Search results for ""nick hern books""

A tense and provocative play offering a remarkably fresh and painful take on our perpetual guilt in the face of poverty and brutality in the developing world. Michael, a married man running a small business, accompanies a squabbling delegation of bishops to Africa as a lay volunteer. There, an unsettling encounter with a hotel porter leads to a series of agonising moral dilemmas that compromise his work, his marriage – and his faith. Drew Pautz's play Love the Sinner was first staged at the National Theatre, London, in 2010.

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Another Romeo and another Juliet in a strikingly different love story. Ben Power weaves the text of Romeo and Juliet into a provocative new tale of love and sacrifice. Re-imagining Shakespeare's story, A Tender Thing is an elegiac yet ultimately hopeful account of the human capacity for love. Shakespeare's timeless poetry provides the backdrop for this delicate and moving account of old age, memory and the demands we make of those we love. When a married couple discover that their lifetime together is drawing to a close, they realise they cannot contemplate being apart. A Tender Thing was first staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company at Northern Stage, Newcastle, in 2009.

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A smouldering play about escaping the past, seizing the present and owning the future. 2nd May 1997. An historic victory. The Tories, eighteen years in power, are defeated as New Labour sweeps into government. From the euphoria and despair, three deeply personal stories emerge. Tory MP Robert prepares to attend the count. With defeat looming large, he fears becoming a forgotten man, while his wife Marie counts the cost of her own sacrifice to politics. Lib Dem footsoldier Ian is no hero, but party-crasher Sarah is determined to make him one. Best mates Jake and Will wake up with a new world order to memorise before their A-level Politics class. Jake dreams of Number 10. Will dreams of Jake. Jack Thorne's play 2nd May 1997 was first performed at the Bush Theatre, London, in September 2009 in a co-production with nabokov theatre company, in association with Watford Palace Theatre and Mercury Theatre Colchester.

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Renowned poet and dramatist Liz Lochhead tells the story of Frankenstein's creation. Summer 1816. A house party on the shores of Lake Geneva. Eighteen-year-old Mary and her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley, along with Mary's half-sister Claire and the infamous Lord Byron, take part in a challenge to see who can write the most horrifying story. Mary's contribution is to become one of the most celebrated Gothic novels of all time. Using flashbacks and the rich poetic language for which she has become admired, Lochhead weaves a spider's web of connections between Mary's own tragic life and that of her literary monster. Liz Lochhead's play Blood and Ice was first performed at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 1982. It was later revived, in a revised version, by David McVicar at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1988, and subsequently toured by McVicar's company, Pen Name. It was again revived, in this published version, at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, in October 2003. As Lochhead writes in the Introduction to this revised version of the play, the myth created by Mary Shelley 'remains potent for our nuclear age, our age of astonishment and unease at the fruits of perhaps-beyond-the-boundaries genetic experimentation'.

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Page to Stage series – highly accessible guides to the world's best-known plays, written by established theatre professionals to show how the plays come to life on the stage. 'Modern classic' was the fitting accolade bestowed on Timberlake Wertenbaker's Our Country's Good soon after its premiere in 1988 at the Royal Court Theatre, London. The play tells how a company of convicts staged George Farquhar's The Recruiting Officer in the early days of the Australian penal colony. Having directed the premiere, Max Stafford-Clark brings his own unrivalled insights to this in-depth study of how it actually works on stage. Sections include an introduction about the creation of the play, a discussion of its action moment by moment, the historical context, the characters and how the production was rehearsed and designed for its original production. The result is an invaluable and authoritative guide for anyone studying, teaching or performing the play.

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A riotous, satirical comedy based on the amazing true story of the first woman of colour to enter a beauty pageant in the UK. First performed at Shakespeare's Globe, London, in 2024.

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A taut and gripping adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's powerful drama, premiered at the Crucible, Sheffield Theatres, in 2024.

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A dystopian tale about the corrosive impact of state racism and the monster within. Premiered by Kali Theatre at New Diorama Theatre, London, in October 2024.

