Books published by Nick Hern Books

A sharply funny, moving play set during the Troubles in Northern Ireland and celebrating women's strength under siege.

A play exploring the last three decades of women in politics, asking what's changed and what still must.

A collection of short plays curated by Sue Parrish, Artistic Director of Sphinx Theatre.

An explosively funny comedy that takes a closer look at the lengths to which people will go to defy biology - and at the moral compass of an industry that trades on fear and hope.

Tracy Letts' gripping thriller, published alongside the West End production, starring Orlando Bloom in the title role.

A vivid and fast-paced ride through a working-class estate, which fuses Shakespeare-inspired lyricism with Cockney accents. Olivier Award winner for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre, 2019.

A practical, and inspiring guide to using puppetry in theatre - the perfect entry point for anyone looking to use puppets in their productions, to explore what puppets can do, or to develop their puppetry skills. Ideal for actors and performers, for directors and designers, and for teachers and students of all ages and levels of experience.

A new play by Nessa Muthy. Welcome to a world where your partner can arrive by special delivery, you can replace your ex with a replica, or supplement your waning love life with regular updates. It could be the answer to all our problems... but what might we lose along the way?

Three women. Three conversations. As the details of what they share begin to diverge, we realise that a subtle game of survival is being played.

An exhilarating play about human triumph, ambition, self-doubt, and pride, set in the world of boxing.

A darkly comic, claustrophobic tale of voyeurism and sexual politics.

Autumn 1940. The Battle of Britain rages. Southampton is home to Britain's only hope of victory: the Spitfire. But when the Luftwaffe drops 2,300 bombs in three devastating raids, the city goes up in flames and the Woolston Supermarine Spitfire factory is destroyed. From the ashes, a story of chaos, courage and community spirit emerges.

An anthology of the three winning plays in the inaugural Heretic Voices competition, seeking out the best new writing in monologue form. First performed at the Arcola theatre, London.

Nine nights of music, food, sharing stories - and an endless parade of mourners. Natasha Gordon's debut play Nine Night is a touching and very funny exploration of the rituals of family. It premiered at the National Theatre in April 2018.

Fifteen year old Billie has lived with her Dad in their little flat for as long as she can remember, but all that's about to change. A moving portrayal of the conflict between personal aspiration and familial responsibility, and what happens when those you should depend on need you more than you need them.

Sarah Burgess' breathtakingly witty and virtuosic comedy exploring the vision, the vulnerability, and the vilification of those shaping - and skewing - the economy.

In 1949, Dr Jacob Bronowski installs a secret, alarmed room in his house. Fifty years later his grandson discovers his secrets, unearthing echoes from across six million years of human history, told from the perspective of a century in which every year is a revolutionary year.

Maddy and Rory are devoted parents to 3-year-old Joshua, committed to keeping him happy and safe. But when an everyday visit to a supermarket cafe turns into a far more troubling incident, their trust even in those closest to them is shattered. Fear and doubt consume them, until they reach a savage breaking point.

A step-by-step breakdown of the entire journey towards making a verbatim-theatre production - covering everything you need to consider - by an experienced theatre-maker and practitioner.

A bold and exciting new approach to Bertolt Brecht, making his theories and ideas about theatre accessible to a new generation of actors, directors, students and theatre-makers, and showing how they can be put into practice.

Two plays from the talented and award-winning Izzy Tennyson. Grotty is a dark exploration of lesbian subculture in London. Brute is a solo show based on the true story of a rather twisted, horrible schoolgirl.

'I want the world to change shape.''I'm not sure theatre can do that.''Well then where am I supposed to take that impulse because I'm very serious about the endeavour?' A young writer challenges the staus quo but discovers that creative gain comes at a personal cost.

A first collection of plays from the playwright described by the Guardian as "the voice of her generation."

Lynchburg, Virginia, fourteen-year-old Ruffrino is struggling to make sense of his place in an impoverished world filled with seemingly random killings of young black men. As his anger towards reality grows, he battles to prove by any means necessary that Black Lives Matter.

An award winning play. An intricately layered psychological thriller, exposing the startling mistreatment of those most vulnerable in our society, at the hands of those who are meant to protect them.