unnerving, exhilarating gold mine' * New York Magazine *'A dazzlingly satirical extravaganza… there's an electricity in Harris's writing, a comic crackle and pop that sizzles and screeches, deliberately treating the heaviest of issues with the lightest of touches… both hilarious and disturbing' * The Arts Desk *'A theatre production that has the audience gasping aloud in genuine shock is a rare thing, but Is God Is achieves it (and then some)… this bizarre, beautiful revenge tale is a triumph' * Independent *'This splashy revenge comedy is a blast... you can see why Harris has been compared to Tarantino and Martin McDonagh. Her script shares their gleeful brutality, but she is a completely original voice. The rhythm of her dialogue is unique. She seems to be effortlessly funny, though this sort of 'funny' actually takes a lot of work, from everyone involved' * Evening Standard *'It is not often that a play manages to resemble a Tarantino film and a Greek tragedy at once. And it is not often, these days, that theatre manages to shock. But Aleshea Harris's brazen drama will leave few unmoved, one way or the other… [has] an always crisp, entertaining and outrageous script' * Guardian *'Excellent revenge fantasy… furious and incandescent' * Time Out New York *'Transfixingly theatrical… Harris summons a language – absurd, fantastical, studiously mundane at times – that is entirely unique… though the play is full of brutal violence and a seriousness of purpose in its message of seizing control of one's narrative, and of the relativities of good and evil, what Harris never allows to backslide for too long is the humour. Even in its queasiest moments, there's a laugh' * The Stage *'Aleshea Harris is an arsonist of a playwright. By the end of Is God Is, I found I was shaking and overwhelmed by the play's incendiary power... not since the first night of Sarah Kane's Blasted have I felt so annihilated by a play... [an] original, entertaining and sickening bloodbath of a drama' * Observer *

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Book Synopsis‘He’ll look different. My little boy. When I get out. Like… to the picture I’ve got in my head. Be like meeting him all over again. A whole new start.’ Instead of GCSEs, Cain, Riyad and Jonjo got sentences. Locked up in a young offender institution, they trade sweets, chat shit, kill time – and await fatherhood. Grace's job is to turn these teenagers into parents, ready to take charge of their futures. But can they grow up quickly enough to escape the system? Winner of the 2019 Papatango New Writing Prize, Samuel Bailey's Shook is a tender and honest play examining the young men society shuts away. It was premiered by Papatango at Southwark Playhouse, London, in October 2019, followed by a UK tour. Samuel Bailey was the winner of the Times Breakthrough Award at the South Bank Sky Arts Awards 2021.Trade Review'A fantastic debut... boy it punches home' -- Thomas Sutcliffe * Saturday Review, BBC Radio 4 *'One of the most important theatrical debuts of the decade' * BritishTheatre.com *'Both laugh-out-loud funny and brutally honest, catching you off-guard with touching moments when you least expect it... funny, down-to-earth, and with a lot to say' * WhatsOnStage *'A delicate and deliberately paced character study... the dialogue is bitterly funny... a moving and absorbing piece of work' * The Stage *'An entertaining and thought-provoking piece of theatre' * Broadway World *

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Book SynopsisFrom those electric moments of discovery and connection to the dark hours of isolation, we all seek community and resolution. But sometimes the things that connect us are the very things we need to escape. Sally Abbott's I Think We Are Alone is a delicate and uplifting play about fragility, resilience and our need for love and forgiveness. The play was commissioned by Frantic Assembly as part of their twenty-fifth anniversary and premiered on a UK tour in 2020 as a co-production with Theatre Royal Plymouth and Curve, Leicester. The original production was co-directed by Kathy Burke and Frantic Assembly's Artistic Director Scott Graham.Trade Review'Impactful and meticulously written' * A Younger Theatre *'A sentimental tribute to the good people of London... sweetly sincere' * Time Out *'A tender sweep of a show, I Think We Are Alone swells with the simple, difficult, important desire for connection' * Guardian *'Sally Abbott's new play... comes straight from the heart... a paean to the human need to connect' * The Stage *'Intelligent, poignant, funny and ultimately uplifting' * Wirral Globe *

