Search results for ""nick hern books""

'The supernatural is possible and the impossible is natural and life teeters on the edge of the unreal’ Malachi's been looking forward to a fresh start at uni for months. He's settling in, he's got a stack of books to read and he's met someone new – Kojo, a musician with a megawatt smile, who's basically perfect. But something doesn't feel right. He keeps having the same nightmare – sinking, crushed by the weight of the ocean – and it's getting worse… A beast grows in the water, hungry, relentless, hunting him but always just out of sight. As the boundaries between nightmare and reality fracture, Malachi must fight harder than ever to stay afloat. Kwame Owusu's play Dreaming and Drowning is an intimate and visceral deep-dive into the boundless mind of a young Black queer man wrestling with anxiety. It won the Mustapha Matura Award, was shortlisted for the Alfred Fagon Award, and was one of the winning plays in the RSC's 37 Plays competition. It was first performed at the Bush Theatre, London, in November 2023, directed by the playwright, performed by Tienne Simon, and produced by WoLab.

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1917: World War One is raging in Europe. In Britain, Sterling Ladies – known as the Dagenham Invincibles – are playing to win. For two whirlwind seasons, they never lose a game. Yet once peace is restored, the factory girls must hang up their boots and see triumph fade into obscurity. 2023: Injured footballer Maya follows England's progress through the Women's World Cup. The world has changed, yet the roar of the Lionesses echoes the Invincibles' war-cry. Watching at home, Maya fears she'll never play again – but as she loses herself in the present, she hears the call of the past and finds fresh hope for the future. Amanda Whittington's play The Invincibles celebrates two generations of inspirational women, and their adventures on the football pitch a century apart. It was premiered at Queen's Theatre Hornchurch in 2023, and offers rich opportunities for other theatre companies looking to score a hit with their audiences.

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On the surface, Michael and Cheryl have it all: a posh new home in suburban Belfast, good jobs, 2.4 pets. But things take a sinister turn when, living opposite a bonfire site, they unwittingly become the targets of a hate campaign involving missing animals, graffiti and explosions… Gary Mitchell's play Burnt Out is a blackly comic psychological thriller exposing the darker side of suburban life. It was first performed in 2023 at the Lyric Theatre Belfast, as part of the Belfast International Arts Festival. Gary Mitchell is a British playwright based in Northern Ireland. His plays, many of them political thrillers about contemporary life in Belfast, have been widely performed, and he has been called 'Northern Ireland's greatest playwright' (Guardian). 'His writing has the blazing conviction of lived experience combined with an unfashionable relish for strong plots. His best work has a stomach-churning intensity' Daily Telegraph

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When Ben Targét was nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2012 Edinburgh Comedy Awards, he was set on the path to becoming a critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning performance artist. Eight years later, amidst a global pandemic, he gave it all up to become the live-in carer for his uncle: an irascible octogenarian prankster called Lorenzo Wong. LORENZO is their story, a show that confronts the messiness of ageing and dying through the medium of storytelling, servitude to the audience and live carpentry, a combination not seen on the world stage since Nazareth circa 30AD. This book is the full script of that life-affirming show, with illustrations by Targét himself. It was directed by Adam Brace, and was premiered at Summerhall, Edinburgh, during the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it was awarded a Fringe First. It subsequently transferred to Soho Theatre, London.

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It used to be a magnificent opera house, its stage graced by the leading sopranos and tenors of the age. Now the only divas at the Grand Old Opera House Hotel are the ones checking-in, there are fist fights in the lobby, and there's scarcely a romantic hero to be found. When shy Aaron joins the hotel's inharmonious team, he's faced with emotionally volatile guests, apathetic staff and management that doesn't have a clue. Not to mention the rumour of singing ghosts haunting the corridors. But through all the madness, one voice stands out, capturing his ears and his heart – and Aaron must go into battle with the hotel's magical chaos to find out the truth. An uplifting ensemble comedy, Isobel McArthur's The Grand Old Opera House Hotel is a story of art bringing us together in hopeless circumstances, to the tune of some of the most popular opera songs ever written. It premiered at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, during the Festival in August 2023, with Dundee Rep Theatre, directed by Gareth Nicholls. It was the recipient of an Edinburgh Fringe First Award.

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A devastating play about violence, love and loss. Winner of the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting.

