Books published by Nick Hern Books

In an ancient, crumbling mansion, sheltering from the howling winds that tear across the surrounding desolate moorland, two men stumble across a dark and terrifying secret that will change their lives forever...

A gripping and unsettling parable, Foxfinder is a darkly comic exploration of belief, desire and responsibility, set in a world both strange and familiar. William Bloor, a 'foxfinder', arrives at Sam and Judith Covey's farm to investigate a suspected contamination. He is driven by his education and beliefs to unearth and destroy an animal that threatens man's civilisation, and to remain free from its influence himself. As his investigations proceed, the events that follow change the course of all their lives - for ever. Winner of the 2011 Papatango New Writing Competition. 'Dawn King's play shines out like a beacon... the most compelling new work I have seen this year' Guardian

Musicals are the most popular form of stage entertainment today, with the West End and Broadway dominated by numerous long-running hits. But for every Wicked or Phantom of the Opera, there are dozens of casualties that didn't fare quite so well. In this book, Julian Woolford explores the musical-theatre canon to explain why and how some musicals work, why some don't, and what you should (and shouldn't) do if you're thinking of writing your own. Drawing on his experience as a successful writer and director of musicals, and as a lecturer in writing musicals at the University of London, Woolford outlines every step of the creative process, from hatching the initial idea and developing a structure for the work, through creating the book, the music and the lyrics, and on to the crucial process of rewriting. He then guides the reader through getting a musical produced, with invaluable advice about generating future productions and sustaining a career. The book includes dozens of exercises to assist the novice writer in developing their craft, and detailed case studies of well-known musicals such as Les Miserables, The Sound of Music, Miss Saigon, Little Shop of Horrors, Godspel and Evita. An essential guide for any writers (or would-be writers) of musicals, How Musicals Work is a fascinating insight for anyone interested in the art form or who has ever wondered what it takes to get from first idea to first night. 'If anyone knows how musicals work (I'm not sure I do), this highly entertaining dissection of every aspect of that bewildering art form reveals that Julian Woolford does.' Tim Rice 'Excellent... a useful source of information' The Stage

Poet, playwright and novelist Blake Morrison's play evokes the lives of the Bronte sisters, with a nod to Chekhov's Three Sisters.

A romantic-comedy-thriller about the heat of love and the magic of changing perspectives, from a leading Scottish playwright.

Patrick Sandford's acclaimed dramatisation of Mary Shelley's celebrated novel FRANKENSTEIN, a classic work of gothic fiction in the English canon.

Rwanda to Northern Ireland, Zimbabwe to Bosnia answers are demanded, reconciliation hard to hear and the truth reluctant to be told. World premiere at the Royal Court Theatre, London, 2011.

Two plays by a new, major award-winning Irish playwright.

In The Quality of Mercy, one of the world's most revered theatre directors reflects on a fascinating variety of Shakespearean topics. In this sequence of essays - all but one published here for the first time - Peter Brook debates such questions as who was the man who wrote Shakespeare's plays, why Shakespeare is never out of date, and how actors should approach Shakespeare's verse. He also revisits some of the plays which he has directed with notable brilliance, such as King Lear, Titus Andronicus and, of course, A Midsummer Night's Dream. Taken as a whole, this short but immensely wise book offers an illuminating and provocative insight into a great director's relationship with our greatest playwright. 'This book is an invaluable gift from the greatest Shakespeare director of our time... Brook's genius, modesty and brilliance shine through on every page.' James Shapiro, author of 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare 'Exquisite... enthralling... This short, modest and brilliant book does more than many more grandiose tomes to renew the reader's fascination with the plays, and the theatre-goer's wonder at the extraordinary and diverse situations locked up inside the First Folio. It should be required reading at all universities and drama clubs' Guardian 'This volume positively seethes and sparkles with ideas... provides not only acute insights into the texts, but intriguing details of performance history, and a few morsels of grand theatrical gossip' - Scotsman 'Should be required reading for any aspiring young directors and actors but also all serious theatregoers... the writing is a model of clarity, the ideas challenging but sensible... it should be on every reader's bookshelf' - British Theatre Guide

An inspiring, practical handbook for anyone working with young people to make devised theatre.

Stella Feehily brings her trademark wit and emotional insight to this revealing play that goes behind the public face of charities, journalists and NGOs, and is drawn directly from workshops and interviews with aid workers, doctors, human rights defenders, government advisers, journalists and photographers.

Chris Hannan's play, written for Shakespeare's Globe, is a hectic and hilarious morality tale for the modern world. Sexy, feisty and real, it is a story about love at its dirtiest, maddest and most bittersweet.

An irreverent and unsettling play from rising new voice in Irish theatre Stacey Gregg, that interrogates paranoia, ambiguity and innocence in our highly sexualised world. It premiered at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, in 2011.

An enchanting adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's legendary animal adventure story, from the the author of Waterloo Station Theatre smash hit THE RAILWAY CHILDREN.

An exciting, fresh and accessible adaptation of Dostoyevsky's masterful novel.

Features four plays - three monologues and a three-hander.

Helen Edmundson's celebrated and 'exemplary adaptation' (The Times) of Leo Tolstoy's enduring classic is a vibrant and deeply moving meditation on the nature of love.

An alternative autobiography of the well-loved actor and man of the theatre.In My Life in Pieces Simon Callow retraces his life through the multifarious performers, writers, productions and events which have left their indelible mark on him.The story begins with Peter Pan - his first ever visit to the theatre - before transporting us to southern Africa and South London, where Callow spent much of his childhood. Later, he charms his way into a job at the National Theatre box office courtesy of his hero, Laurence Olivier - and thus consummated a lifetime's love affair with theatre.Alongside Olivier, we encounter Paul Scofield, Michael Gambon, Alan Bennett and Richard Eyre, all of whom Callow has worked with, as well as John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson and Alec Guinness, David Hare, Simon Gray and many more.He writes too about figures he did not meet but who greatly influenced his life and work, figures such as Stanislavsky, Nureyev and Cocteau, as well as Charles Laughton and Orson Welles. And he even makes room for not-quite- legit performers like Tony Hancock, Tommy Cooper, Frankie Howard - and Mrs Shufflewick.The result is a passionate, instructive and beguiling book which, in tracing Simon Callow's own ';sentimental education', leaves us enriched by his generosity and wisdom.'an engaging passionate book which will augment Callow's growing status as a national treasure.' Guardian '...not simply a terrific actor who happens to write. You could as well call him a terrific writer who happens to act' The Times 'essential... a gift for transforming personal experience into blazingly intelligent, objective, critical appreciation' Observer'first rate... the best writer-actor we have' David Hare 'Simon Callow combines zest, originality and passion and has elegantly turned his views and life in the theatre into an astonishing memoir' Richard Eyre

An urgent play about the senseless killing of a black schoolboy, from one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary British playwriting. Premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in 2008. Death never used to be for the young. You get up. You go bout your business. You expect to come back. random was adapted for television in 2011, winning a BAFTA for Best Single Drama. 'debbie tucker green's writing is so raw and immediate that it can feel as if she's hacking into your heart with a rusty tin opener.' Time Out

A new edition of the award winning play from Bruce Norris about racism and property. Published alongside ithe Royal Court productions transfer to the Wyndhams Theatre in London's West End

A blackly comic vision of Dublin infested with demons, from the author of Howie the Rookie.