Books in the Modern Plays series

"Traverse Theatre Company, Wilf / by James Ley. A Traverse Theatre Company commission. First performedat the Traverse Theatre on 7 August 2022"--Preliminary page [3].

"We think we¿ll be alright - because we wade through air, not water, but that¿s not enough.¿Best friends Mohsen and Kash are gearing up for the biggest night of their lives ¿ Jess Denver¿s pool party. There¿s just one problem... they can¿t swim.Fueled by halal Haribo and chicken wings, the pair throw themselves in at the deep end, tackling cramped cubicles and cold showers as they learn how to be at one with the water.Fierce, funny, and brimming with heart, Karim Khan examines the pressures faced by young Muslim men in this exhilarating new play about fitting in and striking out. This was published to coincide with the production at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in August 2022.

Almost 170 years on, Charlotte Brontë's story of the trailblazing Jane is as inspiring as ever. This bold and dynamic production uncovers one woman's fight for freedom and fulfilment on her own terms.From her beginnings as a destitute orphan, Jane Eyre's spirited heroine faces life's obstacles head-on, surviving poverty, injustice and the discovery of bitter betrayal before taking the ultimate decision to follow her heart.This inventive staging of Brontë's masterpiece was first staged by Bristol Old Vic in 2014, when the story was performed over two evenings. Director Sally Cookson now brings her celebrated production to the National Theatre, presented as a single, exhilarating performance.

“Everyone is constructing themselves. I‿m just conscious of doing it. More than that, I‿m a sculptor of it. I am a fucking artist.â€?Finalist: Popcorn Writing Award 2021Alex is a social success. Her Instagram boasts a montage of members-only rooftops, inexplicably sunny days and clinking glasses ‿ like after like after like! When her father dies, Alex reluctantly joins a bereavement group. She shares a little, and then lies... a lot. And it feels good ‿ like the ‿likes‿, but live, and just like that, Alex is hooked. Please, Feel Free to Share by Rachel Causer is a dynamic, darkly comic, one-woman show about our personal addictions, the never-ending pursuit of ‿likes‿ and our growing desire to share all. This play was developed by Scatterjam, a female-led production company that are committed to creating innovative shows that actively challenge commonly held preconceptions and celebrate the comedic potential of doing so. They are the makers of the Offie-Nominated play When It Happens.

In October 1921, a delegation of the Dáil left by boat and train for London, where they were to negotiate with the British government for peace, unity and a republic. They came back with just one of those; and that peace didn't last long, as war with Britain was replaced by war with their own. Were the Irish outclassed or outgunned? Were they lied to? Did they lie to their own colleagues back in Dublin? Or did they achieve the best that could be achieved, an incremental step on the way to fuller sovereignty?The Treaty tells the story of what happened inside those negotiations, as Arthur Griffith, Michael Collins and colleagues faced off against one of the most formidable negotiating teams ever assembled, headed by David Lloyd George and with Winston Churchill often at his side. This edition is published to coincide with Fishamble's production in November 2021.

"It's not just the choiceIt's never just the choiceChoice is a fairytale."Tattoos are forever. Almost. And at Noodle Soup Tattoo there are strict rules: No names unless they're dead. Nothing on the face. Nothing you might get sued for later.When Jodie, a rough sleeper, asks for a free tattoo from apprentice Kit, her request is well within the guidelines. But Kit is still unsure, because they know only too well that getting inked isn't the only decision that stays with you for the rest of your life.Albatross is a small but sweeping story about the past refusing to stay in the past. It was originally commissioned by Plaines Plough in collaboration with Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and is published here to coincide with its production at the Playground Theatre, London in October 2021.

I have to believe in the institutions we trust to be fair, and functional. Whether that be the judiciary, the police, the media . That they should all be able to resist the temptations of a more entertaining lie, over a less extraordinary truth.April 2003. Army Major Charles Ingram, his wife and coughing accomplice are convicted for cheating on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?The evidence is damning. The nation is gripped by the sheer audacity of the plot to snatch the £1,000,000 jackpot. But was he really guilty? It's time for you to decide.Question everything you think you know in James Graham's provocative new play.Olivier Award-nominee James Graham returns with a sharp, fictional imagination of one of the most famous quiz show controversies to date. The production premiered at Chichester Festival Theatre and this edition was published this edition was published to coincide with the West End opening at the Nöel Coward Theatre in April 2018.

