Search results for ""NICK HERN BOOKS""

‘They did not understand, you see, that what is stitched with a needle is not always innocent… Needles are dangerous.’ The year is 1569, and in a cold, stone room in a Staffordshire castle, a group of women sew elaborate tapestries. Rich or poor, at home or held against their will, four women’s lives intersect on the point of a needle. Embroidery is their escape, their sanity, and their expression: of love, loss, artistry and power. For these women’s stitches have the power to change not just their own lives, but the course of English history. Inspired by the tapestries created when Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned by her cousin Queen Elizabeth I, The Glove Thief by Beth Flintoff is part of Platform, an initiative from Tonic Theatre in partnership with Nick Hern Books. Aimed at addressing gender imbalance in theatre, Platform comprises big-cast plays with predominantly or all-female casts, written specifically for performance by young actors.

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‘We can’t change things here, that’s the whole point, no one listens to us or cares, the only way we’re gonna change things is by going somewhere else, starting afresh.’ A group of disillusioned young women have disappeared. On a platform out at sea, they have formed The Community – a new type of society and a better way of living. But how can you change the world if you’ve taken yourself out of it? This Changes Everything by Joel Horwood is part of Platform, an initiative from Tonic Theatre in partnership with Nick Hern Books aimed at addressing gender imbalance and inequality in theatre. Platform comprises big-cast plays with predominantly or all-female casts, written specifically for performance by school, college and youth-theatre groups. ‘Drama is an important tool for building confidence and empowering young people. Platform will give girls opportunity to access these benefits as much as their male counterparts.’ - Moira Buffini

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Drama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price Middleton and Rowley's masterpiece, a tale of murder, lust, seduction and blackmail in the seventeenth century. Alsemero has fallen in love with the beautiful Beatrice after a chance meeting in a church – but Beatrice has already been promised to another man. Unable to marry the man she loves, she employs the hated De Flores, her father's servant, to murder the man her father bids her marry. As payment, De Flores demands Beatrice. And then things get worse... Thomas Middleton and William Rowley's play The Changeling was mostly likely first performed in 1622. This edition of the play in the Nick Hern Books Drama Classics series is edited and introduced by Trevor Griffiths. Set Text >> The Changeling is a set text for AQA Drama and Theatre Studies A/AS Level, AQA English Literature A/AS Level, OCR English Literature A/AS Level and WJEC English Literature A/AS Level.

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Drama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price An intense and powerful drama, set in a Nottinghamshire mining town. Elizabeth Holroyd is an educated woman with refined sensibilities, struggling to make a good home for her two children in the grime and poverty of a Nottinghamshire mining town. Poverty is not the only problem she faces. Her husband, a miner, is a brutish man, prone to fighting, drinking and spending his evenings in the pub. When Blackmore, a mine electrician, recognises Mrs Holroyd as a kindred spirit, he asks her to leave her husband for him, with the promise of a new life for her and her children in faraway Spain. It's a promise that Mrs Holroyd is almost ready to accept... D.H. Lawrence's second play, The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd was written in 1910 but went unpublished until 1914. It was staged for the first time in 1916, by the Players Producing Company at the Little Theatre in Los Angeles, USA. In 1920 it was staged in Britain, in an amateur production at the Garrick Theatre in Altrincham. This edition, in the Nick Hern Books Drama Classics series, includes an introduction by Colin Counsell, a glossary of difficult words, a chronology and suggestions for further reading.

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A dip-in, flick-through, quick-fire resource book in the Nick Hern Books Drama Games series, this title is for teachers and workshop leaders working with difficult or reluctant students, youth groups, young offenders, and all those who seem intent on saying 'no' to whatever is offered them. 'This book offers invaluable ways for artists, teachers, workshop leaders and activists to better use the arts to empower young people' Ken Livingstone, from his Foreword. For these groups, drama games and activities need to be robust and engaging, and the dozens that appear in this book have been devised with this in mind - and then tested by their target players. Each page features clear instructions on How to Play, notes on the Benefits of the Game, and advice on age range, number of players and timing. Following the ninety games and exercises aimed at developing core skills, the book offers scenarios for a series of improvisational challenges that test participants' abilities in mediation, communication, negotiation, assertiveness and managing emotions. Also included is a collection of games aimed at preparing teachers and workshop leaders for facilitating challenging sessions. The ultimate aim is to encourage reluctant participants to engage, collaborate and develop not just skills for drama but skills for life.

