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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 31-60 of 568 items.
Honour

Honour

By Joanna Murray-Smith

An unsettling play about infidelity seen from the perspective of the three women involved: the wife, the lover and the daughter.

Terrorism

Terrorism

By The Presnyakov Brothers Translated by Sasha Dugdale

The extraordinary debut play from the Royal Court by two brothers from Siberia.

born bad

born bad

By debbie tucker green

A hard-hitting and original family drama.

Other People's Shoes

Other People's Shoes

Thoughts on Acting

By Harriet Walter

Harriet Walter's wonderfully practical - and personal - introduction to acting.

Actions: The Actors' Thesaurus

Actions: The Actors' Thesaurus

By Marina Caldarone and Maggie Lloyd-Williams

A vital companion for actors in rehearsal - a thesaurus of action-words to revitalise performance, with a foreword by Terry Johnson.

Animal Farm

Animal Farm (stage version)

By George Orwell Adapted by Ian Wooldridge

A powerful and straightforward dramatisation of Orwell's enduring parable on the perils of totalitarianism.

Singing With Your Own Voice

Singing With Your Own Voice

By Orlanda Cook

A comprehensive instruction manual, full of practical exercises, which starts with overhauling our attitude to our voice.

Year of the King

Year of the King

By Antony Sher

A classic of theatre writing, a unique insight into the creation of a landmark Shakespearian performance.

The Mandate

The Mandate

By Nikolai Erdman Adapted by Declan Donnellan

A chillingly grotesque farce set in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution.

His Dark Materials

His Dark Materials (stage version)

By Philip Pullman Adapted by Nicholas Wright

A two-play dramatisation of Philip Pullman's extraordinary award-winning fantasy trilogy, first seen at the National Theatre.

A Dream Play

A Dream Play

By August Strindberg Adapted by Caryl Churchill

Caryl Churchill's spare and resonant version of Strindberg's enigmatic masterpiece.

The Small Things

The Small Things

By Enda Walsh

A fierce and devastating fable about enforced silence.

  • Paperback£7.99 £6.39
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
  • Ebook£7.99 £6.39
    Add to basket
Satin 'n' Steel

Satin 'n' Steel

By Amanda Whittington

A comic two-hander about the irresistible allure of showbusiness, from the author of Be My Baby.

  • Paperback£8.99 £7.19
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
Gambon

Gambon

A Life in Acting

By Mel Gussow

A unique collection of interviews with Sir Michael Gambon, ranging over thirteen years, offering a fascinating picture of this most mischievously evasive of actors.

  • Paperback£9.99 £7.99
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
  • Ebook£8.99 £7.19
    Add to basket
Be My Baby

Be My Baby

By Amanda Whittington

A poignant drama about attitudes to teenage pregnancy in 1960s Britain.

Coram Boy

Coram Boy (stage version)

By Jamila Gavin Adapted by Helen Edmundson

A heartbreaking tale of orphans, angels, murder and music - dramatised from the Whitbread award-winning novel set in 18th-century England.

Great Expectations

Great Expectations (RSC stage version)

By Charles Dickens Adapted by Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod

A gritty adaptation of Dickens' least sentimental love story with a cast of some of his most unforgettable characters.

The Winterling

The Winterling

By Jez Butterworth

A comedy thriller from the author of the Olivier Award-winning Jerusalem.

Why Is That So Funny?

Why Is That So Funny?

A Practical Exploration of Physical Comedy

By John Wright Foreword by Toby Jones

A practical investigation of how comedy works, by a well-respected practitioner and teacher. With a Foreword by Toby Jones.

Pinter in the Theatre

Pinter in the Theatre

By Ian Smith

An exploration of Harold Pinter's work in the theatre – through interviews with the man himself and with actors and directors who worked with him.

  • 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
Exiles

Exiles

By James Joyce

James Joyce's only play, a startlingly modern portrait of a marriage.

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.

Classical Monologues for Men

Classical Monologues for Men

By Marina Caldarone

Fifty monologues for men drawn from classical plays throughout the ages, all prefaced with a summary of the vital information you need to place the piece in context and to perform it to maximum effect in your own unique way.

Classical Monologues for Women

Classical Monologues for Women

By Marina Caldarone

Fifty monologues for women drawn from classical plays throughout the ages, all prefaced with a summary of the vital information you need to place the piece in context and to perform it to maximum effect in your own unique way.

Girls and Dolls

Girls and Dolls

By Lisa McGee

A striking play from Northern Ireland about two women and the childhood tragedy they'll never be allowed to forget.

How To Disappear Completely and Never Be Found

How To Disappear Completely and Never Be Found

By Fin Kennedy

The award-winning play that follows one man's desperate attempts to buck the system, and asks what really makes us who we are in the 21st century.

Freeing the Natural Voice

Freeing the Natural Voice

By Kristin Linklater

The classic voice-training book for actors, teachers of voice and speech and anyone interested in vocal expression – by a pre-eminent voice teacher, actor and director.

Rafta, Rafta...

Rafta, Rafta...

By Ayub Khan Din

A hugely warm-hearted, comic tale of close-knit Indian family life in England, by the author of East is East.

Stacy & Fanny and Faggot: two plays

Stacy & Fanny and Faggot: two plays

By Jack Thorne

Two troubled, disturbing but bleakly funny plays from a leading writer of Channel 4's Shameless and Skins.

Big White Fog

Big White Fog

By Theodore Ward

A poignant family drama set in Chicago against a backdrop of the Great Depression and the inescapable racism of the times.

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