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'I'm thirty-six, I'm a comedian, and I'm about to kill my boyfriend.' A permanently single, professionally neurotic stand-up comedian finally meets his Mr Right – and then does everything wrong. Is Mr Right quite what he seems? And just how far will the comedian go to get a laugh? Marcelo Dos Santos's play Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen is a dark and bitingly funny one-man show about vulnerability, intimacy, ego and truth. It premiered in the Roundabout at the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, produced by Francesca Moody Productions, directed by Matthew Xia, and starring Samuel Barnett. The critically acclaimed, Fringe First-winning production transferred to the Bush Theatre, London, in November 2023.

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Jacq and Kas's boutique restaurant has gone bust, and telling their oldest friends Adaego and her rich husband Tobin that his investment is toast is only the start of the evening. Cash, class, identity and infidelity are all on the menu. As the last of the expensive wine flows, a dangerous drinking game reveals long-hidden truths and provokes an unspeakable dare. Never Have I Ever is an explosive, savagely funny play which brilliantly skewers the contradictions of contemporary society, and the shifting sands of power and sexual politics. It premiered at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester, in 2023, directed by Emma Butler and starring Alex Roach, Amit Shah, Greg Wise and Susan Wokoma. Deborah Frances-White is a comedian, screenwriter and host of the global hit podcast The Guilty Feminist. This is her first play. '[Deborah Frances-White's] mixture of wit, fallibility and inclusivity is immensely appealing' Sunday Times on The Guilty Feminist 'Hilarious, irreverent, eternally surprising, classy as hell, genius' Phoebe Waller-Bridge

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'A woman. On the line in Gallery Two of all places. I never thought I'd see the day. This is progress, my dear.' It's 1874, and Elizabeth Thompson stuns the artistic establishment with her painting The Roll Call. Five years later, she falls two votes short of becoming the first woman elected to the Royal Academy. In between, she shoulders the hopes and dreams of female artists across the country, while fighting for her place at a table full of top hats, neckties and mutton chop beards. A thrilling collision of music hall, cabaret and drag king swagger, Modest tells the true story of a pioneering megastar of the Victorian art scene. Written by Ellen Brammar and with music by Rachel Barnes, it was first produced in 2023 by Middle Child in collaboration with Milk Presents at Hull Truck Theatre before touring.

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'So, if you Americans already have cornflakes and Woolworths, what brings you to England?' It's 1973, and a young man from Des Moines, Iowa, has arrived on the ferry at Dover. He intends to conquer the whole of the island, like Caesar attempted before him. But Caesar didn't have to deal with counterpanes, kippers, Cadbury's Curly Wurlies, or Mrs Smegma the landlady's eccentric house rules. As Bill travels the length and breadth of Britain, through villages with names like Titsey and Little Dribbling, something strange starts to happen. Can it be true? Is he really starting to feel at home? Bill Bryson's smash-hit memoir Notes from a Small Island spent three years in The Sunday Times bestseller list, sold over two million copies, and was voted the book which best represents the UK. Tim Whitnall's hilarious stage adaptation was first produced at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury, in 2023. Written for an ensemble cast of seven (but suitable for a cast of dozens), it will appeal to amateur drama groups as a glorious celebration of one of the nation's most beloved books, and a brilliant dissection of the enduring quirks of our small island.

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'It was never about the Reich or the war. It was about physics.' Summer 1945. Hitler is dead, but the war in the Pacific rages on. When six of Germany's top nuclear scientists – including three Nobel Prize winners – are detained by Allied forces at a stately home in the Cambridgeshire countryside, they find themselves shut off from the outside world. Their only distractions are board games, a broken piano and a copy of Blithe Spirit. But as the months go by, their attention turns to the ongoing war and thoughts of their broken homeland. The scientists' tranquil summer is shattered by the inconceivable news that the Americans have succeeded where the Germans have failed: the United States has not only built an atomic bomb, but they have used one against Japan. Katherine Moar's captivating debut play Farm Hall dramatises the true story recorded inside the bugged walls of the actual Farm Hall between July 1945 and January 1946. It was premiered at Jermyn Street Theatre, London, in March 2023, before transferring to the Theatre Royal Bath, directed by Stephen Unwin.

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David is gay, disabled and profoundly horny. He can't eat, drink or shower by himself – or wank. Totally inexperienced, he embarks on a sexual and romantic odyssey, armed with a fierce brain, and dick pics that he has to get someone to take. Can he keep it casual whilst also relying on round-the-clock care? And will he manage the thrill and uncertainty of random hook-ups after a lifetime of knockbacks? Animal is a hilarious, challenging and heartbreaking play by Jon Bradfield, from a story by Bradfield and Josh Hepple. It won the inaugural Through the Mill Playwriting Prize, was shortlisted for the Papatango Prize, and was first performed at the Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester, and Park Theatre, London, in 2023.