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This anthology, the fifth from Nick Hern Books, comprises five of the best plays from VAULT Festival 2020, London's biggest and most exciting arts festival. Something Awful by Tatty Hennessy is a thrilling play inspired by the true-crime story of the Slenderman. Soph and her best friend Jel love scary stories and hunt for the best online. But then new girl Ellie turns up at school with one of her own. Second Home by Charlotte Chimuanya explores the experiences of growing up mixed-race in twenty-first century Ireland. Naomi is trying to mend her broken heart. But will tackling grief and racism in a place she calls home prove to be the final betrayal? Madame Ovary by Rosa Hesmondhalgh tells the heartbreaking and hilarious true story of Rosa's own ovarian cancer. This five-star sell-out Edinburgh hit is a life-affirming monologue exploring the typical struggles of staying relevant, with the less typical struggles of staying alive. Take Care by Zoë Templeman-Young and Sam McLaughlin follows the real-life story of Pam, a woman struggling to move her mother into a care home that's closer to her. An award-winning Edinburgh smash, it is an astonishing, tragic and uplifting verbatim play about the care system in the UK today. Heroes by Isabel Dixon is a poignant exploration of fallen idols, family secrets and the human price of forgiveness. Set across two timelines, it is the tense and sensitive story of a family torn apart by an unforgiveable act.

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Drama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price A tragic tale of duty, retribution and fate. King Agamemnon, on returning from the Trojan Wars, is murdered by his wife, Clytemnestra, and her lover. Now, to avenge the crime, their daughter Electra must commit one even worse and face the inevitable consequences. This edition of Sophocles' play Electra, in the Nick Hern Books Drama Classics series, is translated and introduced by Marianne McDonald and J. Michael Walton.

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Drama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price Restless and discontented in her marriage, Hedda Gabler is drawn to a former admirer, Lovborg, now a brilliant writer. But he is more taken with Hedda's old schoolfriend. Driven by jealousy, Hedda destroys Lovborg and his precious manuscript and, finally, herself. This English version of Henrik Ibsen's play Hedda Gabler, published in the Nick Hern Books Drama Classics series, is translated and introduced by Kenneth McLeish.

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Drama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price A classic comedy of manners, ridiculing affectation and pretentiousness. Joseph Surface is apparently a model citizen; his brother Charles is a dissolute wastrel. But when the schemings of the scandalmongers go awry, the reverse is shown to be true. Richard Brinsley Sheridan's play The School for Scandal was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre in 1777. This edition, in the Nick Hern Books Drama Classics series, is edited and introduced by Colin Counsell.

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Drama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price The best comedy of manners written in England before Congreve, The Man of Mode was first staged in 1676 and contains all the classic ingredients of Restoration Comedy: adultery, intrigue, gossip - as well as the first and greatest of the Restoration fops, Sir Fopling Flutter. This edition, in the Nick Hern Books Drama Classics series, is edited by Trevor Griffiths, presenting the complete text, uncluttered by footnotes, with a full introduction setting out the historical context.

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Drama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price The story of the mythical Greek king of Thebes, the archetypal tragic hero who accidentally fulfills a prophecy that he will end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby bringing disaster down upon his city and family. This volume, in the Nick Hern Books Drama Classics series, contains two plays by Sophocles, Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonos, in English translations by Kenneth McLeish. It also includes an introduction to the plays.

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

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

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

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

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

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On a reality television show, six remarkable - and remarkably young - geniuses are competing for the coveted Golden Brain trophy and the title 'Britain's Brainiest Child'. As the contestants battle it out round after round, the pressure mounts, the spotlight gets harsher, and each is faced with questions they were never expecting. Who will win and who will lose - and what exactly does winning mean anyway? Georgia Christou's Bright. Young. Things. is a funny, fast-paced play about identity, truth and the challenge of finding out who you really are. It is part of Platform, an initiative from Tonic Theatre in partnership with Nick Hern Books. Aimed at achieving greater gender equality in theatre, Platform comprises big-cast plays with predominantly, or all, female casts, written specifically for performance by young actors.

