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 91-108 of 143 items.
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.

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
    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.

    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 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.

      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.

      Glee & Me

      Glee & Me

      By Stuart Slade

      A touching drama about a teenage girl diagnosed with a brain tumour, an unexpectedly optimistic portrayal of love and the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit.

      A Girl's Bedroom

      A Girl's Bedroom

      By Enda Walsh

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

      Published in volume Arlington
        For All I Care

        For All I Care

        By Alan Harris

        A fast-moving, touchingly funny play about two very different women, both having a very bad day.

        Flyin' West and Other Plays

        Flyin' West and Other Plays

        By Pearl Cleage

        A collection of work for the stage that provides a remarkable and penetrating look at the African-American experience over the last 100 years.

        • Paperback£18.99
          There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
        Fleabag: The Welsh Edition

        Fleabag: The Welsh Edition

        By Phoebe Waller-Bridge Adapted by Branwen Davies

        A Welsh language adaptation of the hit play by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, first staged by Theatr Clwyd in 2023.

        Fleabag: The Special Edition

        Fleabag: The Special Edition

        By Phoebe Waller-Bridge

        A special edition of the outrageously funny, blazingly forthright stage play, featuring exclusive bonus material.

        Fleabag: The Original Play

        Fleabag: The Original Play

        By Phoebe Waller-Bridge

        The outrageously funny play that became the wildly successful and 'utterly riveting' (Guardian) BBC television series.

        Five Years with the White Man

        Five Years with the White Man

        By Eloka Obi and Saul Boyer

        A startling play about satirist ABC Merriman-Labor, the greatest Black Briton ever to have been forgotten.

        First Time

        First Time

        By Nathaniel Hall

        A hilarious and heartbreaking true story that smashes through the stigma and shame of HIV, to present an uplifting and inspirational guide to staying positive in a negative world.

        Finsbury Park

        Finsbury Park

        By Stephen Jeffreys

        A short autobiographical monologue, first performed as part of the Come to Where I'm From festival at the Park Theatre, London, in 2016.

        Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen

        Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen

        By Marcelo Dos Santos

        A new edition of the dark and biting one-man show starring Samuel Barnett at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2023.

        Far Gone

        Far Gone

        By John Rwothomack

        A profoundly moving play about a young Ugandan boy's journey from childhood innocence to child soldier, seen through the eyes of those that love him and those that betray him.

        Top Titles

        See our top titles for actors, teachers, directors and more...