Nick Hern Books

Plays for One Performer

Discover fringe-theatre shows turned award-winning TV series, memoir-monologues, writer-actor collaborations and so many more excellent examples of solo shows in our collection below.

If you're a theatre-maker interested in creating your own solo show, there's no better place to start than with Making Your Solo Show: The Compact Guide, by Lisa Carroll and Milly Thomas – both experienced solo-show writers, who teach popular workshops on getting to grips with the form.

Discover 10 top tips to make your solo show memorable, an extract from Lisa and Milly's book over on our blog.

Showing 49-72 of 147 items.
good dog

good dog

By Arinzé Kene

A theatrical monologue that chronicles growing up in a multicultural community, and the everyday injustices that drive people to take back control.

The Good Thief

The Good Thief

By Conor McPherson

A monologue play about a petty criminal who is punished by his conscience when he becomes involved in a bungled kidnap.

Gypsy Girl

Gypsy Girl

By Laura Lomas

A monologue first performed by Laura Lomas at Soho Theatre, London, on 5 October 2009 as part of Paines Plough's LATER programme.

Published in volume Bird and other monologues for young women
    The Half Of It

    The Half Of It

    By Karen Cogan

    A darkly lyrical monologue about a life, lived unseen. Winner of the Stewart Parker Award in 2018.

    Hamish

    Hamish

    By Jack Thorne

    A short monologue play exploring the challenges facing a young wheelchair user, commissioned by the BBC as part of CripTales, a television series marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the UK's Disability Discrimination Act.

    Published in volume CripTales: Six Monologues
      Hanna

      Hanna

      By Sam Potter

      A funny, heartfelt and compelling new play that asks what family means in a modern society, delicately weaving in questions of racial identity, economic privilege, and the lottery of birth.

      Harm

      Harm

      By Phoebe Eclair-Powell

      A thrilling and razor-sharp twisted comedy on the corrosive effects of social media and isolation.

      HEART

      HEART

      By Jade Anouka

      A raw and honest exploration of love, loss, and self-discovery. The debut play by acclaimed actor Jade Anouka.

      Heretic Voices

      Heretic Voices

      Three Award-winning Monologues

      By Sonya Hale, Annie Fox and Tatty Hennessy

      An anthology of the best new writing in monologue form, celebrating unique voices with exceptional stories to tell.

      Honour-Bound

      Honour-Bound

      By Zahra Jassi

      A powerful solo show about family, anti-Blackness, and what we're willing to sacrifice for love.

      A Hundred Words for Snow

      A Hundred Words for Snow

      By Tatty Hennessy

      A play about a teenage girl's solo journey to the North Pole with her father's ashes.

      I Won't Dance - Don't Ask Me

      I Won't Dance - Don't Ask Me

      By Owen McCafferty

      An early short monologue play from Northern Irish writer Owen McCafferty.

      Published in volume Mojo Mickybo: Three Plays
        Idyll

        Idyll

        By Matt Hartley

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

        In a Vulnerable Place

        In a Vulnerable Place

        By Steve Waters

        A monologue documenting Steve Waters' own journey from the Norfolk Broads to the steppes of Mongolia to explore, first hand, what is happening to the natural world and the human heart.

        Isolated But Open

        Isolated But Open

        Voices from Across The Shutdown

        By various

        Twelve new monologues written in response to the coronavirus outbreak in 2020 as part of Papatango's scheme to inspire creativity and share brilliant new stories.

        Joanne

        Joanne

        By Deborah Bruce, Theresa Ikoko, Laura Lomas, Chinonyerem Odimba and Ursula Rani Sarma

        Five of the most exciting voices in theatre explore the pressures on our public services as one young woman buckles under pressures of her own.

        Jordan

        Jordan

        By Anna Reynolds With Moira Buffini

        A short play that tells the true story of Shirley Jones, who kills her baby boy, Jordan, rather than have him taken away by his abusive father.

        Published in volume Singular Female Voices
          Julie Burchill Is Away

          Julie Burchill Is Away

          By Tim Fountain

          A one-woman show based on the life and writings of the provocative columnist, writer and broadcaster, Julie Burchill.

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          The Kiss

          The Kiss

          By Zoe Cooper

          A tender, funny and beautifully observed study of lives in limbo, and a glimmer of hope for what lies ahead. First performed as part of the Orange Tree Theatre's Inside/Outside season.

          Published in volume Inside/Outside
            Kitchen

            Kitchen

            By Enda Walsh

            A short play from the author of Disco Pigs and The Walworth Farce.

            Published in volume Arlington
              Lady Dealer

              Lady Dealer

              By Martha Watson Allpress

              A mile-a-minute, one-person poem play about a young female drug dealer, exploring forgiveness, the exhaustion of trying, and mistaking self-destruction for self-preservation. Premiered at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

              Last Letters Home

              Last Letters Home

              By Matt Hartley

              A short monologue play for a female performer.

              Published in volume Here I Belong
                Lava

                Lava

                By Benedict Lombe

                One woman's journey into her own past becomes inextricably linked with the tides of global history in this wickedly funny, strikingly lyrical and explosive debut play. Winner of the 2022 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

                Leavings

                Leavings

                By Jez Butterworth

                A short monologue play from the author of Jerusalem.

                Published in volume Jez Butterworth Plays: One