Search results for ""nick hern books""

A darkly comic, smashed-up retelling of Richard III, Shakespeare's classic tale about the lust for power, Teenage Dick reimagines the most famous disabled character of all time as a high-school outsider in junior year: the deepest winter of his discontent. Picked on because of his disability (as well as his sometimes creepily Shakespearean way of speaking), Richard is determined to have his revenge and make his name by becoming president of the senior class. But like all teenagers, and all despots, he is faced with the hardest question of all: is it better to be loved, or feared? 'Retells Shakespeare with a much-needed urgency, providing an arch reminder that the voices of the disabled have often been ignored, terrorised or shouted down from the earliest possibility... Lew's writing neatly blends Shakespearean rhetoric with everyday speech... sharp and highly enjoyable... more plays of this calibre, telling the stories they do, are very much needed and welcome to explore our own ingloriousness' - Broadway World

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‘My name is D’Artagnan, musketeer to King Louis the Thirteenth, defender of the Queen’s diamonds, and the man you tried to poison in that bar.’ When the young and naive D'Artagnan sets out on his quest to become a King's musketeer, he immediately encounters the dangerous femme fatale, Milady de Winter. After discovering that the musketeers have been disbanded, he makes it his mission to get them reinstated. But will his feud with Milady thwart him? And who the heck is she? This riotous adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' classic novel by John Nicholson (Hound of the Baskervilles, Peepolykus) was originally performed by physical-comedy theatre company Le Navet Bete on a UK tour in 2019, with four actors playing over thirty characters. It was co-produced by Le Navet Bete and Exeter Northcott Theatre. The Three Musketeers will suit any theatre company or drama group looking for a funny, high-energy adaptation of a universally loved story, which is suitable for audiences of all ages. Swashbuckling and rollicking adventure guaranteed – convincing French accents, not so much.

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‘Lock up your sons. And your daughters if the mood fits. Tonight we are getting destroyed.’ Nate's coming to the end of his career, Yaz hasn't the means to get herself one, and Josh's injury could finish his before it's even started. Today's been a bad day – and bad days need great nights out. But when things get out of control, someone might get hurt. A fast and wild ride into the darker side of our celebrity-obsessed culture, with three people who share a single goal: to lose themselves in the night. Written as intertwining monologues, Katherine Chandler's play Lose Yourself premiered at Sherman Theatre, Cardiff, in May 2019.

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‘Iago only suspected it. I know.’ Celebrated actor, singer and political campaigner Paul Robeson is touring the United States of America as Othello. His Desdemona is the brilliant young actress Uta Hagen. Her husband, the Broadway star José Ferrer, plays Iago. The actors are all friends, but they are not all equals. As the tour progresses, onstage passions and offstage lives begin to blur. Revenge takes many forms and in post-war America it isn't always purely personal – it can be disturbingly political too. Based on true events, Nicholas Wright's play 8 Hotels was first staged at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester, in 2019, in a production directed by Richard Eyre.

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This comprehensive, hands-on guide to making theatre – perfect for any school, college, youth group or amateur-theatre company – gives you the knowledge you need to take your productions to the next level. Curtain Up! is packed with invaluable advice and practical tips on every aspect of putting on your show, including: Direction: from choosing your project to casting, rehearsals and opening night Vocal Direction: give your singers and actors the confidence to deliver great performances Choreography: step-by-step advice on bringing your choreography to life Production Design: use set, costumes and more to realise your vision innovatively (and come in on budget) Puppets & Props: inject some practical magic into your production – and how to make your own puppets Scriptwriting: beat the blank page and pen your own original show Lighting Design: maximise your resources to create a whole world on stage Publicity: identify your audience, reach them and get those bums on seats Each section is written by an experienced theatre professional, laying out the essentials of every role and offering creative, practical ideas to breathe new life into your own theatre projects. Also included is a section on planning, with tips and worksheets to assist with everything from budgeting to selecting your production team. Wherever and however you make theatre, this inspiring, empowering and highly accessible manual will help make your next production your best yet!

