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Nick Hern Books

UPDATE, 1pm Friday 19 March – this 40% Off Sale has now finished. Thank you so much to everyone who took part!

Choose from hundreds of top plays and books, and support freelancers affected by the impact of COVID-19


On 16 March 2020, as the COVID pandemic continued to spread across the UK, hundreds of theatres nationwide were forced to shut their doors. At the time, we all thought it would only be for a few weeks – but incredibly, a full year on, these treasured stages are still dark. That was also the day we temporarily shut down the NHB office, as our team switched to working remotely. Twelve months later, those doors remain closed, too.

So as the theatre community prepares to mark this unexpected anniversary, we've ventured back to NHB HQ to raid our shelves and offer you the chance to save 40% on hundreds of great playscripts and theatre books, and raise money for hard-hit theatre-workers and freelancers, in our special Sale.

Due to incredible demand, we've extended the Sale by an extra 24 hours, so it now finishes at 1pm GMT on Friday 19 March. No voucher code is required – just fill your basket with as many of the brilliant titles below as you like, head to checkout, and your discount will be automatically applied. This offer applies to paperback and hardback editions only (ebooks are not included), and all orders over £40 receive free UK delivery.

Plus, £1 from every book sold in our Sale will go to the Theatre Artists Fund, which continues to provide emergency support for theatre-workers and freelancers across the UK affected by the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the theatre sector.

We've put together an incredible selection of almost SIX HUNDRED titles, all currently available at 40% off – choose from famous, award-winning hits; wonderful, lesser-known plays we just know you'll love; brilliant shows that were sadly forced to close due to COVID; books to develop your skills or learn new ones; fascinating reads by leading names, and much more.

Pick up something you always had your eye on at a special price, or try something you've never heard of before – who knows, you might be about to discover your new favourite writer...

Everything included in the Sale has been handpicked from the shelves at NHB HQ, and stock is strictly limited. So if you see something you want, move fast to avoid missing out – because once it's gone, it's gone!

Head to the bottom of this page the entire range – or check out our curated Sale Selections, bringing together books and playscripts on different subjects and themes – and be sure to grab your bargains before our Sale ends on Friday.

It's been a really rough year for everyone connected to theatre, but we've been constantly inspired by the resilience and creativity shown by so many across the community, and with venues starting to announce re-opening plans, there's genuine hope that the lights might come back on soon. So join us to celebrate the art form we all love, and thank you for helping support freelancers at this really difficult time.

Some key info:

  • This Sale runs from 1pm GMT on Tuesday 16 March to 1pm GMT on Friday 19 March only.
  • Only titles listed on this page are available at a 40% discount. This offer applies to the physical editions (paperback, hardback and CD) only; ebooks are not included.
  • Stock of all titles included in the Sale is strictly limited. If your order contains a title that has already sold out, we will get in touch to ask if you would like to: a) swap for an item of the same value, or b) receive a refund for the value of that item.
  • All Sale orders will be dispatched from Monday 22 March. From this point, our standard delivery times will apply – please click here for more information.
  • £1 from every book sold will be donated to the Theatre Artists Fund, which provides emergency support for theatre workers and freelancers across the UK.

With almost six hundred titles included in our Sale, there's a lot to choose from.

So to help you browse through what's available, we've put together fifteen curated selections of playscripts and books on different subjects and themes, and for different readers – each packed with fantastic titles we just know you'll love. Explore tailored lists for actors, backstage practitioners and drama teachers, plays impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic you can still enjoy on the page, plays in translation, adaptations, tie-in and special editions, and more.

Click here to browse the selections – or see below for the entire range of what's available at the 40% discount.
Showing 331-360 of 568 items.
The Messiah

The Messiah

By Patrick Barlow

A hilarious Christmas comedy that conjures up the sublime, the ridiculous and the truly angelic.

Microcosm

Microcosm

By Matt Hartley

A searing thriller about paranoia, social divisions, and the creeping threat of the intruder, by the Bruntwood Prize-winning playwright.

Miss Julie & Creditors

Miss Julie & Creditors

Two plays by August Strindberg

By August Strindberg Translated by Howard Brenton

August Strindberg's classic portrayals of secrets and lies, seduction and power – both written in the summer of 1888 – in brilliant new versions by Howard Brenton.

Misterman

Misterman

By Enda Walsh

A virtuosic study of one man's descent into religious mania in small-town Ireland. This edition was published alongside the 2012 production at the National Theatre starring Cillian Murphy.

Misty

Misty

By Arinzé Kene

An inventive blend of gig theatre, spoken word, live art and direct address, exploring the pulsating heart and underground soul of inner-city London.

Mogadishu

Mogadishu

By Vivienne Franzmann

A gripping and urgent play about a well-meaning teacher who intervenes on behalf of a troublesome student, with terrifying consequences.

Mojo

Mojo

By Jez Butterworth

The cult hit first seen at the Royal Court, a slick and violent black comedy set in the Soho clubland of the 1950s. The hit debut play from the author of Jerusalem.

A Moment Towards the End of the Play...

