Nick Hern Books
New Titles
Peak Stuff

Peak Stuff

By Billie Collins

A fast-paced, funny play offering a deep-dive into consumer culture: in an age of retail therapy, climate crisis and click and collect - how does our 'stuff' define us?

A Song for Ella Grey

A Song for Ella Grey (stage version)

By David Almond Adapted by Zoe Cooper

A magical retelling of the Orpheus myth, full of music, sound and storytelling, adapted from the novel by David Almond. Premiered by Pilot Theatre on UK tour in 2024.

The Hills of California

The Hills of California

By Jez Butterworth

The Webb Sisters are returning to their mother's run-down guest house in Blackpool, in a play by the author of Jerusalem and The Ferryman, premiered in the West End in 2024.

Samuel Takes a Break

Samuel Takes a Break

in Male Dungeon No. 5 After a Long but Generally Successful Day of Tours

By Rhianna Ilube

An extraordinary, genre-blending play about colonialism, identity and the attempt to preserve the past, premiered at The Yard Theatre London in 2024.

Shed: Exploded View

Shed: Exploded View

By Phoebe Eclair-Powell

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

Standing at the Sky's Edge

Standing at the Sky's Edge (West End edition)

By Chris Bush and Richard Hawley

Chris Bush and Richard Hawley's musical, a history of modern Britain told through the stories of one Sheffield housing estate. Winner of the Best New Musical award at the 2023 Olivier Awards.

Chris Bush Plays: One

Chris Bush Plays: One

By Chris Bush

Five plays by leading playwright Chris Bush: Steel; Faustus: That Damned Woman; Nine Lessons and Carols; Hungry (Paines Plough, 2021) and Not the End of the World (Schaubühne, Berlin, 2021).

Nine Lessons and Carols

Nine Lessons and Carols

Stories for a Long Winter

By Chris Bush and Maimuna Memon

A play about connection and isolation, forged during the Covid pandemic, exploring what we hold on to in troubled times.

(Not) the End of the World

(Not) the End of the World

By Chris Bush

A daringly theatrical investigation of the climate crisis through the perspectives of class, patriarchy and colonialism.

The Human Body

The Human Body

By Lucy Kirkwood

A play of political and private passions, set in the 1940s against a backdrop of the foundation of the NHS. Premiered at the Donmar Warehouse, London, in 2024.

Shifters

Shifters

By Benedict Lombe

A fierce, funny and intoxicating play about the enduring power – and fragility – of memory and love. Premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2024.

An Enemy of the People

An Enemy of the People

By Henrik Ibsen Adapted by Thomas Ostermeier and Florian Borchmeyer

Ibsen's provocative play about truth in a society driven by power and money, given a startling contemporary spin in Thomas Ostermeier and Florian Borchmeyer's acclaimed version, here in an English translation by Duncan Macmillan.

The Actor and the Space

The Actor and the Space

By Declan Donnellan

An inspirational book on acting, tackling the fundamental questions that face any actor. By a world-leading theatre director, the founder of Cheek by Jowl.

The Wife of Cyncoed & Idyll: two plays

The Wife of Cyncoed & Idyll: two plays

By Matt Hartley

Two plays by Matt Hartley: his entertaining one-woman play, The Wife of Cyncoed, premiered at the Sherman Theatre, Cardiff, in 2024; and Idyll, a captivating short play premiered by Pentabus Theatre in 2021.

The Wife of Cyncoed

The Wife of Cyncoed

By Matt Hartley

A charming and open-hearted one-woman play about self-discovery later in life.

Idyll

Idyll

By Matt Hartley

A captivating short play about rural Britain, premiered by Pentabus Theatre in 2021.

Foam

Foam

By Harry McDonald

A gripping play that examines the nature of identity and the consequences of right-wing extremist ideology against the backdrop of London's skinhead and gay scenes of the 1970s and 1980s.

Red Pitch

Red Pitch (West End edition)

By Tyrell Williams

A fast-paced and sharp-edged play telling a coming-of-age story about three young footballers, exploring the impact of gentrification and regeneration on London's communities. Winner of the 2022 George Devine Award.