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One bitter Christmas Eve, a cold-hearted miser is visited by four ghosts. Transported to worlds past, present and future, Ebenezer Scrooge witnesses what a lifetime of fear and selfishness has led to, and sees with fresh eyes the lonely life he has built for himself. Can Ebenezer be saved before it's too late? Jack Thorne's joyous adaptation of Charles Dickens's timeless classic premiered at The Old Vic, London, in 2017, in a production directed by Matthew Warchus, and starring Rhys Ifans as Ebenezer Scrooge. It was revived at the Old Vic in 2018, 2019 and 2021.

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Jesse is paranoid and frightened, and it's messing up his relationship, his job, his son and his life. But Jesse has every reason to be frightened; he is increasingly feeling the sting of rising prejudice in every part of his life. Stephen Laughton's play One Jewish Boy explores key moments over an eight-year relationship between a nice Jewish boy from North London and the nice, not-so-Jewish woman with whom he falls in love. An urgent response to anti-Semitism, this bittersweet comedy focuses on one young family's struggle against prejudice, and asks if the fear of hatred could be worse than hate itself? It was first produced at the Old Red Lion Theatre, Islington, in 2018, before transferring to Trafalgar Studios in London's West End in 2020. This edition also includes the short play Three.

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`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.

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'Once you’re a woman doing as she pleases with her body, in someone’s eyes you qualify for hoe status.' Bim, Alex and J have been best friends since school. Loud, funny, inseparable – they are the epitome of girls who just want to have fun. But now they’re twenty-five, life is starting to get in the way. Careers, relationships, expectations... What better way to escape than a trip to Ibiza for a week of sun, sea and selfies? But there’s trouble in paradise when reality catches up with them, threatening to derail their holiday as they are forced to accept no amount of partying will let them escape themselves. The Hoes is a riotous celebration of sisterhood, showing that while life may throw up unexpected turbulence, friendships will last the course. It premiered at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, London, in 2018. The Hoes is Ifeyinwa Frederick’s debut play. It was longlisted for the Verity Bargate Award, and shortlisted for the Tony Craze and Character 7 Awards.

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The only two children born in a North Yorkshire village for a generation cannot imagine ever being apart, but as their lives shift, so too do the ties that bind them. A contemporary, lyrical love story, Blackthorn explores the changes and choices that pull us from the places and people we love. First seen at Leeds Playhouse (formerly the West Yorkshire Playhouse) in 2016, the play was a finalist for the 2017 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, and was revived at the 2018 Edinburgh Festival.

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Very 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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Two plays from the talented and award-winning Izzy Tennyson. Grotty is a dark, savage and unflinching exploration of lesbian subculture in London. It ipremiered at Bunker Theatre, London, in May 2018. Brute, winner of the 2015 IdeasTap Underbelly Award, is a solo show based on the true story of a rather twisted, horrible schoolgirl. It had a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2015, and went on to a London run at Soho Theatre for their Soho Rising Season.

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The Alexander Technique has revolutionised the physicality, presence and professional lives of generations of actors. By first asking you to identify your own acquired habits, the technique enables you to find new and beneficial ways of moving, thinking, breathing and performing, freely and without unnecessary tension. Written by an experienced teacher of the Alexander Technique, this clear, supportive and highly practical book takes you step by step through a series of eleven guided lessons. Each explores different elements and principles of the technique, including: Training yourself to stay present, and mindful of your environment Thinking (but not overthinking!) in new ways Observing and developing your natural poise Sitting, standing and walking easily and effortlessly Breathing and speaking with release and power Applying all of this work to characterisation and performance With dozens of exercises and assignments to help you immediately put what you've learned into practice, and featuring illustrations throughout, this is the ideal introduction to everything the Alexander Technique has to offer – and its potential to benefit not just your work and career, but your entire life. 'Penny O'Connor's approach to the Alexander Technique is mindful and meaningful. She brings great skill, experience, wit and humanity to her work. I have learnt a great deal from her.' Jeannette Nelson, Head of Voice, National Theatre 'This comprehensive and absorbing book is essential reading for actors – and all other performers too. It moves seamlessly between explanation and experiential learning, and takes the reader on a cumulative and developmental journey of self-awareness and change, whether working alone or in a group. A joy to experience!' Niamh Dowling, Head of School of Performance, Rose Bruford College

