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 31-60 of 567 items.
Around the World in 80 Days

Around the World in 80 Days (stage version)

By Laura Eason Original author Jules Verne

Laura Eason's celebrated adaptation of Jules Verne's classic novel, a dazzling escapade that packs in more than fifty unforgettable characters.

The Arrival

The Arrival

By Bijan Sheibani

A taut family drama about obsession, betrayal and the human need to belong.

Arthur & George

Arthur & George (stage version)

By Julian Barnes Adapted by David Edgar

The gripping story of the sensational, real-life case in which Sir Arthur Conan Doyle found himself playing detective.

  • Paperback£8.99 £7.19
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
  • Ebook£8.99 £7.19
    Add to basket
Asking for It

Asking for It (stage version)

By Louise O'Neill Adapted by Meadhbh McHugh With Annabelle Comyn

A powerful adaptation of Louise O'Neill's devastating novel about the experience of a young woman whose life is changed forever by a horrific act of violence.

The Assassination of Katie Hopkins

The Assassination of Katie Hopkins

By Chris Bush and Matt Winkworth

A smart, witty new musical by Chris Bush and Matt Winkworth about truth, celebrity and public outrage.

The Astronaut's Chair

The Astronaut's Chair

By Rona Munro

Rona Munro's thrilling play about the race to be the first woman in space.

  • 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
An Attitude for Acting

An Attitude for Acting

How to Survive (and Thrive) as an Actor

By Andrew Tidmarsh and Tara Swart

A 'how to' book for actors who want to develop a 'can do' attitude to their profession in the face of rejection and intense competition.

August: Osage County

August: Osage County

By Tracy Letts

A hugely-acclaimed black comedy exposing the dark side of the Midwestern American family. 

The Authorised Kate Bane

The Authorised Kate Bane

By Ella Hickson

A painfully comic excavation of a family history asks if there is an authorised version of the past - or just the one we can live with.

Bad Roads

Bad Roads

By Natal'ya Vorozhbit Translated by Sasha Dugdale

A heartbreaking, powerful and bitterly comic account of what it is to be a woman in wartime.

Ballyturk

Ballyturk

By Enda Walsh

A gut-wrenchingly funny, achingly sad play featuring jaw-dropping moments of physical comedy.

Bang Bang Bang

Bang Bang Bang

By Stella Feehily

A revealing play that goes behind the public face of charities, journalists and NGOs.

Battlefield

Battlefield

By Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne

The internationally renowned team of Peter Brook, Marie-Hélène Estienne and Jean-Claude Carrière revisit the great Indian epic The Mahabharata, thirty years after Brook’s legendary production took world theatre by storm.

  • 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
Be My Baby

Be My Baby

By Amanda Whittington

A poignant drama about attitudes to teenage pregnancy in 1960s Britain.

The Beacon

The Beacon

By Nancy Harris

A drama about a Dublin artist haunted by a mysterious accident in her past.

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast (National Theatre stage version)

By Lucy Kirkwood and Katie Mitchell

Lucy Kirkwood's delightful version of the classic fairytale, first seen in a production devised and directed by Katie Mitchell at the National Theatre for Christmas 2010.

Becoming an Actor

Becoming an Actor

By Thomasina Unsworth

A practical guide to training as an actor, helping you get the most out of drama school - and survive in the world beyond.

bedbound & misterman: two plays

bedbound & misterman: two plays

By Enda Walsh

Two early plays from the acclaimed Irish writer Enda Walsh.

Being a Dancer

Being a Dancer

Advice from Dancers and Choreographers

By Lyndsey Winship

Some of the best dancers and choreographers in the world, crossing the fields of ballet, contemporary, South Asian dance and hip hop, draw on their own experience to offer advice in the most revealing and instructive book yet on what it means to be a dancer.

Being a Playwright

Being a Playwright

A Career Guide for Writers

By Chris Foxon and George Turvey

The essential guide to a career in playwriting, from the team behind the multi-award-winning Papatango, one of the UK's leading new-writing companies.

Belleville

Belleville

By Amy Herzog

Amy Herzog's devastating play about an American newlywed couple who move to a boho neighbourhood in Paris, only for their relationship to begin to unravel.

Beyond Stanislavsky

Beyond Stanislavsky

The Psycho-Physical Approach to Actor Training

By Bella Merlin

A guide to Psycho-Physical Acting, complete with games and exercises.

Big White Fog

Big White Fog

By Theodore Ward

A poignant family drama set in Chicago against a backdrop of the Great Depression and the inescapable racism of the times.

  • Paperback£11.99 £9.59
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
Blackthorn

Blackthorn

By Charley Miles

A contemporary, lyrical love story that explores the changes and choices that pull us from the places and people we love.

Blue Stockings

Blue Stockings

By Jessica Swale

A moving, comical and eye-opening story of four young women fighting for education and self-determination against the larger backdrop of women’s suffrage.

Bodies

Bodies

By Vivienne Franzmann

A play about the human cost of surrogacy, and what we’ll overlook to get what we want.

Bold Girls

Bold Girls

By Rona Munro

A sharply funny, moving play set during the Troubles in Northern Ireland and celebrating women’s strength under siege.

Borders

Borders

By Henry Naylor

An urgent, moving and occasionally hilarious play about the migrant crisis and the politics of the Middle East.

born bad

born bad

By debbie tucker green

A hard-hitting and original family drama.

Boudica

Boudica

By Tristan Bernays

A brand-new ancient-history play in verse that tells the story of one of Britain's most iconic women: a queen, a warrior and a rebel.