Search results for ""nick hern books""

Sophie is about to become a single mum – a third-generation one – and she's terrified. How will she afford to feed her baby? Or a Deluxe Snuggle Pod? Can she hold on to her job? What if she's crap at parenthood? Surely she can count on her own mum and nan to help... Except her mum's got used to having a life of her own, and doesn't fancy giving up pole-dancing class and Tinder to go back to changing nappies and no sleep. Meanwhile, fresh out of hospital with a broken leg, her nan's having a three-quarter-life crisis of her own. From slammed doors to living-room karaoke, Lydia Marchant's play Mumsy is a sparky, soulful comedy drama about the highs and lows of motherhood. It premiered at Hull Truck Theatre in March 2023.

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'The difference between death and extinction is this: death is to cease to exist. Extinction is to extinguish. I think of death as individual. Extinction is collective.' Naomi belongs to a theatre company that has made a play especially for you, who are living through extinction. The actors haven't shown up yet, but in the meantime Naomi has a plan. Part ritual, part battle cry, A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction is an innovative one-woman show exploring what it means to be human in an era of ecological disaster. Miranda Rose Hall's darkly funny, life-affirming play received its 2023 British premiere in a Headlong and Barbican co-production, directed by Katie Mitchell. A bold experiment in eco-theatremaking, it was powered entirely by bicycles. After opening at London's Barbican, it embarked on a 'zero-travel' tour: the play journeyed to other venues around the UK, whilst the people and materials did not. The play had been first produced at Baltimore Center Stage in 2021, and was a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

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An essential resource for anyone studying Princess & The Hustler by Chinonyerem Odimba 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 Princess & The Hustler 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 Chinonyerem Odimba, colour photographs of the original production, 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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'Nothing is any longer one thing.' From a teenage encounter with Elizabeth I, through infatuations, voyages and even a change of gender, Orlando lives out five centuries of life and love before they finally find the courage to truly be themselves. Neil Bartlett's sparkling adaptation of Virginia Woolf's famous fantasy finds powerful contemporary relevance in her vision of equal rights to love for bodies of every kind – and brings it to life on the stage with a kaleidoscope of theatrical styles, overseen by the haunting figure of Woolf herself. It premiered at the Garrick Theatre in London's West End in November 2022, in a production directed by Michael Grandage and starring Emma Corrin in the title role. Written for a diverse ensemble of nine or more actors, this adaptation will appeal to any theatre or company looking to entertain their audiences with a bold new take on this iconic tale of love and transformation.

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In this candid and empowering A to Z of being an actor, Julie Hesmondhalgh draws on her decades of experience on stage and screen – including in massively popular television shows such as Broadchurch, Happy Valley and Coronation Street – to lift the lid on the realities of life in today's industry, and show you how to navigate it. She shares practical advice on preparing for roles (don't be afraid of looking like a dick), managing the ups and downs of your career (and how to be out of work without losing your mind), dealing with failure (and success), not constantly comparing yourself to others (bloody hard, but try), looking after your mental health, and the power of knowing when to say 'no'. Passionate about the arts, she makes a compelling case for their importance to society, but also calls out the industry on where it continues to fall short – including a clear-eyed assessment of what needs to change to make it safer and healthier, more accessible and inclusive. Written with refreshing honesty and self-deprecating humour, An Actor's Alphabet is a book for anyone who dreams of becoming an actor, wants to be a better one, or just wants to learn what being one is really like. 'Endearingly honest, funny and eye-opening. I loved it!' Francesca Martinez 'Like its author, this book is brimming with wisdom, intelligence, empathy and humanity... An absolute must!' Maxine Peake 'This is the best book on acting and being an actor I've read… Julie Hesmondhalgh is the mentor/best friend/guide we all need in these troubled times' Paul Chahidi 'Wonderful… not just a book about acting, but also about life. Us. The world. Humanity. Battling through this shit and finding time for a hug. I adore it.' Russell T Davies 'A must-read, whether you've been on the artist's journey for years or are just starting out' Shobna Gulati 'This book is bold, brash, sincere and angry. It regrets nothing and questions everything… Treasure it like we should treasure Julie' Jack Thorne 'A generous gift to actors, full of honesty, hope and wit. There is loads of tangible advice, not just for acting but for life' Anna Jordan 'Julie's book is honest, challenging and helpful. A great read' Andy Nyman

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'She's chucked out like an old coat that nae langer fits him…' Medea and Jason, clinging together as refugees in Corinth, have struggled to bring up their beloved offspring in this alien and unsympathetic society. Now Jason has a plan to better integrate himself. Unfortunately, this involves abandoning his wife, the mother of his children… Spurned, destitute, desperate, Medea exacts her terrible retribution. Liz Lochhead's Scots-inflected version of Euripides' classic revenge tragedy was first performed by Theatre Babel in 2000 and won the Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year Award. It was revived by the National Theatre of Scotland as part of the 2022 Edinburgh International Festival, with Adura Onashile as Medea, directed by Michael Boyd.