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Drama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price J.M. Synge's extraordinary play about a young man on the run, and his unexpected elevation to folk hero. A stranger, Christy Mahon, arrives in a village bar in County Mayo in the West of Ireland, claiming to have killed his father. The locals are impressed – some can even directly relate to the deed – and Christy is lauded as a folk hero. He can't believe his luck, and confidently pursues the affections of the barmaid Pegeen, until the arrival of his not-so-dead father takes the winds out of Christy's sails... The Playboy of the Western World was first performed at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, in January 1907, causing riots across the city. This edition of the play, in the Nick Hern Books Drama Classics series, is introduced by Margaret Llewllyn Jones.

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A play about division, destiny and the undimmed potency of memory itself, from the author of the award-winning The Pull of Negative Gravity. East Berlin, 1990. The Wall has just been pulled down. A man arrives at the flat of his grandmother with awkward questions about the past. Meanwhile, a generation later, in Bethlehem the Israeli security barrier is going up... Jonathan Lichtenstein's play Memory was first performed at Clwyd Theatr Cymru in 2006.

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An inspiring new approach to acting from a respected drama teacher - concise, succinct and full of practical exercises. Nick Moseley's Acting and Reacting: Tools for the Modern Actor establishes a new, intensely practical actor-training system incorporating the best of Stanislavsky, David Mamet and Sanford Meisner. Starting with the technique of Transactional Improvisation, it covers topics such as: The World of the Play Inhabiting the Space Learning to Trust Your Body Approaches to Text The result is a punchy and empowering book intended to shake up ideas about acting. Each theory is tested and reinforced with games and exercises that stretch and challenge the student actor at each stage. Acting and Reacting is a must for drama teachers and drama students alike.

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Late-night taxis, teen discos, home nurses, Jewish launderettes, vigilantes, babies, immigrants, seagulls. Citysong is a play, a poem and a chorus of voices showing three generations of a Dublin family on one day. Intimate and sweeping, joyous and ridiculous, it's modern-day Dublin's Under Milk Wood via Metamorphoses (not the book about the cockroach). It's different things at different times, which makes sense seeing as it's about change. Carys D. Coburn's Citysong was winner of the 2017 Verity Bargate Award, and premiered at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, in May 2019, before transferring to Soho Theatre, London. The author was named Most Promising New Playwright at the 2020 Off-West End Theatre Awards for Citysong. This edition also contains the plays Boys and Girls, which won the Fishamble Best New Writing Award at the Dublin Fringe and was nominated for the Stewart Parker Trust Award, and Drawing Crosses on a Dusty Windowpane.

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Keep your enemies close, and your wives closer. As their husbands clash over an international crisis, the first ladies of France and America find themselves alone together in a side room. Friends, or enemies? When the stakes are so high, can they trust each other? Can they trust their husbands? Nancy Harris's play Two Ladies premiered at the Bridge Theatre, London, in 2019, directed by Nicholas Hytner, and featuring Zoë Wanamaker and Zrinka Cvitešić.

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‘This lady excelled all others, as well in beauty and favour, as in wit and policy, and was of stomach more like a man than a woman’ Holinshed’s Chronicles, 1577 Hungry for power and angered by their king, the nobles of Henry VI’s court plot and scheme against each other. As Henry wavers and the factions split, Queen Margaret is determined to hold on to power and protect the crown that will one day belong to her son. Using Shakespeare’s orginal lines, alongside new text, Jeanie O’Hare retells the Wars of the Roses through the eyes of the Queen. A captivating exploration of an iconic moment in British history, the play premiered at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, in September 2018, directed by Elizabeth Freestone and featuring Jade Anouka as Margaret of Anjou.

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‘You – miserable, mean, scribbler of a man. You’re quoting from that play you put me in.’ Abandoning theatre, living a life of squalid splendour, August Strindberg practises alchemy. In his hotel room, he attempts to make gold by finding the philosopher’s stone, the secret of creation. As his grasp on reality weakens, his first two wives visit him to bring him to his senses. But their interventions spin out of control. For four years in fin-de-siècle Paris, Europe’s most famous playwright vanished. Most people thought he had gone insane. When he reappeared, his new plays changed theatre forever. Howard Brenton's play The Blinding Light tells the astonishing story of August Strindberg’s ‘Inferno’ period. It premiered at Jermyn Street Theatre, London, in 2017, directed by Tom Littler.

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New York. A film studio. A young woman has an urgent story to tell. But here, people are products, movies are money and sex sells. And the rights to your life can be a dangerous commodity to exploit. Martin Crimp's razor-sharp satire, The Treatment, was first seen at the Royal Court Theatre in 1993. It was revived at the Almeida Theatre, London, in 2017, in a production directed by Lyndsey Turner. The Treatment was the joint winner of the 1993 John Whiting Award.