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Book SynopsisAn outrageous play about imperialism, cross racial adoption, cultural appropriation... and tea. Brighton, 1862. A day in the life of Sarah, an African girl, adopted by Queen Victoria and raised in the Queen's circles. Today is the eve of her having to return to Africa, but will she go The Present. A day in the life of Sarah, a black middle class woman staying in a Cheshire village with her husband and small child. They are paid a visit by well meaning neighbours who have something to confess... The two Sarahs meet Queen Victoria for tea. This won't be your regular tea party... Janice Okoh's play The Gift is premiered on a UK tour by Eclipse Theatre, from January 2020.Trade Review'Clever and complex... a formally original and intellectual engagement with forgotten history, cross-racial adoption and the impact of imperialism on black British lives today' * Guardian *'Unafraid to tackle important and complex issues... a must-see piece of theatre' * Broadway World *'A bold exploration of black Britishness that is as agonising as it is funny' * Metro *

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Book SynopsisA sometimes comic, sometimes heartbreaking journey into the world of autism. Sandra is looking for love. Gordon is seeking acceptance. Simon just wants these parents to stop talking for two minutes so he can get on with teaching their kids. And Casper? Casper is not here. Jody O'Neill's play What I (Don't) Know About Autism mixes narrative, song, dance and direct address to explore this contentious and often misunderstood subject matter. Inspired by the writer's own experiences with autism, the play celebrates autistic identity whilst offering deeper insight and understanding to non-autistic audiences.Trade Review'A riveting celebration of difference... Jody O'Neill's timely new play has a wide emotional register' * Irish Times *'An innovative theatrical experience that makes light work of heavy themes' * The Arts Review *'An uplifting, powerful piece of theatre' * Irish Examiner *

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Book SynopsisWhen Ronan's former girlfriend Max turns up at his fashionable Dublin restaurant, he's determined to prove to her how far he's come. But Max has something bigger to discuss. Over the course of one winesoaked evening, old wounds are exposed and new truths uncovered. Gillian Greer's play Meat is a story of class, consent and transgressions buried in the past. How can one couple navigate their shared history when their memories don't quite match up? The play was a finalist in Theatre503's International Playwriting Award in 2018. It premiered at Theatre503, London, in February 2020.Trade Review'Nail-bitingly tense... subtle, acutely observed script... a thought-provoking and gripping depiction of a reckoning with trauma' * Time Out *'Gillian Greer's striking play navigates the subject of sexual consent with unflinching honesty' * The Stage *'This smart drama has plenty of meat on its bones... played on the edge of a butcher's cleaver' * The Reviews Hub *'Complex, personal and bleeds like an open wound' * A Younger Theatre *

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Book Synopsis'In the death zone, your body starts eating itself. Time and space disappear. It's impossible to remember what happens up there.' When Yasmin and her guide, Tshering, return from a perilous expedition to Everest without a member of their party, they have a lot of questions to answer. Where is Yasmin's husband Charlie? What happened on the mountain? Why do Yasmin and Tshering's accounts differ so drastically? As private investigator Connie tries to distinguish hallucination from reality, and fact from delusion, it's clear that someone, somewhere, is not telling the truth. Set at an altitude where life hangs by a thread, Carmen Nasr's play The Climbers is a thrilling exploration of the lure of the mountains, the drive to conquer and the price of staying alive. It was first performed in June 2022 at Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, directed by Guy Jones.Trade Review'Fascinating... a gripping story with just the right level of humour and hope in it... hauntingly beautiful' * Northern Arts Review *'A brilliant new play... moving and exceptional... beautifully captures the joy and passion of climbing, and the complexity of a relationship' * Cumbria24.com *'A chilling drama that brings Everest terrifyingly close to us... thrilling and atmospheric' * Mag North *'Thrilling... utterly rewarding... an enthralling study of love, passion, ambition, break-ups and the drive to succeed whatever the odds' * Reviews Hub *