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Duluth, Minnesota. 1934. A community living on a knife-edge. Lost and lonely people huddle together in the local guesthouse. The owner, Nick, owes more money than he can ever repay, his wife Elizabeth is losing her mind, and their daughter Marianne is carrying a child no one will account for. So, when a preacher selling bibles and a boxer looking for a comeback turn up in the middle of the night, things spiral beyond the point of no return... In Girl from the North Country, Conor McPherson beautifully weaves the iconic songbook of Bob Dylan into a show full of hope, heartbreak and soul. It premiered at The Old Vic, London, in July 2017, in a production directed by Conor McPherson, and later transferred to the West End, Broadway, Australia, Ireland and toured the UK.

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'We all live under the same sky. It's just that, beneath that sky, there's some arsehole saying, "Don't stand here, stand over there and shut your mouth."' Elif shears sheep for a rich landowner. Every other waking hour she spends queuing outside the palace, hoping that the King will let her live within the city walls. She comes from a faraway land. She is searching for sanctuary. And this is what we call a 'hostile environment'. Sami Ibrahim's play A Sudden Violent Burst of Rain is a poetic fable about an impenetrable immigration system that mirrors our own. It premiered in Paines Plough's Roundabout in 2022, including a run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, as a co-production between Paines Plough and Rose Theatre, Kingston, in association with the Gate Theatre, London.

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'It's always bad luck for a woman to be on board... no offence.' Corrina, following in her seafaring father's footsteps, boards a cargo ship set for Singapore. Not everyone is pleased to have her aboard – and not everyone will make it to their final destination. Set in the claustrophobic cabins and corridors of a container ship at sea, Chloë Moss's play Corrina, Corrina is a story of power dynamics, superstitions and revenge, exploring what happens when we think no one is watching. This gripping thriller premiered at Liverpool Everyman in 2022, as a co-production between Headlong and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, directed by Holly Race Roughan.

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Jim Becker and his unlicensed drivers take the people of Pittsburgh Hill District where regular taxi cabs won't - healing old wounds and tearing new ones as they pass the time in a condemned taxi rank between pick-ups. August Wilson's groundbreaking modern classic explores the fragile bond between eight men as they live, love and work in a racially segregated, post-Vietnam America. Jitney received its British premiere at the National Theatre, London, in 2001, when it won the Olivier Award for Best New Play. This new edition was published alongside the 2021–22 revival by The Old Vic, Headlong and Leeds Playhouse, directed by Tinuke Craig.

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'They say Pericles caught democracy from you in bed.' Today, Socrates is revered as the founding father of Western philosophy. But in 399 BC Athens, he was a pain in the neck. The plague is over, democracy is (just about) restored, and everyone would like to get back to normal. How hard is it for one ageing firebrand to stop asking questions? It's time to shut him up... Based on eyewitness accounts, Howard Brenton's Cancelling Socrates is a provocative and witty play about an uncompromising voice in dangerous times. It was premiered at Jermyn Street Theatre, London, in June 2022, directed by the venue's Artistic Director Tom Littler.

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'The book all actors need – a vital manual to help you stay balanced in an increasingly demanding industry' Miranda Hart The Jobbing Actor is an innovative six-week coaching programme designed by accredited coaches to help you achieve your acting ambitions. It's not just another 'how to' guide telling you what you already know; it's a professional self-development programme that's high on impact and low on bullshit. Week by week, it will guide you through a structured series of industry-focused and holistic exercises and challenges. Full of uplifting advice and practical hints and tips, it covers every aspect of building and sustaining a career – from auditions and self-taping, through dealing with rejection and other trip-ups, to networking, branding and diversifying. Also included are daily journal pages in which you'll set your targets and goals, and track your progress. Inspiring, empowering – and fun! – The Jobbing Actor is your own personal coach in handy paperback form. It'll empower you to take stock of where you are personally and professionally, instigate long-term, positive change, and reclaim ownership of your career. Anita Gilbert and Letty Butler (aka Bert & Butler) have between them over forty years' experience in the business. Anita has worked as a professional actor, as well as a theatrical agent, and is now a full-time voice and accent coach. Letty is a jobbing actor and comedienne, with extensive credits for stage and screen. She's also an award-winning writer and professional life coach. 'Brilliant. A godsend to actors!' Eleanor Tomlinson 'No-nonsense, practical advice delivered with humour, warmth and a real desire to help actors succeed' Peter Hunt (Head of Casting, Lime Pictures)

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'Our wars may come in many forms. On the battlefields. Within ourselves.' Mahatma Gandhi: lawyer, champion of non-violence, beloved leader. Nathuram Godse: journalist, nationalist – and the man who murdered him. Anupama Chandrasekhar's play The Father and the Assassin traces Godse's life over thirty years during India's fight for independence: from a devout follower of Gandhi, through to his radicalisation and their tragic final encounter in Delhi in 1948. An essential exploration of oppression and extremism, this gripping play opened to critical acclaim at the National Theatre, London, in May 2022, directed by Indhu Rubasingham – and was revived there the following year. It was a finalist for the 2022-23 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

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'We are all slaves to our genes. Worse than that; we are all slaves to our parents' genes.' Dr Richard Myers, the great IVF innovator, is virtually a secular saint because of the thousands of babies he has created throughout his career. Now, his family have gathered at his home on Manhattan's Upper West Side to see him receive a lifetime achievement award. It's not long before this fractious group, more accustomed to debate than empathy, fall into dispute once again: over conflicting Thanksgiving memories, polarised opinions on investment banking, and how best to care for their ailing father. And crucially, who will inherit Richard's wealth and his prestigious science institution? A vivid and thrilling portrait of a brilliantly dysfunctional family, Alexis Zegerman's The Fever Syndrome was first produced at Hampstead Theatre, London, in March 2022, directed by Roxana Silbert.

