The RSC's production of Wolf Hall & Bring Up the Bodies, adapted by Mike Poulton from Hilary Mantel's Booker Prize-winning novels, opened at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, yesterday (8 January), garnering rave reviews from a string of critics.

Starring Ben Miles, the Tudor England-set plays tell the story of Thomas Cromwell, the son of a Putney blacksmith who works his way up to become a key figure in the court of King Henry VIII, and inextricably involved in the rise and fall of Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn.

The pairing of Hilary Mantel and the RSC is 'a marriage made in heaven', Paul Taylor declares in his five-star review for the Independent. He praises the 'unflagging power and fascination' of the adaptation, which is full of 'exhilarating stage-craft and masterly narrative compression'. Like many of the reviewers, Taylor calls for the production to transfer to London's West End, arguing it 'must surely have a long life after Stratford.'

Writing in the Guardian, Michael Billington calls the production 'a gripping piece of narrative theatre'. Describing Miles' portrayal of Cromwell as 'totally compelling', he contrasts the plays' depiction of historical figures with those found elsewhere, saying 'all the main characters have a three-dimensional richness... that puts to shame a piece of costume drama like TV's The Tudors.' 'This is history made manifest', he concludes.

Simon Taverner is full of praise for Mike Poulton's adaptation in his two-part review for WhatsOnStage, proclaiming the writing as 'first class - a real gem of a script for audiences and actors alike.' The production is 'an exemplary piece of work', he says, staged with 'clarity, wit and plenty of very welcome humour.' He praises Jeremy Herrin's 'assured direction' and the creative team as a whole, saying 'Poulton, Herrin and Mantel have produced something quite special here'. 'The West End should beckon for these productions', he states, joining Paul Taylor in calling for a transfer.

'Meaty, intelligent drama', announces Henry Hitchings in the Evening Standard. Dubbing the production 'a rewarding epic', like many others he reserves much of his attention for the script. 'Great credit must go to Poulton', he says. 'The writing is accessible, combining wit and humanity... what could feel like a dusty history lesson instead seems a miracle of compression.' In a similar vein, The Stage's Heather Neill calls the plays 'a triumph of clarity', also picking out Ben Miles' 'riveting' performance.

The RSC's production of Wolf Hall & Bring Up the Bodies runs at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon until 29 March. The scripts, available in a single volume priced at £10.99, are co-published by Nick Hern Books and 4th Estate. They can be purchased through this website here. 

The shortlists for the publicly-voted WhatsOnStage Awards 2014 were announced today (6 December), with Once (four nominations), Chimerica and Mojo (three nominations each) heading an extensive collection of Nick Hern Books nominees.

Once, the charming and irresistable musical based on the Academy Award-winning film, is nominated for Best New Musical. With a book by NHB author Enda Walsh, and music and Lyrics by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglová, Once tells the story of an Irish busker and a young Czech woman who meet on the streets of Dublin, and strike up an intense, blossoming friendship grounded in a shared love of songwriting. The production, which opened at the Phoenix Theatre in March, is also nominated for Best Original Music, Best Actress in a Musical (Zrinka Cvitesic) and Best Actor in a Musical (Declan Bennett).

Lucy Kirkwood's gripping thriller Chimerica is shortlisted for Best New Play. A gripping political examination and engaging personal drama about an American photojournalist searching for the subject of his most famous photograph - the mysterious Tinananmen Square Tank Man, Chimerica transferred to the Harold Pinter Theatre after a sell-out run at the Almeida Theatre in the summer. It is also nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Play (Claudie Blakley) and Best Set Designer (Es Devlin). Chimerica will be hoping to add to its awards success, having recently scooped the Evening Standard Award for Best Play.

Also nominated for Best New Play is Rory Kinnear's powerful family drama The Herd. A witty and heartfelt look at a family falling apart – and pulling together – when life doesn’t turn out quite the way they imagined, this powerful debut play premiered at the Bush Theatre in September. Rory Kinnear is also shortlisted for Best Actor in a Play for his performance as Iago in the National Theatre's production of Othello.

Mojo, Jez Butterworth's slick, violent black comedy set in 1950s Soho, is nominated for Best Play Revival. The hit debut play by the author of Jerusalem, Mojo won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy when it premiered at the Royal Court in 1995. The new production, the play's first major revival, opened at the Harold Pinter Theatre in October. Mojo is also nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Play (Daniel Mays) and London Newcomer of the Year (Rupert Grint).

Two other NHB plays are also nominated for Best Play Revival: The Pride by Alexi Kaye Campbell and The Weir by Conor McPherson. Alexi Kaye Campbell's The Pride, a striking debut drama that addresses changing attitudes to sexuality across half a century, was revived at the Trafalgar Studios as part of the Trafalgar Transformed season earlier this year, and is also nominated for Best Actress in a Play (Hayley Atwell). Conor McPherson's modern classic chiller The Weir, which won the Olivier Award for Best New Play when it debuted at the Royal Court in 1997, is also nominated for Best Ensemble Performance. The new production transfers to Wyndham's Theatre from January, having been revived at the Donmar Warehouse in April.