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An exhilarating, high-wire drama about the deep currents of family life, set over a family reunion on an island off the west coast of Ireland. Premiered at Galway International Arts Festival in 2024.

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A joyful and irreverent comedy about Felix Mendelssohn and his sister Fanny, celebrating music, family and at last the work of a composer overlooked because of her sex.

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Shakespeare's great history plays, Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, brought together in a visionary new version adapted by award-winning writer and director RobertIcke.

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A stage adaptation of Sara Ryan's powerful account of the preventable death of her son Connor Sparrowhawk while in an NHS care unit. Premiered at Jermyn Street Theatre, London.

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Sophocles' epic tragedy transformed into anessential, explosive humanthriller by visionary director Robert Icke.

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A powerful, searing drama that explores the impact of slavery and the lives of women who experienced it. Premiered at the Sherman Theatre, Cardiff.

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A riotous stage comedy about sisterhood, freedom of speech, and dissent in the face of institutionalised Islamophobia.

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An anthology of the set selection of verse and prose pieces for Learners entering LAMDA Graded Examinations in Communication: Speaking Verse and Prose from Entry Level to Grade 8, and LAMDA Introductory Graded Examinations from Stage 1 to Stage 3 (Solo and Group).

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An honest and moving play about the challenging truths of family dynamics, focussing on a couple in the weeks after the birth of their child.Premiered at the Bush Theatre, London.

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When the worlds of science-fiction and science-fact collide… extraordinary things can happen. Dave is the great-great grandson of H.G. Wells, author of the 1895 novella The Time Machine, a book that foretold (with suspicious accuracy) the future of the human species. What if the ideas in that book weren't entirely fiction? Right now, Dave and his friends Amy and Michael must set out on a journey through time… the journey of a lifetime! The Time Machine: A Comedy is (very loosely) adapted from H.G. Wells by Steven Canny and John Nicholson, whose previous adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles was a hit in the West End and subsequently for numerous companies worldwide. It was first produced in 2023 on a tour of the UK, before a run at Park Theatre, London, produced by Original Theatre and directed by Orla O'Loughlin. Fast-paced and wise-cracking, this riotous retelling zips from the nineteenth century to the end of the world, and (with any luck) back again. It will suit any theatre company looking for a time-bending adaptation of a well-loved story – and a surefire audience-pleaser.

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'Fereydoun Farrokhzad is invisible to everyone apart from, mostly, Iranians, because nobody apart from them ever has to think about him.' It's the 1970s, and Fereydoun Farrokhzad's star is blazing bright – he's a sex symbol and chart-topping pop singer. Imagine an Iranian Tom Jones. A decade on and he's living in political exile in Germany, though still selling out the Royal Albert Hall. Then, on 7 August 1992, he's found brutally murdered. The neighbours said his dogs had been barking for two nights. The case has never been solved. Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World is an investigation into the nature of investigation; part free-wheeling lecture, part podcast and part play. It is a thrilling ride down the rabbit hole of Wikipedia and true-crime podcasts, sorting through the tangle of information available online to reveal the limits of the search engines in solving a decades-old cold case. Originally produced by The Javaad Alipoor Company in 2022, this witty, fast-paced and cutting-edge play, by Javaad Alipoor with Chris Thorpe, was co-commissioned by HOME and the National Theatre of Parramatta. It has toured worldwide, including a run at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, during the 2023 Festival Fringe.

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'A nation that devours another will one day devour itself.' Set when the Great Devouring comes home, England & Son is a kaleidoscopic odyssey, where disaster capitalism, empire, Thatcherite politics, stolen youth and stolen wealth merge into the tale of a working-class boy who just wants his dad to smile at him. With some deep, dark laughs – and some deep, dark love – England & Son is a one-man play by Ed Edwards, first performed by the celebrated political comedian Mark Thomas. It was first produced by HOME Manchester and Tin Cat Entertainment, and premiered in Paines Plough's Roundabout during the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, directed by Cressida Brown, where it won a Fringe First Award. This edition also features an illuminating essay by the author, 'Writing the End of Empire'.

