Bøker utgitt av Nick Hern Books

Eight short plays, all two-handers, from the national theatre of Ireland that represent the very best of new Irish drama.

A funny, touching and at times savage portrait of a family full of longing that's losing its grip - The Last of the Haussmans is a play examining the fate of the revolutionary generation. It premiered at the National Theatre in 2012, starring Julie Walters and Rory Kinnear. Anarchic, feisty but growing old, high-society drop-out Judy Haussman remains in spirit with the ashrams of the 1960s, while holding court in her dilapidated art deco house on the Devon coast. After an operation, she's joined by her wayward offspring, her sharp-eyed granddaughter, a local doctor and a troubled teenager who makes use of the family's crumbling swimming pool. Over a few sweltering months they alternately cling to and flee a chaotic world of all-day drinking, infatuations, long-held resentments, free love and failure. 'A knockout - entertaining, sad and outrageous. [Stephen Beresford] is going to be a major name' Observer 'Beresford's drama is frequently a hoot... you can't not enjoy' Metro 'Beresford's debut is thoughtful and fresh, delighting in the savagery of a dysfunctional family... deliciously comical... drips with smart lines' Evening Standard

Pete and Rich are two very different brothers. Rich needs to confront ex girlfriend, Lucy, and shadows of his recent past. Pete's search is for one woman in his life he's never known and never knowingly hurt, his daughter. As they each embark on a journey of forgiveness, they discover that, even separated by sixty five miles - people never forget.

Four boys face the tricky transition to adulthood in Ella Hickson's riot of a play. Premiered at High Tide Festival 2012, then Nuffield Theatre, Southampton, and Soho Theatre, London. The Class of 2011 are about to graduate and Benny, Mack, Timp and Cam are due out of their flat. Stepping into a world that doesn't want them, these boys start to wonder whether there's any point in getting any older. How will they find the fight to make it as adults? Before all that they're going to have one hell of a party. It's hot and there'll be girls. Predict a riot. 'Marvellous... a play that both powerfully captures the mood of a generation and addresses permanent truths with exhilarating flair' Independent 'Will leave you with laughter lines' Time Out 'Heartfelt directness of writing that taps into a generation torn between action and inertia' Guardian

Mary Shelley: daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft; lover of Shelley; author of Frankenstein' Helen Edmundson's compelling play explores a crucial episode in the early life of Mary Shelley - her meeting and scandalous elopement aged sixteen with Percy Bysshe Shelley, and its consequences for her sisters, her stepmother and above all, her troubled father, the political philosopher William Godwin. 'Gripping... without ever reducing Mary Shelley to an issue drama, Edmundson suggests the destructive nature of a life lived without compromise' The Times

A virtuosic study of one man's descent into religious mania in small-town Ireland. This edition was published alongside the 2012 production at the National Theatre starring Cillian Murphy.

A unique new approach to the understanding and training of the actor's voice, with an accompanying 110-minute DVD showing the work in action.

From the acclaimed writer of BBC smash-hit comedy Him & Her, Stefan Golaszewski, comes this unflinchingly accurate portrayal of hollow lust, boredom and loneliness.

A gripping and urgent play about a well-meaning teacher who intervenes on behalf of a troublesome student, with terrifying consequences. Joint Winner of the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 2008. When white secondary-school teacher Amanda is pushed to the ground by black student Jason, she's reluctant to report him as she knows exclusion could condemn him to a future as troubled as his past. But when Jason decides to protect himself by spinning a story of his own, Amanda is sucked into a vortex of lies in which victim becomes perpetrator. With the truth becoming less clear and more dangerous by the day, it isn't long before careers, relationships and even lives are under threat. 'A tough, gripping spectacle' Guardian 'Outstanding... Franzmann manages to make all the characters credible and well-rounded, even the damaged perpetrator... She gets to the rotten core of what's going on in these melting-pot battlegrounds... The play of the year? In my book, quite possibly' Dominic Cavendish,Telegraph

The third volume of Conor McPherson's collected plays, covering a decade of writing. With a Foreword by the author.

The NHB Drama Classics series presents the world's greatest plays in affordable, highly readable editions for students, actors and theatregoers. The hallmarks of the series are accessible introductions (focussing on the play's theatrical and historical background, together with an author biography, key dates and suggestions for further reading) and the complete text, uncluttered with footnotes. The translations, by leading experts in the field, are accurate and above all actable. The editions of English-language plays include a glossary of unusual words and phrases to aid understanding. Over two hundred and fifty years since it was written, The Servant of Two Masters, a classic of Italian comedy, remains blisteringly hilarious and relevant. Disguising herself as her dead brother, Beatrice travels to Venice to find Florindo, the man responsible for his death. However her servant, Truffaldino, enters into the pay of Florindo and struggles to keep his two lives and masters separate.