Howard Brenton's #aiww: The Arrest of Ai Weiwei is nominated for Best Off-West End Production. Based on Barnaby Martin's book Hanging Man, Howard Brenton's drama tells the true story of the Nobel Laureate's eighty-one-day imprisonment by the Chinese authorities, a story by turns surreal, hilarious, and terrifying. The play premiered at Hampstead Theatre in April. It made headlines when a special live-streamed performance was watched by tens of thousands around the world, amongst them Ai Weiwei himself.

A number of other Nick Hern Books plays are up for awards across a variety of categories. Eugene O'Neill's Strange Interlude, revived at the National Theatre in May, is nominated for Best Actress in a Play (Anne-Marie Duff) and Best Supporting Actor in a Play (Charles Edwards). Richard Eyre's production of his own version of Henrik Ibsen's classic tragedy Ghosts, which transfers this month to Trafalgar Studios after its initial successful run at the Almeida Theatre, is nominated for Best Lighting Designer (Peter Mumford). Terence Rattigan's family drama The Winslow Boy, revived at the Old Vic in March, is shortlisted for Best Supporting Actress in a Play (Naomi Frederick).

The scripts to these plays, and all of the above nominees, are published by NHB and available to order through our website. Public voting for the WhatsOnStage Awards is open until 31 January 2014, with the winners announced at an awards ceremony on 23 February - click here to cast your vote.

UPDATE 10:01, 6/12/13 - The Christmas Bonanza is now over! Look out for more great offers soon.

If you're searching for the perfect gift for a theatre-lover this year, or just want to treat yourself, then look no further: we've got a very special offer for you.

For 24 hours only, all Nick Hern Books titles (that's all of our theatre books and plays, including our anthologies!) are available at half price through the NHB website.

Plus, get free UK postage & packaging on all orders of £30 or over.

So get browsing, but hurry - the clock's already ticking!

For more information, click here.

Lucy Kirkwood's bold, epic thriller Chimerica was named Best Play at the 59th Evening Standard Theatre Awards last night (17 November), with NHB authors Rory Kinnear and Richard Eyre also among the winners.

A gripping political examination and engaging personal drama, Chimerica tells the story of an American photojournalist who witnessed the events of Tiananmen Square in 1989, and who twenty-three years later sets out to find the subject of his most famous photograph - the mysterious Tank Man.

First premiering at the Almeida Theatre in May 2013, in a co-production with touring company Headlong, Chimerica received rave reviews, including five-star write-ups from the Guardian,Telegraph, Evening Standard and Time Out, with the latter proclaiming it 'the play of the year'. It later transferred to the Harold Pinter Theatre in the West End. All of Lucy Kirkwood's plays are published by Nick Hern Books.

Rory Kinnear was named as Best Actor for his performance as Iago in the National Theatre's production of Othello, sharing the award with his co-star Adrian Lester. Rory was also nominated for the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright for his heartfelt, debut play The Herd, which premiered at the Bush Theatre in October.

Richard Eyre won the Best Director prize for his production of Ghosts. A new version of Ibsen's classic family tragedy - also written by Eyre - Ghosts opened at the Almeida Theatre in September, and will transfer to Trafalgar Studios from 9 December. Both the script to Ghosts and Richard Eyre's book Talking Theatre are published by NHB.

Elsewhere, Bob Crowley scooped the Best Design Award for his work on Once, The Audience and People. With a book by Enda Walsh, Once won eight Tony Awards on its debut on Broadway, and is currently playing at the Phoenix Theatre in London's West End.

The shortlisted nominees for the Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2013 were announced today (8 November), with NHB plays and authors featured strongly across a wide range of categories.

Lucy Kirkwood's bold, epic thriller Chimerica is nominated for Best Play. A gripping political examination and engaging personal drama, Chimerica tells the story of an American photojournalist who witnessed the events of Tiananmen Square in 1989, and who twenty-three years later sets out to find the subject of his most famous photograph - the mysterious Tank Man.

First premiering at the Almeida Theatre in May 2013, in a co-production with touring company Headlong, Chimerica received rave reviews, including five-star write-ups from the Guardian, Telegraph, Evening Standard and Time Out, with the latter proclaiming it 'the play of the year'. It later transferred to the Harold Pinter Theatre in the West End.

Elsewhere, two out of the three nominees for the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright are published by NHB, with Rory Kinnear (The Herd) and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) both shortlisted.

A witty and heartfelt look at a family falling apart – and pulling together – when life doesn’t turn out quite the way they imagined, Rory Kinnear's debut play The Herd premiered at the Bush Theatre in October. Directed by Howard Davies, it was praised by numerous reviewers including the Independent, who called it 'witty, agonising and eye-opening... a weave of painful insights and playful humour'. Kinnear also receives a Best Actor nomination for his performance as Iago in the National Theatre's production of Othello.

