Books published by Nick Hern Books

This accessible, systematic guide will teach you how to memorise your lines quickly and effectively, and let go of the fear of forgetting them - helping you build confidence and focus, and reducing anxiety and stress around auditions, rehearsal and performance.Inside, you'll find dozens of tips, tricks and techniques such as Memory Palaces, Mental Maps, Creative Memorisation, Visual Cues and many more, along with exercises and examples to illustrate how they work in practice. Discover how to harness these tools to strengthen your memory, and develop a personalised line-learning strategy that works for you and your acting process - one that is easier, faster and more enjoyable.The Compact Guides are pocket-sized introductions for actors and theatremakers, each tackling a key topic in a clear and comprehensive way. Written by industry professionals with extensive hands-on experience of their subject, they provide you with maximum information in minimum time.

A play by Lynn Nottage, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Sweat, Ruined and Intimate Apparel. Crumbs from the Table of Joy is a set text for Cambridge O Level Literature in English.

A unique, behind-the-scenes account of Lin-Manuel Miranda's groundbreaking musical, Hamilton, written by Giles Terera, London's Olivier Award-winning original Aaron Burr. Illustrated with dozens of colour photographs, many of which are shared here for the first time, and featuring an exclusive Foreword by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

An electrifying, bittersweet love story with echoes of Romeo and Juliet, set in a society divided by racial bigotry and a world rocked by terrorism. Adapted from Malorie Blackman's best-selling novels. Sephy (a Cross) is the daughter of the Deputy Prime Minister. Callum is the son of a Nought agitator. United by a shared sense of injustice as children, and separated by intolerance as they grow up, their desire to be together begins to eclipse all family loyalty - sparking a political crisis of unimaginable proportions. 'I wanted to turn society as we know it on its head, with new names for the major divisions, i.e. Noughts (the underclass) and Crosses (the majority, ruling society)' - Malorie Blackman 'Dominic Cooke's excellent adaptation... a dark, politically unsentimentalised story about teenage love transcending the barriers in a deeply divided society... heart-rending' - Independent

Hard-hitting and hilarious, pesonal and poignant, CripTales comprises six dramatic monologues portraying some very real experiences, from the liberation of the electric wheelchair to the ignominy of discrimination and incarceration. Commissioned by the BBC to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the UK's Disability Discrimination Act .

Drawing inspiration from Ovid, fifteen leading female and non-binary British playwrights dramatise the lives of fifteen classical heroines in a series of new monologues for the twenty-first century.

An hilarious and heartbreaking true story. First Time smashes through the stigma and shame of HIV, to present an uplifting and inspirational guide to staying positive in a negative world.

A rip-roaring, swashbuckling, family-friendly retelling of a classic story.

Forty fantastic speeches featuring female roles, all written and premiered since the year 2014, by some of the most exciting dramatic voices writing today.

Forty fantastic speeches featuring male roles, all written and premiered since the year 2014, by some of today's most exciting dramatic voices from the UK and USA.

A funny, fast-paced play about identity, truth and the challenge of finding out who you really are. Bright. Young. Things. is part of Platform, an initiative from Tonic Theatre in partnership with Nick Hern Books, comprising of big-cast plays with predominantly, or all, female casts, written specifically for performance by young actors.

A powerful, timely play featuring songs, about one girl taking control of her destiny in a world teetering on the brink. Part of Platform, an initiative aimed at achieving greater gender equality in theatre.

THE GOOD AUDITION GUIDES:Helping you select and perform the audition piece that is best suited to your performing skillsIf you're auditioning for a musical - or needing to choose a song to perform for an exam, showcase or drama-school application - it's vital you find a song that shows off your voice and reveals your full potential as both a singer and an actor.In this invaluable book, you'll find comprehensive introductions to fifty of the best songs from musical theatre, for soprano, mezzosoprano and alto voices, and in a variety of periods, styles, genres and tempos. Each song comes with detailed textual, vocal and musical analysis, and a practical performance guide to ensure you perform it to maximum effect in your own unique way.Drawing on his experience as a performer, musical director and teacher at several leading drama schools, Paul Harvard gives his top tips for performing each song, note by note, moment by moment. He also recommends soundtrack recordings to inspire you, and tells you where to find the correct sheet music for your chosen song (please note: the book does not contain the sheet music itself).The selection includes songs from acclaimed contemporary musicals such as In the Heights by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Songs for a New World by Jason Robert Brown, as well as Next to Normal, Miss Saigon, The Color Purple, Sister Act and Ragtime - alongside much-loved classics like The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, My Fair Lady, Anything Goes, and five of Sondheim's masterpieces.Also included is an extensive introduction to the process of choosing your song, preparing your performance and approaching the audition itself, along with many vocal and acting exercises to improve your technique and boost your confidence.'For anyone wishing to do justice to a musical-theatre role, and definitely for those wishing to work in this genre, this guide is a must' Teaching Drama Magazine on Paul Harvard's bestselling book Acting Through Song