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'I been lookin at people on the street. This happen a other people? What the hell do they do?' Wyoming, 1963. A wild, unforgiving land where people live simple, unforgiving lives. When ranch hands Ennis and Jack take seasonal jobs on the isolated Brokeback Mountain, they find companionship in each other. And then they find something more. Brokeback Mountain tells the heartbreaking tale of an irresistible and hidden love spanning twenty years, and its tragic consequences. Based on a short story by Annie Proulx, this stage adaptation by Ashley Robinson, with songs by Dan Gillespie Sells, opened at @sohoplace in London's West End in 2023. It was directed by Jonathan Butterell, and featured Mike Faist and Lucas Hedges as Jack and Ennis, with Eddi Reader performing the songs. As Annie Proulx said of the adaptation, 'Brokeback Mountain has been recreated in several different forms, each with its own distinctive moods and impact. Ashley's script is fresh and deeply moving, opening sight lines not visible in the original nor successive treatments.'

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It's 1671, and the charismatic and unpredictable Colonel Blood is planning the greatest heist of all time: stealing – in plain sight – the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. With an audacious plan and a gang of misfits by his side, can he possibly pull it off? And is King Charles II in any mood to have his crown jewels handled? Based on the scarcely believable true story, Simon Nye's play The Crown Jewels is a riotous and uproarious royal affair. It opened at the Garrick Theatre in London's West End in 2023 before touring, and was directed by Sean Foley with a star-studded cast including Al Murray, Mel Giedroyc, Carrie Hope Fletcher, Aidan McArdle, Neil Morrissey, Joe Thomas and Tanvi Virmani. It will appeal to any amateur theatre company – monarchists and republicans alike – who want to get their hands on a royally funny caper to perform.

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After the breakout success of his early work for stage and screen, Jack Thorne turned for inspiration to his own family for a series of plays about hope, idealism and domestic politics. The work in this collection – five full-length plays and two shorts – showcases his extraordinary ability to combine electrifying dialogue with heartfelt warmth, candour and humour. Hope (Royal Court Theatre, 2014) is a funny and scathing fable about the leaders of a local council faced with savage funding cuts. 'A surprisingly entertaining state-of-the-nation drama' The Stage The Solid Life of Sugar Water (Graeae/Theatre Royal Plymouth, 2015) is an intimate, tender play about loss, hurt and rediscovery. 'Startlingly good... an adult play in the very best sense' The Times Junkyard (Headlong, 2017) is a joyful celebration of imaginative play, a musical drama about a group of young people tasked with building a playground out of junk. 'Genuinely funny and poignant' WhatsOnStage the end of history... (Royal Court, 2019) is a moving and sophisticated portrait of the impact of political idealism on a family. 'Clever and highly intriguing' Independent Also included are Burying Your Brother in the Pavement, written for the National Theatre Connections Festival in 2008, which tackles complex themes of grief, violence and sexuality with fierce compassion and wild imagination; and two short plays: Whiff Whaff and Boo. 'I think these plays are about love, about heroes, about trying to understand how to be heroic, about trying to understand how to lead a good life' Jack Thorne, from his Introduction 'Jack Thorne is Britain's hottest playwright and screenwriter' The Times 'Jack Thorne never ceases to stimulate and entertain' Evening Standard 'Thorne is a writer of immense emotional intelligence and his dialogue regularly devastates' The Stage

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'We should've seen this coming. We did. We did see this coming. The world will not be kind to us because we haven't given it a reason to be.' On his fifteenth birthday, Noble transforms into a bird. Thousands of miles away, his sister Cleo is stationed on a remote island with the British Antarctic Survey. But the birds have disappeared and Noble needs to reach her. Lying low until it's safe to take flight, he finds solace in misfit Ellis, while his mum desperately tries to stop their home from falling apart. The world turns. Dark clouds gather. Chaos is on the horizon... Billie Collins's play Too Much World at Once is an urgent coming-of-age story for our times – and a lyrical, theatrical journey that spans continents and lives. It was premiered at HOME, Manchester, in March 2023 by Box of Tricks Theatre before a UK tour.

