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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 151-180 of 568 items.
Drip

Drip

By Tom Wells By (composer) Matthew Robins

A one-man musical comedy about a fifteen-year-old boy who finds himself in deep water when he joins a synchronised swimming team, even though he can't swim.

Drip Feed & The Half Of It: Two Plays

Drip Feed & The Half Of It: Two Plays

By Karen Cogan

Two rich and startling monologues from award-winning actor and playwright Karen Cogan.

Dry Powder

Dry Powder

By Sarah Burgess

A razor-sharp comedy about the people who shape – and skew – the economy.

ear for eye

ear for eye

By debbie tucker green

Snapshots of lives, snapshots of experiences of protest; violence vs non-violence, direct action vs demonstrations, ear for eye follows characters navigating their way through society today.

East is East

East is East

By Ayub Khan Din

A wonderful comedy about growing up in multiracial Salford.

Ecstasy

Ecstasy

By Mike Leigh

A play about loneliness, togetherness, longing, warmth and love.

  • Paperback£9.99 £7.99
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
Edgar: Shorts

Edgar: Shorts

By David Edgar

A collection of shorter plays from stage and television by one of the UK's foremost political playwrights.

Educating Agnes

Educating Agnes

By Liz Lochhead

A dark and wickedly funny farce about one man's twisted attempts to find a woman he can control completely.

Education, Education, Education

Education, Education, Education

By The Wardrobe Ensemble

A theatrical love letter to the schools of the 1990s, asking big questions about a country in special measures, exploring what we are taught and why, and where responsibility lies. Full of inventive theatricality and irreverent humour.

  • Paperback£10.99 £8.79
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
  • A4 Spiral-bound£14.99 £11.99
    Add to basket
  • Ebook£10.99 £8.79
    Add to basket
Egusi Soup

Egusi Soup

By Janice Okoh

A fast and funny family drama about intergenerational and cross-cultural relationships - containing plenty of spicy bits…

Eight

Eight

By Ella Hickson

Eight compelling monologues offering a state-of-the-nation group portrait for the stage.

Elephants

Elephants

By Rose Heiney

A sharp black comedy with a tender heart that explores the paths we take in life and their repercussions on the people we love most.

The Encounter

The Encounter

By Simon McBurney and Complicite

A solo show tracing one man's journey into the Amazon rainforest and to the limits of human consciousness, inspired by the book Amazon Beaming by Petru Popescu.

the end of history...

the end of history...

By Jack Thorne

A play about families, parenting, and gigantic clashes of values.

Enough

Enough

By Stef Smith

A poetic, unpredictable and explosive play about female friendship, and what happens when you can no longer be the woman people want.

Epic Love and Pop Songs

Epic Love and Pop Songs

By Phoebe Eclair-Powell

A smart, funny play about love, friendship and growing up, from the author of WINK and Fury.

Escaped Alone

Escaped Alone

By Caryl Churchill

A play about three old friends and a neighbour having tea in the back yard, and contemplating catastrophe.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Acting (But Were Afraid to Ask, Dear)

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Acting (But Were Afraid to Ask, Dear)

By West End Producer

A witty, insightul and deliciously naughty guide on how to succeed in showbusiness, by the anonymous Internet sensation West End Producer.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Going to the Theatre (But Were Too Sloshed to Ask, Dear)

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Going to the Theatre (But Were Too Sloshed to Ask, Dear)

By West End Producer

West End Producer, the masked man of theatreland and author of the definitive guide to acting, returns with the ultimate guide to the theatregoing experience – for anyone who's ever been to the theatre, or who thinks they might like to try it one day.

Evoking (and forgetting!) Shakespeare

Evoking (and forgetting!) Shakespeare

By Peter Brook

Renowned theatre director Peter Brook on the essential questions facing anyone performing Shakespeare today.

The Excellent Audition Guide

The Excellent Audition Guide

By Andy Johnson

An engaging, upbeat guide for any student thinking of applying to drama school.

Exiles

Exiles

By James Joyce

James Joyce's only play, a startlingly modern portrait of a marriage.

Eyam

Eyam

By Matt Hartley

A play about an outbreak of the plague in a small Derbyshire village in 1665.

Facing the Fear

Facing the Fear

An Actor's Guide to Overcoming Stage Fright

By Bella Merlin

The first book of its kind written specifically for actors, Facing the Fear provides all the tools actors need to understand, confront and ultimately overcome stage fright and its effects, thereby regaining control over their lives and careers.

The Fall

The Fall

By James Fritz

A funny, moving and candid look at young people's relationships to older people, confronting the frightening prospect of ageing in a country undergoing crises of housing and care.

Fanny & Alexander

Fanny & Alexander (stage version)

By Ingmar Bergman Adapted by Stephen Beresford

Ingmar Bergman’s magical study of childhood, family and love.

Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3)

Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3)

By Suzan-Lori Parks

An epic dramatic trilogy set during the American Civil War, by one of America's leading playwrights.

Faustus: That Damned Woman

Faustus: That Damned Woman

By Chris Bush

A radical reimagining of the classic cautionary tale, transforming the iconic character of Faustus into a woman who makes the ultimate sacrifice and sells her soul to wrestle control of her own destiny.

Feldenkrais for Actors

Feldenkrais for Actors

How to Do Less and Discover More

By Victoria Worsley

A practical guide to the Feldenkrais Method, for actors. Written by an experienced actor, theatre-maker and Feldenkrais practitioner.

The Ferryman

The Ferryman

By Jez Butterworth

Preparations for the annual harvest on a farm in County Armagh in the 1980s are interrupted by a visitor. Winner of the Evening Standard Theatre Award and Tony Award for Best Play, and the Critics' Circle, Olivier and WhatsOnStage Awards for Best New Play.