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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 211-240 of 568 items.
A Tender Thing

A Tender Thing

By Ben Power

Another Romeo and another Juliet in a strikingly different love story.

Terrorism

Terrorism

By The Presnyakov Brothers Translated by Sasha Dugdale

The extraordinary debut play from the Royal Court by two brothers from Siberia.

This Changes Everything

This Changes Everything

By Joel Horwood

A play about a group of young women seeking to form a new type of society and a better way of living. Part of Platform, a series of big-cast plays with predominantly or all-female casts, written specifically for performance by school, college and youth-theatre groups.

truth and reconciliation

truth and reconciliation

By debbie tucker green

A play about the aftermath of violence, in conflicts around the world from Rwanda to Northern Ireland, and from Zimbabwe to Bosnia.

The Unreturning

The Unreturning

By Anna Jordan

A compelling drama that explores the profound effect that war has on young lives.

What I (Don't) Know About Autism

What I (Don't) Know About Autism

By Jody O'Neill

A sometimes comic, sometimes heartbreaking journey into the world of autism, mixing narrative, song, dance and direct address to explore this contentious and often misunderstood subject matter.

Wild Swimming

Wild Swimming

By Marek Horn

A kaleidoscopic exploration of cultural progress, an interrogation of gender and privilege, and a wilfully ignorant history of English Literature.

The Winterling

The Winterling

By Jez Butterworth

A comedy thriller from the author of the Olivier Award-winning Jerusalem.

Wolfie

Wolfie

By Ross Willis

A wildly imaginative, irreverent look at life in and after the care system.

Zoo and Twelve Comic Monologues for Women

Zoo and Twelve Comic Monologues for Women

By Lily Bevan

A wildly inventive comedy drama about courage, female friendship and flamingos. This volume also includes twelve comic monologues for female performers.

Girls and Dolls

Girls and Dolls

By Lisa McGee

A striking play from Northern Ireland about two women and the childhood tragedy they'll never be allowed to forget.

100

100

By Christopher Heimann, Neil Monaghan and Diene Petterle

A strikingly original play combining traditional storytelling with physical theatre, created by The Imaginary Body. Winner of a Fringe First Award at the 2002 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

100 Great Plays for Women

100 Great Plays for Women

By Lucy Kerbel Foreword by Kate Mosse

An inspiring guide to a hundred plays that put female performers centre stage, dispelling the myth that 'There just aren't any good plays for women'. With a foreword by Kate Mosse.

3 Winters

3 Winters

By Tena Štivičić

A portrait of an eclectic family, held together by the courage to survive. Winner of the 2015 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

Actioning - and How to Do It

Actioning - and How to Do It

By Nick Moseley

A step-by-step guide to 'actioning', one of the most widely used rehearsal techniques for actors. An indispensable companion to a vital component in every actor's toolkit.

Actions: The Actors' Thesaurus

Actions: The Actors' Thesaurus

By Marina Caldarone and Maggie Lloyd-Williams

A vital companion for actors in rehearsal - a thesaurus of action-words to revitalise performance, with a foreword by Terry Johnson.

The Actor and the Camera

The Actor and the Camera

By Denis Lawson Foreword by Ewan McGregor

The ultimate insider’s guide to acting for film and TV, from an actor well known for his roles on TV and in films. With a foreword by Ewan McGregor.

Animal Farm

Animal Farm (stage version)

By George Orwell Adapted by Ian Wooldridge

A powerful and straightforward dramatisation of Orwell's enduring parable on the perils of totalitarianism.

  • 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
Anna Christie

Anna Christie

By Eugene O'Neill

Eugene O’Neill’s epic Pulitzer Prize-winning play about love and forgiveness.

  • Paperback£10.99 £8.79
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
The Antipodes

The Antipodes

By Annie Baker

Part satire, part sacred rite, a play that asks what value stories have for a world in crisis.

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.

August: Osage County

August: Osage County

By Tracy Letts

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

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.

Be My Baby

Be My Baby

By Amanda Whittington

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

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.

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.

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.

Box Clever

Box Clever

By Monsay Whitney

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

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.

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.