The nominees for the 2018 Theatre Book Prize were announced today (24 May), with Shakespeare on Stage: Volume 2 – Twelve Leading Actors on Twelve Key Roles making the five-title shortlist.

In the book, twelve renowned Shakespeare performers – including Roger Allam, Eileen Atkins, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ian McKellen, Alan Rickman, Patrick Stewart, Harriet Walter and Zoë Wanamaker – each recreate in detail their memorable performance in a major role. Get a taste of the book with these extracts.

The annual Theatre Book Prize is awarded by the Society of Theatre Research to a title of original research into any aspect of the history and technique of British or British-related theatre history and practice. This year's shortlist also includes books by former National Theatre head Nicholas Hytner and critic Michael Coveney.

To see the full list of nominees, plus more about the Prize, visit the STR website.

We're delighted to announce Amateur Theatre Fest: an exciting, brand-new, full-day event of workshops, talks and performances.

On Saturday 8 September 2018, join hundreds of other passionate amateur theatre-makers at The Questors Theatre, Ealing, West London, for a day-long programme that gives you the opportunity to:

- ENJOY a celebration of the UK’s incredible amateur theatre scene, and a chance to network with hundreds of fellow theatre-makers

- MEET and hear from leading names including as Simon Callow, Mike Bartlett, Amanda Whittington and Jez Butterworth

- LEARN skills for your own productions, with expert workshops on design, auditions, directing, singing, stage combat, voice, performing Shakespeare, marketing and more

For full information about the day, visit the Amateur Theatre Fest website.

Tickets to Amateur Theatre Fest go on sale at 12 noon on Tuesday 8 May. They'll initially be available at a special, time-limited Early Bird rate of £25 for individuals and £100 for groups of five. So spread the word, round up some friends, and come along to what promises to be a brilliant day.

Places at Amateur Theatre Fest are strictly limited, so be sure to book early to avoid disappointment.

Here at Nick Hern Books we're proud to work with so many talented and ambitious amateur theatre companies who license and perform the brilliant plays we publish. And as we celebrate our thirtieth anniversary in 2018, we can't wait to meet and celebrate with lots of you on 8 September. See you there!

NHB author Lucy Kirkwood's gripping, darkly funny drama The Children has been nominated for Best Play at the Tony Awards 2018, it was announced today (1 May).

The play focuses on two ageing nuclear scientists, living in an isolated cottage on the coast as the world around them crumbles. When an old friend arrives with a frightening request, they find themselves having to make a terrible decision. A sold-out hit at its premiere at London's Royal Court Theatre in 2016, The Children won Best Play at the Writers' Guild Awards 2018 in January. Also nominated in the same category is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by NHB author Jack Thorne.

Elsewhere, the acclaimed National Theatre production of Angels in America by Tony Kushner is shortlisted in ten categories including Best Revival. The epic two-part play returned to the NT last year, twenty-five years after its premiere in 1992, before transferring to New York from February. The production also won Best Revival at this year's Olivier Awards.

Also nominated at this year's ceremony is NHB author Mark Rylance, who is up for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Farinelli and the King). This would be his third win in the category, having most recently won for his performance as Johnny 'Rooster' Byron in Jerusalem in 2011.

The winners of this year's Tony Awards will be announced on 10 June. To see the full list of nominees across every category, visit their website.

The recipients of the Olivier Awards 2018 were announced last night (8 April), with NHB-published plays and musicals picking up a total of nine prizes.

One of the night's big winners was Jez Butterworth's mighty drama The Ferryman, which bagged three awards: Best New Play, Best Director (Sam Mendes) and Best Actress (Laura Donnelly). This family epic, set in Northern Ireland in 1981, was first seen at the Royal Court before transferring for a twice-extended run at the Gielgud Theatre in London's West End, where it runs until May. It then opens on Broadway in October.

The National Theatre's acclaimed production of Angels in America by NHB author Tony Kushner won Best Revival and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Denise Gough). Returning to its original National Theatre home twenty-five years after its premiere, the production is now playing on Broadway.

Also at the National Theatre, Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's legendary musical Follies, directed by NHB author Dominic Cooke, was awarded Best Musical Revival and Best Costume Design (Vicki Mortimer). The production will return to the Olivier in 2019, with a cast recording also on the way.

Elsewhere in the musical categories, Girl from the North Country – written and directed by NHB author Conor McPherson, featuring the iconic songbook of Bob Dylan – won Best Actress in a Musical (Shirley Henderson) and Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical (Sheila Atim). Originally seen at the Old Vic Theatre, the production transferred to the Noël Coward Theatre in London's West End, where it ran until March.

SPECIAL OFFER - SAVE 30% ON OLIVIER AWARDS WINNERS!

To celebrate their success at the Olivier Awards, we're offering you a 30% discount on the four winning NHB shows listed above!

To claim the discount, simply enter code OLIVIERS2018 at checkout when ordering via our site. This offer is valid until 13 April 2018.

