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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 181-210 of 568 items.
Playwriting

Playwriting

Structure, Character, How and What to Write

By Stephen Jeffreys

An authoritative guide to playwrighting, by a true master of the craft. Indispensable for playwrights at every level of experience.

Plays from VAULT 5

Plays from VAULT 5

Five new plays from VAULT Festival

This anthology, the fifth from Nick Hern Books, comprises five of the best plays from VAULT Festival 2020, London's biggest and most exciting arts festival.

Playing the Mask

Playing the Mask

Acting Without Bullshit

By John Wright

A wonderfully accessible introduction to a fresh and innovative acting technique, from the co-founder of Trestle and Told by an Idiot.

Playing for Time

Playing for Time

By Arthur Miller

The extraordinary story of the women's orchestra in Auschwitz, originally filmed for television with Vanessa Redgrave, and adapted for the stage by Miller himself.

Playing by Ear

Playing by Ear

Reflections on Sound and Music

By Peter Brook

A collection of new essays from the world-renowned director, offering unique and personal insights into sound and music.

Plastic

Plastic

By Kenny Emson

An unflinchingly honest new drama about the kids who survived school, and those who didn't.

Pinter in the Theatre

Pinter in the Theatre

By Ian Smith

An exploration of Harold Pinter's work in the theatre – through interviews with the man himself and with actors and directors who worked with him.

  • 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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Pilgrims

Pilgrims

By Elinor Cook

A play about adventure, betrayal, and man's impulse to conquer the world.

  • 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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Picnic at Hanging Rock

Picnic at Hanging Rock (stage version)

By Joan Lindsay Adapted by Tom Wright

A chilling adaptation of Joan Lindsay's classic novel about the disappearance of three Australian schoolgirls in the summer of 1900.

Philip Pullman's Grimm Tales

Philip Pullman's Grimm Tales (stage version)

Adapted by Philip Wilson Original author Philip Pullman

A deliciously dark version of the Grimm Tales, from master storyteller Philip Pullman.

  • 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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Penelope

Penelope

By Enda Walsh

A savage, tragicomic take on the classic Greek myth of Penelope, wife of Odysseus.

Peep

Peep

By Jodi Gray

A darkly comic, claustrophobic tale of voyeurism and sexual politics.

Passion Play

Passion Play

By Peter Nichols

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

Parlour Song

Parlour Song

By Jez Butterworth

A blackly hilarious exploration of deceit, paranoia and murderous desire, as the spirit of the Blues lands in leafy suburbia.

Parliament Square

Parliament Square

By James Fritz

A searingly powerful play about what one individual can do to effect change. Winner of the Judges’ Award in the 2015 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting.

Pandas

Pandas

By Rona Munro

A romantic-comedy-thriller about the heat of love and the magic of changing perspectives.

Override

Override

By Stacey Gregg

A captivating, darkly comic play that questions what it means to be human.

Out of Sorts

Out of Sorts

By Danusia Samal

A drama about clashing cultural values and the struggle to hold it all together. Winner of the 2018 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award.

Our New Girl

Our New Girl

By Nancy Harris

A startling psychological drama about the darker side of modern parenthood.

Our Few and Evil Days

Our Few and Evil Days

By Mark O'Rowe

A chilling yet deeply human story about the limits of devotion.

Other People's Shoes

Other People's Shoes

Thoughts on Acting

By Harriet Walter

Harriet Walter's wonderfully practical - and personal - introduction to acting.

Original Death Rabbit

Original Death Rabbit

By Rose Heiney

A painfully funny play, shining a light on one woman's struggle with the dark side of the internet

One For Sorrow

One For Sorrow

By Cordelia Lynn

Following an attack on London, a family let a stranger into their house. Cordelia Lynn's play explores community and the limits of tolerance.

The One

The One

By Vicky Jones

A viciously funny play about a couple trapped in a destructive cycle of love and lust. Winner of the 2013 Verity Bargate Award.

Oil

Oil

By Ella Hickson

An explosive play that drills deep into the world's relationship with this finite resource.

An Octoroon

An Octoroon

By Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

The Obie Award-winning play about race and identity in America today.

nut

nut

By debbie tucker green

A play about a woman who wants to withdraw from the world.

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

NSFW

By Lucy Kirkwood

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

Noughts & Crosses

Noughts & Crosses (RSC stage version)

By Malorie Blackman Adapted by Dominic Cooke

An electrifying, bittersweet love story with echoes of Romeo and Juliet, set in a society divided by racial bigotry and a world rocked by terrorism. 

The Night Heron

The Night Heron

By Jez Butterworth

A dark, funny, spellbinding play about a group of outcasts and eccentrics gathered in the Cambridgeshire fens.

  • 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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