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'I know it's difficult. You've obviously been a good friend to her but it's time to let us take over now.' Es and Flo fell fiercely in love in the eighties. They've been living as secret lovers ever since. As Es becomes more forgetful around their home, an unexpected carer arrives. Who sent this woman? Why? And can they trust her? As the outside world comes crashing in, Flo fights to protect the life they've built together over forty years behind closed doors. And faces the hardest battle of her life – to hold on to the woman she loves. Jennifer Lunn's play Es & Flo is a sharply observed, deeply compassionate drama, coloured with memories of the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp. It celebrates an older lesbian relationship, women coming together to fight for what's right, and the healing power of chosen family. The play was produced by Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, and opened there in 2023 before moving to Kiln Theatre, London, directed by Susie McKenna. It won the Popcorn Group Writing Award and the Nancy Dean Lesbian Playwriting Award.

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An essential resource for anyone studying Leave Taking by Winsome Pinnock for GCSE English Literature – featuring a complete guide to the text, plus sample questions and answers to help you prepare for assessment. Get to grips with Leave Taking with expert, easy-to-follow breakdowns and analyses of key aspects of the play – including the characters, plot, structure, themes, setting and language – along with a clear explanation of the historical context. This guide also contains prompts for further reflection and research, to help you get the most out of your study and revision, whether at home or in the classroom. Featuring insights from playwright Winsome Pinnock, colour photographs of the play in performance, and extensive quotes and extracts from the text, this GCSE Study Guide will strengthen your understanding, build your confidence and boost your chances of success. It is also an invaluable resource for teachers approaching the play.

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Pearl, Jan and Linda are enjoying a long-awaited break on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, when a surprise visitor turns up. They haven't seen Shelley for years, and their retreat becomes a reunion – and pretty soon, a riot. But a lot has changed since they were last together and, cut off from the mainland, tensions rise with the tide. As the sky darkens, the island grows restless with echoes of the past. Will the four still be friends when dawn breaks? Following the smash hits Ladies' Day and Ladies Down Under, Amanda Whittington's Ladies Unleashed is the third play in her Ladies Trilogy. A moving comedy about friendship, growing older and living for today, it was first performed at Hull Truck Theatre in September 2022, directed by Mark Babych. The Ladies are back, and amateur theatre companies – as well as their audiences – are sure to delight in their riotous exploits.

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Two powerful plays about the shattering impact of war, and the astonishing resilience of those living through it, written by two of Ukraine's leading playwrights. 'They've mobilised all the living now, the fifth call took the last of the living. But the war keeps on. So high command asked us.' Sasha, a Colonel in the Ukrainian Army, has died suddenly of a heart attack, leaving his relatives Katia and Oksana to mourn for him. But a year later, as war intensifies, the army has resorted to recruiting the dead. Sasha is anxious to be resurrected so he can rejoin the fight, but can his family bear to lose him all over again? Take the Rubbish Out, Sasha by Natal'ya Vorozhbit blends reality and the supernatural in a startling exploration of the effects of war and conflict. 'I want to report a robbery... I was robbed. What was stolen from me? Almost everything... Home, land, car, work, friends, city, faith in goodness...' Donbas, 2014. A nameless woman stands in the street, trying to sell a basket of kittens. She has lost everything else she holds dear. Her only remaining hope is to find a home for the kittens, since she cannot offer them one herself. Pussycat in Memory of Darkness by Neda Nezhdana is an unflinching examination of Russia's war on Ukraine through the brutalised eyes of one woman. The two plays were translated by Sasha Dugdale and John Farndon, respectively, and performed in English at the Finborough Theatre, London, as part of their #VoicesFromUkraine season in 2022. 10% of the proceeds from sales of this book will be donated to the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation, a Ukrainian charity providing urgently needed psychological and psychosocial support to children affected by the war in Ukraine.