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In 1988, two Birmingham school friends tentatively come out to one another: Edward as gay; Peter, even more daringly, as an ABBA fan. Nearly thirty years later, they meet again – and take a chance by forming the world's first ABBA tribute band in drag. It's a riot of platform boots and dodgy beards, 'Waterloos' and 'Chiquititas', and they couldn't escape if they wanted to. But can Edward and Peter's friendship survive the tribulations of a life on the road? Ian Hallard's The Way Old Friends Do is a tender, laugh-out-loud comedy about devotion, desire and dancing queens. It premiered at Birmingham Rep in 2023, directed by Mark Gatiss, before touring the UK, including a run at Park Theatre, London. The play offers every theatre company and drama group all the ingredients to give their audience the time of its life.

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'I saved lives and I got rewarded and I'm bloody well not going to apologise for it.' Sir Neil Marriot had a 'good pandemic', becoming familiar to millions from his TV appearances as a government medical advisor. His service even earned him a knighthood, and he is now rewarding himself with a lavish birthday party. But, amidst the oak panelling, the champagne and the silver service, his family are at one another's throats again, and he thinks there's something familiar – and somehow unsettling – about one of the catering staff... The Snail House is a play about how the past impacts on the present, and how overconfidence can have disastrous consequences. Written and directed by Richard Eyre, it premiered at Hampstead Theatre, London, in September 2022.

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'It doesn't happen all the time. That you really connect with someone. It's rare to meet someone like you.' Gabriel Dolan's never been up to much. That's what everyone says. Until she meets Alex, a young, ambitious woman who sells essential oils for a multi-level marketing company called Paradise – and overnight, Gabriel is drawn into a bright, new, floral-scented world. In Paradise, you're your own boss. In Paradise, you could make a fortune. Embraced by a new community of women just like her, Gabriel rises through the ranks of the company like a shooting star. But when she gets to the top, it doesn't quite feel like she thought it would. Margaret Perry's Paradise Now! is a funny and raging play about ambition, exploitation and the search for connection in a fractured world. It was first performed by an all-female cast at the Bush Theatre, London, in December 2022, directed by Jaz Woodcock-Stewart.

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A trilogy of landmark plays commemorating seven years of warfare in Ireland, from the 1916 Easter Rising to the Civil War which began in 1922. Wild Sky is a story of interlocking lives: of the politicised Josie Dunne, and of Tom Farrell, who is driven only by his love for her. As the Rising plays out, there are unforeseen consequences for everyone involved... Embargo focuses on a pivotal moment during the Irish War of Independence in 1920, when dockers and railmen refused to transport armed troops or handle any weapons arriving from Britain. Outrage follows two sisters, Alice and Nell, who play key roles in organising civic resistance and the propaganda war. Like everyone else in Ireland, they become deeply conflicted as the country spins toward a devastating Civil War. Each of the three plays was first performed a century after the event which it depicts, and they were commissioned and performed by companies including Fishamble: The New Play Company, Meath County Council Arts Office, Dublin Port Company and Iarnród Éireann. Together, they challenge the historical narrative, mixing true-life testimonies with powerful drama to create a theatrical hurricane of empathy, action and truth.

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When banks and sandwich shops have more pride than we do, where can we go to be with our tribe? It's 2022. There's a rainbow flag in every high-street window, and no lesbian bar. Enter The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs: a lesbian choir on a mission to unite a disparate and dwindling community. Led by a world-weary conductor, the choir flirt, gossip and attempt to sing their way onto the main stage at Pride. But harmony is more easily dreamt than realised in this heart-warming musical comedy about love, queerness and belonging. Iman Qureshi's play The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs premiered at Soho Theatre, London, in May 2022, as a co-production between Soho and Damsel Productions. It was shortlisted for the 2022 George Devine Award.