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'We – artists, thinkers, creators – have a responsibility to communicate the truth of the climate emergency. The world is shape-shifting and our culture must too.' This book is a guide to one hundred brilliant plays addressing the most urgent and important issue of our time: the climate crisis. The plays – drawn from around the world, written by one hundred different writers, and demonstrating a vast span of styles, genres and cast sizes – all speak to an aspect of the climate emergency. Encompassing both famous plays and lesser-known works, the selection includes recent writing that explicitly wrestles with these issues, as well as classic texts in which these resonances now ring out clearly. Each play is explored in a concise essay illuminating key themes, and highlighting its contribution to our understanding of climate issues, with sections including Resources, Energy, Migration, Responsibility, Fightback and Hope. 100 Plays to Save the World is a book to provoke as well as inspire – to start conversations, to inform debate, to challenge our thinking, and to be a launch pad for future productions. It is also an empowering resource for theatre directors, producers, teachers, youth leaders and writers looking for plays that speak to our present moment. Above all, it is a call to arms, to step up, think big, and unleash theatre's power to imagine a better future into being. The book includes a foreword by Daze Aghaji, a leading youth climate justice activist. 'This book is a kind of miracle, a thrilling compendium of plays that speak to the enormous environmental crisis of our time. Freestone and O'Hare have exquisite taste and brilliant analysis, illuminating plays I've never heard of, as well as plays I thought I knew. 100 Plays to Save the World should be required reading for everyone who believes in the power of theatre to move the world; I will certainly never plan a season again without referring to it.' Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director, The Public Theater, New York 'This book is dynamite. Through lively play analysis and accessible environmental know-how, it will galvanise theatre-makers to step up and artists to be heard. Theatre must play its part in the climate fight and this book shows us how.' Kwame Kwei-Armah, Artistic Director, Young Vic Theatre, London

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'I dunno how it happened, But I like you. I don't know where it came from, But I… Need to stop saying I like you.' Eve's eyes are green like guacamole, she has posh hair, a freckle on her chin (it might be chocolate), and when she puts her hand on Elle's arm… Bloody Elle – A Gig Musical is a heart-warming and belly-achingly funny story about falling in love for the very first time, stuffed full of stomach-flipping, time-stopping moments, touches, glances, kisses. Written and originally performed by Lauryn Redding, this one-person gig musical, set to an original score, was first performed at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, in June 2021. It was directed by the theatre's Joint Artistic Director Bryony Shanahan and co-produced with Rebel Productions. It was revived at the Royal Exchange in June 2022, before transferring to the Traverse Theatre for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

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'everything i do kills you. i don't know if i love you because i have to or because i can't help it… i don't know if both of those things are bad.' It's one of those hot April evenings that feel like summer, and the heat is stifling in Sissy's London flat as she dances, unrestrained, beautiful, alive… But when sixteen-year-old Eshe arrives, powerful emotions come to the surface – and the two women are locked in a dance where freedom clashes with duty. babriye bukilwa's play …cake is a psychological drama that asks if the cycle of generational trauma can ever be broken. Can queer, Black femmes find love and belonging when the soil beneath them – and the climate around them – is hostile? It was first performed at Theatre Peckham, London, in 2021, directed by the venue's Associate Director, malakaï sargeant.

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Johann Sebastian Bach, irascible and turbulent, writes music of sensuous delight and deep religious fervour. He's touchy, he's fabulously rude, he has impossibly high standards (he stabs a bassoonist for playing badly), and he's constantly in trouble with his patrons. Music is the family business – but the burden of their father's genius weighs heavily on his sons. Wilhelm is brilliant but self-destructive. Tense, industrious Carl is more successful than his father, but knows he is less talented. As the years pass, their rivalry provokes furious arguments about love, God and above all music. What is it for – to give pleasure, like a cup of coffee in the sun, or to reveal the divine order that gives life its meaning? Beautiful, profound and funny, Nina Raine's play Bach & Sons is a gripping family drama and an anthem to the art that draws us together and sings of our common humanity. It premiered at the Bridge Theatre, London, in June 2021, directed by Nicholas Hytner, with Simon Russell Beale playing J. S. Bach.

