Books in the Modern Plays series

Over 21 million copies sold worldwide

The Arab world's greatest folk stories re-imagined by the acclaimed Lebanese novelist Hanan al-Shaykh, published to coincide with the world tour of a magnificent musical and theatrical production directed by Tim Supple

A play which looks at the political costs of women rising to the top. This volume is published in the Student Edition series and as well as the text of the play there is a chronology of the playwright's life and work, an introduction giving the theatrical and social content of the play and questions for study.

A novel for young adults about the complex issue of refugees.

This is a adaptation of Carlo Goldini's 18th century comedy about a wily servant who gets the best of his masters by hook and crook.

A reissue of Nobel Prize-winner Dario Fo's play, Accidental Death of an Anarchist - a sharp satire on police corruption. The play concerns the case of an anarchist railway worker who, in 1969, 'fell' to his death from a police headquarters' window.

Good evening. I'm Inspector Carter. Take my case. This must be Charles Haversham! I'm sorry, this must've given you all a damn shock. After benefitting from a large and sudden inheritance, the inept and accident-prone Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society embark on producing an ambitious 1920s murder mystery. They are delighted that neither casting issues nor technical hitches currently stand in their way. However, hilarious disaster ensues and the cast start to crack under the pressure, but can they get the production back on track before the final curtain falls? The Play That Goes Wrong is a farcical murder mystery, a play within a play, conceived and performed by award-winning company Mischief. It was first published as a one-act play and is published in this new edition as a two-act play.

Madame Ranevskya returns from Paris as the family estate, including her beloved cherry orchard, is about to be sold to pay for mounting debts. Revelling in past glories and their extravagant lifestyle, the family ignore all offers of help.

And that's the moment when I leave.The moment when the jokes fail us. When I fail. I fail.This precise moment here, look, see with your ears.The Fool leaves King Lear before the blinding. Before the killing starts. Before the ice-creams in the interval.In his new solo work, playwright Tim Crouch draws on ideas of virtual reality to send the Fool back to the future of the play that he left. Back to a world without moral leadership or integrity; a world where wealth covers vice; where the poor are dehumanised; where the jokes fall flat; where live art has become the privilege of the few.Truth's a Dog Must to Kennel is a daringly unaccommodating piece of theatre that switches between scathingly funny stand-up and an audacious act of collective imagining. King Lear meets stand-up meets the metaverse. Crouch's previous celebrated works include An Oak Tree, The Author, Adler & Gibb, Total Immediate Collective Imminent Terrestrial Salvation, and Beginners.This edition was published to coincide with the production at The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh in August 2022.

In this deeply moving and life-affirming tale, a mother must nurture her five-year-old son through an unfathomable situation with only the power of their imagination and their boundless capacity to love.Written for the stage by Academy Award® nominee Emma Donoghue, this unique theatrical adaptation featuring songs and music by Kathryn Joseph and director Cora Bissett takes audiences on a richly emotional journey told through ingenious stagecraft, powerhouse performances, and heart-stopping storytelling. Room reaffirms our belief in humanity and the astounding resilience of the human spirit.This updated and revised edition was published to coincide with the Broadway premiere in Spring 2023.

Two years after its disastrous opening in 1896, "The Seagull" was successfully revived at the Moscow Art Theatre. Checkhov's self-mocking description of the play was: "A comedy - 3F, 6M, four acts, rural scenery (a view over a lake); much talk of literature, little action, five bushels of love".

Elyot Chase and Amanda Prynne, divorced from one another five years previously, arrive coincidentally at the same French hotel. They are both honeymooning with their respective new spouses, but find that the old bond between them cannot be swept aside.

Congratulations! Your pain is commercially viable.It's 1991 and the Gulf War rages three thousand, three hundred and twenty miles away. Darlee is 8 years old, crying behind the wheelie bookcase in Miss Stratford's classroom. She's just realised she's Iraqi. Or half. Maybe both. She saw it on the news last night after Neighbours and fish fingers. Heard the fear slipping through the receiver, saw it oozing from Dad's eyeballs and into the living room as he tried to phone home.What she can't process now, she'll be haunted by later; the spirits hounding her will make sure of that.Baghdaddy is a playfully devastating coming-of-age story, told through clowning and memory to explore the complexities of cultural identity, generational trauma and a father-daughter relationship amidst global conflict.This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at London's Royal Court Theatre in November 2022.

First, do no harm. How do we defend the "truth" when no one agrees what it is and many have reason to undermine it?Very freely adapting Professor Bernhardi by Arthur Schnitzler, Robert Icke's gripping moral thriller uses the lens of medical ethics to examine urgent questions of faith, belief, and scientific rationality.After a critically acclaimed run at London's Almeida Theatre, The Doctor transferred to the West End in September 2022. This revised and updated edition was published to coincide with the new production.