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New York City - open for business 24/7. Private equity fund manager Rick has just thrown a lavish engagement party – the same week that his firm forced layoffs in a supermarket chain it owns, causing a PR nightmare. His business partner Seth jumps to the rescue with a publicity-friendly investment that will save an American company and promote job growth. But Jenny – the firm's third partner – has other ideas. She wants maximum returns, no matter what the critics say… Dry Powder is a razor-sharp comedy about the people who shape – and skew – the economy. It was first performed at the Public Theater, New York, before its UK premiere at Hampstead Theatre in 2018, starring Hayley Atwell, Aidan McArdle and Tom Riley.

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‘Last night I cut this. It’s a heart. It’s forever. It’s for you.’ Deep in the night, in a lonely motel room somewhere in central Australia, six lost souls collide – haunted by the same tragic crime. Angela Betzien's The Dark Room is an intricately layered psychological thriller, exposing the startling mistreatment of those most vulnerable in our society, at the hands of those who are meant to protect them. The play was first staged by Black Swan State Theatre Company at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts in May 2009. It won the award for Best New Australian Work at the Sydney Theatre Awards in 2011, and had its UK premiere at Theatre503, London, in November 2017.

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Everyone has another face they hide behind… A radical re-imagining by playwright Evan Placey of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale, where civilised society meets seedy Soho in a thrilling collision of Victorian England with the here and now. Written for the National Youth Theatre, and first performed by the company at the Ambassadors Theatre in the West End in 2017, Jekyll & Hyde offers a full range of parts for schools and youth-theatre groups looking for a contemporary reinvention of a macabre classic. Evan Placey’s other plays include Consensual, Pronoun, Girls Like That (Best Play for Young Audiences at the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Awards), Mother of Him, Banana Boys and Holloway Jones.

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‘It’s England really, isn’t it? A climate without cloud and rain isn’t honest.’ In the ruins of a garden in rural England, in a house which was once a home, one woman searches for seeds of hope. Mike Bartlett's play Albion was premiered in October 2017 at the Almeida Theatre, London, in a production directed by Rupert Goold. It was revived at the Almeida in February 2020.

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‘We’re cosmic scallies, we dance on the off-beat, we’re wonky shopping trollies, we’re forgotten and trod on, we’re gravy-stained and piss-sodden, we’re the breath between coughing fits.’ Shaun and Dent grew up best friends on the same council estate in Skelmersdale. Dent left, full of ambition, but ten years later she’s back. Can Shaun convince her that Skem is an inheritance better than any house? Jackie's Hagan's Cosmic Scallies is a witty and touching play about class, friendship and absence. It premiered at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe in a co-production between Graeae Theatre Company and the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, before transferring to the Royal Exchange.

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How far would you go for what you believe in? Kat gets up one morning, leaves her family behind and travels to London to carry out an act that will change her life and, she hopes, everyone else’s. Raw, disturbing and compassionate, James Fritz’s searingly powerful play forces a confrontation with some of the most urgent questions we face. What can one individual do to effect change? And where do we draw the line between absolute commitment and dangerous obsession? Parliament Square won the Judges’ Award in the 2015 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting. It premiered at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, in October 2017, before transferring to the Bush Theatre, London.