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An engaging, upbeat guide for any student thinking of applying to drama school. If you're thinking of applying to drama school, The Excellent Audition Guide will give you everything you need to prepare well and perform your audition to the best of your ability. Experienced actor, director and drama teacher Andy Johnson leads you through every step of the application process: Researching drama schools Writing personal statements and CVs Choosing and working on your speeches and songs Brushing up technical and vocal skills And, of course: How to tackle the auditions themselves by being true to yourself and making fear your friend A reassuring, encouraging 'how to' book that demystifies an often scary-looking process, The Excellent Audition Guide is ideal not just for applicants themselves, but also for parents, teachers and careers advisors looking to help them fulfill their acting ambitions. 'Smart, dynamic and inspiring, this is an invaluable book for anyone thinking of trying for drama school' Michael Simkins 'There's only one book in the world I would read about getting into drama school and doing good auditions. It's this one.' Vanessa Kirby (Great Expectations, Labyrinth, Three Sisters, Jupiter Ascending) 'This book is accurate and beautifully concise. I wish Andy's written wisdom had been with me when I was applying to drama school.' Freddie Fox (Guildhall School of Music and Drama, The Judas Kiss, Hay Fever, The Mystery of Edwin Drood)

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A ‘fast-forward’ acting course covering all the essential techniques an actor needs to know and use – with a suite of exercises to put each technique into practice. John Abbott's The Acting Book offers various ways to analyse a text and to create character, using not only the established processes of Stanislavsky and Meisner, but also new ones developed by the author over many years of teaching drama students. It also sets out a wide range of rehearsal techniques and improvisations, and it brims over with inventive practical exercises designed to stimulate the actor’s imagination and build confidence. The book will be invaluable to student actors as an accompaniment to their training, to established actors who wish to refresh their technique, and to drama teachers at every level. ‘Abbott knows what he’s talking about and has a gift for expressing himself in straightforward, clutter-free language’ The Stage on Improvisation in Rehearsal

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'Do you know what it’s like to be the person who’s actually sticking the knife in here? Or here? You stick a knife in close to an artery, boy do you know it. Then you’re in tiger country.' Nina Raine's Tiger Country is a hospital play that follows a tangle of doctors and nurses in a busy London hospital. Professionalism and prejudice, turbulent staff romances, ambition and failure collide in this swirling, action-packed drama about an overburdened health service that we all depend on and the dedicated individuals that keep it going. 'Tiger country' is where animal instinct stirs and an irrefutable eye opens. Where we make eye contact with the unknown. Tiger Country was premiered at Hampstead Theatre in 2011 and, following its sell-out run, was revived there in 2014.

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The extraordinary and mesmeric play by the Swedish author who was reputedly a model for Miss Julie and Hedda Gabler. One sunny day in Paris, Gustave Alland, famous artist and philanderer, visits Louise Strandberg - convalescing in her brother's studio - and casts her effortlessly under his spell. In a vain attempt to escape, she exiles herself to her provincial hometown in Sweden. But a letter propels her back to Paris and into his arms. And for a brief moment, ecstasy is hers. Victoria Benedictsson's play The Enchantment was written shortly before her suicide in 1888. This English version by Clare Bayley was first staged at the National Theatre, London, in July 2007.

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Eight short plays, commissioned and developed as part of the Women Centre Stage Festival, that together demonstrate the range, depth and richness of women's writing for the stage. Selected by Sue Parrish, Artistic Director of Sphinx Theatre, these plays offer a wide variety of rewarding roles for women, and are perfect for schools, youth groups and theatre companies to perform. How to Not Sink by Georgia Christou looks at duty, love and dependency across three generations of women. In Wilderness by April De Angelis, a patient and her psychiatrist head into the wilderness to find out how sane any of us really are. In Chloe Todd Fordham’s The Nightclub, three very different women at a gay nightclub in Orlando are caught up in a terrifying hate crime. Fucking Feminists by Rose Lewenstein is a fiercely funny investigation of what feminism means, and what it has become. Winsome Pinnock’s Tituba is a one-woman show about Tituba Indian, the enslaved woman who played a central role in the seventeenth-century Salem Witch Trials. In The Road to Huntsville by Stephanie Ridings, a writer researching women who fall in love with men on death row finds herself crossing the line. White Lead by Jessica Siân explores the expectations and responsibilities of being an artist and a woman. In What is the Custom of Your Grief? by Timberlake Wertenbaker, an English schoolgirl whose brother has been killed on active duty in Afghanistan is befriended online by an Afghan girl. Sphinx Theatre has been at the vanguard of promoting, advocating and inspiring women in the arts through productions, conferences and research for more than forty years.

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Subhi is a refugee. Born in an Australian permanent detention centre after his mother fled the violence of a distant homeland, life behind the fences is all he's ever known. Now his imagination is pushing at the limits of his world. One day, Jimmie appears on the other side of the fence, bringing a notebook written by the mother she lost. Unable to read it, she relies on Subhi to unravel her own family's mysterious and moving history. Together, Subhi and Jimmie must find a way to freedom, and they must be braver than they've ever been before... The Bone Sparrow, Zana Fraillon's powerful and deeply moving novel about the displacement and treatment of refugees and sanctuary seekers, has been widely read and studied around the world since its publication in 2017. This enthralling stage adaptation by award-winning Australian playwright S. Shakthidharan was first produced on a UK tour in 2022 by Pilot Theatre with York Theatre Royal, Derby Theatre, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, and Mercury Theatre Colchester. Also included is a range of teaching materials and resources designed to help educators bring the play to life for their students. Praise for the novel, The Bone Sparrow: 'With an affecting and distinctive narrative voice... [Zana Fraillon] builds a convincing and complete world. Moving and memorable, The Bone Sparrow deserves to be read by all who care about our common humanity' Guardian 'A heartrending tale about how our stories make us, and also an angry polemic, vividly convincing in its detailed description of what it means for your home to be a tent in the dust behind a guarded fence' Sunday Times 'This is a tragic, beautifully crafted and wonderful book whose chirpy, stoic hero shames us all' Independent Winner of the Amnesty CILIP Honour Award Shortlisted for the Carnegie Award and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize

