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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 121-150 of 568 items.
CLASS

CLASS

By Iseult Golden and David Horan

Funny, heartbreaking and beautifully observed, CLASS is an award-winning play about learning difficulties: in school, in life, wherever.

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.

The Fishermen

The Fishermen (stage version)

By Chigozie Obioma Adapted by Gbolahan Obisesan

A powerful allegory of brotherhood, vengeance and fate set in a small Nigerian town. Adapted from the Man Booker Prize-shortlisted novel.

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 Political History of Smack and Crack

The Political History of Smack and Crack

By Ed Edwards

An angry and passionate play chronicling the fallout for communities crushed by the heroin epidemic at the height of Thatcherism.

Puppetry: How to Do It

Puppetry: How to Do It

By Mervyn Millar

A practical, accessible and inspiring guide to using puppetry in theatre, by a leading expert in the field.

Flesh and Bone

Flesh and Bone

By Elliot Warren

A vivid and fast-paced ride through a working-class London estate, fusing Shakespeare-inspired lyricism with Cockney accents.

Genesis Inc.

Genesis Inc.

By Jemma Kennedy

An explosively funny comedy that takes a closer look at the lengths to which people will go to defy biology – and at the moral compass of an industry that trades on fear and hope.

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.

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.

Women Centre Stage: Eight Short Plays By and About Women

Women Centre Stage: Eight Short Plays By and About Women

By various Edited by Sue Parrish

A collection of short plays curated by Sue Parrish, Artistic Director of Sphinx Theatre.

Killer Joe

Killer Joe

By Tracy Letts

A tense thriller that asks where the moral line is drawn in the fight for survival.

Leave Taking

Leave Taking

By Winsome Pinnock

Two generations. Three incredible women. An epic story of what we leave behind in order to find home.

Sex with Robots and Other Devices

Sex with Robots and Other Devices

By Nessah Muthy

A fearless examination of the future of sex, and a fascinating vision of where humanity could be heading next.

The Strange Death of John Doe

The Strange Death of John Doe

By Fiona Doyle

A powerful and poignant drama about the search for the identity of a young man whose body is found face down in a suburban street.

Borders

Borders

By Henry Naylor

An urgent, moving and occasionally hilarious play about the migrant crisis and the politics of the Middle East.

  • 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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Brecht: A Practical Handbook

Brecht: A Practical Handbook

By David Zoob

A bold and exciting new approach to Bertolt Brecht, making his theories and ideas about theatre accessible to a new generation of actors, directors, students and theatre-makers, and showing how they can be put into practice.

The Assassination of Katie Hopkins

The Assassination of Katie Hopkins

By Chris Bush and Matt Winkworth

A smart, witty new musical by Chris Bush and Matt Winkworth about truth, celebrity and public outrage.

Grotty & Brute: Two Plays

Grotty & Brute: Two Plays

By Izzy Tennyson

Two unflinching plays from exciting new writer and performer, Izzy Tennyson.

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.

Mayfly

Mayfly

By Joe White

An ethereal family drama exploring rebirth in the aftermath of tragedy.

The Writer

The Writer

By Ella Hickson

A young writer challenges the status quo but discovers that creative gain comes at a personal cost.

Secret Life of Humans

Secret Life of Humans

By David Byrne

A thrilling play about Dr Jacob Bronowski, buried secrets, and six million years of human history.

Plastic

Plastic

By Kenny Emson

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

The Voice Exercise Book: The Warm-Ups

The Voice Exercise Book: The Warm-Ups

By Jeannette Nelson

Essential warm-up exercises for anyone who wants to use their voice more effectively.

Caroline, or Change

Caroline, or Change

By Tony Kushner By (composer) Jeanine Tesori

The book and lyrics of the extraordinary musical from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Angels in America.

Misty

Misty

By Arinzé Kene

An inventive blend of gig theatre, spoken word, live art and direct address, exploring the pulsating heart and underground soul of inner-city London.

Year of the Mad King: The Lear Diaries

Year of the Mad King: The Lear Diaries

By Antony Sher

Antony Sher's account of researching, rehearsing and performing one of Shakespeare's greatest roles, Lear, in the 2016 Royal Shakespeare Company production. Winner of the 2019 Theatre Book Prize.

  • Hardback£16.99 £13.59
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
  • Ebook£16.99 £13.59
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Br'er Cotton

Br'er Cotton

By Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm

A scorching play about a fourteen-year-old boy struggling to make sense of his place in an impoverished world filled with seemingly random killings of young black men.

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.