Search results for ""nick hern books""

'Where's Robin? Where's Robin? Where's Robin?' In a cottage by the sea, four women live in a house made for five. Meals are prepared, stories are shared and the waves break on the shore. When only one of their two expected guests arrives for the summer, life is about to change for all of them... Cordelia Lynn's Sea Creatures is a haunting play about grief, loss and the power of storytelling. It opened at Hampstead Theatre, London, in March 2023, directed by James Macdonald.

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'History always ripples on. Even if we don't realise it.' In the Downing Street Press Office an emergency meeting has been called. The Prime Minister has been ad-libbing on live TV (again) and his words are going viral. There is a flurry of accusations, and demands for an apology; but as his team debate what to do next, it's already too late. His words have found their way to dinner parties, bus journeys and newspaper columns across the nation – and not everyone is angry. Rabiah Hussain's play Word-Play explores how language seeps into public consciousness and reverberates with far-reaching consequences that will last for generations. It premiered at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, London, in July 2023, directed by Nimmo Ismail.

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'They're always trying to do that. Make us run off in different directions to try to catch a single hare. Because they know. If we work together we might bring down the stag.' By day, machine operator Prab struggles to survive the precarity and brutality of his factory job in West Bengal. By night, he writes stories for his baby daughter Amba. When a popular actress recruits him to write a play for her, Prab seizes the opportunity to expose the injustice of factory conditions and the rumours of child exploitation. But in his fight for change, is he ready to risk his future, his family and even his own life? Winner of Theatre Uncut's Political Playwriting Award, Sonali Bhattacharyya's Chasing Hares is a tale of resistance and dignity in the face of global exploitation. It was premiered at the Young Vic Theatre, London, in July 2022, directed by Milli Bhatia.

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This comprehensive, easy-to-use guide contains everything you need to plan and deliver effective drama sessions, get the best out of your participants, and develop an empowering leadership style that works for you. Drawing on over fifteen years' experience of running workshops – including for the National Theatre, The Old Vic, Barbican, Battersea Arts Centre and National Youth Theatre – Linden Walcott-Burton takes you through everything you need to know, with essential advice on: Your Workshop: How to plan and structure a successful session; how to deliver it effectively, whether in-person or online; how to devise and run an entire course. Your Group: How to motivate and get the best out of your group; how to encourage positive behaviours and manage challenging ones; how to adapt to different groups and needs; how to give and receive feedback. Yourself as a Workshop Leader: How to empower yourself by owning the space and maintaining boundaries; how to use your voice (and not lose it); how to harness the power of humour and fun. Packed with tips and techniques that work with any setting and age group, whether you're running a short session or a longer course, the book also provides specific guidance on delivering workshops in schools, working with disabled people and those with learning disabilities, and safeguarding when working with children and young people. There's also advice on co-facilitating, working with assistants and finding work. Organised in handy, bite-sized chunks allowing you to find just what you need, the book also includes sample workshop plans and content, with additional insights and examples of best practice from many other leading practitioners in the field. Whether you're just starting out and want to learn the basics, or you're a seasoned facilitator looking for fresh ideas, The Drama Workshop Leader is the resource you need to deliver a great session in any room you walk into, no matter what's thrown your way. 'Every practitioner, no matter their level of experience, will gain so much from this book' Jackie Tait, Primary Programme Manager, National Theatre Learning

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160 all-new games and exercises from the author of the bestselling companion for drama teachers and workshop leaders, offering more than one million unique and tasty combinations, ready to be put into action! Simply make a selection from each of the four complementary courses, and your whole drama session will come to life with clarity, intensity and focus: Appetisers are fast-paced warm-up exercises to energise and enthuse; Starters are the intermediary course to challenge and kickstart creativity; Main Courses provide the central part of the session, culminating in a final performance piece; Desserts are there for when you have space at the end of your session for something sweet. Every exercise has been devised, tested and selected for its ability to ignite creativity and develop the performing potential of each player. There's also a downloadable Resource Pack stuffed with a huge range of new stimuli to engage your students and encourage deeper participation. Drama Menu: Second Helpings has everything you need to spice up your sessions with a variety of new challenges that will invigorate and inspire your students, and ensure that every session is fresh, dynamic and relevant. Bon appétit! Praise for Drama Menu: 'An easily accessible, flexible and creative resource useful for any dramatic platform. A must-have for all teachers wanting to give their students the very best!' Word Matters 'Easy to navigate... definitely something for everyone... a really useful collection' Teaching Drama 'Ideal... will provide a great deal of varied and inspiring material for drama sessions' Drama Resource 'Unbelievably useful... every reader will find something new and of absolute hands-on usefulness... Drama Menu will become your companion' ReviewsGate.com

