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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 241-270 of 568 items.
How To Disappear Completely and Never Be Found

How To Disappear Completely and Never Be Found

By Fin Kennedy

The award-winning play that follows one man's desperate attempts to buck the system, and asks what really makes us who we are in the 21st century.

How to Spot an Alien

How to Spot an Alien

By Georgia Christou

A play for young people (age five and up) to watch, read and perform, about one confused alien, two brave kids and a busted spaceship.

The Humans

The Humans

By Stephen Karam

A powerful comedy-drama about a family gathering at Thanksgiving, from a gifted young American playwright.

A Hundred Words for Snow

A Hundred Words for Snow

By Tatty Hennessy

A play about a teenage girl's solo journey to the North Pole with her father's ashes.

I Am Shakespeare

I Am Shakespeare

By Mark Rylance

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

I Think We Are Alone

I Think We Are Alone

By Sally Abbott

A delicate and uplifting play about fragility, resilience and our need for love and forgiveness.

I Wanna Be Yours

I Wanna Be Yours

By Zia Ahmed

A tender, funny, lyrical debut play about finding love and holding onto it with everything you've got, premiered by Paines Plough and Tamasha.

Ibsen on Theatre

Ibsen on Theatre

Edited by Frode Helland and Julie Holledge

A unique collection of everything that Ibsen wrote about the theatre.

Ibsen's A Doll's House

Ibsen's A Doll's House

A Study Guide

By Stephen Unwin

A highly accessible guide to the play, taking you scene by scene through the action, analysing moment by moment what is actually said and done, and how the staging of these moments affects our understanding of them.

If Only

If Only

By David Edgar

A gripping, Coalition-set drama from one of the UK's top political playwrights.

Image of an Unknown Young Woman

Image of an Unknown Young Woman

By Elinor Cook

A startlingly theatrical look at what happens when a politically inflammatory video goes viral and it all kicks off.

Imperium: The Cicero Plays

Imperium: The Cicero Plays

By Robert Harris Adapted by Mike Poulton

A backstage view of Ancient Rome at its most bloody and brutal, adapted by Mike Poulton from Robert Harris's bestselling The Cicero Trilogy.

Improv Beyond Rules

Improv Beyond Rules

A Practical Guide to Narrative Improvisation

By Adam Meggido

An inspiring, hands-on guide to narrative improvisation, by the co-creator and director of the Olivier Award-winning improv show Showstopper! The Improvised Musical.

The Improvisation Book

The Improvisation Book

How to Conduct Successful Improvisation Sessions

By John Abbott

A practical guide to conducting improvisation sessions, for teachers, directors and workshop leaders.

  • 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 Improviser's Way

The Improviser's Way

A Longform Workbook

By Katy Schutte

An inspiring and interactive workbook to help you develop skills for longform improvisation, by one of the UK's top improv performers and teachers.

In Event of Moone Disaster

In Event of Moone Disaster

By Andrew Thompson

Winner of the 2016 Theatre503 Playwriting Award, Andrew Thompson's debut play is about the adventures of three extraordinary women spanning 80 years, against the backdrop of humanity’s journey to the stars.

In Skagway

In Skagway

By Karen Ardiff

A compelling and lyrical tale of the desires and loyalties of women in an American wilderness. 

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.

An Intervention

An Intervention

By Mike Bartlett

A touching, funny play about what happens when you hate your best friend.

Intimate Apparel

Intimate Apparel

By Lynn Nottage

Lynn Nottage's Intimate Apparel is a multi-award-winning play about the empowerment of Esther, a seamstress in 1905 New York who creates exquisite lingerie for both Fifth Avenue boudoirs and Tenderloin bordellos.

Inventing the Truth: Devising and Directing for the Theatre

Inventing the Truth: Devising and Directing for the Theatre

By Mike Bradwell

An invaluable guide to the difficult arts of devising plays and directing texts, by one of the UK’s leading theatre directors.

Invisible

Invisible

By Tena Štivičić

A funny, moving and topical portrayal of the world in flux, Invisible explores the many sides of migration.

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.

it felt empty when the heart went at first but it is alright now

it felt empty when the heart went at first but it is alright now

By Lucy Kirkwood

A play about modern-day sex trafficking, joint winner of the 2010 John Whiting Award.

The James Plays

The James Plays

James I, II and III

By Rona Munro

Rona Munro's vividly imagined historical cycle brings to life three generations of Stewart kings who ruled Scotland in the tumultuous fifteenth century.

Jeeves & Wooster in 'Perfect Nonsense'

Jeeves & Wooster in 'Perfect Nonsense'

By The Goodale Brothers Original author P.G. Wodehouse

An inventive, fast-paced comedy based featuring P.G. Wodehouse’s iconic double act.

Jekyll & Hyde

Jekyll & Hyde (National Youth Theatre version)

By Evan Placey Original author Robert Louis Stevenson

A radical re-imagining by playwright Evan Placey of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale, written for the National Youth Theatre.

Jerusalem

Jerusalem

By Jez Butterworth

Jez Butterworth's hugely acclaimed, prize-winning play - a comic, contemporary vision of life in England's green and pleasant land.

Jessica Swale's Blue Stockings

Jessica Swale's Blue Stockings

A guide for studying and staging the play

By Jessica Swale and Lois Jeary

The indispensible guide for anyone studying, teaching or performing Jessica Swale's hit play, Blue Stockings.

John

John

By Annie Baker

Annie Baker's mesmerising play about a young couple struggling to stay together.