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A quick-witted satirical farce set in the Whips' office at Westminster. It's a week before Christmas, and the new Tory government is facing dissent over its latest Bill. With a majority of only three, the Whips' office is out in full force, and they'll stop at nothing to keep the strays in line. But they're in for a long night: boy scouts are rioting in Whitehall, the PM's golfing with the President, five Tory rebels are on the loose and the Chief Whip's playing at Santa – could this be the beginnings of a leadership challenge? Steve Thompson's play Whipping It Up is a fast-moving switchback of a comedy, with more twists and double-bluffs than a poker game between conmen. It was first staged at the Bush Theatre, London, in November 2006, in a production starring Richard Wilson. It transferred to the West End in March 2007.

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Three of Scotland's top playwrights have combined forces on a single play.

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A guide to Psycho-Physical Acting, complete with games and exercises. When Stanislavsky died, he was working on a new system, Psycho-Physical Acting. Previously he had taught that truthful performance can only spring from the actor's imagination (the Method). Late in life, Stanislavsky realised that physical actions can induce emotions just as much as the other way round. Though well-known - and much taught - in Russia, Psycho-Physical Acting is in its infancy in the West. Bella Merlin has studied under three of the best teachers in Russia; this book is the fruit of her time there. 'This is a book which is vital both to practitioners and to all serious students of the theatre' Max Stafford-Clark 'A seminal book for today... an outstandingly lucid account... essential reading' Simon Callow

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Written in the early fifties when Rattigan was at the height of his powers, The Deep Blue Sea is a powerful account of lives blighted by love - or the lack of it. The play opens with the failed suicide of Hester Collyer (Peggy Ashcroft in the first production), who has deserted her husband for the raffish charms of an ex-fighter pilot. Terence Rattigan's The Deep Blue Sea was first performed at the Duchess Theatre in the West End in March 1952. This edition includes an authoritative introduction, biographical sketch and chronology. 'Few dramatists of this century have written with more understanding of the human heart than Terence Rattigan' Michael Billington

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Disco Pigs is the award-winning play about two warped teenagers that confirmed Enda Walsh's place in the forefront of young Irish dramatists and was filmed in 2001 with Cillian Murphy and Elaine Cassidy. Pig and Runt are two 17-year-olds who share everything: birthday, language, worldview - and that moment when pop songs and life-changing orgasms flash by and last forever. Disco Pigs was first performed by Corcadorca Theatre Company at the Triskel Arts Centre, Cork, in September 1996, and subsequently at the 1996 Dublin Theatre Festival. It received its UK premiere at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, in August 1997, before transferring to the Bush Theatre, London, in September 1997, and then on international tour. It won the Stewart Parker Prize for the best Irish debut play and the George Devine Award in 1997. Also included in this volume is Sucking Dublin, a fierce and uncompromising short play about a group of five individuals tormented by a rape in a claustrophobic, drug-infested Dublin. Sucking Dublin was first performed by the Outreach Department of the Abbey Theatre at Basin Lane Youth Reach Centre in Dublin in 1997. It also played at the Samuel Beckett Theatre in Trinity College, Dublin, from 4 November 1997.

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Drama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price Henrik Ibsen's revolutionary play about a woman's awakening to her need for a life of her own. A Doll's House was premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December 1879. This English version of A Doll's House is translated and introduced by Kenneth McLeish.

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The gruesomely fascinating musical about the 'Demon Barber of Fleet Street', one of Sondheim's greatest hits. From the writing partnership behind A Little Night Music. Victim of a gross injustice that robbed him of his wife and child, Sweeney Todd sets about exacting a terrible revenge on society: slitting the throats of the customers who visit his barbershop. But things are getting complicated – a romance has developed with Mrs Lovett, the lady who runs the pie shop next door, and the disappearances are starting to cause concern. With the bodies piling up, Sweeney Todd hits upon a novel idea, and starts passing on his 'patrons' to his homely neighbour... Meat pie, anyone? Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's musical Sweeney Todd opened on Broadway in 1979 and in the West End in 1980. It won the Tony Award for Best Musical and Olivier Award for Best New Musical. It has since had numerous revivals as well as a film adaptation.