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'A working-class woman inside the walls of Westminster? If that is not espionage, I do not know what is.' Forever on the right side of history, but on the wrong side of life, Labour MP Ellen Wilkinson is caught between revolutionary and parliamentary politics as she fights for a better world. Battling to save Jewish refugees in Nazi Germany; campaigning for Britain to aid the fight against Franco's Fascists in Spain; leading two hundred workers in the Jarrow Crusade against unemployment and poverty... she pursues each cause with a passionate, reckless conviction. And yet – despite a life spent running into the likes of Albert Einstein and Ernest Hemingway, serving in Churchill's cabinet, having affairs with communist spies and government ministers – she still finds herself, somehow, on the outside looking in. Caroline Bird's play Red Ellen is the remarkable true story of an inspiring and brilliant woman. It was first produced by Northern Stage, Nottingham Playhouse and the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh in 2022.

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An anthology of five of the best plays from VAULT Festival 2023, London's leading festival of live performance. Fanboy by Joe Sellman-Leava is a love-hate letter to pop culture and nostalgia. A five-star hit at the Edinburgh Fringe, it's the story of a thirty-something, self-confessed nerd – obsessed with Star Wars and Nintendo – asking why his generation can't let go of their childhoods. Five Years with the White Man by Eloka Obi and Saul Boyer is a startling account of satirist ABC Merriman-Labor – the greatest Black Briton ever to have been forgotten – whose dreams of becoming the greatest writer of his generation lead him on a defiant journey from Sierra Leone to Edwardian London. Honour-Bound by Zahra Jassi is a powerful solo show about family, anti-Blackness, and what we're willing to sacrifice for love. After Simran loses her friend to honour-based violence, she has to answer some life-changing questions: will she and her boyfriend be able to live safely ever after? How We Begin by Elisabeth Lewerenz is a tender exploration of love, queerness and identity. Helen and Diana are perfect for each other: they've both got good degrees, busy jobs and nice flats. There's just one small problem – Diana's got a boyfriend. I Fucked You in My Spaceship by Louis Emmitt-Stern is a razor-sharp comedy-drama about sex and relationships. Two couples each invite a stranger into their homes with the hope of sparking new life. Instead, they find themselves threatened by alienation, abduction and invasion... 'A major London festival... showcasing new and rising talent' Independent on VAULT Festival

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Five ambitious and exciting plays by the multi-award-winning playwright, hailed as ‘one of the prime movers in a new golden generation of British playwrights’ (Independent), and introduced by the author. Earthquakes in London (National Theatre & Headlong, 2010) is an epic drama about climate change, population explosion, social breakdown and worldwide paranoia, travelling from 1968 to 2525 and back again. ‘The theatrical equivalent of a thrilling roller-coaster ride’ (Daily Telegraph) Love, Love, Love (Paines Plough & Drum Theatre Plymouth, UK tour, 2010; Royal Court & Paines Plough, 2012) examines the baby boomer generation, from coming-of-age in the 1960s to retirement-age more than forty years later, in a play that ‘does the clash of generational world views with a devastating precision’ (Guardian). The Enemy is a short play in which a journalist seizes an opportunity to interview the man who shot Osama bin Laden. It was staged by Headlong as part of Decade (St Katherine’s Dock, London, 2011), exploring 9/11 and its legacy. 13 (National Theatre, 2011) is a panoramic drama in which a young man returns to London, a city riven by social protest and upheaval, with a radical vision for the future. Premiered on the National’s largest stage, it confirmed Bartlett’s ability to tackle epic themes with supreme assurance: ‘His ambition is distinctive and immense’ (Evening Standard). Medea (Headlong, UK tour, 2012) is a startlingly modern version of Euripides’ tragedy, exploring a woman’s private fury at her husband’s infidelity, while imprisoned in her marital home. ‘A savage play for today, superbly well done’ (Mail on Sunday)

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'There were fish, And then there weren't fish, Simple as that' Nobody knows where the fish went, and nobody knows why the fish went – but ever since they did, things just haven't been the same. In a committee room on Capitol Hill, three senators have a job to do: they must question a man on charges of trading rare marine commodities, and they must find out what he knows. Politics and the planet collide in a fiercely original play about the limits of science, the power of myths, and the things we can't control. Marek Horn's Yellowfin was premiered at Southwark Playhouse, London, in October 2021, directed by Ed Madden.