Fleabag, the debut play by actress and DryWrite artistic director Phoebe Waller-Bridge, is an outrageously funny but poignant look at responsibility and sexuality in today's young people. The comic monologue premiered at this year's Edinburgh Fringe to critical acclaim, with the Scotsman declaring 'I've never seen a play quite like it'. It won a Fringe First new writing award, while Phoebe also picked up The Stage Award for Best Solo Performance. It then transferred to London's Soho Theatre in September.

In addition, a number of NHB plays and authors have been nominated in other categories. Once, the uplifting West End musical with a book by Enda Walsh, is nominated for Best Design (Bob Crowley). Richard Eyre (writer of Talking Theatre) is nominated for Best Director for his production of Ghosts at the Almeida Theatre. Eyre's version of Henrik Ibsen's classic family tragedy has also garnered nominations for Lesley Manville (Best Actress) and Tim Hatley and Peter Mumford (Best Design). Rufus Norris - recently announced as the next Artistic Director of the National Theatre - is nominated for Best Director for The Amen Corner. Norris' version of Sleeping Beauty is published by NHB.

The Evening Standard Theatre Awards are judged by a panel of theatre critics, led by the Standard's editor, Sarah Sands. The winners will be revealed at a ceremony at the Savoy Hotel on Sunday 17 November.

We’ve been publishing great scripts alongside their production since 1988, and this year is no exception. So to celebrate our anniversary, we’re teaming up with theatres and producers to offer you a chance to win a pair of tickets to some of the shows we’re involved in, plus a free copy of the playscript.

November's Silver Ticket Giveaway show is:

Unscorched by Luke Owen

We’ve got two tickets to give away to the 15:00 matinee performance at the Finborough Theatre, London on Saturday 16 November. 

For more information, including how to enter, click here.

The 2013 UK Theatre Awards were handed out yesterday (20 October) at a ceremony at Guildhall, London, with NHB authors among the winners.

Bull, Mike Bartlett's razor-sharp, acid-tongued play in which three candidates fight for just two jobs, was named Best New Play. Bull premiered at Crucible Studio Theatre, Sheffield in February 2013, to critical acclaim, with The Times calling it 'sinewy, stinging [and] witty... it's as if Bartlett has taken the nastiest needling from a Mamet or a Pinter play and put them into a space of pure verbal aggression'. It later transferred to 59E59 Theaters, New York.

The Stage Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre was awarded to actor and NHB author Simon Callow. Simon's book My Life in Pieces: An Alternative Autobiography, an engaging retracing of his life through the multifarious performers, writers, productions and events which have left their indelible mark on him, is published by Nick Hern Books.

The UK Theatre Awards are administered by the Theatrical Management Association. Professional productions across the UK are eligible, with the exception of West End shows and National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company productions in London.

Perfect Pitch, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the development of musical theatre in the UK, have recently announced a new £12,000 award for musical theatre writing, in association with Royal & Derngate, Northampton. Entries are open until 31 October.

The winning team of writers will be awarded a commission of £12,000 to complete a full draft of a new musical over a twelve month period supported and mentored throughout by Perfect Pitch and Royal & Derngate.

To help you get inspired for your application, we're offering a special discount on How Musicals Work, Julian Woolford's essential guide for any writers (or would-be writers) of musicals that draws on his experience as a director, writer and lecturer. Pick up the book for just £9 plus free UK p&p - just use the code PITCH when ordering through the website.

This offer lasts until 30 November. For more information on the Perfect Pitch Award, How Musicals Work and our offer, click here.

The Thrill of Love, Amanda Whittington's gripping drama about Ruth Ellis the last woman to be hanged in Britain, has been shortlisted for the Writers' Guild Award for Best Theatre Play.

A divorcee with a young child to care for, Ruth works in the kind of nightclubs where there’s more than just a drink on offer. The girls work hard, play hard and dream of a movie-star life. Then she meets the wealthy, womanising David, a racing driver with whom she becomes obsessed. Fame comes - but not in the way she imagines.

Why does their relationship end in murder? Why does she plead not guilty but offer no defence? Why does she show no remorse? And who is she trying to protect?

The Thrill of Love premiered at the New Vic Theatre, Stoke in February 2013, directed by James Dacre, before transferring to London's St. James Theatre in March. It received widespread critical praise, with the Telegraph's Charles Spencer calling it 'absorbing... the writing is playful and pin-sharp'.

The other nominees for the award are Quietly by Owen McCafferty and Brilliant Adventures by Alistair MacDowell. The winner will be announced on Wednesday 13 November.

From the moment it premiered at the Almeida Theatre in May this year, Lucy Kirkwood's bold, epic thriller Chimerica ('the play of the year' - Time Out) has received critical and popular acclaim, garnering a slew of five-star reviews and playing to packed houses for its entire run.

To celebrate its extraordinary success, we're offering a 50% discount on Lucy's entire backlist.

From her wild, dark debut play Tinderbox to the sharp satire of her Royal Court hit NSFW, explore the evolution of one of the country's hottest young writing talents. Also included is the collection Women, Power and Politics: Then, which contains Lucy's play Bloody Wimmin.

To claim the discount, just enter the code KIRKWOOD at checkout. The offer is valid until Chimerica closes on 19 October.

To see all the titles included in this offer, click here.