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This accessible, systematic guide will teach you how to memorise your lines quickly and effectively, and let go of the fear of forgetting them – helping you build confidence and focus, and reducing anxiety and stress around auditions, rehearsal and performance. Inside, you’ll find dozens of tips, tricks and techniques such as Memory Palaces, Mental Maps, Creative Memorisation, Visual Cues and many more, along with exercises and examples to illustrate how they work in practice. Discover how to harness these tools to strengthen your memory, and develop a personalised line-learning strategy that works for you and your acting process – one that is easier, faster and more enjoyable. 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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'I'm tired of living in a world that's not mine.' 1508. France. A woman dances compulsively – and soon hundreds join her. 1962. Tanzania. A schoolgirl's laughing fit spreads from village to village. 2011. USA. Cheerleaders are overcome by uncontrollable twitching. 2023. London. A group of women suddenly lose the ability to speak – and no one can figure out why. The team at an all-female podcast decide to investigate and end up on a journey of discovery, uncovering more than they bargained for. The Maladies by Carmen Nasr is a powerful, provocative play, offering rich material for schools, colleges and youth theatres, particularly those looking for leading roles for young women. It was devised with the Almeida Young Company, directed by Yasmin Hafesji, and first performed at The Yard Theatre, London, in April 2022.

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'The future of theatre will belong to the maverick minds who possess the skills to mix things up and who have enough tools in their box to trick the game.' This is a practical, grassroots, self-empowerment book for theatremakers. It's for anybody who wants to make live theatre, whether you're an actor, a director, a producer, a designer or a writer. Whether you're all of these, or none of them. Categories don't matter. What matters is making your show, and putting it in front of an audience. This book is not a method, nor a practice. It's an accessible toolbox of reflections and provocations designed to help you – an independent-minded, career-driven, professional theatremaker – along the path towards achieving your dreams. Inside, Russell Lucas shares his decades of experience in independent theatremaking, covering aspects including: Generating and developing ideas Working with other creatives Promoting your show and selling tickets Understanding the power of the audience Making ends meet and sustaining your career He tackles abstract problems, dissects the practical ones, and debunks plenty of myths along the way. Inspiring and unconventional, but always grounded in sound, real-world sense, 300 Thoughts for Theatremakers is a book for anyone who's passionate about a life in theatre, and wants to make that a reality. 'Thank God for this book. It will surely be a comfort and support to all those who follow in Russell Lucas's independent and determined footsteps' Alan Lane, Artistic Director of Slung Low, from his Foreword

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'You've lies in the whites of your eyes, Nora. What have you done...?' Nora is the perfect wife and mother. She is dutiful, beautiful and everything is always in its right place. But when a secret from her past comes back to haunt her, her life rapidly unravels. Over the course of three days, Nora must fight to protect herself and her family or risk losing everything. Henrik Ibsen's brutal portrayal of womanhood caused outrage when it was first performed in 1879. This bold new version by Stef Smith reframes the drama in three different time periods. The fight for women's suffrage, the Swinging Sixties and the modern day intertwine in this urgent, poetic play that asks how far have we really come in the past hundred years? Nora : A Doll's House was first produced by the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, in 2019, at Tramway, Glasgow. A new production opened at the Young Vic, London, in February 2020. It was a finalist for the 2020 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, awarded annually to celebrate women who have written works of outstanding quality for the English-speaking theatre. 'A radical, stunning reworking which thrums with relevance and power... a wordsmith at the top of her poetic game... a classic play reinvented for our time' - BritishTheatre.com 'An intense, ambitious survey of women's shifting roles, which amplifies each step in Ibsen's elegantly crafted story, as though Nora's stamping through a cathedral in Doc Martens... Smith's ingenious dialogue makes what could be massively complicated feel simple and legible' - Time Out 'Smith's update is smart and thoughtful, balancing a sense of feminist history and activism with the tightness of a thriller and some rich personal drama' - The Stage 'Stef Smith's excellent adaptation... a provocation infused with Ibsen's radical spirit' - Guardian 'A beautiful and explosively significant piece of theatre' - Scotsman

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Whether you’re applying for drama school, taking an exam, or auditioning for a professional role, it’s likely you’ll be required to perform one or more monologues, including a piece from a contemporary play. It’s vital to come up with something fresh that’s suited both to you – in order to allow you to express who you are as a performer – and to the specific purposes of the audition. In this book, you’ll find forty fantastic speeches featuring female roles, all written and premiered since the year 2014, by some of the most exciting dramatic voices writing today. Playwrights include Mike Bartlett, Andrew Bovell, Chris Bush, Jez Butterworth, Vivienne Franzmann, Ella Hickson, Lucy Kirkwood, Chinonyerem Odimba, Frances Poet and Stef Smith. The plays featured were premiered at leading venues including the National, the Royal Court, Soho and Hampstead in London, prestigious theatres in Cardiff, Chichester, Edinburgh and Sheffield, and by renowned companies including Clean Break, Frantic Assembly and HighTide. Drawing on her experience as an actor, director and teacher at several leading drama schools, Trilby James introduces each speech with a user-friendly, bullet-point list of ten essential things you need to know about the character, and then five inspiring ideas to help you perform the monologue. This book also features a step-by-step guide to the process of selecting and preparing your speech, and approaching the audition itself. ‘Easy-to-use… The guidance is perhaps the most thorough I have seen in a monologue book’ Teaching Drama on Trilby James’s first volume of Contemporary Monologues Please note that some of the speeches in this volume contain strong language and themes which some readers may find inappropriate.