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'It is really small. Whatever it is. But it's here. It's definitely here.' A teenage girl has something growing inside her. She doesn't know what it is, but she knows it's not a baby. It expands. It has claws. Eventually it takes over the entirety of her body. No one must know about it. She has to keep its presence, its possession of her, concealed. She pulls away from her friends. She refuses to speak, in case 'The IT' is heard. But she can't contain it forever. Sooner or later something's got to give... Presented in the style of a direct-address documentary, Vivienne Franzmann's The IT is a darkly comic state-of-the-nation play exploring adolescent mental health and the rage within. Written specifically for young people, the play formed part of the 2021 National Theatre Connections Festivals and was premiered by youth theatres across the UK. It was named Best Play for Young Audiences at the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards 2023. The IT offers opportunities for a large, flexible cast of any size and mix of genders.

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'I've been waiting for something like this to happen. I'm surprised it's taken so long. The signs have been building up for a while.' An ordinary Tuesday turns really, really weird when the sky over the school playground suddenly rips open. Pupils and teachers are sucked up to a parallel universe, whilst a new set of people start raining down from above. 'Us' and 'Them' must come together to work out what is going on, and how they can get things back to how they were. Alison Carr's play Tuesday is funny and playful, with a little bit of sci-fi and a lot of big themes: friendship, family, identity, grief, responsibility – and what happens when an unexpected event literally turns the world upside-down. Written specifically for young people, the play formed part of the 2020, 2021 and 2023 National Theatre Connections Festivals and was premiered by youth theatres across the UK. It offers opportunities for a large, flexible cast of any size, age and mix of genders. This bilingual edition includes the original English play with a Welsh-language translation, Un Bore Mawrth, by playwright Daf James. Set Text >> Tuesday is a set play on WJEC's GCSE Drama specification. Un Bore Mawrth ''Wi 'di bod yn aros i rywbeth fel hyn ddigwydd. 'Wi'n synnu'i fod e 'di cymryd mor hir. Ma'r arwyddion 'di bod 'ma ers sbel.' Dydd Mawrth digon cyffredin yw hi, ond yn sydyn mae'n troi'n ddiwrnod rhyfedd iawn pan mae'r awyr uwch ben yr ysgol yn rhwygo'n agored. Caiff disgyblion ac athrawon eu sugno i fyny i fydysawd cyfochrog wrth i garfan newydd o bobl arllwys i lawr oddi uchod. Rhaid i 'Ni' a 'Nhw' ddod ynghyd i ddeall beth sy'n digwydd ac i ddatrys sut i gael pethau'n ôl fel yr oedden nhw. Mae'r ddrama wreiddiol hon gan Alison Carr, Tuesday, yn ddoniol ac yn chwareus, gyda phinsiad o ffugwyddoniaeth a thomen o themâu mawr: cyfeillgarwch, teulu, hunaniaeth, galar, cyfrifoldeb – a beth sy'n digwydd pan fydd digwyddiad annisgwyl yn llythrennol yn troi’r byd wyneb i waered. Wedi'i hysgrifennu ar gyfer pobl ifanc, roedd y ddrama'n rhan o Ŵyl National Theatre Connections yn 2020 a 2021, a chafodd ei llwyfannu am y tro cyntaf gan theatrau ieuenctid ar draws y DU. Mae'n cynnig cyfleoedd i gastiau mawr, hyblyg o unrhyw faint, oedran a rhywedd. Mae Tuesday yn waith gosod ar fanyleb TGAU Drama CBAC. Yn y gyfrol ddwyieithog hon, fe welwch y ddrama wreiddiol Saesneg ynghyd â chyfieithiad Cymraeg y dramodydd Daf James, Un Bore Mawrth.

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Drama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price A Jacobean tale of personal vengeance in a morally bankrupt world. Vindice has vowed to revenge the murder of his beloved Gloriana by the lustful Duke, and when he gains access to the court in disguise, havoc ensues... The Revenger's Tragedy was first performed in London in 1606 or 1607, and was subsequently published anonymously. It has been variously attributed to Cyril Tourneur and Thomas Middleton. This edition of the play, in the Nick Hern Books Drama Classics series, is edited by R.A. Foakes and includes an introduction by Trevor R. Griffiths.

