Nick Hern Books

Howard Brenton

Howard Brenton

Howard Brenton was born in Portsmouth in 1942. His many plays include Christie in Love (Portable Theatre, 1969); Revenge (Theatre Upstairs, 1969); Magnificence (Royal Court Theatre,1973); The Churchill Play (Nottingham Playhouse, 1974, and twice revived by the RSC, 1978 and 1988); Bloody Poetry (FocoNovo, 1984, and Royal Court Theatre, 1987); Weapons of Happiness (National Theatre, Evening Standard Award, 1976); Epsom Downs (Joint Stock Theatre, 1977); Sore Throats (RSC,1978); The Romans in Britain (National Theatre, 1980, revived at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, 2006); Thirteenth Night (RSC,1981); The Genius (1983), Greenland (1988) and Berlin Bertie (1992), all presented by the Royal Court; Kit’s Play (RADA Jerwood Theatre, 2000); Paul (National Theatre, 2005); In Extremis (Shakespeare’s Globe, 2006 and 2007); Never So Good (National Theatre, 2008); The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists adapted from the novel by Robert Tressell (Liverpool Everyman and Chichester Festival Theatre, 2010); Anne Boleyn (Shakespeare’s Globe, 2010 and 2011); 55 Days (Hampstead Theatre, 2012); #aiww: The Arrest of Ai Weiwei (Hampstead Theatre, 2013); The Guffin (NT Connections, 2013); Drawing the Line (Hampstead Theatre, 2013); Doctor Scroggy's War (Shakespeare's Globe, 2014); Lawrence After Arabia (Hampstead Theatre, 2016); The Blinding Light (Jermyn Street Theatre, 2017), The Shadow Factory (NST City, Southampton, 2018), Jude (Hampstead Theatre, 2019), Cancelling Socrates (Jermyn Street Theatre, London, 2022) and Churchill in Moscow (Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, 2025).

Collaborations with other writers include Brassneck (with David Hare, Nottingham Playhouse, 1972); Pravda (with David Hare, National Theatre, Evening Standard Award, 1985) and Moscow Gold (with Tariq Ali, RSC, 1990).

Versions of classics include The Life of Galileo (1980) and Danton's Death (1982), both for the National Theatre; Goethe's Faust (1995/6) for the RSC; a new version of Danton's Death for the National Theatre (2010); and versions of Strindberg's Dances of Death (Gate Theatre, 2013), Miss Julie (Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, & Jermyn Street Theatre, London, 2017) and Creditors (Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, & Jermyn Street Theatre, London, 2019).

He wrote thirteen episodes of the BBC1 drama series Spooks (2001–05, BAFTA Best Drama Series, 2003).

Showing 1-12 of 21 items.
Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn

By Howard Brenton

A celebration of a great English heroine, Anne Boleyn dramatises the life and legacy of Henry VIII's notorious second wife, who helped change the course of the nation's history.

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists (stage version)

By Robert Tressell Adapted by Howard Brenton

Robert Tressell's classic pre-First World War account of the working lives of a group of housepainters and decorators, vividly adapted by Howard Brenton.

Faust: Parts I & II

Faust: Parts I & II

By Johann Wolfgang Goethe Adapted by Howard Brenton

A two-part version of Goethe's great work, retaining the mighty scope, linguistic daring and philosophical intricacy of the original.

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Berlin Bertie

Berlin Bertie

By Howard Brenton

An intimate and at times savagely funny psychological study of two sisters, one of who has made her home in East Berlin and one who has stayed on in their native London.

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Never So Good

Never So Good

By Howard Brenton

A fascinating portrait of Harold Macmillan in an epic play about the decline of British fortunes in the middle of the twentieth century.

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Paul

Paul

By Howard Brenton

An irreverent and provocative drama questioning the basis of Christianity, by the author of The Romans in Britain.

55 Days

55 Days

By Howard Brenton

A gripping historical play that dramatises a crucial moment of English history.

#aiww: The Arrest of Ai Weiwei

#aiww: The Arrest of Ai Weiwei

By Howard Brenton

A timely play based on the true story of an imprisoned Nobel Laureate.

Dances of Death

Dances of Death

By Howard Brenton Original author August Strindberg

A gripping new version of Strindberg's masterly, darkly hilarious depiction of the struggles and strains of marriage.

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Drawing the Line

Drawing the Line

By Howard Brenton

A vivid telling of the chaotic story of the partition that shaped the modern world.

Eternal Love

Eternal Love

The Story of Abelard and Heloise

By Howard Brenton

A spellbinding retelling of the passionate and legendary love story of Abelard and Heloise.

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Doctor Scroggy's War

Doctor Scroggy's War

By Howard Brenton

An epic, hilarious and moving play that takes a sideways look at the First World War.