A Moment Towards the End of the Play...

An Autobiography

By Timothy West

A revised and expanded edition of the autobiography that has delighted readers and theatregoers since its first publication in 2001.

  • Paperback£9.99 £7.99
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
  • Ebook£9.99 £7.99
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Monty Python at Work

Monty Python at Work

By Michael Palin

A fascinating account of the making of the Monty Python TV and stage shows, films, books and albums, drawn from Michael Palin's published diaries.

More Golden Rules of Acting

More Golden Rules of Acting

that nobody ever tells you

By Andy Nyman

More priceless nuggets from the author of The Golden Rules of Acting, gleaned from more than thirty years in the acting business. This is every actor's new best friend – in handy paperback form. 

Mr Foote's Other Leg

Mr Foote's Other Leg

By Ian Kelly

Ian Kelly’s riotously funny play, based on his award-winning biography of Samuel Foote, explores our obsession with celebrities, through the true story of the Oscar Wilde of the 18th century.

Mr Incredible

Mr Incredible

By Camilla Whitehill

A brutal one-man play about modern love and old-fashioned entitlement.

Mr Thomas

Mr Thomas

By Kathy Burke

A gritty, darkly funny look at attitudes to homosexuality in the 1950s, a portrait of repressed sexuality and alcoholism – and an homage to the great masters of British theatre, Wilde, Coward, Pinter and Orton.

Mrs Klein

Mrs Klein

By Nicholas Wright

A play about the controversial psychoanalyst Melanie Klein, a haunting and poignant study of mother-daughter relationships.

Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing (West End edition)

By William Shakespeare Edited by Robert Hastie and Josie Rourke

A consummate romantic comedy that dramatises the battle of the sexes with a dazzling display of Shakespeare's wit and wordplay.

  • Paperback£6.99 £5.59
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
Multitudes

Multitudes

By John Hollingworth

A gripping, kaleidoscopic drama about a clash of values in multicultural Britain, from actor and playwright John Hollingworth.

Mustafa

Mustafa

By Naylah Ahmed

A vivid and compelling thriller about belief and retribution.

My First Play

My First Play

An Anthology of Theatrical Beginnings

Compiled by Nick Hern

A unique collection of pieces by playwrights, actors and theatre directors - candid, hilarious, and often sharply revealing.

My Life in Pieces

My Life in Pieces (Hardback edition)

An Alternative Autobiography

By Simon Callow

An alternative autobiography of the well-loved actor and man of the theatre, winner of the Sheridan Morley Prize for Theatre Biography.

  • Hardback£20.00 £16.00
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
My Night With Reg

My Night With Reg

By Kevin Elyot

A deliciously funny and bittersweet comedy that captures the fragility of friendship, happiness and life itself. Winner of the Evening Standard and Olivier Awards for Best Comedy.

Mydidae

Mydidae

By Jack Thorne

A play about the private and disturbing moments a couple share, exploring what becomes of a relationship when it is held together not only by love, but by fear, guilt and despair.

National Youth Theatre Monologues

National Youth Theatre Monologues

75 Speeches for Auditions

Edited by Michael Bryher

An exciting and invaluable collection of audition speeches, all chosen from plays produced by the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, spanning more than sixty years as one of the world’s leading companies for young performers.

Natives

Natives

By Glenn Waldron

A play about a generation of unlikely heroes that celebrates coming of age online in a chaotic world.

  • Paperback£12.99 £10.39
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
  • Ebook£12.99 £10.39
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Nell Gwynn

Nell Gwynn

By Jessica Swale

Jessica Swale's play Nell Gwynn charts the rise of an unlikely heroine, from her roots in Coal Yard Alley to her success as Britain’s most celebrated actress, and her hard-won place in the heart of the king.

The Nest

The Nest

By Franz Xaver Kroetz Translated by Conor McPherson

A fable about the moral and environmental cost of our materialistic nesting instincts.

Never So Good

Never So Good

By Howard Brenton

A fascinating portrait of Harold Macmillan in an epic play about the decline of British fortunes in the middle of the twentieth century.

  • Paperback£8.99 £7.19
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
  • Ebook£8.99 £7.19
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Nice Fish

Nice Fish

By Mark Rylance and Louis Jenkins

A sublimely playful, profound and very funny play, by celebrated actor Mark Rylance and Minnesotan contemporary prose poet Louis Jenkins.

The Night Alive

The Night Alive

By Conor McPherson

An inimitably warm and stylish play that deftly mines the humanity to be found in the most unlikely of situations.

The Night Heron

The Night Heron

By Jez Butterworth

A dark, funny, spellbinding play about a group of outcasts and eccentrics gathered in the Cambridgeshire fens.

  • Paperback£9.99 £7.99
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
  • Ebook£9.99 £7.99
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Noughts & Crosses

Noughts & Crosses (RSC stage version)

By Malorie Blackman Adapted by Dominic Cooke

An electrifying, bittersweet love story with echoes of Romeo and Juliet, set in a society divided by racial bigotry and a world rocked by terrorism.