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'This story showed me who I am and what I must do.' Over two hundred years ago, Olaudah Equiano changed the world. After reading reports of the British ship Zong, where 132 enslaved Africans were thrown overboard, he joins forces with anti-slavery campaigner Granville Sharp and together they set in motion events which will go on to galvanise the abolition movement. But Olaudah's impassioned fight for justice goes beyond the courtroom. Having bought his own freedom, he now faces a personal battle to rediscover his past and accept his true self. Weaving together the many lives affected by these events across the globe, The Meaning of Zong is both a depiction of a shameful true story from British history, and a timely response to the social upheaval the world has witnessed in recent years – celebrating the power of individual action to drive huge societal change. Giles Terera's debut play was commissioned by Bristol Old Vic and the National Theatre, and first performed on stage at Bristol Old Vic in April 2022, co-directed by Tom Morris and Terera, after an acclaimed production on BBC Radio 3.

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'I am the slave ship. Wrecked. Empty. I am a shark, livid with the desire for blood. I am the sea, boiling with fury.' On the set of a new film about Victorian artist J.M.W. Turner, young actress Lou is haunted by an unresolved history. Meanwhile, in 1840, Londoners Lucy and Thomas try to come to terms with the meaning of freedom. Moving between London past and present, Winsome Pinnock's astonishing play retells British history through the prism of the slave trade. Fusing fact with fiction, and the powerfully personal with the fiercely political, Rockets and Blue Lights asks who owns our past – and who has the right to tell its stories? Winner of the 2018 Alfred Fagon Award, the play opened at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, in 2020, directed by Miranda Cromwell. It transferred to the National Theatre, London, in 2021. 'Rockets and Blue Lights places at its center one of the nineteenth century's most famous paintings: J. M. W. Turner's "The Slave Ship". Moving between several sets of characters and ranging from the 1800s to the present, this intricately plotted drama compels us to confront the horrors of our shared past. It does so with compassion and wit, never once compromising Pinnock's vision of theater as the communal creation of new, stranger, and perhaps truer histories' Windham-Campbell Prize committee, on awarding Winsome Pinnock a Windham-Campbell Prize for Drama in 2022

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'On the way over I saw three vipers copulating… I know what you're thinking… monogamy is under threat.' 1943. Four months into the Nazi occupation of Tunisia. You're imprisoned in a labour camp. You're buried up to your neck in earth. You're dying of thirst, you miss your wife, and your best friend just pissed on your face. How could things possibly get any worse? Josh Azouz's Once Upon A Time in Nazi Occupied Tunisia is a brutally comic play about home and identity, marriage and survival, blood and feathers. It was first produced at the Almeida Theatre, London, in August 2021, directed by Eleanor Rhode.

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Six short plays in two complementary programmes, exploring estrangement and loneliness, moving towards redemption and hope. Inside looks at the lives of three women forgotten by the world, but not by themselves. Guidesky and I by Deborah Bruce When the Daffodils by Joel Tan Ursa Major by Joe White Outside presents three stories of finding connection in the darkness and coming together after so long apart. Two Billion Beats by Sonali Bhattacharyya The Kiss by Zoe Cooper Prodigal by Kalungi Ssebandeke The six plays were first performed at, and livestreamed from, the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, in March 2021.

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'I have caused what might soon be a global situation because you've stopped thinking people like me are worth hearing.' Is something incredible happening in Merthyr? Sixteen-year-old Carys claims to have received the stigmata: Christ's wounds from the Cross. Are her wounds a sign from God? Carys thinks so – she wants to tell the world and demands to be heard. Siân, her teacher, is not so sure, and believes silencing Carys will keep her safe. But can she make sense of what is happening to her student? Lisa Parry's play The Merthyr Stigmatist is a fierce and exhilarating exploration of faith and truth, a hymn to community, and a testament to the power of young people. The play was shortlisted for the inaugural Theatre Uncut Political Playwriting Award, and first presented online in 2021, as a co-production between Sherman Theatre, Cardiff, and Theatre Uncut.

