Nick Hern Books

Steve Waters

Steve Waters

Steve Waters is a playwright whose plays include: The Last King of Scotland, adapted from the novel by Giles Foden (Sheffield Theatres, 2019); Limehouse (Donmar Warehouse, 2017); Temple (Donmar Warehouse, 2015); Why Can’t We Live Together? (Menagerie Theatre/Soho/Theatre503, 2013); Europa, as co-author (Birmingham Repertory Theatre/Dresden State Theatre/Teatr Polski Bydgoszcz/Zagreb Youth Theatre, 2013); Ignorance/Jahiliyyah (Hampstead Downstairs, 2012); Little Platoons (Bush Theatre, 2011); The Contingency Plan (Bush Theatre, 2009; revived in a new version at Sheffield Theatres, 2022); Fast Labour (Hampstead, in association with West Yorkshire Playhouse, 2008); Out of Your Knowledge (Menagerie Theatre/ Pleasance, Edinburgh/East Anglian tour, 2006-8); World Music (Sheffield Crucible, 2003, and subsequent transfer to the Donmar Warehouse, 2004); The Unthinkable (Sheffield Crucible, 2004); After the Gods (Hampstead Theatre, 2002); and English Journeys (Hampstead Theatre, 1998).

His writing for television and radio includes Safe House (BBC4), The Air Gap, The Moderniser (BBC Radio 4), Scribblers and Bretton Woods (BBC Radio 3).

He ran the MPhil in Playwriting at Birmingham University between 2006 and 2011, and is now Professor of Scriptwriting at the University of East Anglia, where he convenes the MA in Creative Writing: Scriptwriting programme. He is the author of The Secret Life of Plays, published by Nick Hern Books.

Showing 1-12 of 19 items.
The Secret Life of Plays

The Secret Life of Plays

By Steve Waters

A guide to the hidden workings of plays and the trade secrets that govern their writing - by the acclaimed playwright Steve Waters.

Little Platoons

Little Platoons

By Steve Waters

Moving from satiric comedy to poignant family drama, Little Platoons explores what the retreat of the state and the growth of people power really means for society and its youngest citizens.

Fast Labour

Fast Labour

By Steve Waters

A powerful play about the growing culture of human exploitation in the UK, delving below the surface to reveal a personal account of life as a migrant worker.

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World Music

World Music

By Steve Waters

A subtle and topical play about European attitudes to Africa.

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    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
The Unthinkable

The Unthinkable

By Steve Waters

A hard-hitting play about the collapse of idealism in contemporary politics.

On the Beach

On the Beach

By Steve Waters

Part of The Contingency Plan, Steve Waters' epic portrait of an England of the near future, in the grip of unprecedented and catastrophic floods.

Published in volume The Contingency Plan
    Resilience

    Resilience

    By Steve Waters

    Part of The Contingency Plan, Steve Waters' epic portrait of an England of the near future, in the grip of unprecedented and catastrophic floods.

    Published in volume The Contingency Plan
      Ignorance/Jahiliyyah

      Ignorance/Jahiliyyah

      By Steve Waters

      An absorbing study of attitudes towards outsiders, spanning two continents and sixty years.

      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.

      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.

      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 Contingency Plan

      The Contingency Plan (2022 edition)

      Two plays

      By Steve Waters

      A double bill of plays from the frontline of climate change – an epic portrait of Britain in the grip of unprecedented and catastrophic floods.