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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.
The Last of the Haussmans

The Last of the Haussmans

By Stephen Beresford

A funny, touching and at times savage portrait of a family loosing its grip, examining the fate of the revolutionary generation.

I Am Shakespeare

I Am Shakespeare

By Mark Rylance

A fascinating, witty and characteristically exuberant dramatic exploration of the Shakespeare authorship debate.

How Musicals Work

How Musicals Work

And How to Write Your Own

By Julian Woolford

Why do some musicals work, while others just don't? And what should you do if you're thinking of writing your own? Julian Woolford, a successful writer and director of musicals and lecturer in writing musicals at the University of London, explores the musical-theatre canon to answer these and many other questions.

Liz Lochhead: Five Plays

Liz Lochhead: Five Plays

By Liz Lochhead

Five plays from the the makar (national poet) of Scotland, one of the country's best-known - and best-loved - living playwrights.

  • Paperback£14.99 £11.99
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
  • Ebook£14.99 £11.99
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The Golden Rules of Acting

The Golden Rules of Acting

By Andy Nyman

A treasure trove of advice, support and encouragement that no performer should be without. Honest, witty and direct, The Golden Rules of Acting is every actor's best friend – in handy paperback form.

Love and Information

Love and Information

By Caryl Churchill

From one of the UK's most influential playwrights - a fast moving kaleidoscope in which more than a hundred characters try to make sense of what they know.

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
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So You Want To Be In Musicals?

So You Want To Be In Musicals?

By Ruthie Henshall With Daniel Bowling

An insider's guide to achieving that dream career – by one of the brightest stars in musical theatre.

Ding Dong the Wicked

Ding Dong the Wicked

By Caryl Churchill

A short play by one of the UK's leading dramatists.

A child is shut in her room, a dog is dead in the road, someone is kissing her brother in law. A family locked in hatred is sending a son to war.

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.

NSFW

NSFW

By Lucy Kirkwood

A sharp comedy about power games and privacy in the media and beyond.

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.

Shakespeare Monologues for Young Men

Shakespeare Monologues for Young Men

By Luke Dixon

Forty monologues for young men drawn from across the whole of Shakespeare's canon, complete with summaries, ideas for consideration and a glossary. Part of the Nick Hern Books Good Audition Guides series.

Shakespeare Monologues for Young Women

Shakespeare Monologues for Young Women

By Luke Dixon

Forty monologues for young women, drawn from across the whole of Shakespeare's canon, complete with summaries, ideas for consideration and a glossary. Part of the Nick Hern Books Good Audition Guides series.

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.

Glory Dazed

Glory Dazed

By Cat Jones

A moving and darkly comic story of an Afghanistan veteran's search for redemption, and a fascinating insight into the plight of ex-servicemen in modern Britain.

Acting Through Song

Acting Through Song

Techniques and Exercises for Musical-Theatre Actors

By Paul Harvard

An impassioned and invaluable guide for actors and students of musical theatre.

Irish Shorts

Irish Shorts

Two-handers from the Abbey Theatre, Ireland

Selected by Aideen Howard

A collection of short plays by exciting new Irish writers, selected and introduced by the literary manager of the Abbey Theatre.

A Time to Reap

A Time to Reap

By Anna Wakulik Translated by Catherine Grosvenor

A play that follows one woman from a Polish village to the bright lights of London, exploring the issue of abortion and the Catholic Church.

Purple Heart

Purple Heart

By Bruce Norris

A deeply moving meditation on love, loss and grief, from the author of Clybourne Park.

Forever House

Forever House

By Glenn Waldron

A darkly comic drama of buried secrets and new beginnings, with three linked scenes all set in the same terraced house.

The Integrated Voice (with DVD)

The Integrated Voice (with DVD)

A Complete Voice Course for Actors

By Sarah Case

A unique new approach to the understanding and training of the actor's voice, with an accompanying 110-minute DVD showing the work in action.

The Low Road

The Low Road

By Bruce Norris

A fable of free market economics and cut-throat capitalism.

  • 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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So You Want To Work In Theatre?

So You Want To Work In Theatre?

By Susan Elkin

An essential guide for young people who want to work in the theatre - but aren't sure exactly what they want to do, or how to get to do it. By the Education and Training Editor of The Stage.

Jumpers for Goalposts

Jumpers for Goalposts

By Tom Wells

A hilarious and heart-warming comedy about football, friendship and finding your way.

Passion Play

Passion Play

By Peter Nichols

Peter Nichols's modern classic - a provocative comedy about sex, love and infidelity.

Speaking the Speech

Speaking the Speech

An Actor's Guide to Shakespeare

By Giles Block Foreword by Mark Rylance

An invaluable book for actors and directors who want to improve their understanding of Shakespeare’s language in order to speak it better.

Dances of Death

Dances of Death

By Howard Brenton Original author August Strindberg

A gripping new version of Strindberg's masterly, darkly hilarious depiction of the struggles and strains of marriage.

Shush

Shush

By Elaine Murphy

A funny and insightful play about the power of female friendship.

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.