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Book SynopsisIn the town of Slurry, New York, post-war recession has bitten. Claire Zachanassian, improbably beautiful and impenetrably terrifying, returns to her hometown as the world's richest woman. The locals hope her arrival signals a change in their fortunes, but they soon realise that prosperity will only come at a terrible price… Friedrich Dürrenmatt's visionary revenge play, one of the great achievements of modern German-language theatre, has been transported to mid-twentieth-century America by the acclaimed playwright Tony Kushner. This revelatory new adaptation of The Visit opened in the Olivier auditorium of the National Theatre, London, in February 2020, directed by Jeremy Herrin, and starring Lesley Manville and Hugo Weaving.Trade Review'A superb piece of theatre… this grotesquely funny study of money and morality has a remorseless, relentless force' * Evening Standard *'Kushner's language is wonderful… a singular take on a European classic' * Time Out *'A whirling, expansive attack on American consumerism… full of Kushner's soaring, compelling language, and great speeches about love, sex, money, politics – the whole damned thing' * WhatsOnStage *'An epic reimagining' * Metro *

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Book Synopsis'I just need to hear you say you believe me. You've known me my whole life. Would you be friends with someone capable of doing that?' When his friend becomes embroiled in a rape allegation, Chris Quinn offers his support. Only the rules keep changing, nothing is clear-cut, and Chris finds himself caught in a tussle between loyalty, love and doubt. Caitríona Daly's Duck Duck Goose is a viscerally charged play examining the nature of consent, trust and trial by social media. Full of moral ambiguity and psychological complexity, it was developed as part of Fishamble's A Play for Ireland initiative, and first performed by the company in the 2021 Dublin Theatre Festival.Trade Review'A nuanced and insightful look at the social impact of sexual violence... provoking, timely and challenging' * Irish Times *'A dramatically sophisticated tackling of contemporary stories about rape' * Independent.ie *'Addresses important issues around disclosure, consent and allegations of rape' * Arts Review *

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Book SynopsisA double bill of plays from the frontline of climate change – an epic portrait of Britain in the grip of unprecedented and catastrophic floods. In On the Beach, glaciologist Will has followed in his father's footsteps, dedicating himself to studying climate change. Back from Antarctica, he visits his parents on the Norfolk coast. With catastrophic flooding growing more likely by the day, he has news that forces long-submerged secrets to rise to the surface. In Resilience, Will, freshly appointed as a scientific advisor, is in Westminster and he's out of his depth. Surrounded by ministers manoeuvring to impress, and with the threat of environmental disaster, can he get them to listen before it's too late? Impressive in scale and chilling as a prediction of our immediate future, the two plays are complementary but can also stand alone. Steve Waters' The Contingency Plan was first performed at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2009, and shortlisted for the John Whiting Award. It was revived, in this fully revised and updated version, at Sheffield Theatres in 2022, directed by Caroline Steinbeis and Chelsea Walker.Trade Review'An urgent wake-up call... for sheer emotional intensity, has no rival on the London stage... Waters' massive achievement is to have made the most important issue of our times into engrossing theatre' * Guardian *'A triumph' * Evening Standard *'Thrilling... masterly... a stunning theatrical knock-out' * Daily Telegraph *'The first and best British play on climate change' * Time Out *

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Book Synopsis'One day all you care about is music, fashion and boys. The next day there's no food. Piece by piece your world starts to change so you change with it.' Mostar, Yugoslavia, 1988. Mili, a boy from out of town, dives from the famous Old Bridge. Mina, a local girl, watches. As he falls, she begins falling for him. Mostar, Bosnia, 1992. In a town of growing divisions, Mina and Mili never doubt that their future lies together. But nor can they imagine the dangers that future will bring. Winner of the 2020 Papatango New Writing Prize, Igor Memic's play Old Bridge is an epic love story exploring the impact of a war that Europe forgot, and the love and loss of those who lived through it. It was first produced by Papatango at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2021, directed by Selma Dimitrijevic. Memic went on to win the Most Promising Playwright Award at the 2022 Offies (Off West End Awards), and was also named Most Promising Playwright (jointly with Zadie Smith) at the 2022 Critics' Circle Awards. Old Bridge won the Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre Award at the 2022 Olivier Awards.Trade Review'An achingly romantic, Balkan Romeo and Juliet story... Memic, writing about the hometown he left aged two, has a gift for character and atmosphere... a remarkably assured debut, shot through with ardour and pain, recalling history that's recent and raw' * Evening Standard *'[A] wholly deserving [winner of the Papatango Prize], with the writer bringing a faultless naturalism to conversational dialogue... you're carried along by these characters and their quirks, even as their home is transformed into a combat zone. It's made all the more remarkable by the fact that Old Bridge is Memic's debut play' * Whatsonstage *'A chilling jolt to the memory... a powerful and moving reminder of the fragility of the peace that we take too easily for granted' * Reviews Hub *