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This is not a story about the Yorkshire Ripper. It's 1975 and Sharon just wants to marry Donny Osmond. Her mum, June, is working to keep girls like Helen off the street, and Fiona is desperate to get inside the Milgarth Police Station incident room. Between the years of 1975 and 1980, the women of Leeds lived in fear. With no clue as to who was responsible for the sustained attacks and murders across the city, the authorities urged women to stay at home. From the fear and fury, a steadfast solidarity arose, birthing the Reclaim the Night movement and echoing down the generations to this day. Charley Miles's play There Are No Beginnings was premiered at Leeds Playhouse in October 2019, in a production featuring Julie Hesmondhalgh.

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It's Bobbie's thirty-fifth birthday party, and all her friends are wondering why she isn't married. Why can't she find the right man, settle down and start a family? A breakthrough on Broadway in 1970, Company is Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's legendary musical comedy about life, love and loneliness, featuring some of Sondheim's most iconic songs including 'Company', 'You Could Drive a Person Crazy', 'The Ladies Who Lunch', 'Side by Side' and 'Being Alive'. The acclaimed West End revival in 2018 was conceived and directed by award-winning director Marianne Elliott and produced by Elliott & Harper Productions. Reimagining the musical by switching the gender of several characters, including the protagonist Bobbie, played by Rosalie Craig, the production also starred Patti LuPone, Mel Giedroyc and Jonathan Bailey. It won the Peter Hepple Award for Best Musical at the 2018 Critics' Circle Theatre Awards. This edition features the complete revised book and lyrics for the production, colour production photographs, and an introduction by Sondheim's biographer David Benedict.

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We are all a complex mixture of the elemental energies identified by many different cultures throughout history: Earth, Air, Fire, Water – and a fifth element called Quintessence or Spirit. As an actor, you need to be able to access each of them, so that you can draw on whichever element you need to bring your role fully into life. In The Elemental Actor, Mel Churcher explores these deep, primal drives, and gives you practical tools to harness them to make your work more powerful and alive. Her unique approach combines elements of actor training, voice work and movement to increase your range and help you bring depth, specificity and intensity to your performance. The book includes over one hundred games and exercises to help you explore each of the elements, incorporate this work into your practice, and apply it to the world of your role. There are also tips for preparing for auditions and dealing with performance anxiety, as well as advice on how to stay healthy in body, voice and mind. Offering an everlasting palette that will enrich any performance, whether on stage or screen, The Elemental Actor will help you release the wellspring of your imagination, and put elemental power into your work. Mel Churcher is an international acting, dialogue and voice coach who has worked with companies including the Royal National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, Shakespeare's Globe, Young Vic, Royal Court Theatre and Graeae Theatre Company. She is one of the top acting and dialogue coaches in TV and movies, and has worked with some of the biggest stars of stage and screen.

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Maddy and Rory are devoted parents to 3-year-old Joshua, committed to keeping him happy and safe. But when an everyday visit to a supermarket café turns into a far more troubling incident, their trust even in those closest to them is shattered. Fear and doubt consume them, until they reach a savage breaking point. Gut is a taut psychological thriller that explores who we can trust with our children. And whether it’s more dangerous not to trust at all.

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‘Ever had the feeling you’re going round in one big circle? It’s like I can’t stop recycling my ex-boyfriends. Ten years back and forth between a trio of arseholes and nothing to show for it except a baby, an Argos ring and a beat-up nose.’ Marnie is stuck in a women’s refuge, trying to escape toxic relationship patterns, just wanting to do the best for herself and her daughter. But how do you get out of a rut when everyone you know is a liability? Box Clever is a moving, truthful and darkly comic play, which premiered at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe in a production by nabokov and The Marlowe, Canterbury, in Paines Plough’s pop-up theatre, Roundabout. ‘Monsay Whitney is a writer of ferocious honesty, rare imagination and extraordinary humanity. She has the potential to become a startling and significant figure in British Theatre’ Simon Stephens

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'So you know how on the news these days there's just this endless stream of horrendous shit going down, like every single night? Suicide bombs, mass shootings, genocides, drone strikes, school massacres – it's like the end of the world or something... And you're kind of like – "Could I even cope if that stuff happened to me?"' Six young people are caught in the aftermath of a terrorist attack in the heart of London. By turns terrifying, inspiring, brutal, heartbreaking and hilarious, BU21 is verbatim theatre from the very near future. Stuart Slade's play comprises six interlinking monologues. It premiered at Theatre503, London, in 2016, in a co-production with Kuleshov, before transferring to the Trafalgar Studios, London, in January 2017.

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'You see, Brenda, I'm not like other men...' In a dingy London bedsit in the late 1950s, George is planning a night on the town with his friend Gordon. Weaver wants to come too, and soon Mrs Tebbit, the landlady, has been invited. But when Mr Thomas shows up, the night takes a strange and sinister turn... Kathy Burke's first play is a gritty, darkly funny look at attitudes to homosexuality in the 1950s, a portrait of repressed sexuality and alcoholism – and an homage to the great masters of British theatre, Wilde, Coward, Pinter and Orton. Mr Thomas premiered at the Old Red Lion Theatre, London, in January 1990, directed by the playwright, and starring Ray Winstone as Weaver. Re-issued in this new edition, the play provides rich opportunities for theatre companies, and is a fascinating insight into the work of one of our best-loved actresses.