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The essential playwriting career guide, from the team behind acclaimed new writing theatre company Papatango. Writing a good play is only a small part of making it as a successful playwright; understanding the business side of building a career is just as crucial. Yet most advice for budding writers focuses only on the craft of playwriting, ignoring the practicalities of the industry – which makes it harder for those without connections or know-how to get their work on stage. Being a Playwright sets out, transparently and honestly, all the factors besides writing that playwrights need to know about to succeed. It includes advice on: How to get a script noticed; Which programming and commissioning opportunities to pursue; How to approach agents, companies and collaborators Drawing on Papatango's decade-long experience of discovering and launching successful new writers – who have gone on to win prizes such as BAFTA, OffWestEnd, Royal National Theatre Foundation and Alfred Fagon Awards – this straightforward and accessible book discusses the opportunities and pitfalls of life as a playwright. Whether you're an aspiring writer wondering how to break into the industry, or a working playwright looking to land bigger commissions, this is your insider road map to navigating the world of professional theatre.

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Caryl Churchill's Light Shining in Buckinghamshire, set during the English Civil War, tells the story of the men and women who went into battle for the soul of England. Passionate, moving and provocative, it speaks of the revolution we never had and the legacy it left behind. In the aftermath of the Civil War, England stands at a crossroads. Food shortages, economic instability, and a corrupt political system threaten to plunge the country into darkness and despair. The Parliament men who fought against the tyranny of the King now argue for stability and compromise, but the people are hungry for change. For a brief moment, a group of rebels, preachers, soldiers and dissenters dare to imagine an age of hope, a new Jerusalem in which freedom will be restored to the land. Premiered by Joint Stock at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, in September 1976 during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, it toured the UK including the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 1976. The play was revived at the National Theatre, London, in 1996 and again in 2015, in a production directed by Lyndsey Turner.

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Spanning almost ten years and embracing a remarkable range of style and subject matter, this third volume of Churchill's Collected Plays, introduced by the author, contains: Icecream - an unsettling look at British attitudes to America, and vice versa Mad Forest - Churchill's response to the Romanian Revolution The Skriker - a 'spellbinding' piece combining English folk tales with modern urban life Thyestes - a 'bleakly eloquent new translation of Seneca's Roman tragedy' (Sunday Times). Plus two collaborative pieces combining word and dance: Lives of the Great Poisoners - a libretto to music by Orlando Gough and choreography by Ian Spink A Mouthful of Birds - written with David Lan Caryl Churchill has been hailed as 'a dramatist who must surely be amongst the best half-dozen now writing' The Times

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Rwanda to Northern Ireland, Zimbabwe to Bosnia, answers are demanded, reconciliation hard to hear and the truth reluctant to be told. 'I will not stay standing to have you accuse me. And I will not sit there and be accused.' debbie tucker green's play truth and reconciliation was first performed at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, London, in September 2011.

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At Miami's Cherokee Valley Zoo & Conservation Centre, the most dangerous thing that ever happened was the tapir's caesarian section. That is until Hurricane Jonas sets itself on a crash course straight towards it. Now zookeeper Bonnie must rush to batten down the hatches and ensure the safety of her animals – and herself. Halfway across the world in the Yorkshire Dales, Bonnie's friend Carol feels the repercussions of that tempestuous night. Will she be able to help from afar? Or will the danger they all face turn out to be deeper and darker than a spot of bad weather? Lily Bevan's play Zoo is a wildly inventive comedy drama about courage, female friendship and flamingos. It premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2018, where it was selected as one of the Guardian's Best Shows of the Fringe. It also enjoyed London runs at Theatre503 and the 2020 VAULT Festival. This edition also includes twelve comic monologues for female performers, some of which featured in the BBC Radio 4 series, Talking to Strangers (co-written with Sally Phillips), and were performed by Olivia Colman, Jessica Hynes and Emma Thompson, amongst others. 'Lily Bevan is one of the most consistently astonishing writers of her generation. She has an imagination like no other and her relationship with words is like a marriage between Flaubert and Spike Milligan' Emma Thompson

