Nick Hern Books

NHB Modern Plays

The NHB Modern Plays series features the pick of modern and contemporary plays from leading UK and international playwrights. Championing quality, accessibility and diversity, it takes the best writing for the stage and gives it enduring life on the page.

Showing 1-24 of 1,634 items.
...blackbird hour

...blackbird hour

By babirye bukilwa

A visceral and moving exploration of caring, belonging, and a queer Black woman's attempts to love herself. Premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2025.

...cake

...cake

By babirye bukilwa

A psychological drama that asks if the cycle of generational trauma can ever be broken. Can queer, Black femmes find love and belonging when the soil beneath them – and the climate around them – is hostile?

"Daddy": A Melodrama

"Daddy": A Melodrama

By Jeremy O. Harris

A blistering melodrama from Jeremy O. Harris, whose play Slave Play received a record twelve nominations at the 74th Tony Awards.

(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) Woman

(the) Woman

By Jane Upton

A fiercely funny and brutally honest play about motherhood, premiered in a touring production by New Perspectives in 2025.

#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.

100

100

By Christopher Heimann, Neil Monaghan and Diene Petterle

A strikingly original play combining traditional storytelling with physical theatre, created by The Imaginary Body. Winner of a Fringe First Award at the 2002 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

15 Heroines

15 Heroines

15 Monologues Adapted from Ovid

By Various

Drawing inspiration from Ovid, fifteen leading female and non-binary British playwrights dramatise the lives of fifteen classical heroines in a series of new monologues for the twenty-first century.

1536

1536

By Ava Pickett

A fiendishly smart and funny play set in Tudor England, asking whether female solidarity can survive in a world where barbarism and misogyny are state sanctioned. Winner of the 2024 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Premiered at the Almeida Theatre, London, in 2025.

  • Paperback£10.99 £8.79
    Pre-order
  • Ebook£10.99 £8.79
    Available soon
1972: The Future of Sex

1972: The Future of Sex

By The Wardrobe Ensemble

A devised play about three couples having sex for the first time – and a country on the brink of a sexual awakening.

1984

1984 (stage version)

By George Orwell Adapted by Nick Hern

A bold and powerful dramatisation of George Orwell's classic dystopia, ideal for any school, youth group or amateur company.

2:22 – A Ghost Story

2:22 – A Ghost Story

By Danny Robins

A spine-chilling, funny and scary play from the award-winning writer and broadcaster behind the hit BBC podcast The Battersea Poltergeist.

2nd May 1997

2nd May 1997

By Jack Thorne

A play set on the day that New Labour swept into government, telling three deeply personal stories of euphoria and despair.

3 Billion Seconds

3 Billion Seconds

By Maud Dromgoole

A hilarious, macabre love story about a pregnant couple of activists attempting to offset the carbon footprint of their unborn baby's life.

3 Winters

3 Winters

By Tena Štivičić

A portrait of an eclectic family, held together by the courage to survive. Winner of the 2015 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

40 Days

40 Days

By Firdos Ali

A play exploring the impact of state violence on Black and brown children.

Published in volume Contemporary Plays by Black British Writers
    The 47th

    The 47th

    By Mike Bartlett

    A viciously funny play offering a dazzling glimpse into the underbelly of the greatest political show on earth: the US presidential race.

    5/11

    5/11

    By Edward Kemp

    An epic and incendiary thriller about the Gunpowder Plot, weaving together the lives of kings, terrorists, priests and spies.

    • Paperback£10.99 £8.79
      There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
    • Ebook£10.99 £8.79
      Add to basket
    54% Acrylic

    54% Acrylic

    By David Harrower

    A short play about a young woman who, after shoplifting for the first time, is chased by the store detective.

    55 Days

    55 Days

    By Howard Brenton

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

    603

    603

    By Imad Farajin Translated by Hassan Abdulrazzak

    A play from Palestine, part of the Royal Court Theatre's Arab World initiative in conjunction with the British Council.

    8 Hotels

    8 Hotels

    By Nicholas Wright

    A play about passion, suspicion and revenge, based on true events involving some of the twentieth century's most influential American artists.

    A-Typical Rainbow

    A-Typical Rainbow

    By JJ Green

    An uplifting play about the experience of growing up neurodivergent and queer in early 2000s Britain, based on real events from the perspective of the writer and the autistic community.

    Abandonment

    Abandonment

    By Kate Atkinson

    A play about love, death, identity and evolution, from the bestselling and highly acclaimed novelist.