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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.
Wish List

Wish List

By Katherine Soper

A sensitive, delicate and powerful play that asks what our labour is worth and how life can be lived when the system is stacked against you. Winner of the 2015 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting.

Burning Bridges

Burning Bridges

By Amy Shindler

A love triangle with a dangerous twist, this moving and funny play explores the everyday dilemmas of a young woman living with autism.

Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3)

Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3)

By Suzan-Lori Parks

An epic dramatic trilogy set during the American Civil War, by one of America's leading playwrights.

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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Things I Know To Be True

Things I Know To Be True

By Andrew Bovell

A complex and intense portrait of the mechanics of a family – and a marriage – through the eyes of four siblings struggling to define themselves beyond their parents' love and expectations.

The Libertine

The Libertine

By Stephen Jeffreys

An incisive critique of life in an age of excess, based on the true story of John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester. This edition of the play was published alongside the 2016 production at the Theatre Royal Bath and Theatre Royal Haymarket.

Stage Combat: Unarmed (with Online Video Content)

Stage Combat: Unarmed (with Online Video Content)

By Roger Bartlett

Everything you need to know in order to create and perform unarmed stage fights that are compelling, realistic and, above all, safe.

Epic Love and Pop Songs

Epic Love and Pop Songs

By Phoebe Eclair-Powell

A smart, funny play about love, friendship and growing up, from the author of WINK and Fury.

House + Amongst the Reeds: two plays

House + Amongst the Reeds: two plays

By Somalia Seaton and Chinonyerem Odimba

Two explosive plays about the need to be seen, commissioned by acclaimed theatre company Clean Break.

  • 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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Mr Incredible

Mr Incredible

By Camilla Whitehill

A brutal one-man play about modern love and old-fashioned entitlement.

Scorch

Scorch

By Stacey Gregg

A touching and provocative story of first love though the eyes of a gender-curious teen, inspired by recent UK cases of 'gender fraud'.

Travesty

Travesty

By Liam Williams

The debut play by Liam Williams, double Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee -  about gender and the ethical dimensions of modern love.

Shangri-La

Shangri-La

By Amy Ng

A debut play laying bare the contradictions and private pain of cultural tourism.

Writing Music for the Stage

Writing Music for the Stage

A Practical Guide for Theatremakers

By Michael Bruce Foreword by Josie Rourke

The definitive guide to writing music for the stage, by the Composer-in-Residence at the Donmar Warehouse.

Arlington

Arlington

By Enda Walsh

A strange, tender love story from the author of Disco Pigs and The Walworth Farce.

Theatre in Scotland

Theatre in Scotland

A Field of Dreams

By Joyce McMillan Edited by Philip Howard

A panoramic history of modern Scottish theatre, reported from the frontline by Scotland's leading drama critic.

Boys Will Be Boys

Boys Will Be Boys

By Melissa Bubnic

An exhilarating play about a ruthless female City trader who takes on a young and ambitious protegee.

  • Paperback£11.99 £9.59
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
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Strangers in Between

Strangers in Between

By Tommy Murphy

Tommy Murphy's unflinching and constantly surprising drama about how we make sense of who we are through our often fraught relations with others.

Ross

Ross

By Terence Rattigan

Terence Rattigan's epic and probing drama about the man immortalised as Lawrence of Arabia.

Teaching Voice: Workshops for Young Performers

Teaching Voice: Workshops for Young Performers

By Max Hafler

An inspiring, practical guide to working with young people on their voices, by a highly experienced teacher, actor and director.

Wild

Wild

By Mike Bartlett

A darkly comic play that explores the unexpected, bewildering, and life-changing consequences of challenging the status quo at a global level.

  • Paperback£9.99 £7.99
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
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Girls Like That and other plays for teenagers

Girls Like That and other plays for teenagers

By Evan Placey

Four urgent and explosive plays by award-winning playwright Evan Placey, each tackling issues facing young people today.

The Quiet House

The Quiet House

By Gareth Farr

An exploration of infertility and the taboo that surrounds it, The Quiet House is a funny, moving and unswervingly honest love story.

Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet (Plays at the Garrick edition)

By William Shakespeare Edited by Kenneth Branagh

Shakespeare's heartbreaking tale of forbidden love, brought to life in a new production co-directed by Rob Ashford and Kenneth Branagh.

Sunset at the Villa Thalia

Sunset at the Villa Thalia

By Alexi Kaye Campbell

A funny and passionate play from the author of The Pride and The Faith Machine.

The York Mystery Plays

The York Mystery Plays

Adapted by Mike Poulton

The greatest story ever told, in a version by Mike Poulton, premiered at York Minster in May 2016.

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

This is Living

By Liam Borrett

A poignant exploration of what it means to say goodbye.

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.
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The Working Actor

The Working Actor

The Essential Guide to a Successful Career

By Paul Clayton

The essential guide to being a successful working actor: how to put yourself in the best possible position to get work, to keep getting it, and to make a living from it.

  • 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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Actioning - and How to Do It

Actioning - and How to Do It

By Nick Moseley

A step-by-step guide to 'actioning', one of the most widely used rehearsal techniques for actors. An indispensable companion to a vital component in every actor's toolkit.