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‘I have to draw a new map. I have to be seen. For her. For all of us!’ Since her ordeal five years ago, nineteen-year-old Nene rarely leaves home. Secure within her mum's embrace, Nene now keeps the outside world securely on the other side of her bedroom window. But weekly visits from her best friend start to fill the void and on one unexpected day, when Nene is finally beyond the walls of her sanctuary, a long-forgotten spark is powerfully reignited in her, one which will change her direction forever… A poignant and life-affirming play, Chinonyerem Odimba's Unknown Rivers is a testament to the extraordinary powers of female friendship – where there's turmoil, trauma and hardship, there's also love, bravery and hope, making it possible to go with the flow… and live. Unknown Rivers premiered at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, London, in October 2019.

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A top-ranking director sets out his rehearsal techniques in this invaluable handbook for actors and directors. Mike Alfreds' Different Every Night is the culmination of a lifetime of work in the theatre, the most complete rehearsal methodology in print since Stanislavsky. It offers a vital masterclass for actors and directors, full of sound practical advice and guidance, and is packed with techniques for bringing the text to life and keeping it alive - both in rehearsal and performance. 'Most of what I am as an actress I owe to Mike Alfreds. He gave me the language and the tools I needed for my craft' Pam Ferris, from her Foreword 'If I was allowed to train again to be an actor, but I was only allowed one teacher, it would have to be Mike Alfreds. To me he is a genius when it comes to acting and storytelling' Mark Rylance

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The moving account of the life and early death of a young female activist, adapted from her own writings. Why did a 23-year old woman leave her comfortable American life to stand between an Israeli army bulldozer and a Palestinian home in the Gaza strip? Compiled from her letters, diaries and emails by Alan Rickman and Guardian journalist Katharine Viner, My Name is Rachel Corrie recounts, in her own words, her short life and sudden death. My Name is Rachel Corrie was first performed by Megan Dodds at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in April 2005, winning Best New Play at the 2006 WhatsOnStage Awards.

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An irreverent and provocative drama questioning the basis of Christianity, by the author of The Romans in Britain. The most famous conversion in history - when Saul became Paul on the road to Damascus - was a trick. It was actually Jesus appearing to him. Jesus did not die on the cross but was rescued and sheltered by his brother James, by Peter and by Peter's wife, Mary Magdalene. But they prefer to keep Paul in the dark because, although he is mistakenly preaching that Christ rose again, at least it keeps him busy and gets the Christian message out there... Now imprisoned by Nero, Peter finally tells Paul the truth before they go to their deaths as the first Christian Martyrs. Howard Brenton's play Paul was first performed at the National Theatre, London, in 2005.

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The second collection of plays from the multi-award winning author. Included in this volume is Conor McPherson's The Weir, one of the most successful plays of recent years. In a bar in a remote part of Ireland, the local lads are swapping spooky stories to impress a young woman from Dublin newly moved into the area... 'A spellbinder that transfixes you... No praise in fact is too high' Guardian Dublin Carol is set on Christmas Eve, when a Dublin undertaker is visited by his estranged daughter urging him to face up to the past. 'McPherson writes like a dream.... The play works an ingenious spell' Daily Mail Port Authority tells of three interwoven lives: a boy leaves home for the first time; a man starts a job for which he is unqualified; a pensioner is sent a mysterious package... 'Overwhelmingly poignant... desolate, searing eloquence' Evening Standard And in Come on Over, published here for the first time, a Jesuit priest, sent to investigate a 'miracle' in his home town, re-encounters the woman who loved him thirty years before. 'Piercingly evocative, powerfully exploring the tension between human and divine love' Daily Telegraph The volume also contains an Afterword by the author.

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