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‘Why do folk not, ever, catch on to themselves?… Ach, gies you another interesting nutter to play.’ Welcome to Paris at the time of Louis XIV. Come backstage and meet the King’s theatre company – a troupe of grandes dames, old hams, ingénues and, of course, their leading man, author of their dramas and cause of all their troubles... thon man Molière. Under constant threat of debtors’ prison, in big bother with church and state and – worst of all – disastrously in love, Molière writes brilliant, scurrilous comedies inspired by a desperate life. But telling the truth is a dangerous business and his latest drama could be the death of him… Liz Lochhead's play Thon Man Molière was first performed at the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh in 2016, in a production starring Jimmy Chisholm and Siobhan Redmond. ‘I was so moved by this play, which surprised me, as I had expected a knockabout comedy. Don’t get me wrong, it was funny. But I hadn’t expected the tenderness and emotional complexity. The bond – eternal, exasperated, essential – between Molière and Madeleine is the core of the piece, but all of these characters seem every bit as human and deep and strange and needy as theatre people always are.’ David Greig, Artistic Director of the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh

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'She came out of the sea Crawled out of the mud, quietly Shy and beautiful, brushing off sand and shells' England trembles in the grip of a devastating epidemic. But in a remote coastal village, quiet Derek waits for love and life to really begin. Then Lydia arrives. She burns brightly, beyond Derek’s wildest dreams. And she is hiding something. When Derek discovers her secret, they are both propelled into a strange new world of conflicted desire and dangerous loyalties, where terrifying forces test their courage and humanity. But can love survive the fear inside? Ben Musgrave's play Crushed Shells and Mud premiered at the Southwark Playhouse, London, in October 2015.

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A young entrepreneur sets out on a quest for wealth with priceless ambition and a purse of gold. Bruce Norris's play The Low Road is a startling fable of free-market economics and cut-throat capitalism. It was premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in March 2013.

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A jealous king, an abandoned daughter, a prince hopelessly in love. Shakespeare's timeless tragicomedy of obsession and redemption is reimagined in a new production co-directed by Rob Ashford and Kenneth Branagh. It was performed as part of the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company's Plays at the Garrick Season in 2015, starring Judi Dench and Kenneth Branagh. This official tie-in edition features the version of Shakespeare's text performed in the production, plus exclusive additional content including an introduction to the play, interviews with Kenneth Branagh, Rob Ashford, Judi Dench, Michael Pennington and composer Patrick Doyle, and extracts from the original score.

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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. Special film tie-in edition published alongside the release of The Deep Blue Sea film (2011), starring Rachel Weisz and Tom Hiddleston.

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A courageous and convincing play that sensitively tackles the important subject of child abuse. Tom works in digital analysis, investigating crimes against children. Faced with watching recordings of the most unforgiveable acts on a daily basis, in a job that barely anyone else can endure, he struggles to retain his humanity. Meeting Emily might just mean that his life has changed for the better, but when your entire working day is spent watching horrific crimes, how do you find room for love? Luke Owen's play Unscorched was the winner of the 2013 Papatango New Writing Competition in partnership with the Finborough Theatre, London, where it premiered in October 2013.

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A tender and funny tale about our secret selves, No Romance is a play about our search for connection in a fractured world. It received the Stewart Parker Trust Award in 2012. Laura has a secret. Joe's has been revealed. Peg's been keeping hers for years. Rich with the absurdities, hypocrisies and vulnerabilities that course through our lives, Nancy Harris's No Romance playfully observes the longings, fears and desires we reveal - and don't reveal - in our closest relationships. No Romance was first staged at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, in 2011.

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Reformed womaniser Nick is approaching thirty and has fallen head over heels with the girl he wants to marry and have kids with. But then a dark little fling he'd rather forget comes back to threaten everything. For the first time he understands that a picture-perfect, middle-class life might not be a given. How far will he go to keep himself in the game that everyone else seems to be playing?

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A striking play from Northern Ireland about two women and the childhood tragedy they'll never be allowed to forget. For Emma and Clare, 1980 was the summer they met at the swings, the summer they built a tree house and stole from Dennis O'Donnell's shop. The summer a young mother and her infant daughter moved into number 14... Now in their thirties, Emma and Clare struggle to come to terms with the chain of devastating events that began that summer, to understand what they did, what they became and how they were judged. Lisa McGee's play Girls and Dolls was first performed by Tinderbox Theatre Company on a tour of Northern Ireland in 2006. It won the Stewart Parker Trust Award in 2007.