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Book Synopsis'Welcome. Welcome to Bristol in 1963. Welcome to Waterloo Bridge in 2016. Welcome to a house in May 2017. Welcome to three couples and what might be, what once was and what could have been in 2017. Welcome to a West Indian household in 2018. Welcome to London in 2018. Welcome to the past, present and – crucially – the future.' This anthology brings together six plays, all written or performed since 2017, by six brilliant Black British writers – Travis Alabanza, Firdos Ali, Natasha Gordon, Arinzé Kene, Chinonyerem Odimba and debbie tucker green. The plays demonstrate a rich range of settings, forms, styles, locations, scales, contents and concerns – and explore themes including politics and protest, grief and colonisation, relationships and gender. They have been seen on stages including the National Theatre, the Royal Court, the Bush and Bristol Old Vic, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in the West End, and on tour of the UK. Selected and introduced by leading theatre director Natalie Ibu, Contemporary Plays by Black British Writers celebrates a multiplicity of stories authored by Black playwrights in the UK over the last decade.Trade Review'A must... includes lots of things to work with for classes in KS3, 4 and 5... as Natalie Ibu says in her Introduction, it's impossible to create a collection of six plays that fully covers what Black British writers have to offer, but this is an excellent place to begin' * Drama & Theatre *'A fascinating insight into sexual identity, cultural differences, and shared experiences... I would recommend this book to a wide audience... it's an anthology that does not disappoint' * Word Matters (Journal of the Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama) *

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Book SynopsisA girl is locked in a room. A boy brings another boy flowers. A girl has tied herself to a railing. A boy doesn't know who he is. A girl worries about impending catastrophe. A woman jumps in front of a train. A boy's heart falls out his chest. A butterfly has a broken wing. Laura Lomas's play Chaos is a symphony of dislocated and interconnected scenes. A series of characters search for meaning in a complicated and unstable world. Bouncing through physics, the cosmos, love and violence, they find order in the disorder of each other. Written specifically for young people, the play formed part of the 2019 National Theatre Connections Festival and was premiered by youth theatres across the UK. It offers opportunities for a large, flexible cast of any size or mix of genders, and can incorporate chorus work, movement and music.

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Book SynopsisFor more than half a century, Betjeman's writings have awakened readers to the intimacy of English places - from the smell of gaslight in suburban churches, to the hissing of backwash on a shingle beach. Betjeman is England's greatest topologist: whether he's talking about a townhall or a teashop, he gets to the nub of what makes unexpected places unique. This new collection of his writings, arranged geographically, offers an essential gazetteer to the physical landmarks of Betjeman Country.A new addition to the popular series of Betjeman anthologies, following on from Trains and Buttered Toast and Tennis Whites and Teacakes, this is a treasure trove for any Betjeman fan and for anyone with a love for the rare, curious and unique details of English life.Trade Review'Betjeman chronicles the English way of life in exquisite, affectionate and often hilarious detail' * Independent *'Betjeman was an original and a star' * Daily Mail *'Remarkable collection ... this is a real treat for any fan of Betjeman, and a testament to Games's remarkable research and reconstruction' * Sunday Telegraph *'The extracts published here capture the spirit and charm of the broadcasts and the places he explored for the camera years ago that can still be enjoyed today' * Daily Express *'Games has supplied an informative introduction ... Betjeman misxing charm and intimacy' * Daily Express *Betjeman combines sly humour with a deep love of Englishness' * Spectator *'Striking package to match the previous collections in this series' * Bookseller *'Always thoughtful, always eloquent writing' * Robert Elms Podcast *'The real joy of this book is the chance to remember Betjeman's keen eye, sense of fun and turn of phrase' * Choice Magazine *'A new book out that proves a treasure house ... reader will, I'm sure, enjoy Betjeman's poems about his strolls through London ... an essential gazetteer to the attractive landmarks of dear old England of yesteryear' * Kent on Sunday *'A poetic imagination, humour, and fierce appreciation of the past are all in evidence here.' * Good Book Guide *'Nobody writes more affectionately about Englishness than John Betjeman.' * Driffield Leader *

