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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.
Ramona Tells Jim

Ramona Tells Jim

By Sophie Wu

A darkly comic debut play about confession and the gravity of young love.

The White Bike

The White Bike

By Tamara von Werthern

An affecting play, based on a true story, about what happens when our world is turned upside down.

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.

Tip of the Tongue

Tip of the Tongue

Reflections on Language and Meaning

By Peter Brook

A wise, playful and deeply personal book by master theatre-maker Peter Brook.

Boudica

Boudica

By Tristan Bernays

A brand-new ancient-history play in verse that tells the story of one of Britain's most iconic women: a queen, a warrior and a rebel.

  • 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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Follies

Follies

By Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman

Sondheim's landmark musical about a reunion of showgirls, with a book by James Goldman.

Dracula: The Bloody Truth

Dracula: The Bloody Truth

By John Nicholson and Le Navet Bete

A comic retelling of the story of Dracula, from John Nicholson and Exeter-based theatre company Le Navet Bete.

Box Clever

Box Clever

By Monsay Whitney

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

Cosmic Scallies

Cosmic Scallies

By Jackie Hagan

A witty and touching new play about class, friendship and absence.

Sugar Baby

Sugar Baby

By Alan Harris

A one-man comedy-drama about a small-time drug dealer in Cardiff, from critically acclaimed writer Alan Harris.

Thon Man Molière

Thon Man Molière

By Liz Lochhead

The story of the great comedian Molière - his scandalous marriage, his scurrilous plays and the irresistible creation of his infamous and celebrated satire Tartuffe.

Coming Clean

Coming Clean

By Kevin Elyot

Funny, fresh and packed with razor-sharp wit, Kevin Elyot’s landmark drama questions the nature of fidelity and the limits of love.

Queers: Eight Monologues

Queers: Eight Monologues

By various Created by Mark Gatiss

Queers celebrates a century of evolving social attitudes and political milestones in British gay history, as seen through the eyes of eight individuals.

The House They Grew Up In

The House They Grew Up In

By Deborah Bruce

A tender, dark and funny look at a co-dependent relationship between a brother and a sister, and how they cope when the world bursts in on them.

Twilight Song

Twilight Song

By Kevin Elyot

Kevin Elyot's evocative final play, a hilarious and heartbreaking tale of one family's hidden liaisons over half a century.

  • 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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Bodies

Bodies

By Vivienne Franzmann

A play about the human cost of surrogacy, and what we’ll overlook to get what we want.

Gloria

Gloria

By Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

A razor-sharp comic drama about ambition, office warfare and hierarchies, where the only thing that matters is selling out to the highest bidder.

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.

Doctor Foster: The Scripts

Doctor Foster: The Scripts

By Mike Bartlett

Mike Bartlett's complete scripts for his superlative, award-winning television drama series.

Glory on Earth

Glory on Earth

By Linda McLean

A historical drama about the 18-year-old Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, and the protestant reformer, John Knox.

An Octoroon

An Octoroon

By Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

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

Creating Worlds

Creating Worlds

How to Make Immersive Theatre

By Jason Warren

A practical guide to creating successful immersive theatre productions, by an experienced theatre-maker and practitioner.

Woyzeck

Woyzeck

By Georg Büchner Adapted by Jack Thorne

The multi-award-winning Jack Thorne breathes new life into Georg Büchner's existential masterpiece, Woyzeck, one of the most extraordinary plays ever written.

All Our Children

All Our Children

By Stephen Unwin

A moving examination of a terrifying moral dilemma, and a powerful story that shows what it takes for humanity and decency to be restored in a world that has abandoned them.

The Ferryman

The Ferryman

By Jez Butterworth

Preparations for the annual harvest on a farm in County Armagh in the 1980s are interrupted by a visitor. Winner of the Evening Standard Theatre Award and Tony Award for Best Play, and the Critics' Circle, Olivier and WhatsOnStage Awards for Best New Play.

How My Light Is Spent

How My Light Is Spent

By Alan Harris

A funny, hopeful play about loneliness, longing and being left behind. Winner of the Judges' Award in the 2015 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting.

The Treatment

The Treatment

By Martin Crimp

Martin Crimp's razor-sharp satire about a world in which people are products, movies are money and sex sells.

Consent

Consent

By Nina Raine

A powerful, painful, funny play about the meaning of justice and consent when two friends take opposing briefs in a rape case.

Natives

Natives

By Glenn Waldron

A play about a generation of unlikely heroes that celebrates coming of age online in a chaotic world.

  • 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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Drama Games for Actors

Drama Games for Actors

Exploring Self, Character and Text

By Thomasina Unsworth

From the bestselling Drama Games series, this dip-in, flick-through, quick-fire resource book offers dozens of games to serve as a rich source of ideas and inspiration for all actors – and those teaching or directing them.