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A gripping psychological thriller adapted for the stage by Émile Zola himself from his own notorious novel, in a version by Nicholas Wright. Stifled by an oppressive mother-in-law and a sickly husband, Thérèse Raquin falls passionately for another man. Their feverish affair drives the lovers to an act of terrible desperation, which catapults them headlong into a world more claustrophobic than the one they sought to destroy. This English version of Thérèse Raquin was first staged at the National Theatre, London, in 2006.

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A hilarious, real-life comedy about pensioners going in search of love - from the sublime to the downright saucy. Maureen is a pensioner in search of passion. After 33 blind dates, 12 cruises and one broken heart, she is still determined to find Mr Right. But when best friend Margaret beats her to the altar, Maureen has her doubts - is Margaret just on the rebound and, more importantly, will she lose her pension? Alecky Blythe's verbatim theatre play Cruising was first staged at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2006 in a co-production with Recorded Delivery, using an innovative verbatim-theatre technique. The technique consists of recording interviews with real people, editing them and replicating them on stage in all their uncanny verisimilitude. The result is both disconcertingly comic and profoundly moving, as all the individual peculiarities of the 'characters' are scrupulously reproduced.

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A fiercely funny play about what it's like to be a young woman living, working, drinking, loving and having sex in the 21st century. It's Bella's 29th birthday. Friends and former lovers meet for a drink to celebrate. But as the Bloody Marys flow, the bar soon becomes a battlefield. Nina Raine's Rabbit was first performed at the Old Red Lion Theatre, London, in 2006. It subsequently transferred to the Trafalgar Studios in the West End, before playing at the Brits Off Broadway festival in New York in 2007. The play won Nina Raine both the Evening Standard and Critics' Circle Awards for Most Promising Playwright in 2006.

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'I like London. I like the pavements. I like to walk out my door and not sink up to my tits in primordial sludge.' A comedy thriller from the author of the Olivier Award-winning Jerusalem. West waits in a burnt-out farmhouse, on Dartmoor, in the depths of winter, for two associates from the city. The wine has been poured and the revolver loaded. But who is waiting upstairs? Jez Butterworth's play The Winterling was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2006.

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An energetic, fast-moving adaptation for the stage of this modern children's classic, by the best-selling author and 2005 Children's Laureate. Mandy's been picked on at school for as long as she can remember. That's why she is delighted when cheeky, daring, full-of-fun Tanya picks her as a friend. Mum isn't happy - she thinks Tanya's a 'bad girl' and a bad influence. Mandy's sure Tanya can only get her out of trouble, not into it. But can she? Vicky Ireland's stage adaptation of Jacqueline Wilson's novel Bad Girls was first performed at Polka Theatre, Wimbledon, in 2004. 'Vicky has adapted a handful of my books for the stage. I hope she works her magic on many more to come!' Jacqueline Wilson This edition comes with production notes indicating how the play can be staged even with minimal resources - plus a lot of ingenuity!

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An adaptation for the stage of this modern children's classic by the best-selling author and 2005 Children's Laureate. For her history project, Charlie hits on the idea of writing the diary of Lottie, a young Victorian serving girl. When Charlie's mother loses her job as a shop manageress and starts work as a cleaner, Charlie's previously happy and comfortable lifestyle is threatened, and she finds her own hardships and struggles are not so different from Lottie's. First staged at the Polka Children's Theatre in 1999, this adaptation is suitable for young actors as well as young audiences. The adapter, Vicky Ireland, has provided production notes to indicate how the play can be staged even with minimal resources - plus a lot of ingenuity! 'Vicky has adapted a handful of my books for the stage. I hope she works her magic on many more to come!' - Jacqueline Wilson

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'You were supposed to love me. You said it in front of sixty of our friends and family. Even my father cried.' A satirical comedy of modern manners set in contemporary Dublin. Neil is a maverick TV reporter struggling to re-integrate into domesticity. Back from Darfur with a head full of nightmares, he takes a hammer to his life – and his fifteen years of marriage. But is his extra-curricular relationship with Sarah going to mend anything – or is it just that she's new? Stella Feehily's play O go my Man (the title is an anagram of 'monogamy') was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2006 in a production by Out of Joint Theatre Company. It was the joint winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for 2006-07.