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Book Synopsis2013 Critics Award Scotland Best Technical Presentation WINNER 2013 Critics Award Scotland Best Children and Young People's Show NOMINEE Sam McTannan is just a typical 15 year old, with one exception. Sam is a Superhero! He can literally turn See-Thru when it suits him, only today something is wrong.In Superhero comics they would call it a blip.Sam's powers are failing him and the people he doesn’t want to see him start paying a little bit too much attention. The story of an ordinary boy with an extraordinary life. A heartbreaking, life affirming comedy about life, love and being a total loser.Trade Review"'Touching and surprisingly tragic.' - The Guardian 'Often breathtaking.' - The Scotsman 'A powerfully observed study of adolescent angst - An awfully big adventure well worth taking the leap.' - The Herald "

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Book SynopsisIn September 2015 the world woke up to the fact that people seeking refuge from war and persecution were drowning by their thousands in the Mediterranean. From sub-Saharan Africa and conflicts across the Middle East bodies moved, died or survived. Alison Phipps and Tawona Sitholé were working together in Ghana at the time, which is where this conversation in poetry began. In an echoing call and response they offer words for these times of war; ways of wondering what it means to resist; to suffer with; to bear witness; to seek companionship; to be part of the agony of a family made in love, and parting, separated by land, sea and paperwork. Alison Phipps is UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts; Professor of Languages and Intercultural Studies at the University of Glasgow; and Co-Convener of Glasgow Refugee, Asylum and Migration Network. Tawona Sitholé is a Zimbabwean writer and musician. He is Poet in Residence with the UNESCO Chair programme of Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts at the University of Glasgow and is co-founder of Seeds of Thought, which promotes creative writing and performance. This is a confluence of voices inspired by seemingly different, yet very similar, experiences, which forms a wholesome body that flows smoothly, massaging all your five senses. Chirikure Chirikure, poet, Harare, ZimbabweA special offering from two gifted lovers of the Word. The Word as a healer's bittersweet medicine for troubled hearts and minds. The Word as nourishing sounds and voices that take us back to ancestral time. Kofi Anyidoho, poet and Professor of Literature, University of GhanaBeautiful, heart-warming, poignant. I totally recommend this book. Amal Azzudin, Glasgow Girl and human rights activistLuminous, beautiful and sore. Poetry that is lyrical and tender, wounded and elegiac, probing and incantatory. And above all else life-affirming. Karine Polwart, Scottish singer-songwriter

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Book Synopsis‘The Curfew tolls the knell of parting day …’ Thomas Gray’s 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard' has been loved and admired throughout the centuries. First circulated to a select group of friends, it was rushed to official publication in 1751 in order to avoid pirated copies being sold without the young poet’s permission. Praised by Samuel Johnson, reprinted over and over again in Gray’s lifetime and recited by generations of school children, it is one of the most famous poems in the English language. This edition reproduces the exquisite wood engravings made by Agnes Miller Parker in 1938. Parker visited the churchyard at St Giles, Stoke Poges, where the poem is set, in order to make her sketches, and all thirty-two stanzas of the poem are accompanied by detailed full-page illustrations. Commemorating the 250th anniversary of the poet’s death, this edition will not only bring new readers to the 'Elegy' but will also appeal to those already familiar with its riches.Table of ContentsContents Loss Transformed - Carol Rumens Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard

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Book SynopsisOriginally published in 1923, The Prophet continues to inspire millions worldwide with its timeless words of love and mystical longing. Writing with insight, hope, and a remarkable compassion for the human condition, Kahlil Gibran explores ideas of joy and sorrow, friendship, good and evil, pleasure, reason and passion, expressing humanity’s yearning for a Unity of Being, only achieved through love. Introduced and annotated throughout by world expert Suheil Bushrui, this revised and updated edition is a truly enlightening experience for anyone seeking solace and wisdom in the chaotic modern age.