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'In the morning they'll shut the streets, roll the tanks in and begin the arrests. Everyone who tries to leave will be taken in for days, weeks, years. If I don't board the flight tonight, I'll be here forever.' Middle-aged, middle-management Dasha is ordered to quell the anti-government protests in her factory in Belarus by firing sixty workers. Her only escape is a one-way ticket to the US, but as she prepares to flee, she cannot escape memories of her rebellious youth resisting the Soviets. As her country heads to the polls, Dasha must make a decision… The Anarchist is a gripping, timely and deeply moving play, which won the inaugural Woven Voices Prize for migrant playwrights. It was first performed during the Footprints Festival at Jermyn Street Theatre, London, in 2022, directed by Ebenezer Bamgboye. Originally from Kazakhstan, Karina Wiedman lived in Russia and Belarus before moving to the UK. The Anarchist is her first play. 'A beautifully written play for our times' Jatinder Verma, Chair of the Woven Voices Prize judging panel

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Five insomniacs try to make it through the night. From dusk to dawn, they struggle with a crisis in their lives which they must resolve by morning. Increasingly conscious of their shortening futures and lengthening pasts, they fill their nights with distracting activities, desperate sleep techniques, evaluations of their lives, delusions, fears, panics and utter foolishness as they prepare to face the day. Five Characters in Search of a Good Night's Sleep was conceived in response to the current public-health crisis of insomnia, with 30% of the UK population suffering from some form of sleep disturbance. It was created through a series of workshops, and first produced by ViSiBLE Theatre Ensemble at Southwark Playhouse, London, in 2022, directed by acclaimed director Mike Alfreds. ViSiBLE is dedicated to creating performance work that throws fresh perspectives on later life and living longer. Their work is created collaboratively, drawing on the creativity and talent of Britain's huge wealth of experienced older actors. The play is a fascinating insight into a condition that is widely experienced but little understood, and will provide valuable material for other actors – especially older ones – to perform.

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A despot has come to power. The population is listless, submissive and scared. But beneath every violation of civil autonomy, there are real human beings; behind every act of resistance, there is an individual willing to risk everything. And these people aren't heroic or remarkable – they're just like us. Through the lives of bureaucrats, soldiers, ornithologists and tour guides, No Particular Order charts the fate of a single society, asking at every step of the way: is it empathy, or power, that endures? Joel Tan's startling and apocalyptic play No Particular Order was shortlisted for the Theatre503 International Playwriting Award, and opened at Theatre503, London, in May 2022, directed by Josh Roche. It was subsequently shortlisted for the 2022 George Devine Award.

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'Lots of exciting things have happened here. Like that time in 2005 when Bradley Walsh opened Domino's.' Gavi wants to inspire his community. Which is tricky when everyone wants to just stay at home and watch Bake Off. But, determined to succeed, he starts hosting amateur motivational meetings from his garage. With the help of daily mantras, goal-setting and repeatedly listening to Spandau Ballet, he believes he can change lives for the better. However, when the only attendees are his two colleagues from the Co-op – bickering mother and daughter Dawn and Jen – it's not quite the enlightening experience they were all hoping for. Katie Redford's play Tapped is a witty and sensitive portrayal of managing mental health within a family, highlighting the barriers we put up in order to put on a brave face. It was first performed at Theatre503, London, in April 2022.

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'I seen you looking at me. Like that. You gonna deny it? Go on. I swear down, Mark – deny it.' It's Year 10's first day back at school. Mark is new and too scared to make friends. Darren is out of control and too scary to make friends. The two of them need each other – but neither would ever admit it. Worlds apart, but more similar than they realise, the pair form a complex and manipulative relationship. And before they know it, they're embarking on a dangerous experiment that will alter the course of their lives. Sophie Swithinbank's play Bacon is an unflinching and unexpectedly humorous look at masculinity, sexuality and power, through the dizzying lens of youth. The play was first produced at the Finborough Theatre, London, in 2022, directed by Matthew Iliffe, before touring in 2023 to Riverside Studios, London; Summerhall, as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe; and Bristol Old Vic. First developed on the Soho Theatre Writers' Lab, Bacon won the 2018 Tony Craze Award, three Off-West End Awards (Best Director and two Best Performance in a Play awards), and the Peggy Ramsay Foundation and Film 4 Award for 2023.

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'The smaller you are, the quicker your heart beats. But it doesn't matter what size your heart is, we all only get an average of about two billion beats over our lifetime. It's just a pump at the end of the day, right?' Seventeen-year-old Asha is a rebel, inspired by historical revolutionaries and unafraid of pointing out the hypocrisy around her – but less sure how to actually dismantle it. Her younger sister, Bettina, wide-eyed and naive, is just trying to get through the school day without having her pocket money nicked. With essays to write, homework to do, and bus journeys home, the two sisters meet every afternoon, outside the school gates, to tackle the injustice of the world. Sonali Bhattacharyya's play Two Billion Beats is an insightful, heartfelt coming-of-age story and a blazing account of inner-city, British-Asian teenage life. It was originally presented in the Inside/Outside season, livestreamed from the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, before receiving a production there in this full-length version in 2022, directed by Nimmo Ismail.