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

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

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Drama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price A masterpiece of the Spanish Golden Age. It is foretold that Prince Sigismund will become a tyrant. Alarmed, his father, the king, imprisons him. When he is released for a day as an experiment he proves the omens only too right, and, as a result, is incarcerated once more. Sigismund persuades himself that all that has passed is a dream and emerges to rule wisely and justly. Pedro Calderon's play Life is a Dream was first published in 1635. This English translation by John Clifford was first performed at the Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, in 1998. It is published in the Nick Hern Books Drama Classics series.

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

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Michael Pennington's solo show about Shakespeare, Sweet William, has been acclaimed throughout Europe and in the US as a unique blend of showmanship and scholarship. In this book, he deepens his exploration of Shakespeare's life and work - and the connection between the two - that lies at its heart. It is illuminated throughout by the unrivalled insights into the plays that Pennington has gained from the twenty thousand hours he has spent working on them as a leading actor, an artistic director and a director - and as the author of three previous books on individual Shakespeare plays. 'Michael Pennington is a great Shakespearian actor who writes with the authority of an academic. His book analyses the plays, the characters and the playwright's life. It will intrigue, entertain and challenge students, actors and their audiences. It undoubtedly leads the field in modern Shakespeare scholarship' Ian McKellen ‘There are very few who can bring to Shakespeare the thoughts that are born in the burning heart of hard-earned experience. Michael Pennington not only knows what he means, he has the writer's talent to put this into irresistibly readable words.' Peter Brook

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Two plays from Molière, by 'Scotland's greatest living dramatist' (Scotland on Sunday). Miseryguts is a Scots version of Molière's Le Misanthrope, a bitter comedy about a worldly sophisticate who cannot help telling uncomfortable truths about his fellow men – and women, with one of whom, despite himself, he is deeply and painfully in love. In this Scots version of Molière's play, Liz Lochhead transposes the action of the play into the world of media and politics in 21st-century, devolved Scotland, allowing for a rich seam of contemporary satire. Miseryguts was first performed in March 2002 at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh. Tartuffe is a rollicking Scots version of Molière's comic masterpiece. Lochhead brings out Molière's mix of political satire and black comedy as the religious hypocrite, Tartuffe, worms his way into Orgon's household. Liz Lochhead's version is written in a robust Scots dialect, while retaining the rhyming couplet form of the French original. It was first performed in January 1986 at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh.

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Drama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price The classic story of the learned Doctor Faustus who sells his soul to the devil. This edition of Christopher Marlowe's play contains two self-contained versions, known as the A-text and the B-text, allowing readers to compare the available versions, and performers to choose the version that suits them best. It also contains a full introduction, notes on further reading, a chronology and a glossary of difficult words. Edited by D. Bevington & E. Rasmussen, and introduced by Simon Trussler.

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A bawdy, fast-paced, raunchy comedy musical from one of the world's most influential and innovative creators of musical theatre, loosely based on the plays of Plautus. Pseudolus, a simpering slave, is trying to win his own freedom by cooking up a romance for his master's son, Hero, with the pretty young virgin Philia. But there's a problem – not only is Philia owned by Marcus Lycus, an infamous courtesan dealer, but she's also already promised to swaggering soldier Miles Gloriosus... and neither of them are keen to give her up. Stephen Sondheim's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, with a book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, ran for three years on Broadway. The first British production, starring Frankie Howerd as the cowardly slave Pseudolus, ran almost as long and spawned the TV series Up Pompeii! A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum won the 1962 Tony Award for Best Musical.

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Clara and Nyri. Two very different women. Two complicated lives. Both having a very bad day. Mental health nurse Nyri's woken up hungover with a younger man. Meanwhile, Clara has developed a compulsive wink and can't remember if she's taken her meds. Nyri needs to get to Ebbw Vale Hospital via Greggs, and Clara's got to get cracking with her shoplifting list for The Devil. Lives interweave and unexpectedly connect in Alan Harris's fast-moving, touchingly funny play. Originally performed by one actor, as part of National Theatre Wales' celebration of the NHS in 2018, the play subsequently transferred to the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

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A vivid and fast-paced ride through a working-class estate, which fuses Shakespeare-inspired lyricism with Cockney accents. Flesh and Bone premiered at the Etcetera Theatre, London, in December 2016, before going on to win a Fringe First Award at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe. It is published alongside its transfer to Soho Theatre, London. Flesh & Bone won the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre, 2019.

