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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.
Hope

Hope

By Jack Thorne

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

Jack Thorne Plays: One

Jack Thorne Plays: One

By Jack Thorne

The first collection of plays by one of the UK's most exciting young writers.

Elephants

Elephants

By Rose Heiney

A sharp black comedy with a tender heart that explores the paths we take in life and their repercussions on the people we love most.

Tiger Country

Tiger Country

By Nina Raine

A hospital play that follows a tangle of doctors and nurses in a busy London hospital.

Lionboy

Lionboy (stage version)

By Zizou Corder Adapted by Marcelo Dos Santos

An adaptation of Zizou Corder's Lionboy novels for award-winning theatre company Complicite.

The Active Text

The Active Text

Unlocking Plays Through Physical Theatre

By Dymphna Callery

Dymphna Callery, author of Through the Body: A practical guide to physical theatre, shows how exercises and rehearsal techniques associated with physical and devised theatre can be applied to scripted plays.

Bull

Bull

By Mike Bartlett

A razor-sharp play about the fine line between office politics and playground bullying, Bull offers ringside seats as three employees fight to keep their jobs.

Dara

Dara

By Shahid Nadeem Adapted by Tanya Ronder

An intense domestic drama of global consequence – for India then and for our world now.

So You Want To Be A Theatre Designer?

So You Want To Be A Theatre Designer?

By Michael Pavelka

The definitive guide to designing for theatre – by an award-winning designer with over 160 productions to his name.

Game

Game

By Mike Bartlett

A provocative play that invites us to spy on a family as they embark on a dangerous new way to live.

Multitudes

Multitudes

By John Hollingworth

A gripping, kaleidoscopic drama about a clash of values in multicultural Britain, from actor and playwright John Hollingworth.

WINK

WINK

By Phoebe Eclair-Powell

An electrifying drama about what happens to personal identity in an age of ubiquitous technology and social media.

Mermaid

Mermaid

By Polly Teale

A bold reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen's tale of love, loss and desire, transported to a contemporary setting.

  • 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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Hedda Gabler

Hedda Gabler (Abbey Theatre version)

By Henrik Ibsen Adapted by Mark O'Rowe

A fluid yet faithful adaptation of Ibsen's masterpiece.

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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Drama Menu

Drama Menu

Theatre Games in Three Courses

By Glyn Trefor-Jones

Packed full of tried-and-tested theatre games, exercises and improvisation ideas, Drama Menu is a unique new resource for drama teachers and workshop leaders.

buckets

buckets

By Adam Barnard

Wry, emotive, funny and heartfelt, buckets is a play with a unique perspective on a universal dilemma: how do you deal with the fact that time always runs out?

Temple

Temple

By Steve Waters

A fictional account of the 2011 Occupy London movement, set in the heart of a very British crisis – a crisis of conscience, a crisis of authority and a crisis of faith.

Image of an Unknown Young Woman

Image of an Unknown Young Woman

By Elinor Cook

A startlingly theatrical look at what happens when a politically inflammatory video goes viral and it all kicks off.

The Light Burns Blue

The Light Burns Blue

By Silva Semerciyan

A play inspired by the true story of the Cottingley Fairies. Part of Platform, a series of big-cast plays with predominantly or all-female casts, written specifically for performance by school, college and youth-theatre groups.

Second Person Narrative

Second Person Narrative

By Jemma Kennedy

A play about growing up, and forging your own identity. Part of Platform, a series of big-cast plays with predominantly or all-female casts, written specifically for performance by school, college and youth-theatre groups.

This Changes Everything

This Changes Everything

By Joel Horwood

A play about a group of young women seeking to form a new type of society and a better way of living. Part of Platform, a series of big-cast plays with predominantly or all-female casts, written specifically for performance by school, college and youth-theatre groups.

Secrets of Stage Success

Secrets of Stage Success

Your Questions Answered

By Louise Dearman and Mark Evans
Two of the biggest musical-theatre stars working today answer questions submitted by the public on a wide range of theatrical topics.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (stage version)

By John Boyne Adapted by Angus Jackson

A deeply moving and thought-provoking stage play based on the best-selling novel by John Boyne.

  • Paperback£9.99 £7.99
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
  • Ebook£9.99 £7.99
    Add to basket
Being a Dancer

Being a Dancer

Advice from Dancers and Choreographers

By Lyndsey Winship

Some of the best dancers and choreographers in the world, crossing the fields of ballet, contemporary, South Asian dance and hip hop, draw on their own experience to offer advice in the most revealing and instructive book yet on what it means to be a dancer.

The Crocodile

The Crocodile

By Tom Basden Original author Fyodor Dostoyevsky

A ferociously funny, eye-poppingly theatrical play about art, animals and what happens when you try to take on the system from within... a crocodile.

The Christians

The Christians

By Lucas Hnath

A play exploring faith and community in the modern world, asking profound questions about what we believe and why.

Swallow

Swallow

By Stef Smith

Passionate, painful and playful, Stef Smith’s Swallow takes a long, hard look at the extremes of everyday life.

And Then Come The Nightjars

And Then Come The Nightjars

By Bea Roberts

A tender, frank and funny play about a West Country farm struggling to survive the Foot and Mouth pandemic.

Mr Foote's Other Leg

Mr Foote's Other Leg

By Ian Kelly

Ian Kelly’s riotously funny play, based on his award-winning biography of Samuel Foote, explores our obsession with celebrities, through the true story of the Oscar Wilde of the 18th century.