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A battle of wits between Cromwell and John Milton, by the well-known actor Jack Shepherd. 1656. Two revolutionaries meet in the woods at Hampton Court: the blind poet, John Milton, and his long-term comrade, Oliver Cromwell. But after the bitter ravages of revolution, regicide and civil war, freedom is hard to come to terms with. Jack Shepherd's play Through a Cloud was first staged at the Drum Theatre, Plymouth, in 2004.

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An intensely practical handbook for actors on how to cope with text, subtext, character and situation. With a preface by Kenneth Branagh. Having helped the actor with basic vocal technique in her enormously successful book, Finding Your Voice, Barbara Houseman here shows the actor how to cope with the demands posed by the text [and the subtext] of the play itself. Full of practical exercises developed over many years of working with actors of all ages and experiences, Tackling Text [and subtext] is an indispensable handbook for any actor working with text - from acting students and young professionals, to experienced actors wanting to tackle specific problems and acting coaches wanting to discover new ways of enabling their students. 'If you want to improve as an actor, read this book... it helps restore the hard work of the actor as fresh, playful and fun' Kenneth Branagh, from his Preface 'An inspiring teacher... a hugely motivating force in my work' Daniel Radcliffe 'Barbara's work starts with the voice, passes through the physical - and results in a character. Her teaching helps total performance' Jude Law

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Other early 'stand-out' roles came in the premieres of Caryl Churchill's Cloud Nine (1979) and Mike Leigh's Goose Pimples (1981). He was Malcolm Bradbury's History Man on TV (1981) before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1982, where he has played a huge variety of leading role in modern plays such as David Edgar's Maydays (1983) and Peter Flannery's Singer (1989) but chiefly in Shakespeare. He was the Fool to Michael Gambon's Lear, a famous Richard III, Shylock, Malvolio, Leontes, Macbeth with Harriet Walter, and, currently, Iago. For the RSC he was also Cyrano and Tamburlaine and the Malcontent. Interspersed with these were appearances at the National Theatre - as Astrov to Ian McKellen's Uncle Vanya, as Stanley Spencer in Pam Gems's play and as Titus Andronicus, which he originated at the Market Theatre, Johannesburg. In October 2004 he will appear at the National again in his own play based on Primo Levi's This was a Man. Following his debut as a writer with Year of the King, he has written four novels - Middlepost, Indoor Boy, Cheap Lives and The Feast - as well as an autobiography, Beside Myself (2001), and a play, I.D. (premiered at the Almeida, 2003).

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The classic tale of Sleeping Beauty's curse – as seen through the eyes of the fairy who curses her. Written by acclaimed director Rufus Norris for the Young Vic Theatre, London. Once upon a time there was a beautiful Princess who was loved by everyone. Well... almost everyone. Cursed by a wicked fairy, she pricks her finger and falls into a deep sleep. One hundred years later, a Prince wakes her with a kiss. But the Prince isn't as brave as he should be – and his mother's a bit of an ogress... Based on Perrault's 17th-century classic, Rufus Norris's Sleeping Beauty goes beyond the kiss into a perilous world of beastly shadows, nasty smells and a forest full of enchanted trouble. It was first performed at the Young Vic Theatre, London, in December 2002.

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A powerful and poetic play, with echoes of Jean-Paul Sartre's Huis Clos and Euripides' Medea. From the author of Death and the Maiden. A Man and a Woman in purgatory – a soul-less white room. Each is interrogated in turn by the other. Each is groping for forgiveness and contrition. But one of them has done something unforgiveable... Ariel Dorfman's play Purgatorio was first performed at the Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle, USA, in November 2005. (An earlier version was first performed in a rehearsed reading at the Criterion Theatre, London, in November 2001). The play was first staged in the UK at the Arcola Theatre, London, in January 2008.

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The third in David Edgar's post-Cold War trilogy, which also includes Pentecost and The Shape of the Table. An urgently topical account of a bloody conflict on Europe's Eastern borders. Beginning in early 1989 and spanning some twelve years, the play follows a team of peace negotiators attempting to resolve an ethnic conflict occurring within a fictional former Soviet republic. The Prisoner's Dilemma was first performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company at The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon, in July 2001, transferring to the Pit Theatre, Barbican, London, in January 2002.

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