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Two plays by award-winning writer James Fritz, each asking urgent, pointed and complex questions of the times we live in. Ideal for schools, youth theatres and amateur companies to perform, these versatile and incisive plays demonstrate an innovative playwright at the top of his craft. In Comment Is Free, a journalist forms the centre of a devastating media storm. After being staged by Old Vic New Voices in 2015, the version published here was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2016, winning both the Tinniswood and Imison Awards for Audio Drama. Start Swimming is a play about occupation, revolution and what the future holds for today’s youth. One step away from disaster, there’s only one thing left to do: start swimming. First staged by the Young Vic Taking Part department, Start Swimming was also performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017.

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'We're not here forever. You've got to take a chance from time to time. Sometimes you've got to see something you like and grab hold. Don't let it go.' Harry feels like life is beginning to tick down, his autumn years spent quietly caring for the community he loves. Denise thinks life begins in retirement and she’s dancing like she’s still at high school. When their paths cross at the village hall, their understanding of the time they have left changes irrevocably. What do community, growing old, and falling in love really mean? And who gets to decide anyway? Stewart Pringle's play Trestle tenderly but truthfully explores love and ageing, asking how we choose to live in the face of soaring life expectancies. It won the 2017 Papatango New Writing Prize and premiered at Southwark Playhouse, London, in November 2017.

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A 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

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A tale of friendship, love and rivalry over thirty years from award-winning playwright Elinor Cook. Lorna and Grace do everything together. They share crisps, cigarettes and crushes. That's what happens when you're best friends forever. But when Lorna gets a place at university, and Grace gets pregnant, they suddenly find themselves in starkly different worlds. Can anything bridge the gap between them? Elinor Cook's play Out of Love was first produced in 2017 by Paines Plough in their pop-up theatre, Roundabout, in a co-production with Theatr Clywd and the Orange Tree Theatre. It was shortlisted for the 2018 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

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Funny, fresh and packed with razor-sharp wit, Kevin Elyot’s landmark drama questions the nature of fidelity and the limits of love. Winner of the Samuel Beckett Award. Tony and Greg have love all figured out. They’re in a committed relationship, with room for a little sex-on-the-side whenever it takes their fancy. Their only rule? Never sleep with the same man twice. Then drop-dead gorgeous Robert walks into their lives, and nobody plays by the rules. Coming Clean was first seen at the Bush Theatre, London, in 1982. This edition was published alongside the thirty-fifth-anniversary production, headlining the King’s Head Theatre’s 2017 Queer Season, and directed by Artistic Director Adam Spreadbury-Maher.

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A one-man comedy-drama from critically acclaimed writer Alan Harris. When you're a small-time drug dealer in Cardiff, it's tough living up to your family's expectations. Marc spends his time avoiding his mum, disguising his cannabis plants with fake tomatoes, and bailing out his old man, who owes £6,000 to local loan shark Oggy. When Marc meets Lisa for the first time in years, things get even messier. Lisa wants Marc. Only, Oggy wants Lisa. Marc just wants to survive the day. Sugar Baby premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2017, in a production by Dirty Protest in Paines Plough's pop-up theatre, Roundabout.

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Ex-boxer Taylor Flint wants to put the past behind her. Yet back on the Hull estate where she grew up, she is drawn into running a boxercise class. For Lauren, Jazz, Aneta and Grace, boxercise soon becomes more than a way to lose weight and have a laugh. Life is tough and throwing the punches helps them to face their challenges. The class meet in The Six Bells, which landlady Nora runs as her own community hub. When the pub is threatened with closure, the women refuse to throw in the towel. They commit to an unlicensed Fight Night to raise cash and rally the locals. Yet as the countdown begins, it's Taylor who finds herself on the ropes. Inspired by Hull's original Mighty Atom, Barbara Buttrick, Amanda Whittington's play Mighty Atoms premiered at Hull Truck Theatre in 2017, as part of Hull UK City of Culture.