Well here's the problem Edrina, the law in this country doesn't work with stories.It only works with facts. And to put it simply, your story - look it just isn't credible.Edrina was trafficked from her family home when she was fifteen. She was taken to Italy for three years before being trafficked to the UK, where she was held captive for another three years. She escaped 152 days ago. What's Mine & What's Yours tells a story of survival. Just when Edrina thought she might have a chance at life - she is catapulted backwards by a hostile immigration system that does not believe her story. She is acutely vulnerable and is re-trafficked within weeks. Could this have been prevented?The Helen Bamber Foundation provides all encompassing care to help Survivors access the therapeutic, medical, legal, housing and welfare support they need to recover from the traumas of trafficking. The foundation now seeks to address the systemic problem of re-trafficking in the UK. Dame Emma Thompson, the President of the Helen Bamber Foundation and acclaimed writer and actor, introduces this edition, explaining and contextualizing the organization's mission.Find out about their new central London Trauma Centre and learn how you can help by visiting www.helenbamber.org

Two plays in one volume, written by the same writer as "Peter Pan Man" and "To Be a Farmer's Boy". The first is set in Germany in the '30s and questions how humane people came to be swept along by the Nazi force. The second play is a portrait of a Newcastle working-class family in World War II.

You do not feel pain. You do not feel hunger. Now get out there and dance as though you love this island.When a river breaks its banks one night resulting in a massive flood, one medium-sized village (or very very very small town) finds itself completely cut off - unexpectedly an island. As the residents embrace their independence, a new leader rises and a shared identity emerges - but at what cost? Shortlisted for the George Devine Award 2020, Nina Segal's O, Island! is a funny and furious modern myth about disaster and community, exploring how borders can be changed by people, by nature and by accident.This edition is published to coincide with the world premiere at The Other Place by the RSC, in September, 2022.

You know, I honestly believe he has two hearts? A heart that fails him, of course. But another that keeps him going - a heart that won't be beaten!A story of hope, from Afghanistan to Wales.Herat, Afghanistan, 2000. A young mother makes a speech demanding freedom for Afghan women, angering local Taliban leaders who issue a warrant for her execution. With no choice but to run, the Amiri family embark on a long and terrifying journey out of Afghanistan and across Europe with the UK as their ultimate goal.Thrown into an unfamiliar world of fake passports and untrustworthy handlers, the Amiris must learn how to live with nothing and avoid capture at all costs. But with their eldest son Hussein's life-threatening heart condition growing steadily worse, the journey soon becomes a race against time.Will they beat the odds and reach the UK in time for Hussein to receive the surgery he so badly needs?The Boy with Two Hearts is the story of a family in danger and a love letter to the NHS. This extraordinary true story reveals the courage and humanity behind each refugee story, showing that hope and a sense of home can be found in the most unlikely places.This edition was published to coincide with the production at the National Theatre in London in October 2022.

You can¿t live your life thinking everything you text will become public knowledge.Censoring yourself is no way to live.Everyone needs Jim.His mother.His best friend.His brother.A hopeful future President.But can Jim really help anyone, when he isn¿t sure who he is any more, or what he actually believes? An expert in electoral strategy, he¿s forged a successful career by advising politicians how to communicate with voters. But following seismic shifts in the political landscape, he¿s disillusioned. And his marriage is in crisis. As he juggles the demands on his life through his smartphone, will the lure of success and fame prove irresistible?The Narcissist is a gripping, inventive and witty take on personal and political communication in the internet age by celebrated US playwright Christopher Shinn. This edition was published to coincide with the premiere at Chichester Festival Theatre in August 2022.

"An astonishingly powerful play with a mesmeric performance from Bilal Hasna. He is an important young Palestinian voice who deserves a wide audience."- Palestine Solidarity CampaignBut there's this feeling. And it really is impossible to translate. But if you feel it you know what it is. If you're watching this and you're Palestinian, you know what it is.Bilal has always been obsessed with love stories. Here he tells you his favourite: the true story of Palestinian translator Wa'el Zuaiter. Join Bilal as he ventures through the orange groves of Jaffa, Rome's piazzas, and the Duty-Free aisles of Luton Airport, piecing together this untold story, and asking what it means to be a Palestinian in the West. After receiving standing ovations and glowing audience reviews when it appeared as a work in progress in 2021, WoLab returned to Camden People's Theatre and transferred to the Bristol Old Vic in Autumn 2022, with Bilal Hasna and Aaron Kilercioglu's acclaimed, For A Palestinian. The play was supported by P21 Gallery, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Na'amod, Bristol Palestine Museum and Cultural Centre, and New Diorama Theatre.