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'To be honest with you, before I went secondary school I thought that the kids they would be like really mature and like by the time I reached Year Ten I'd be fully mature and everything. And I'd lose my like funsense and stuff... But, I don't know if it's just my class in particular but we really haven't matured at all... I don't want to be the serious adult and have serious children and have serious future in a serious house and serious everything.' Alecky Blythe's engrossing verbatim play tells the stories of a generation. Created from five years of interviews with twelve young people from across the UK, Our Generation is a captivating portrait of their teenage years as they journey into adulthood. Often too extraordinary to be fiction, this funny and moving play is for anyone who is – or has ever been – a teenager. It was co-produced by the National Theatre, London, and Chichester Festival Theatre in 2022, directed by Daniel Evans.

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'I can't undo what's been said. My world changed this morning. I hope for the better, but we'll see in the future.' Sisters Dolly and Esther grow up in ultra-conservative Harrogate in the 1960s. Fifty years later, following the death of their mother, Dolly comes to stay with Esther – now a successful novelist and living in Little Venice with her younger, inscrutable lodger, Jude. The three go to Norway to meet the rock-star grandfather Jude has only ever heard about. Instead, he meets Anila who changes his world. To make a new future, these four people will have to be honest, heal old wounds – and two sisters learn to laugh together again. The Lodger by Robert Holman is an enlightening, cathartic and acerbic play about identity, maturity and reconciliation. It premiered at The Coronet Theatre, London, in September 2021.

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'I'd get freaked out here, alone in the dark. Wondering what's lurking at the bottom of the bed, ready to grab your feet.' Jenny and Sam – and their baby Phoebe – have recently moved into their new home. But something feels frightening and wrong. Very wrong. Over the baby monitor, at 2:22 every night, Jenny hears footsteps around her daughter's cot. Could the house be haunted? When their friends Lauren and Ben come round for a housewarming dinner, they drink wine, relive their pasts, and argue about the existence of ghosts. They decide to stay up until 2:22, to discover the truth. Over one adrenaline-filled night – as the foxes scream outside – secrets will emerge and ghosts may appear… Spine-chilling, funny and scary, Danny Robins' play 2:22 was premiered at the Noël Coward Theatre in London's West End in August 2021, directed by Matthew Dunster, and starring Lily Allen, Julia Chan, Hadley Fraser and Jake Wood. It went on to win Best New Play at the 2022 WhatsOnStage Awards, and was nominated for Best New Play at the Olivier Awards. 2:22 provides rich opportunities for any drama group wanting to make things go bump in the night – and their audiences scream.

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John Kane sits on a hospital trolley. Very shortly, a giant lobster, two women called Mary, a very old man and a jazz percussionist arrive. Then everything starts. Enda Walsh's Medicine is a dark and frequently absurdist play. Devastatingly funny and profoundly moving, it examines how, for decades, we have treated those we call 'mentally ill'. It was first produced by Landmark Productions and Galway International Arts Festival as part of the 2021 Edinburgh International Festival, prior to performances in Galway and New York. It was directed by Enda Walsh, with a cast including Clare Barrett, Aoife Duffin and Domhnall Gleeson, with drummer Seán Carpio. This edition also includes Walsh's play The Same, about two women who meet in a psychiatric institution. Published here for the first time, it was produced by Corcadorca in 2017, and won The Irish Times Irish Theatre Award for Best Play. 'One of the most fiercely individual voices in the theatre today' New York Times

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'You do not know me yet but I am the heroine of this drama. I am told that here I must give a taste of what is to unfold. I am to convey that this tale is set in Jamaica during the last turbulent days of slavery and the early years of freedom. 'I am to say that it is a true and thrilling journey through that unsettled time. 'Cha, I say, what fuss-fuss. Come, let them just see it for themselves.' The Long Song is adapted from Andrea Levy's award-winning novel by Suhayla El-Bushra. It premiered at Chichester Festival Theatre in October 2021, directed by Charlotte Gwinner.

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'This is nice, innit? Yeah. Good little set-up to tell you the story of my name. The story of my true name.' When a woman receives an unexpected letter from the British Passport Office, she is forced to confront an old mystery: why does her South African passport not carry her first name? Armed with the wisdom of favourite '90s TV shows, she sets out on a journey that will take her back to the turmoil of Mobutu's Congo, growing up in post-Apartheid South Africa, moving to Ireland, and finding love in a hostile England. As her journey becomes inextricably linked with the tides of global history, how far will she go to unravel the truth? By turns wickedly funny and strikingly lyrical, Benedict Lombe's Lava is an explosive debut play that will turn the way you see the world on its axis. It premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in July 2021, performed by Ronke Adékoluejo and directed by Anthony Simpson-Pike. Lava was awarded the prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn Prize in 2022. It also won Best Performance Piece at the 2022 Offies (Off West End Awards), and Benedict Lombe won the Book and Lyrics Recognition Award at the 2021 Black British Theatre Awards.