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‘I fall. And run. I fall. With such sheer force that I hurtle through space…’ Yonni is a seventeen-year-old gay Jewish kid. It’s the last day of term and he’s avoiding everything. The only person he wants to be around, think about, be about... is Adam. And as his night unfolds and falls into chaos – some of it real, some of it not – Yonni pulls us into his world. A world filled with school riots, first loves, beached whales, political demonstrations, sunshine, cinema, sex and rebellion. Set over one unforgettable summer and encompassing all of space and time, Stephen Laughton's one-man play Run explores what it means to love, to lose and how to grow from a boy into a man. First produced at VAULT Festival 2016, the play transferred to The Bunker in March 2017, after a national tour.

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A 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.

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Every Wednesday evening, Jimmy calls Kitty. For precisely nine minutes. At £1.20 a minute. Jimmy is thirty-four, lives with his mum and works at Newport's only drive-through doughnut restaurant. Kitty is an adult chatline operator, living in the granny flat of a topiary enthusiast. Things were looking up for Jimmy, but then he loses his job and he begins to disappear, starting with his hands. Will this unlikely duo succeed in turning each other's world upside down? Alan Harris's play How My Light Is Spent is a funny, hopeful drama about loneliness, longing and being left behind. Winner of the Judges' Award in the 2015 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting, it premiered in 2017 at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, in a co-production with Sherman Theatre and Theatre by the Lake, Keswick.

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A hilarious new spin on the Hollywood romcom featuring two proposals, two weddings, an elopement and a cast of unforgettable characters. Kate likes her men tall, dark and smouldering. She has a fatal attraction to bad men. Then she meets Steve… Steve is a feminist. Can Kate overcome her love of lipstick, cupcakes and Heathcliff? Can Steve forgo the ethical confetti and learn to be a little bit more ravishing in bed? Can the two of them reinvent romance for the twenty-first century? Samantha Ellis's play How to Date a Feminist premiered at the Arcola Theatre, London, in 2016, ahead of a UK tour.

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A play that challenges our understanding of mythology, and forces us to ask vital questions about military occupation. ‘They ask us. When we sign up. We all get asked. “What do you want to do for the Capital State?” And we reply. “Fight. Help. Assist. Do some good.” Do some GOOD. That’s so horrific it’s funny.’ Jacob doesn’t know why he’s here. He’s been at war for six years, but nobody will tell him why. The Moon is upstairs and he wants so desperately to talk to her, but they just won’t let him. Will she be his salvation? Jay Taylor's debut play, The Acedian Pirates premiered at Theatre503, London, in October 2016, produced by Tara Finney Productions and Theatre503. 'Very funny and very powerful' Hilary Mantel

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A smart, funny play about love, friendship and growing up, from the author of WINK and Fury. Remember your best friend? No, the other one. The one that liked to lie. Maybe it's time they 'fessed up. Maybe Doll and Ted should start telling the truth. Doll is on the mic, Ted is on backing vocals. Set to the greatest love songs of all time, this is what happens when the lights come on, you're singing your heart out to Celine Dion, you've been sick on your shoes, and you realise you might just have to grow up. Phoebe Eclair-Powell's Epic Love and Pop Songs was first performed at the Pleasance Dome during the 2016 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

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‘The point is: we’re losers. Nobodies. Carry on like this, we’re losers forever. And we don’t have to be. Fresh start, two months to completely one hundred per cent reinvent ourselves. And I know exactly how we can do that.’ Megan, Holly and Ben are definitely not the cool kids. But Megan has a plan. One long summer holiday to change their lives. One sure path to coolness. One amazing transformation, through the power of song. Holed up in Megan’s garden shed, three old friends try to change their fortunes in a beautiful, heart-warming, laugh-out-loud coming-of-age story for our times. Rock on. Tom Wells' play Broken Biscuits was first performed at Live Theatre, Newcastle, in 2016, in a co-production between Live Theatre and Paines Plough, before a UK tour.