THE GOOD AUDITION GUIDES:Helping you select and perform the audition piece that is best suited to your performing skillsIf you're auditioning for a musical - or needing to choose a song to perform for an exam, showcase or drama-school application - it's vital you find a song that shows off your voice and reveals your full potential as both a singer and an actor.In this invaluable book, you'll find comprehensive introductions to fifty of the best songs from musical theatre, for tenor/high baritone and baritone/bass voices, and in a variety of periods, styles, genres and tempos. Each song comes with detailed textual, vocal and musical analysis, and a practical performance guide to ensure you perform it to maximum effect in your own unique way.Drawing on his experience as a performer, musical director and teacher at several leading drama schools, Paul Harvard gives his top tips for performing each song, note by note, moment by moment. He also recommends soundtrack recordings to inspire you, and tells you where to find the correct sheet music for your chosen song (please note: the book does not contain the sheet music itself).The selection includes songs from acclaimed contemporary musicals such as Children of Eden and Pippin by Stephen Schwartz, Parade and The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown, as well as Martin Guerre, The Wild Party, Taboo and The Lion King - alongside many much-loved classics like Carousel, Fiddler on the Roof, 42nd Street, Kiss Me, Kate, and six of Sondheim's masterpieces.Also included is an extensive introduction to the process of choosing your song, preparing your performance and approaching the audition itself, along with many vocal and acting exercises to improve your technique and boost your confidence.'For anyone wishing to do justice to a musical-theatre role, and definitely for those wishing to work in this genre, this guide is a must' Teaching Drama Magazine on Paul Harvard's bestselling book Acting Through Song

When Patrick is eight years old, his absent father returns unexpectedly for a brief but memorable encounter. Years later - recalling that meeting, and the revelations that followed - Patrick traces the events of his father's life. Written for Andrew Scott, Three Kings is a heartbreaking and hilarious play for a solo actor.

seeds is a new play that explores the human story behind a tragedy, through the eyes of those left behind: two mothers united in sorrow, and sharing the hardship of protecting their sons - one in life, and one in death.

In the town of Slurry, New York, post-war recession has bitten. Claire Zachanassian, improbably beautiful and impenetrably terrifying, returns to her hometown as the world's richest woman. The locals hope her arrival signals a change in their fortunes, but they soon realise that prosperity will only come at a terrible price...

A play about class, consent and transgressions buried in the past, set over the course of one winesoaked evening in a Dublin restaurant.

An extraordinary drama about an ordinary family who must balance the challenges of daily life whilst living with dementia.

Nora is the perfect wife and mother. She is dutiful, beautiful and everything is always in its right place. But when a secret from her past comes back to haunt her, her life rapidly unravels. This bold new version of Ibsen's play reframes the drama in three different time periods and asks how far have we really come in the past hundred years?

A sometimes comic, sometimes heartbreaking journey into the world of autism. Inspired by the writer's own experiences with autism, the play celebrates autistic identity whilst offering deeper insight and understanding to non-autistic audiences.

Two plays about contemporary life in Ireland, from award-winning writer John O'Donovan.

A darkly satirical monologue about fatherhood, love and toxic masculinity.

This anthology, the fifth from Nick Hern Books, comprises five of the best plays from VAULT Festival 2020, London's biggest and most exciting arts festival.

An outrageous play about imperialism, cross racial adoption, cultural appropriation... and tea.

A wildly inventive comedy drama about courage, female friendship and flamingos. This volume also includes twelve comic monologues for female performers.