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Terence Rattigan's devastating masterpiece, a classic study of forbidden love, suppressed desire and the fear of loneliness - but at heart a deeply moving love story. Published alongside its revival at the National Theatre in 2016.

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The Smith family hatch a plan to murder their estranged matriarch for her insurance money. They hire Joe Cooper, a police detective and part-time contract killer, to do the job. But once he enters their trailer home and comes face to face with their innocent daughter, the plan spirals out of control...A tense, gut-twisting thriller, Killer Joe asks where the moral line is drawn in the fight for survival This edition of Tracy Letts' gripping thriller is published alongside the West End production, starring Orlando Bloom in the title role.

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In the aftermath of civil war, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, resolves to claw his way to political power at any cost. A master of manipulation, subtle wit and beguiling charm, he orchestrates his unlawful ascent by spinning a ruthless web of deceit and betrayal. His staunch ambition has horrifying consequences when, finding himself utterly alone and steeped in dread, he is forced to answer for his bloody deeds. This official tie-in edition of Richard III was published alongside director Jamie Lloyd's new production for his Trafalgar Transformed season at the Trafalgar Studios, London, in 2014. It starred BAFTA Award-winning Martin Freeman as Richard III and Gina McKee as Queen Elizabeth. This volume includes the version of Shakespeare's text performed in the production, as well as additional material including an exclusive rehearsal diary and an interview with the director.

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A startling psychological drama about the darker side of modern parenthood. Behind the shiny door of Hazel Robinson's immaculate London home, things aren't as good as they look. Her plastic surgeon husband, Richard, has embarked on his latest charitable mission to Haiti, leaving the heavily pregnant Hazel to cope with a failing business and a problem son. When a professional nanny arrives unannounced on her doorstep, Hazel finds her home under the shadow of a seemingly perfect stranger, and one who has an agenda of her own. Nancy Harris's play Our New Girl was first performed at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2012. This volume also includes her short play Little Dolls, first performed as part of the Bush Theatre's Broken Space season in 2008.

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A landmark dramatisation for the Royal Shakespeare Company of one of the foundation stones of English literature. This two-play adaptation of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales encompasses all 23 stories. All the famous characters are here – as well as many less well-known but equally full of life. Each of the stories has its own style – heroic verse for the Knight's Tale, vernacular rhymes for the Miller's Tale etc – echoing the many narrative voices employed by Chaucer himself. Mike Poulton's adaptation of The Canterbury Tales was first staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company in the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in 2005.

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A unique collection of performance pieces and improvisation exercises in the Commedia style, a companion volume to the author's best-selling Playing Commedia. Commedia Plays offers eight original short plays from across the different periods and styles of Commedia dell'Arte - suitable for performance on stage as well as classroom and workshop study. Also included is a collection of Lazzi, the pieces of 'business' that form the basis of Commedia's comic action, ranging from the 'Double Takes' to 'The Unwanted Proposal'. These can be inserted into the written text or explored and improvised in the drama studio.

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THE GOOD AUDITION GUIDES: Helping you select and perform the audition piece that is best suited to your performing skills Each Good Audition Guide contains a range of fresh monologues, all prefaced with a summary of the vital information you need to place the piece in context and to perform it to maximum effect in your own unique way. Each volume also carries a user-friendly introduction on the whole process of auditioning. Classical Monologues for Women contains 50 monologues drawn from classical plays throughout the ages and ranging across all of Western Theatre: * Classical Greek and Roman * Elizabethan and Jacobean * French and Spanish Golden Age * Restoration and Eighteenth Century * Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries Also available: Classical Monologues for Men

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THE GOOD AUDITION GUIDES: Helping you select and perform the audition piece that is best suited to your performing skills Each Good Audition Guide contains a range of fresh monologues, all prefaced with a summary of the vital information you need to place the piece in context and to perform it to maximum effect in your own unique way. Each volume also carries a user-friendly introduction on the whole process of auditioning. Classical Monologues for Men contains 50 monologues drawn from classical plays throughout the ages and ranging across all of Western Theatre: * Classical Greek and Roman * Elizabethan and Jacobean * French and Spanish Golden Age * Restoration and Eighteenth Century * Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries Also available: Classical Monologues for Women

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Mysterious yet compelling, bewildering yet intoxicating, a play that mixes poetic rhythms with vernacular phrases, rap-song repetitions with complex psychology. 'So what happened to the bitches that gotta conscience? The underclass bitches, the womanist bitches... What about alla them then? Not a one of them would march for me?' A husband and wife row about a prescription. A mother and father row about their son, who has become a child soldier. Two sisters row about which one is superior to the other. It emerges that the younger sister, Mary, has killed the child soldier. She is to be stoned to death... What if all these things were happening here? And what if these people were white? debbie tucker green's play stoning mary was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in April 2005.