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Book SynopsisDuring the Stalin years Russia had four great poets to voice the feelings of her oppressed people: Pasternak, Akhmatova, Mandelstam and Marina Tsvetayeva. The first two survived the terror, but Mandelstam died in a camp and Tsvetayeva was driven to hang herself in 1941. This comprehensive selection of Tsvetayeva's poetry includes complete versions of all her major long poems and poem cycles: Poem of the End, An Attempt at a Room, Poems to Czechia and New Year Letter. It was the first English translation to use the new, definitive Russica text of her work. It also includes additional versions ascribed to F.F. Morton which first appeared in The New Yorker: these rhyming translations are actually the work of Joseph Brodsky (who lived at 44 Morton Street in New York).Trade ReviewTsvetayeva is one of the great poets of the century and David McDuff's translations are very good. This is all the more remarkable because, like the poems they translate, they rhyme. There are overlaps with Elaine Feinstein's excellent but unrhyming translations of the same poet, but not too many. McDuff conveys Tsvetyeva's commitment to poetry's musical force, Feinstein substitutes a beautifully nuanced syntax for music; Tsvetayeva shines and appals in both. -- Martin Dodsworth * Guardian *It must be said right away that those who want to have an inkling of what Tsvetayeva is actually like, and that includes her form, her rhyme, and the tone of that accompanies form and rhyme, will have to go to McDuff. His diligence with metre and rhyme is remarkably successful, and is the only proper tribute to the poet's linguistic virtuosity. Readers may find that Feinstein comes across more fluently, but that fluency is not Tsvetaevan. McDuff has caught her abruptness, her veering and tacking, and has tried to show something of the curious modern music this produces - "modern" not through free verse but by dint of straining traditional patterns to breaking point * Cencrastus *

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Book SynopsisBuffún is wracked by the living nightmare of Irish history. His torments are surreal but no less frightening than the awful truth. When Oliver Cromwell turns up, the hapless buffoon can't cope. This Cromwell is a cocky tyrant who wants to run a football team, or start a taxi business. Enter the Belly, the IRA, an Irish giant, and Billy of the Boyne: 'William of Orange is polishing pianos / In convents and other delicate territories, / His nose purple from sipping turpentine.' Kennelly's Cromwell delighted and scandalised readers in Ireland when it was first published by a small Dublin press in 1983. This extraordinary, extravagantly Irish act of revenge has retained its power to shock.Trade Review'This is an astonishing book...an intense poetic outcry. It is energy and honesty that make this book of horrors humanly tolerable' – Seán Lucy, The Tablet. 'Brendan Kennelly has got guts. And a large portion of those are served up here. This book is not for the squeamish' – Mark Patrick Hederman, Irish Literary Supplement. 'One of the most extraordinary books I have ever come across in my life' – Gay Byrne, The Late Late Show (RTE). 'Cromwell is explosive, expansive, prolific, explicit' – Edna Longley.

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Book SynopsisYves Bonnefoy (1923-2016) was a central figure in post-war French culture, with a lifelong fascination with the problems of translation. Language, for him, was a visceral, intensely material element in our existence, and yet the abstract quality of words distorts the immediate, material quality of our contact with the world. This concern with what separates words from an essential truth hidden in objects involved him in wide-ranging philosophical and theological investigations of the spiritual and the sacred. But for all his intellectual drive and rigour, Bonnefoy's poetry is essentially of the concrete and the tangible, and addresses itself to our most familiar and intimate experiences of objects and of each other. In his first book of poetry, published in France in 1953, Bonnefoy reflects on the value and mechanism of language in a series of short variations on the life and death of a much loved woman, Douve. Douve, though, is the French word for a moat, that uncrossable body which separates us from safety and from danger. With this undercurrent at work we read the poems as if they are about the divide between us and death as much as they are about the divide between us and the untouchable reality of text. This is dangerous writing, fulfilling Derrida's "fatal necessity" by making us substitute the textual sign for reality. In his introduction, Timothy Mathews shows how Bonnefoy's poetics are enmeshed with his philosophical, religious and critical thought.

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