'Eric Argyle was notably surprised when rather unexpectedly his eyes opened again. If truth be told, if he was being honest with himself, he hadn't really expected this type of thing would ever be happening again.'Eric Argyle is having a bad Sunday. It's late. He's still in his pyjamas. A room full of people are staring at him. And he died at 11.42am, two days ago. An issue that people don't seem all that receptive to.Nominated for Best New Play at the Irish Times Theatre Awards, Ross Dungan's The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle premiered at the Pleasance Dome in Edinburgh in August 2012 before transferring to Dublin. It debuted in London at the Soho Theatre on 2 April 2013.

You're six years old. Mum's in hospital. Dad says she's 'done something stupid'. She finds it hard to be happy.So you start to make a list of everything that's brilliant about the world. Everything that's worth living for.1. Ice Cream2. Kung Fu Movies3. Burning Things4. Laughing so hard you shoot milk out your nose5. Construction cranes6. MeYou leave it on her pillow. You know she's read it because she's corrected your spelling. Soon, the list will take on a life of its own.A new play about depression and the lengths we will go to for those we love.

Dress by Ganni. Bra by Coco de Mer. Knife by Stanley. A gripping revenge tale about an actress in her 40s under investigation for the murder of an auteur theatre director whilst rehearsing a stage production of Hitchcock‿s Psycho. A whip-smart take on what it means to be middle-aged and female in an industry captivated by stardust and beauty. This edition was published to coincide with the run at The Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, 2022.

'I got my first pair of glasses when I was seven.A nurse came to the school and tested everyone's eyes. And so it was discovered why I'd thrown bread to the floating crisp packets in our local pond and walked into lamp posts and said, 'excuse me'. Until that day the world was a swirl of moving coloured blobs. I thought it was the same for everyone.How wrong I was.'Part memoir, part theatre and part standup comedy this delightful story of a myopic seven year old is brought to you by actor, comedian and playwright Sonya Kelly. Sonya tells her story about growing up with poor vision that went undiagnosed until she was seven years old. Combining several forms of theatre, this delightful story shows us how we can better the world even if we cannot see the world.Winner: Scotsman Fringe First Award 2012Critic's Pick, New York Times

Do you know what I believe in? I believe in us. Me and you, right here. This town was once an incredible place. We have to have courage to fight for it again.Hero or enemy? Who can actually tell the difference?Everything is going to be fine, better than fine, in fact there's nothing that can't be achieved if everyone just believes a little. That's what the town's MP, Mick, thinks.He's optimistic, positively boosterish about his plan for the town. He just wants the naysayers to pipe down. But there's a problem. His sister, Dr Rhiannon Powell, has discovered that the project appears to be polluting the town's water supply. Mick sold the town a story about the future, but what will happen when reality looks to tear that story apart?Is Mick a hero of the people, or is he in fact their enemy? Brad Birch's bold new reimagining of Ibsen's An Enemy of the People pits the personal against the political and facts against emotion. A Hero of the People is a gripping contemporary drama for our times.

A young Shona girl escapes an arranged marriage by converting to Christianity, becoming a servant and student to an African Evangelical. As anti-European sentiments spread throughout the native population, she is forced to choose between her family's traditions and her newfound faith.

You've got to learn how to keep it inside. We have to. The world doesn't like us acting out. They'll put you down any chance they get. You can't be doing all this screaming. As siblings Shirley and Dwight bury their mother, they remember their upbringing in 1980s Chapeltown Leeds differently. In the height of racial discrimination, police brutality and poverty, the struggle for survival ripped through their family.Now as adults, they need to bring together the fractured pieces of their past in order to move forward.Zodwa Nyoni's gripping and heartfelt drama explores the complexities and beauty of what it really means to care for one another.

'Of course that's how it begins: a harmless fairy tale to pass the hours'When Alice Liddell Hargreaves met Peter Llewelyn Davies at the opening of a Lewis Carroll exhibition in 1932, the original Alice in Wonderland came face to face with the original Peter Pan. In John Logan's remarkable new play, enchantment and reality collide as this brief encounter lays bare the lives of these two extraordinary characters.This is the new play from Academy Award winning screenwriter and playwright John Logan. His previous play RED played in London to great acclaim before transferring to Broadway where it won 6 Tony Awards including Best New Play.

Explores the effect of the criminal justice system on women and their families.

In Methuen Drama's Modern Classics series, this edition of Brecht's anti-war masterpiece translated by John Willett features an extensive introduction and Brecht's notes and textual variants.

seven methods of killing kylie jenner combines theatre with gifs, memes and emojis to explore stereotypes of Black womanhood, white capitalist exploitation, and the politics of social media activism.

The new dark comedy about gender roles from Laura Wade, best-selling author of Posh and The Riot Club.