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A tough but tender portrait of urban squalor, from the award-winning Siberian-born author of Plasticine. Dima, 19, lives with his alcoholic father. The night before he leaves for the war in Chechnya to do his national service, he throws a party. Lera, 20, lives in the same block. She's convinced that she'll win a fortune if only she can borrow enough money for a lottery ticket. Lera's cousin Yulka, 18, is more interested in seeing just how far Dima will go to prove his devotion to her. Vassily Sigarev's play Ladybird was first performed in this English translation by Sasha Dugdale at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2004.

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A darkly comic fable of brotherly love and family identity, winner of the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Suzan-Lori Parks' play Topdog/Underdog tells the story of Lincoln and Booth, two brothers whose names were given to them as a joke, foretelling a lifetime of sibling rivalry and resentment. Haunted by the past, the brothers are forced to confront the shattering reality of their future. Topdog/Underdog was first performed at the Joseph Papp Public Theater, New York, in 2001. Its UK premiere was at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2003.

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A brilliant and unsettling play from one of the UK's leading dramatists. At the opening of the play, a young girl is questioning her aunt about having seen her uncle hitting people with an iron bar; by the end, several years later, the whole world is at war - including birds and animals. Caryl Churchill's play Far Away is a howl of anguish at the increasing – and increasingly accepted – levels of inhumanity in a world seemingly perpetually involved in conflict. The play was first performed at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, London, in November 2000.

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A fascinating meditation on human cloning, personal identity and the conflicting claims of nature and nurture. Bernard thought he was an only child. One day he learns the shocking truth: he is just one of a number of clones. Together, he and his father confront epic questions of identity, intimacy and belonging. Caryl Churchill's play A Number pushes the boundaries of science and ethics with an astonishing twist on the dynamics of the father/son relationship. It was originally produced at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2002, winning the Evening Standard Award for Best Play. Set Text: A Number is a set text for AS/A-Level Drama (WJEC) A Number is also available in the volume Caryl Churchill Plays: Four.

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An unsettling play about infidelity seen from the perspective of the three women involved: the wife, the lover and the daughter. George and Honor have been happily married for thirty-two years. She is a successful writer, he is a revered columnist. They have a perfect understanding of each other. Until a pushy young female journalist - on an assignment to 'profile' George - quite deliberately seeks to undermine that understanding. The fallout is dreadful - but beautifully and convincingly portrayed in all its painful consequences. Joanna Murray-Smith's play Honour was first performed at the Playbox Theatre, Melbourne, Australia, in November 1995. It received its UK premiere, in this revised version, at the National Theatre, London, in February 2003, and was revived in the West End in 2006.

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A gripping play exploring Western guilt towards the Third World, from an author well-known for her award-winning adaptations for Shared Experience and the National Theatre. 'You're not a saint. Saints don't exist. You're just a woman doing her best.' Mark arrives in a village in India to try and find his wife. He doesn't understand what has driven her to abandon her young son. Jane cannot explain why she needed to escape or how she ended up looking after children in India – or what is in the bag she's been holding on to. It is hot, dusty and poor, and a long way from their comfortable life in London. Helen Edmundson's play Mother Teresa is Dead was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in June 2002.

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A 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.

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A 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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A smouldering political allegory about a political protest in a country ruled by a military junta. From the author of Death and the Maiden, written in collaboration with Tony Kushner, author of Angels in America. In a war-torn village the men have disappeared. The women – their mothers, wives, daughters – wait by the river, hope and mourn. Their anguish is unspoken until bruised and broken bodies begin being washed up on the banks and the women defy the military in the only form of protest left to them. Ariel Dorfman’s play Widows is based on his 1983 novel of the same name. The play was first presented by the Traverse Theatre Company at the Cambridge Arts Theatre in March 1997. (An earlier version of the play was first performed at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in July 1991).

