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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 91-120 of 568 items.
A Hard Rain

A Hard Rain

By Jon Bradfield and Martin Hooper

A play about what happens when you push things underground, set in New York 1969 in the sweltering few days before the eruption of the Stonewall riots.

Harlequinade & All On Her Own

Harlequinade & All On Her Own

By Terence Rattigan

A double bill by Terence Rattigan, featuring two plays of striking contrast that display his astonishing range as a writer.

Hedda Gabler

Hedda Gabler (Abbey Theatre version)

By Henrik Ibsen Adapted by Mark O'Rowe

A fluid yet faithful adaptation of Ibsen's masterpiece.

Hedda Tesman

Hedda Tesman

By Cordelia Lynn Original author Henrik Ibsen

A reworking of Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, asking what we inherit, what we endure and how we carry our history.

The Here and This and Now

The Here and This and Now

By Glenn Waldron

A darkly surprising comedy about the pharmaceuticals business, the salaryman and woman, and the quest for happiness.

Holy Sh!t

Holy Sh!t

By Alexis Zegerman

An acerbic new comedy about four forty-somethings wrestling for school places for their children.

Hope

Hope

By Jack Thorne

A funny and scathing political fable attacking the squeeze on local government.

The House Keeper

The House Keeper

By Morna Regan

A darkly humorous psychological thriller exploring the nature of possession, inheritance and corruption.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book (stage version)

By Jessica Swale and Joe Stilgoe Original author Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling’s beloved tale of family, belonging and identity has been reimagined in this acclaimed adaptation by Jessica Swale, with original songs by Joe Stilgoe. 

Kiss Me Quickstep

Kiss Me Quickstep

By Amanda Whittington

Dazzling and sequin-studded, Kiss Me Quickstep is a play about the world of ballroom dance, taking us behind the fixed smiles and fake tan to look at the real lives of those for whom ballroom dancing is everything

The Lady from the Sea

The Lady from the Sea

By Henrik Ibsen Adapted by Elinor Cook

Ibsen's moving play about duty and self-determination, relocated to the Caribbean in the 1950s.

Lagan

Lagan

By Stacey Gregg

A kaleidoscope of stories from post-Troubles Belfast, Lagan is an intimate and absorbing dramatic portrait of a city with a past like no other.

The Last King of Scotland

The Last King of Scotland (stage version)

By Giles Foden Adapted by Steve Waters

An electrifying thriller about corruption and complicity, adapted from Giles Foden's multi-award-winning novel.

The Last Noël

The Last Noël

By Chris Bush

A funny, moving, uplifting play about Christmas, with original songs.

The Last of the Duchess

The Last of the Duchess

By Nicholas Wright

A compelling study of the corruption of fame, the lure of money and the betrayal that lurks at the heart of portraying the people around us, or the people we love. Based on Caroline Blackwood's book of the same name.

  • Paperback£9.99 £7.99
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
The League of Youth

The League of Youth

By Henrik Ibsen Adapted by Andy Barrett

Ibsen's political comedy, in a crisp and satirical version by Andy Barrett.

Light Shining in Buckinghamshire

Light Shining in Buckinghamshire

By Caryl Churchill

The story of the men and women who went into battle for the soul of England during the English Civil War.

  • 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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Limehouse

Limehouse

By Steve Waters

A thrilling drama that takes us behind closed doors to imagine the personal conflicts behind the making of political history.

Liolà

Liolà

By Tanya Ronder Original author Luigi Pirandello

A funny and touching new version of Pirandello's high-spirited drama, set at the heart of a rural community where property and family unleash fierce passions.

  • 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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Little Eyolf

Little Eyolf

By Henrik Ibsen Adapted by Richard Eyre

Ibsen's forensic examination of a marriage as it falls apart, in a version by Richard Eyre.

A Little Night Music

A Little Night Music

By Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler

An utterly sophisticated and charming musical boasting such numbers as 'Send in the Clowns' and 'A Weekend in the Country'.

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

Lizzie Siddal

By Jeremy Green

A gripping historical drama charting one woman's dazzling trajectory from model to lover to artist, to a tragic figure in her own right.