A practical guide to training as an actor, helping you get the most out of drama school - and survive in the world beyond. Are you thinking of applying to drama school?Do you have a place already and want to get the most out of your training? Are you seeking to make the best possible start in the world beyond drama school? Becoming an Actor takes you, step by step, technique by technique, through everything you can expect to encounter at drama school, and in your first year as a professional actor. Stuffed with exercises and full of practical advice, it is the ideal handbook to accompany your training. Thomasina Unsworth teaches at Rose Bruford College, one of the UK's leading drama schools. Here she shows what acting classes at an accredited drama school are actually like, and offers guidance and support through what is a critical time in any actor's career. With many different exercises to help actors explore the techniques they need to master, Becoming an Actor is also an invaluable resource for those teaching acting, and for those seeking to refresh their training. 'Clear, bright, accessible and above all useful... offers young actors a valuable insight into the demands and rewards of professional training, while providing a sequence of practical exercises which can be used by performers, students and teachers across a much broader range of contexts.' - Stanislavski Studies 'Entertaining and informative... students and potential students will find Unsworth's readable book invaluable.' - ReviewsGate.com 'Ideal for anyone interested in vocational training... includes lots of classroom exercises to show the reader exactly the sort of thing that they can expect to be doing [in drama school]' - Teaching Drama Magazine

A sharply funny play about motherhood (and fatherhood), keeping control and letting go.

The first volume of collected work from the author of the smash hit play East is East.

A fast and funny family drama about intergenerational and cross-cultural relationships, from the winner of the 2011 Bruntwood Prize.

A fascinating, witty and characteristically exuberant dramatic exploration of the Shakespeare authorship debate. Is it possible that the son of an illiterate tradesman, from a small market town in Warwickshire, could have written the greatest dramatic works the world has ever seen? It's a question that has puzzled scholars, theatre practitioners and theatregoers for many years. The philosopher, Francis Bacon; the Earl of Oxford, Edward de Vere; and Mary Sidney, Countess of Pembroke: all of them have been put forward as the real author of the plays. But why would they hide behind an anonymous actor? Who was the real Bard of Stratford? Why should we care? Mark Rylance is one of a number of leading actors who seriously question the idea that William Shakespeare was the man behind the thirty-seven plays that have moved, inspired and amazed generations. First performed at Chichester Festival Theatre in 2007, Rylance's provocative play introduces us to four candidates and their respective claims - whilst asking fundamental questions about what makes a genius, and why it all matters anyway. 'Witty, gloriously funny and wonderfully well-written... the best thing I have seen for years' The Stage

A treasure trove of advice, support and encouragement that no performer should be without. Honest, witty and direct, The Golden Rules of Acting is every actor’s best friend – in handy paperback form. ‘When auditioning, rehearsing or in a performance, take a risk – the worst that can happen is that you get embarrassed. You won’t die.' Easy to dip into, fully illustrated throughout, and designed to be both instructive and empowering, The Golden Rules of Acting won’t tell you how to act – but it will tell you how to be an actor. ‘Always remember, the people auditioning you want you to be brilliant. They want you to solve their casting problem.' If you’re a working actor, drama-school student, someone who wants to become an actor, or simply someone who has a dream and wants to make it a reality, this book is for you. ‘NEVER harmonise when singing ‘Happy Birthday’ – this has nothing to do with work, it’s just all actors do it & it’s bloody annoying.’ 'Christians have the Bible, now actors have this book. At last, everyone is happy.' (Simon Pegg)

An invaluable guide to how to start and maintain a career in musical theatre, from one of the most successful and brightest stars of The West End and Broadway, Ruthie Henshall.

Tensions rise between father and adopted daughter in this scathing, dark thriller from the author of the acclaimed Mogadishu.

Three hard-hitting, distinctive monologues for young female actors, from one of the country's most exciting young playwrights.

A new documentary drama from the author of the acclaimed musical London Road.

A practical, hands-on guide - for actors, directors, teachers and students - to Brecht's history and practice of theatre. The Complete Brecht Toolkit examines, one by one, Brecht's many, sometimes contradictory ideas about theatre - and how he put them into practice. Here are explanations of all the famous key terms, such as Alienation Effect, Epic Theatre and Gestus, as well as many others which go to make up what we think of as 'Brechtian theatre'. There follows a section which looks at the practical application of these theories in Acting, Language, Music, Design and Direction. And finally, the book offers fifty exercises for student actors to investigate Brecht's ideas for themselves, becoming thoroughly familiar with the tools in the Brecht toolkit.

From a forested Polish village to the blinding lights of London, A Time to Reap looks at one woman's story against the mountain landscape of an evolving nation and one of Poland's hottest political topics - abortion and the Catholic Church.

A gripping drama about Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain.

A deeply moving meditation on love, loss and grief.

A chilling play set in a Kafkaesque world where nothing is quite as it seems, and where office politics can lead to unlawful questioning, torture and even murder...

A useful, informative career guide for students considering a career in theatre.

A 'fast-forward' acting course covering all the essential techniques an actor needs to know and use - with a suite of exercises to put each technique into practice. The Acting Book offers various ways to analyse a text and to create character, using not only the established processes of Stanislavsky and Meisner, but also new ones developed by the author over many years of teaching drama students. It also sets out a wide range of rehearsal techniques and improvisations, and it brims over with inventive practical exercises designed to stimulate the actor's imagination and build confidence. The book will be invaluable to student actors as an accompaniment to their training, to established actors who wish to refresh their technique, and to drama teachers at every level. 'A fine source of ideas and information for drama teachers - a potted acting course, with plenty of practical exercises.' Teaching Drama

Eugene O'Neill's epic Pulitzer Prize-winning play about love and forgiveness charts one woman's longing to forget the dark secrets of her past and hope for salvation.

Set in northern Nigeria against a backdrop of global turmoil and corruption, Lydia Adetunji's Fixer is a fast-paced drama that asks questions about integrity, loyalty and the price of human life.