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Mothers who are blissed out. Mothers who are pissed off. Mothers who are great, or grateful, or grating. Mothers who have changed, mothers who can't, mothers who can't even change nappies. Women who aren't mothers. Welcome to the 'hood. The Motherhood Project draws together dramatic monologues and real-life reflections by some of the UK's leading writers, artists and thinkers, and explores all the guilt, joy and absurdity, the regrets, pressures and taboos surrounding motherhood. Contributors: Kalhan Barath, E.V. Crowe, Juno Dawson, Suhayla El Bushra, Jodi Gray, Hannah Khalil, Katherine Kotz, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, Siggi Mwasote, Irenosen Okojie, Anya Reiss, Naomi Sheldon, Lemn Sissay, Athena Stevens and Joelle Taylor. The project was produced online in 2021 by Katherine Kotz in association with Drift Studio, and presented in association with Battersea Arts Centre, London.

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Rattigan's well-loved play about an unpopular schoolmaster who snatches a last shred of dignity from the collapse of his career and his marriage. Twice filmed (with Michael Redgrave and Albert Finney) and frequently revived. Andrew Crocker-Harris' wife Millie has become embittered and fatigued by her husband's lack of passion and ambition. On the verge of retirement, and divorce, Andrew is forced to come to terms with the platitude his life has become. Then John Taplow, a previously unnoticed pupil, gives Andrew an unexpected parting gift: a second-hand copy of Robert Browning's translation of Agamemnon – a gift which offers not only a opportunity for redemption, but the chance to gain back some dignity. The Browning Version was premiered at the Phoenix Theatre, London, in September 1948. This volume also contains Harlequinade, a farce about a touring theatre troupe, written to accompany The Browning Version in a double-bill under the joint title, Playbill. 'Few dramatists of this century have written with more understanding of the human heart than Terence Rattigan' Michael Billington This edition includes an authoritative introduction and biographical sketch by Rattigan scholar Dan Rebellato, along with a chronology of his plays.

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A 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 Guardian

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‘Imagine being him. Every day you wake up. You’re tired. Your body doesn’t work properly… You said it – you’d kill yourself.’ Two teenagers sneak into an old man’s home for a secret meeting. A young couple try to build their future whilst looking after an ailing parent. A care home offers its residents the opportunity to unburden their children. James Fritz's play The Fall takes a funny, moving and candid look at young people’s relationships to older people, confronting the frightening prospect of ageing in a country undergoing crises of housing and care. It was commissioned and premiered by the National Youth Theatre at the Finborough Theatre, London, in 2016, and revived at Southwark Playhouse in 2018.

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Written by an experienced teacher, and illustrated by line drawings and photographs, this book takes the actor step by step through the crucial process of choosing and performing an audition piece.

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'Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.' Christmas Eve, 1946, Bedford Falls. Down-on-his-luck banker George Bailey feels life has passed him by, and he's at the end of his rope. But when George's guardian angel pays him a visit, he's amazed to discover what life in his beloved town would be like without him. Maybe it's a wonderful life, after all? Based on the critically acclaimed Frank Capra movie, Mary Elliott Nelson's reimagining is a joyful story of love, hope and community. Commissioned by New Perspectives Theatre, It's a Wonderful Life has been produced around the UK, including a revival in 2023 at Reading Rep Theatre. Written for four actors, but suitable for many more, it offers other theatre companies a heartfelt adaptation of a much-loved classic to charm and delight audiences – at Christmas or any other time of the year!

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Mary Shelley: daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft; lover of Shelley; author of Frankenstein… Helen Edmundson's compelling play explores a crucial episode in the early life of Mary Shelley – her meeting and scandalous elopement aged sixteen with Percy Bysshe Shelley, and its consequences for her sisters, her stepmother and above all, her troubled father, the political philosopher William Godwin. Mary Shelley was first staged in a co-production between Shared Experience, Nottingham Playhouse and West Yorkshire Playhouse, at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds, in March 2012.