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‘Vanishing. It’s a powerful word, that. A powerful word.’ County Armagh, Northern Ireland, 1981. The Carney farmhouse is a hive of activity with preparations for the annual harvest. A day of hard work on the land and a traditional night of feasting and celebrations lie ahead. But this year they will be interrupted by a visitor. Developed by Sonia Friedman Productions, Jez Butterworth's play The Ferryman premiered to huge acclaim at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in April 2017, before transferring to the West End and then Broadway. The production was directed by Sam Mendes. It went on to win the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Play, and the Critics' Circle, Olivier and WhatsOnStage Awards for Best New Play. It also won the 2019 Tony Award for Best Play.

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Forty fantastic female speeches for teenagers, all written since the year 2000, by some of the most exciting and acclaimed writers working today. Whether you're applying for drama school, taking an exam, or auditioning for a professional role, it's likely you'll be required to perform one or more monologues, including a piece from a contemporary play. It's vital to come up with something fresh that's suited both to you – in order to allow you to express who you are as a performer – and to the specific purposes of the audition. In this invaluable collection you'll find forty speeches by leading contemporary playwrights including Andrew Bovell, Nadia Fall, Vivienne Franzmann, James Fritz, Stacey Gregg, Arinzé Kene, Cordelia Lynn, Lynn Nottage, Chinonyerem Odimba, Evan Placey, Jessica Swale and Tom Wells, from plays that were premiered at many of the UK's most famous and respected venues, including the National Theatre, Shakespeare's Globe, Manchester Royal Exchange, Royal Court Theatre, Bush Theatre, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and VAULT Festival. Drawing on her experience as an actor, director and teacher at several leading drama schools, Trilby James introduces each speech with a user-friendly, bullet-point list of ten things you need to know about the character, and then five ideas to help you perform the monologue. This book also features an introduction to the process of selecting and preparing your speech, and approaching the audition itself. 'Sound practical advice for anyone attending an audition… a source of inspiration for teachers and students alike' Teaching Drama Magazine on The Good Audition Guides

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London, 1660. King Charles II has exploded onto the scene with a love of all things loud, extravagant and sexy. And at Drury Lane, a young Nell Gwynn is causing stirrings amongst the theatregoers. Nell Gwynn charts the rise of an unlikely heroine, from her roots in Coal Yard Alley to her success as Britain's most celebrated actress, and her hard-won place in the heart of the King. But at a time when women are second-class citizens, can her charm and spirit protect her from the dangers of the Court? Jessica Swale's exhilarating take on the heady world of Restoration theatre premiered at Shakespeare's Globe, London, in September 2015, before transferring to the West End in February 2016, starring Gemma Arterton.

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Forty fantastic male speeches for teenagers, all written since the year 2000, by some of the most exciting and acclaimed writers working today. Whether you're applying for drama school, taking an exam, or auditioning for a professional role, it's likely you'll be required to perform one or more monologues, including a piece from a contemporary play. It's vital to come up with something fresh that's suited both to you – in order to allow you to express who you are as a performer – and to the specific purposes of the audition. In this invaluable collection you'll find forty speeches by leading contemporary playwrights including Annie Baker, Jez Butterworth, Nadia Fall, Ella Hickson, Arinzé Kene, Dawn King, Jessica Swale, Jack Thorne, Enda Walsh and Tom Wells, from plays that were premiered at many of the UK's most famous and respected venues, including the National Theatre, Shakespeare's Globe, Manchester Royal Exchange, Royal Court Theatre, Bush Theatre, Traverse Theatre, the Young Vic, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Drawing on her experience as an actor, director and teacher at several leading drama schools, Trilby James introduces each speech with a user-friendly, bullet-point list of ten things you need to know about the character, and then five ideas to help you perform the monologue. This book also features a step-by-step guide to the process of selecting and preparing your speech, and approaching the audition itself. 'Sound practical advice for anyone attending an audition… a source of inspiration for teachers and students alike' Teaching Drama Magazine on The Good Audition Guides

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This anthology comprises five of the best plays from VAULT 2016, London's biggest and most exciting arts festival. Eggs is a dark comedy about female friendship, fertility and freaking out, by Florence Keith-Roach, 'rising star of the London theatre scene' (Evening Standard). Two women, living very different lives, are united by their quick wit, love of nineties’ dance music and a mounting alienation. In Mr Incredible, Adam is single. He doesn't like it. He misses Holly. He deserves Holly. Doesn't he? A monologue about love and entitlement by Camilla Whitehill, author of Where Do Little Birds Go?, who was described by The Times as 'a writer of huge promise'. The world of the celebrity PA is laid bare in Primadonna. A young first-timer navigates impossible tasks, difficult conversations and fearsome passive aggression in this one-woman play from Rosie Kellett, winner of the VAULT Festival Spirit Award. Mickey and his team of Cornermen never have much luck in the boxing world. Until, that is, they sign a young fighter whose winning ways catapult them to a level they've never known before. 'A striking new play by an exciting new writer', Oli Forsyth (Scotsman). 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, as a gay Jewish kid sneaks out over Shabbat to meet his boyfriend – and his universe implodes. 'A vibrant, varied programme full of theatrical treats… a brilliant place to spot new talent' The Stage on VAULT 2015

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