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Inside every adolescent brain, 86 billion neurons connect and collide to produce the most frustrating, chaotic, and exhilarating changes that will ever happen to us. The play is designed to be created and performed by a company of teenagers, drawing directly on their personal experiences. This edition contains a series of exercises, resources and activities to help create your own Brainstorm.

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Terence Rattigan's epic and probing drama about the man immortalised as Lawrence of Arabia. Arrogant, flippant, withdrawn and with a talent for self-concealment, the mysterious Aircraftman Ross seems an odd recruit for the Royal Air Force. In fact the truth is even stranger than the man himself. Behind the false name is an enigma, a man named Lawrence who started as a civilian in the Map Office in 1914 and went on to mastermind some of the most audacious military victories in the history of the British Army. These victories earned him an enduring and romantic nom de guerre: Lawrence of Arabia. Rattigan's 1960 play reveals the unusual and deeply conflicted Englishman behind the heroic legend. This edition, with an Introduction by Dan Rebellato, was published alongside the revival at the Chichester Festival Theatre in 2016, directed by Adrian Noble and starring Joseph Fiennes as Ross.

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A clear, supportive and comprehensive guide to writing a play - based on the author's long-running playwriting masterclasses, as taught at the UK's National Theatre. This book leads you through everything you need to know, including: The theatrical tools and techniques you can use to bring your play to life on the stage (and how these differ from writing for film and TV); Discovering and trusting your writing process, with a range of approaches for developing your initial idea into a completed script; Understanding your characters, including their goals and central conflicts, and using emotional logic to connect them to your story; Finding the dramatic structure and theatrical setting that best suits your play; The key elements of constructing a great scene, including how to handle exposition, invoke tension, deepen characterisation and create effective transitions; Writing engaging, active dialogue by finding each character's voice, balancing exposition with subtext, and rooting what a character says in their specific context Throughout, you'll find examples from classical and modern plays, plus insights from other contemporary playwrights into their own writing journeys. Each chapter provides a set of exercises to help you practise what you've learnt. There's also advice on what to do once you've finished your script - including redrafting, receiving feedback and taking notes - and how to navigate your play's progress towards production. Whether you're an emerging playwright or embarking on your first-ever play, The Playwright's Journey will help you develop your creativity, strengthen your connection to your material, and transform your idea into a fully formed play that feels alive on the page - and the stage.

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Howard Brenton's Lawrence After Arabia explores the afterlife of a legend, when being a hero has become a burden, and the man once celebrated as Lawrence of Arabia wants only to be normal once more. August, 1922. The most famous man in England has vanished without a trace: T.E. Lawrence has completely disappeared. But in the idyllic calm of the village of Ayot St Lawrence, on the top floor of the home of Mr and Mrs Bernard Shaw, the 'uncrowned King of Arabia' is hiding – with slabs of homemade carrot cake for comfort. Wearied by his romanticised persona and worldwide fame, disgusted with his country and himself, Lawrence is craving normality. But when you're a brilliant archaeologist, scholar, linguist, writer and diplomat – as well as a legendary desert warrior – how can you ever be normal? And beyond the Shaws' garden wall, nobody cares how he feels: England just wants its hero back. Can he ever return? Howard Brenton's Lawrence After Arabia, commissioned to mark the centenary of the start of the Arab revolt, finds Lawrence trapped in his love/hate relationship with the limelight, tormented by ghosts and haunted by broken promises. It premiered at Hampstead Theatre, London, in 2016, directed by John Dove.

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In 1969 Loren McIntyre, a National Geographic photographer, found himself lost among the people of the remote Javari Valley in Brazil. It was an encounter that was to change his life, bringing the limits of human consciousness into startling focus. Inspired by the book Amazon Beaming by Petru Popescu, The Encounter traces McIntyre’s journey into the depths of the Amazon rainforest, incorporating innovative technology into a solo performance to build a shifting world of sound. The Encounter opened at the Edinburgh International Festival in August 2015 performed by Simon McBurney, and received its London premiere at the Barbican in February 2016 before embarking on a world tour.