The recipients of the 2018 Windham-Campbell Literature Prizes were announced today (Wednesday 7 March), with NHB authors Lucas Hnath and Suzan-Lori Parks amongst those honoured.

Lucas Hnath was recognised for his 'agile writing [which] ranges across genres and subjects with voracious curiosity; his wit, formal daring and poetic precision crystallize dramas that are socially incisive and indelible.' His plays include The Christians – a remarkable exploration of faith and community in the modern world, which won a Fringe First Award when it had its UK premiere at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh in 2015 – and A Doll’s House, Part 2, which received eight nominations (including Best Play) at the 2017 Tony Awards.

The prize jury described Suzan Lori-Parks as 'an artist whose ethical imagination confronts rather than consoles; she acknowledges in the fissures of language and human relations the complexities of a fraught world.' Her plays include Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2 and 3) – seen in the UK at the Royal Court Theatre in 2016 – and Topdog/Underdog , winner of the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

The mission of the Windham-Campbell Literature Prizes 'is to call attention to literary achievement and provide writers with the opportunity to focus on their work independent of financial concerns'. Administered by Yale University and first awarded in 2013, they give each recipient an unrestricted grant of $165,000 to support their writing, plus a citation and award. Previous NHB recipients have included Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, debbie tucker green, Helen Edmundson and Sam Holcroft. Find out more at their website.

The winners of the 2018 WhatsOnStage Awards were announced last night (25 February), with NHB author Jez Butterworth's mighty drama The Ferryman one of the night's big success stories.

Following its similar recent wins at the Evening Standard and Critics' Circle Awards, The Ferryman duly walked off with the WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Play, also winning Best Director (Sam Mendes) and Best Supporting Actor in a Play (Fra Fee). First seen at the Royal Court in April 2017, the play - a family epic set in the Northern Ireland during the Troubles - is currently enjoying a twice-extended West End run until May, before transferring to Broadway. Also nominated in the Best New Play category were NHB-published Gloria by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and Oslo by J. T. Rogers.

Elsewhere, there was also a win for Lucy Kirkwood's dazzlingly ambitious drama Mosquitoes, with Olivia Colman taking home the Best Actress award. A play about family and particle physics, set in Geneva as the Large Hadron Collider starts up in 2008, Mosquitoes premiered at the National Theatre in July 2017.

To see this year's full list of winners, visit the WhatsOnStage website.

We're currently seeking a Publishing Assistant: an enthusiastic, adaptable new member of the team to contribute to all aspects of our publishing activity. This is an exciting opportunity to gain varied experience at the UK's leading specialist theatre publisher.

Applications are now open until 22 February. For more information – including the full job description, person specification and how to apply – visit our Jobs page. Thanks, and good luck!

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Acting (But Were Afraid to Ask, Dear), the hilarious first book by West End Producer – social media star, industry columnist and masked man of Theatreland – is now available as an audiobook, read by the author.

Unabridged and featuring exclusive bonus content, the audiobook is available to purchase via Audible and iTunes. You can listen to the audiobook for free by signing up to a free 30-day Audible trial.

'Don’t even consider putting your daughter on the stage, Mrs Worthington, until you’ve first consulted this wonderful book.' Paul O’Grady

'The funniest book I have read this year... nuggets of fine observation and wisdom' The Stage

West End Producer's second book, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Going to the Theatre (But Were Too Sloshed to Ask, Dear), is out now.

The winners of the 2018 Writers’ Guild Awards were announced yesterday (Monday 15 January 2018), with three NHB authors amongst those successful.

Lucy Kirkwood won Best Play for her gripping drama The Children, Praised by the Independent as 'a richly suggestive and beautifully written piece of work, provoking questions that will continue to nag and expand in your mind', it was first seen at the Royal Court, and currently playing at Manhattan Theatre Club in New York.

The Award for Best Play for Young Audiences was given to How To Be A Kid by Sarah McDonald-Hughes. A touching and funny story of family, friends and fitting in, it was premiered by Paines Plough in their pop-up theatre, Roundabout, in a co-production with Theatr Clywd and the Orange Tree Theatre, transferring to the latter this month.

Finally, the evening also saw Caryl Churchill honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to Writing Award, in recognition of her illustrious body of work and a career which has spanned over six decades. The award was presented by fellow NHB author Lucy Kirkwood.

The annual Writers Guild Awards have been celebrating the cream of British writing talent since 1961. To see the full list of winners in all categories, visit the Writers Guild website.

Please note that the NHB office is now closed for the festive period, and will open again on Tuesday 2 January.

Our website remains open for print orders, but any orders placed will not be processed until Monday 8 January. If you require your books sooner, please try an alternative retailer.

If your enquiry is urgent or if you require ebook support, please email us as this is being checked intermittently - we will do our best to help and we will get back to you as soon as we can. In the meantime, if you need help with any ebook issues, please take a look over our ebooks help page.

Thanks, and have a Merry Christmas!