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Things are going to be different. Very different... 1838, London. Jacob Marley is dead. And so is Ebenezer Scrooge... In this reinvention of the timeless classic, Ebenezer has died and his sister Fan has inherited his money-lending business. She rapidly becomes notorious as the most monstrous miser ever known, a legendary misanthrope, lonely, and despised by all who cross her path. This year, on Christmas Eve, Fan Scrooge will be haunted by three spirits. They want her to change. But will she? Charles Dickens's traditional story was adapted for the stage by renowned author Piers Torday, and came to life in the Dickensian environment of the world's oldest-surviving music hall, Wilton's Music Hall, London, in 2019. It will prove a festive gift for amateur theatre companies seeking an original, female-led version with lashings of goodwill to all men - and women. Piers Torday's bestselling series for children, The Last Wild trilogy, has been sold all over the world, was nominated for the Waterstone's Children Book Award, and won the Guardian's Children's Fiction Prize. He also adapted The Box of Delights for Wilton's.

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An intense real-life thriller centred around the most important weather forecast in the history of warfare. June 1944. One man's decision is about to change the course of history. Everything is in place for the biggest invasion ever known in Europe – D-Day. One last crucial question remains: will the weather be right on the day? Problematically there are two opposing forecasts. American celebrity weatherman Colonel Krick predicts sunshine, while Scot Dr James Stagg, Chief Meteorological Officer for the Allied Forces, forecasts a storm. As the world watches and waits, General Eisenhower, Allied Supreme Commander, must decide which of these bitter antagonists to trust. The decision will not only seal the fates of thousands of men, but could win or lose the entire war. An extraordinary and little-known true story, David Haig's play thrillingly explores the responsibilities of leadership, the challenges of prophecy and the personal toll of taking a stand. Pressure premiered at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, in May 2014 before transferring to Chichester Festival Theatre, in a production directed by John Dove, with the author playing James Stagg.

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An adaptation of the beloved, award-winning children's novel. It's 1940, and Britain is at war. Young Chas McGill has the second-best collection of war souvenirs in town, but desparately wants it to be the best. Amidst the bombs and air raids, Chas and his friends plan their own war effort in their newly built bunker. Friendships are forged and loyalties tested, in the adventure of a lifetime... Robert Westall's The Machine Gunners has been read, studied - and loved - by successive generations of younger readers. It won the Carnegie Medal and was voted one of the most important children's novels of the past seventy years. This thrilling stage adaptation comes from the award-winning playwright Ali Taylor, and premiered at the Polka Theatre, London, in 2011. It provides rich opportunities for discussion in the classroom, and for staging by schools, youth theatres and amateur companies.

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The definitive text for today's and tomorrow's lighting designers, covering the complete history, theory and practice of lighting design. With over four hundred illustrations and nearly sixty colour photographs, as well as interviews with many well-known professionals, Stage Lighting Design is a comprehensive, insightful and inspiring book that every designer and would-be designer should own. It is arranged in four sections: Design: the basic principles, illustrated with reference to specific productions History: a brief survey of the historical development of stage lighting The Life: interviews with 14 other lighting designers, plus notes on Pilbrow's own career Mechanics: a comprehensive section dealing with all the technical data today's designer will need.

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The classic voice-training book for actors, teachers of voice and speech and anyone interested in vocal expression – by a pre-eminent voice teacher, actor and director. Fully revised and expanded edition. Linklater's approach is to liberate the voice you have rather than apply vocal techniques from the outside. Her basic assumption is that everyone possesses a voice capable of expressing whatever emotion, mood or thought he/she experiences. This edition incorporates vocal exercises developed over three decades to help the voice connect viscerally with language – a key element in the actors' craft. 'a radical breakaway from the old formal methods... an invaluable new resource... essential' Educational Theatre Journal 'the best and only work of its kind for vocal training' Educational Theatre News

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A hugely warm-hearted, comic tale of close-knit Indian family life in England, by the author of East is East. The wedding feast is over and the bridegroom's father is dancing the bhangra, but the groom himself is curiously reluctant to make his way to the bedroom... In fact he's so woefully inhibited by the proximity of his parents and his brother's childish pranks that his beautiful virgin bride remains just that. Six weeks later, the whole family start to panic. But 'Rafta, rafta...' or 'All in good time'! Based on Bill Naughton's 1963 play All in Good Time, Ayub Khan Din's play Rafta, Rafta... was first performed at the National Theatre, London, in the Lyttelton auditorium in April 2007, directed by Nicholas Hytner. It won Best New Comedy at the 2008 Olivier Awards. Rafta, Rafta... was later adapted for the big screen with the title All in Good Time.