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An outrageously fun musical set in an all-girls school in the 60s, from the team behind Bad Girls: The Musical. It's 1963 and the Dame Dorothea Dosserdale School for Girls has a proud tradition of fostering free spirits from all walks of life. So it’s a crushing blow when the new headmistress turns out to be a tyrant with strict Victorian values – and top of her hit list are the two sixth-formers accused of ‘Unnatural Behaviour’ in the Art Room… Brimming with catchy tunes and witty lyrics, Crush is a hilarious pastiche of Girls’ School stories – a blend of Malory Towers and St Trinian’s – with added hockey sticks and ‘lashings of jolly good fun’ Coventry Telegraph. Crush was first performed on tour in the UK in 2015.

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A bold and exciting new approach to Bertolt Brecht, making his theories and ideas about theatre accessible to a new generation of actors, directors, students and theatre-makers, and showing how they can be put into practice. Theatre practitioner and academic David Zoob demystifies Brecht’s theories, and offers an approach to study and performance that can be applied to a wide range of texts and theatre styles. With close analysis of texts by writers including Shakespeare, Chekhov, Miller, Pinter, and of course Brecht himself, the author demonstrates how Brechtian techniques can provide practical pathways to exploring plays across the canon, as well as non-traditional forms of theatre. Also included are dozens of exercises to help turn theory into practice, and explore what Brecht’s ideas mean for actors and directors, both in training and rehearsal. Whether you’re a student, a teacher, an actor or a theatre-maker, this book will change the way you view and work with Brecht. `Zoob has engaged with Brecht’s many and varied principles for a politicised theatre and channelled them into a wide range of novel and innovative exercises that are applicable to a great many dramas and can equally interrogate devised material… Excellent ’ --David Barnett, Professor of Theatre, University of York, and author of Brecht in Practice

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In the overcrowded city, nature is getting out of control. The mice are scratching between walls, the pigeons are diseased and the foxes are beginning to rule the streets. The problem is growing. It's contagious. It has to be stopped, before it's too late. Stef Smith's play Human Animals premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in May 2016, in a production directed by Hamish Pirie.

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‘Look at all those couples. Which one will leave. Which one will run. Which one is cheating on the other. Which one will die first. Him. Him. Her. Him.’ What happens when two friends who were always meant to be together, get together – and stay together? No one told them life was going to be this way… A dark and uncompromising play about romance, expectation and mortality, James Fritz's Ross & Rachel takes an unflinching look at the myths of modern love. It was first produced by MOTOR at the Assembly George Square Theatre as part of the 2015 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It then played off-Broadway in 2016 before touring the UK.

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The fabulously wealthy Victorian gentleman Phileas Fogg wagers his life's fortune that he can circumnavigate the globe in just eighty days. Along with his hapless valet Passepartout, he sets out on a dazzling escapade that takes him from the misty alleys of London to the exotic subcontinent and on to the Wild West as they race against the clock on a dizzying succession of trains, steamers, a wind-propelled sledge and an elephant. Laura Eason's celebrated adaptation of Jules Verne's classic novel was seen at the New Vic Theatre, Stoke, and Manchester's Royal Exchange before receiving its London premiere at the St. James Theatre in 2015. Packing in more than fifty unforgettable characters, this imaginative version of Around the World in 80 Days was written for an ensemble cast of eight, but can be performed by a much larger cast – making it perfect for any theatre company or drama group looking for a high-spirited adventure.