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An 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.

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Two 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.

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Two 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.

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A collection of seven plays from Scottish writers, reflecting the upsurge in Scottish playwriting in the late twentieth century. Selected and introduced by Alasdair Cameron, the collection draws on adventurous theatres such as the Edinburgh Traverse and touring groups including Wildcat and 7:84, as well as looking further afield. The plays included in this volume are: Writer's Cramp by John Byrne Debut play from the author of The Slab Boys. Losing Venice by John Clifford A parable on the consequences of military adventuring. The Letter-Box by Ann Marie Di Mambro A short play about a woman who's been thrown out of her flat. Saturday Night at the Commodore by Rona Munro A woman remembers a painful teenage betrayal. Elizabeth Gordon Quinn by Chris Hannan Modern classic about an indomitable woman fighting to retain her dignity during the Glasgwegian rent-strikes of 1915. Dead Dad Dog by John McKay A short comedy about a trendy young Scotsman pursued by the ghost of his dad. The Steamie by Tony Roper Celebrates women's work in a Glasgow wash-house.

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When an unhappy estate agent sells a house to Alice, a charismatic social media influencer, the two strike up an unlikely friendship. But as her obsession with Alice's seemingly perfect world intensifies, the lines between online and reality become dangerously blurred. A thrilling, twisted and razor-sharp comedy on the corrosive effects of social media and isolation, Phoebe Eclair-Powell's play Harm premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in May 2021.

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Raffish, 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.

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A 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.

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A practical, empowering guide for performers and creatives, helping you navigate and overcome the pressures and demands of a career in the arts.

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‘The end-of-the-world quiz waits for no man, literally. Onwards, ever onwards, to our fiery decline. Round three…’ It's the end of the world. The last night on Earth. An asteroid is heading straight for us and there's nothing we can do about it. Except for maybe host a pub quiz – which is exactly what landlady Kathy and her quizmaster Rav are doing. But, with time ticking, some unexpected guests explode on the scene – Bobby wants to settle old scores, and Fran wants one last shot at love. Alison Carr's play The Last Quiz Night on Earth is an innovative comedy-drama featuring a fully interactive pub quiz for the audience to participate in, complete with real teams, real questions and real swapping each other's answers for marking. It was premiered by Box of Tricks in 2020 on a UK tour, taking in a host of theatres, community venues and pubs. Ideal for performance by amateurs – either in theatres or more unconventional spaces (such as theatre bars and local pubs) – this play offers rich opportunities for audience participation. Quizzing compulsory, alcohol optional.

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This empowering, informative guide explains everything actors need to know about agents – how to find one, what they do, and how to work with them effectively to help you succeed in your career. If you're currently seeking an agent, discover how to research and contact them, and what they're looking for in their clients. And if you already have one, learn how to manage and get the most out of this crucial relationship. Also included are invaluable tips on how to write a great CV; obtain attention-grabbing headshots, showreels and voicereels; prepare for and excel at auditions; embrace social media; protect your mental health; and much more. The Compact Guides are pocket-sized introductions for actors and theatremakers, each tackling a key topic in a clear and comprehensive way. Written by industry professionals with extensive hands-on experience of their subject, they provide you with maximum information in minimum time.

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Award winning playwright Chris Bush reimagines the Faust myth to explore what we must sacrifice to achieve greatness, and the legacy that we leave behind. Faustus: That Damned Woman is a radical new work in which the iconic character of Faustus becomes a woman who makes the ultimate sacrifice in order to traverse centuries and change the course of history. It is premiered at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in January 2020, in a co production with Headlong and Birmingham Repertory Theatre, prior to a UK tour. An epic, ambitious, gothic, baroque fever dream of a piece that takes a well known classic and inverts it to say something truthful about the contemporary female experience.

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It's 1975. The Millgarth Incident Room in Leeds is the epicentre of the biggest manhunt in British history, for one of the most notorious serial killers: the Yorkshire Ripper. With public and political pressure mounting, hundreds of officers must work around the clock and resort to increasingly audacious attempts to end one man's campaign of terror. Olivia Hirst and David Byrne's 'beautifully crafted' (Guardian) play goes behind the scenes to investigate the case that nearly broke the British police force. The Incident Room was first performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019, transferring to New Diorama Theatre, London, in 2020, ahead of an Off-Broadway run.

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