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Two plays from the acclaimed playwright debbie tucker green. trade is a short play dealing with the controversial topic of female sex tourism. Three black women on a Caribbean island: a hip young thing from London, an older tourist and a resident native. One subject. Two worlds. Three points of view. trade was first performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company as part of the 2005 New Work Festival in the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in October 2005. (An earlier version of the play was performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company as part of the 2004 New Work Festival at The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon, in October 2004, and Soho Theatre, London, in March 2005). generations is a 30-minute drama about three generations of a black South African family who contest their relative culinary skills. But food isn't the only topic and the family numbers are declining... generations was first seen as a Platform performance at the National Theatre, London, on 30 June 2005. The play was revived at the Young Vic, London, in March 2007, in a production directed by Sacha Wares.

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A two-play dramatisation of Philip Pullman's extraordinary award-winning fantasy trilogy, first seen at the National Theatre. His Dark Materials takes us on a thrilling journey through worlds familiar and unknown. For Lyra and Will, its two central characters, it's a coming of age and a transforming spiritual experience. Their great quest demands a savage struggle against the most dangerous of enemies. They encounter fantastical creatures in parallel worlds – rebellious angels, soul-eating spectres, child-catching Gobblers and the armoured bears and witch-clans of the Arctic. Finally, before reaching, perhaps, the republic of heaven, they must visit the land of the dead. This adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, by Nicholas Wright, was first performed at the National Theatre in London in 2003.

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A practical investigation of how comedy works, by a well-respected practitioner and teacher. With a Foreword by Toby Jones. Comedy is recognised as one of the most problematic areas of performances. For that reason, it is rarely written about in any systematic way. John Wright, founder of Trestle Theatre and Told by an Idiot, brings a wide range of experience of physical comedy to this unique exploration of comedy and comedic techniques. The book opens with an analysis of the different kinds of laughter that can be provoked by performance. This is followed by the main part of the book: games and exercises devised to demonstrate and investigate the whole range of comic possibilities open to a performer. Why Is That So Funny? is an invaluable book for teachers and performers, and a fascinating read for anyone interested in how comedy works.

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Harriet Walter's wonderfully practical - and personal - introduction to acting. 'Acting is what I do with who I am', writes Harriet Walter. And in this book she takes us step by step through the processes involved in performance. Each step of the way is illuminated with brilliantly precise examples from her own career. So we are introduced to the Workshop, the Rehearsal, and the Roots and Pathways into a role. Then follows the main meat of the book: six Keys to the Development and Exploration of character. The closing section deals with Performance on stage and screen. Every insight, every suggestion is firmly rooted in the author's own experience. Harriet Walter's book is full of unparalleled insights into the everyday working life of an actor, and into quite how much hard work is needed before they can convincingly put themselves in other people's shoes. 'My advice to a young actor: read this book' Richard Eyre

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A step-by-step guide to Physical Theatre in both theory and practice - full of detailed exercises and inspiring ideas. In Through the Body, based on twelve years of teaching physical theatre, Dymphna Callery introduces the reader to the principles behind the work of certain key 20th-century theatre practitioners (Artaud, Grotowski, Meyerhold, Brook and Lecoq, among others) and offers exercises by which their theories can be turned into practice and their principles explored in action. The book takes the form of a series of workshops starting with the preparation of the body through Awareness, Articulation, Energy and Neutrality. A section on Mask-work is followed by further work on the body, investigating Presence, Complicité, Play, Audience, Rhythm, Sound and E-motion. The book - and the work - culminates in sections on Devising and on the Physical Text. There is also a thorough bibliography and a contact list of training courses in the UK and abroad. 'This book offers everything you have ever wanted to know about Physical Theatre. It is very detailed but at the same time very easy to understand. It breaks down every topic to short paragraphs which are informative and simple. A must for any theatre student or lecturer for that matter!' Amazon readers review

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A practical, hands-on guide - for actors, directors, teachers and students - to Brecht's theory and practice of theatre, with a full set of exercises to help put theory into practice. The Complete Brecht Toolkit examines, one by one, Brecht's many, sometimes contradictory ideas about theatre - and how he put them into practice. Here are explanations of all the famous key terms, such as Alienation Effect, Epic Theatre and Gestus, as well as many others which go to make up what we think of as 'Brechtian theatre'. The book also explores the practical application of these theories in Acting, Language, Music, Design and Direction. Also included are fifty exercises contributed by Julian Jones, to help student actors investigate Brecht's ideas for themselves, becoming thoroughly familiar with the tools in the Brecht toolkit.

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

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