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This collection features four urgent and explosive plays by award-winning playwright Evan Placey, each tackling issues facing young people today. They provide ideal material for teenagers to read, study and perform. Girls Like That explores the pressures caused by technology when a schoolgirl’s naked photograph goes viral. Commissioned in 2013 by Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Theatre Royal Plymouth and West Yorkshire Playhouse, it has subsequently been performed by school and youth-theatre groups across the UK, at the Unicorn Theatre, London, and in the Houses of Parliament. It won the Writers’ Guild Award for Best Play for Young Audiences. Banana Boys, published here for the first time, is about the challenges of being on the school football team – and secretly gay. It was commissioned and produced by Hampstead Theatre’s heat&light company in 2010. In Holloway Jones, Holloway dreams of being a world-class BMXer, but she is held back by the tough reality of a parent in prison. Also making its debut in print here, the play was commissioned by Synergy Theatre Project, toured schools and the Unicorn Theatre in 2011, and won the 2012 Brian Way Award for Best Play for Young People. Finally, Pronoun is a love story about two childhood sweethearts dealing with the fact that one of them, Isabella, has now become a boy. As one of the plays in the 2014 National Theatre Connections Festival it proved enormously popular with youth theatres and college companies. 'Maybe change starts with plays like this' Lyn Gardner, Guardian, on Girls Like That

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'It had been a while. I was really nervous. I mean, it's not really like riding a bike. Sex. It's far more complicated.' Phil and Alice are in love – familiar, flawed, ordinary love. They are on a journey, but this journey doesn't have an A to Z. Jack Thorne's The Solid Life of Sugar Water is an intimate, tender play about loss, hurt and rediscovery. It previewed at The Drum, Theatre Royal Plymouth, and premiered at the 2015 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in a co-production between Graeae Theatre Company and Theatre Royal Plymouth.

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What is that, trailing your footsteps, breathing softly down your neck? Rediscover the magic and wonder of the original Grimm Tales, retold by master-storyteller Philip Pullman. In this stage version by Philip Wilson, you'll meet the familiar characters – Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel – and some unexpected ones too, such as Hans-My-Hedgehog, the Goose Girl at the Spring and the remarkable Thousandfurs. Full of deliciously dark twists and turns, the tales come to life in all their glittering, macabre brilliance – a delight for children and adults alike. These Grimm Tales, adapted for the stage by Philip Wilson from Philip Pullman's version of the original tales, were first performed as immersive storytelling experiences underneath Shoreditch Town Hall, London, in 2014, and Bargehouse on the South Bank in 2015. They also offer plentiful opportunities for youth theatres, schools and amateur companies looking for a vivid new version of the classic fairytales.

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A practical guide to creating and producing verbatim theatre, by an experienced theatre-maker and practitioner. Verbatim theatre is fashioned from words actually spoken by real people in real situations, and reproduced by actors in performance. An increasingly influential form of theatre, it has a unique ability to present stories from unfamiliar sources and bring unheard voices to the stage. Verbatim theatre is perhaps the most objective way of dramatising real life; its authenticity helps audiences to understand the world we live in, whether through testimony, eye-witness accounts or autobiography. Telling the Truth offers a step-by-step breakdown of the entire process of making your own verbatim-theatre production, covering everything you need to consider, including: Choosing your subject Preparing and conducting your interviews Refining your research into a single narrative strand Editing your material sensitively and ethically Providing your actors with exercises, techniques and advice to allow them to perform as `real' people Designing and staging your work for fully realised, physical performance In Telling the Truth, Robin Belfield draws on his own experiences of creating verbatim-theatre work, and interviews other major directors, writers and actors including Alecky Blythe, Patrick Sandford, Hilary Maclean and ACH Smith, providing tips and advice to help you make the most of every part of the verbatim-theatre process. An essential how-to guide for theatre-makers, artists, students and teachers who want to create their own verbatim-theatre production, Telling the Truth is also a fascinating read for those interested in the processes and inspirations that created the productions they love.

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A wife, a muse, a coward, a heretic. Hedda Gabler is something to everyone, yet has no idea who she is to herself. Trapped by convention and by her own irreconcilable nature, will she have the courage to shape her own destiny? Mark O'Rowe's fluid yet faithful adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's masterpiece Hedda Gabler was premiered at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, in April 2015.

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