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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 61-90 of 568 items.
Box Clever

Box Clever

By Monsay Whitney

A moving, truthful and darkly comic play about one woman's experience of a women's refuge.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (stage version)

By John Boyne Adapted by Angus Jackson

A deeply moving and thought-provoking stage play based on the best-selling novel by John Boyne.

  • 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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Boys

Boys

By Ella Hickson

Four boys face the tricky transition to adulthood in Ella Hickson's riot of a play.

Boys Will Be Boys

Boys Will Be Boys

By Melissa Bubnic

An exhilarating play about a ruthless female City trader who takes on a young and ambitious protegee.

  • Paperback£11.99 £9.59
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
  • Ebook£11.99 £9.59
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Br'er Cotton

Br'er Cotton

By Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm

A scorching play about a fourteen-year-old boy struggling to make sense of his place in an impoverished world filled with seemingly random killings of young black men.

Brainstorm: The Original Playscript

Brainstorm: The Original Playscript

And a Blueprint for Creating Your Own Production

By Ned Glasier, Emily Lim and Company Three

A unique theatrical investigation into how teenagers' brains work, and why they’re designed by evolution to be the way they are.

Brecht: A Practical Handbook

Brecht: A Practical Handbook

By David Zoob

A bold and exciting new approach to Bertolt Brecht, making his theories and ideas about theatre accessible to a new generation of actors, directors, students and theatre-makers, and showing how they can be put into practice.

Broken Biscuits

Broken Biscuits

By Tom Wells

A beautiful, heart-warming, laugh-out-loud coming-of-age story for our times.

The Browning Version

The Browning Version

By Terence Rattigan

Rattigan's well-loved play about an unpopular schoolmaster who snatches a last shred of dignity from the collapse of his career and his marriage.

Brutus and Other Heroines

Brutus and Other Heroines

Playing Shakespeare's Roles for Women

By Harriet Walter

Award-winning actress Harriet Walter shares insights gleaned from her vast experience of performing some of Shakespeare's most famous roles - both male and female.

BU21

BU21

By Stuart Slade

Six young people are caught in the aftermath of a terrorist attack in the heart of London. By turns terrifying, inspiring, brutal, heartbreaking and hilarious, BU21 is verbatim theatre from the very near future.

buckets

buckets

By Adam Barnard

Wry, emotive, funny and heartfelt, buckets is a play with a unique perspective on a universal dilemma: how do you deal with the fact that time always runs out?

Bull

Bull

By Mike Bartlett

A razor-sharp play about the fine line between office politics and playground bullying, Bull offers ringside seats as three employees fight to keep their jobs.

Bunny

Bunny

By Jack Thorne

An exhilarating coming-of-age drama for a solo performer.

Burning Bridges

Burning Bridges

By Amy Shindler

A love triangle with a dangerous twist, this moving and funny play explores the everyday dilemmas of a young woman living with autism.

Burying Your Brother in the Pavement

Burying Your Brother in the Pavement

By Jack Thorne

A play about grief and looking at someone that little bit more closely. Written specifically for young people, Burying Your Brother in the Pavement was part of the 2008 National Theatre Connections Festival and was premiered by youth theatres across the UK.

Jez Butterworth Plays: Two

Jez Butterworth Plays: Two

By Jez Butterworth

Three extraordinary plays by one of the most audacious and talented playwrights of our times: Jerusalem, The River and The Ferryman. Plus his short film The Clear Road Ahead, and a conversation with playwright Simon Stephens.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin

Captain Corelli's Mandolin (stage version)

By Louis de Bernières Adapted by Rona Munro

Rona Munro's adaptation of Louis de Bernières' much-loved epic novel, set on an idyllic Greek island in 1941.

Caroline, or Change

Caroline, or Change

By Tony Kushner By (composer) Jeanine Tesori

The book and lyrics of the extraordinary musical from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Angels in America.

Caterpillar

Caterpillar

By Alison Carr

A darkly funny, searing and tender drama about those moments when we find ourselves teetering on the edge.

Cause Célèbre

Cause Célèbre

By Terence Rattigan

Based on the true story of Alma Rattenbury, who, in 1935, went on trial with her eighteen-year-old lover for the murder of her husband. In the play, Terence Rattigan pits Alma against a formidable lady juror, whose own life offers a plangent counterpoint to the central tale of love, betrayal, guilt and obsession.

Chancers

Chancers

By Robert Massey

A fast and furious comedy about the lengths we will go to when our backs are against the wall.

The Changing Room

The Changing Room

By Chris Bush

A play about being a teenager, written specifically for young people, part of the 2018 National Theatre Connections Festival.

Chekhov on Theatre

Chekhov on Theatre

By Anton Chekhov Compiled by Jutta Hercher and Peter Urban Translated by Stephen Mulrine

A unique collection of everything that Chekhov wrote about the theatre - including newspaper articles and letters - revealing his instinctive curiosity about the way theatre works and his concerns about how best to realise his own intentions as a playwright.

Chekhov: Shorts

Chekhov: Shorts

By Anton Chekhov Translated by Stephen Mulrine

A collection of five of Anton Chekhov’s best-known short plays, in brand new English translations.

  • 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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The Children

The Children

By Lucy Kirkwood

Two ageing nuclear scientists in an isolated cottage on the coast, as the world around them crumbles. Then an old friend arrives with a frightening request.

The Christians

The Christians

By Lucas Hnath

A play exploring faith and community in the modern world, asking profound questions about what we believe and why.

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol (RSC stage version)

By Charles Dickens Adapted by David Edgar

An adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic – one of the best-loved stories ever written – that rediscovers the social conscience of the timeless tale.

Christmas Carol: A Fairy Tale

Christmas Carol: A Fairy Tale (stage play)

By Piers Torday Original author Charles Dickens

A revitalised stage adaptation of Charles Dickens's Christmas tale, by renowned author Piers Torday, focussing on Ebenezer Scrooge's sister Fan, the most monstrous miser ever known.

Caryl Churchill Plays: Five

Caryl Churchill Plays: Five

By Caryl Churchill

The fifth volume of the collected plays of one of our finest playwrights.