TEMPORARY ORDER DELAYS

We’re currently experiencing temporary disruption to the availability of some titles as we move all of our books to a new warehouse, which means it may take longer than normal for your order to reach you. Click here for more information.


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 301-330 of 568 items.

Misterman

A virtuosic study of one man's descent into religious mania in small-town Ireland. This edition was published alongside the 2012 production at the National Theatre starring Cillian Murphy.

Mr Incredible

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

Nell Gwynn

Jessica Swale's play Nell Gwynn charts the rise of an unlikely heroine, from her roots in Coal Yard Alley to her success as Britain’s most celebrated actress, and her hard-won place in the heart of the king.

The Night Alive

An inimitably warm and stylish play that deftly mines the humanity to be found in the most unlikely of situations.

The Astronaut's Chair

Rona Munro's thrilling play about the race to be the first woman in space.

Noughts & Crosses (RSC stage version)

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. 

An Octoroon

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

Oil

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

Parlour Song

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

Pilgrims

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

Playing for Time

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.

Pressure

An intense real-life thriller centred around the most important weather forecast in the history of warfare.

Princess & The Hustler

A play about a cheeky 10-year-old with a plan to win the Weston-super-Mare Beauty Contest, against the backdrop of Black British Civil Rights marches in 1960s Bristol.

Pronoun

A love story about transition, testosterone, and James Dean - commissioned as part of the 2014 National Theatre Connections Festival and premiered by youth theatres across the UK.

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 Railway Children (stage version)

By E. Nesbit Adapted by Mike Kenny

An imaginative stage adaptation of E. Nesbit's much-loved children's classic.

Scorch

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

Scottish Shorts

Edited by Philip Howard

A collection of nine very different short plays by three remarkable generations of Scottish writers, ideal performance in studio theatres and at festivals.

  • Paperback£10.99 £8.79
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
  • Ebook£10.99 £8.79

The Secret River (stage version)

A deeply moving and unflinching journey into Australia's dark history, adapted from Kate Grenville's acclaimed novel.

Small Island (English Mastery Secondary set text)

A stage version of Andrea Levy's epic novel tracing the tangled history of Jamaica and Britain - set text edition for the English Mastery Secondary programme.

Snowflake

An epic story about generational conflict, fathers and daughters, and whether we're living in the best or worst of times.

Stanley

A brilliant and painfully truthful portrait of Stanley Spencer, the wayward genius of modern British painting.

  • Paperback£10.99 £8.79
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.

Sweat

A topical reflection of the present and poignant outcome of America's economic decline. Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Best Play at the 2019 Evening Standard Theatre Awards.

The Sweet Science of Bruising

An epic tale of passion, politics and pugilism in the world of 19th-century women’s boxing.

Company: The Complete Revised Book and Lyrics

Published alongside the acclaimed, reimagined West End revival in 2018, this edition of Sondheim's hit musical features the complete revised book and lyrics for the production, plus colour production photographs.

The Flick

Annie Baker's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about three cinema attendants - 'Wondrous, devastating, hilarious, and infinitely touching. A play to be treasured' New York Times.

Misty

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

I Think We Are Alone

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

So You Want To Be A Corporate Actor?

A practical guide for actors who want to work in the corporate sector, by a veteran with over 1400 corporate events to his credit.

Things I Know To Be True

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.