To this day The White Hart and The Red Lion are two of the most popular names for a public house in England  both talismans that served as the insignia for Richard II and the banished Henry Bolingbroke, Dukeof Lancaster, who usurped the throne in 1399. Nick Asbury acted in the Royal Shakespeare Company's famed Histories cycle which staged Shakespeare's vision of the depositionof Richard II through to thenotorious Battle of Bosworth in 1485. With fellow RSC actors for company,Nick travels the country visiting thebuildings, landscapes and former sitesof war and intrigue that feature in the plays, and asks the question: what is it about the England of Shakespeare's Histories that continues to fascinate? From Alnwick to Eastcheap, Windsor Castle to a Leicester car park, this is his snapshot of England and its people, then and now.

This is part of Ice Factory 2010.Mission Drift is a pioneering journey east and west through time and space in pursuit of the soul of American capitalism. This epic musical explores economic collapse and the potential for recovery through two colliding stories, one mystical and one modern. The saga includes two immortal Dutch teenagers who travel west from 1624 Amsterdam to present-day Las Vegas, where we meet a recently laid-off Vegas cocktail waitress and a Native American cowboy whose property has just been repossessed by the city. The hopes of these four characters intertwine, as the dream of the eternal American frontier becomes a crumbing myth that has gone bankrupt. Over it all reigns Miss Atomic, played by Mission Drift composer Heather Christian, a seductive narrator inspired by the 1950s Vegas beauty pageants that celebrated the testing of atomic bombs.
- nytheatre.com

Thomas Middletons outrageous city comedy: a brilliantly plotted, farcical satire of lies and lust, translated from Jacobean London to the Soho of the 1950s. A dashingly impecunious bachelor, Dick Follywit, in need of quick cash and a good time has to live on his wits so turns con-man to fool his rich uncle. He variously becomes a Lord, a high-class call girl and a poor actor. Meanwhile, Truly Kidman, a high-class call girl  poor but quick-witted  needs to fool and then marry a rich young man. . .Sean Foley and Phil Porters edited version of Middletons play is faithful to the original text but adapts it to fit the seedy world of 1950s Soho, updating character names and including songs of the time to enhance the biting satire of lust and deception in the life of Bohemian London.

Having produced a new Shakespearean canon in his previous collection of plays Codpieces, Perry Pontac turns his attention to other great names in European culture.The Three Seagulls is a Chekhovian comedy with representative characters drawn from each of Chekhovs major plays, as well as a selection of his plot-lines. The Lunchtime of the Gods is Wagners Ring recycled into a thirty-minute play telling the entire story,plus several jokes not in the original. And in The Bards of Bromley,the first meeting of a writers workshop is attended by a group of unusually promising authors: William Wordsworth, George Eliot, August Strindberg, A A Milne and Johan Wolfgang von Goethe.

Meet Karim, Rehaan and Ammi, three first and second generation Pakistani immigrants trying to make a living, a life and a home in the UK's cultural capital, London. Another day on Harlesden High Street and business is not going well. Karim needs to save for Ammi's operation and time is running out. Rehaan wants to marry Firoza but who will take a man with such pitiful prospects? Something has to change and it has to change soon, but what hope is there when all they can sell is toilet roll and jackfruit? Harlesden High Street is a feast for the senses, an explosive exploration of the meaning, value and significance of home.Thought-provoking, witty, carefully observed and beautifully written in verse, this is a play for everyone and anyone who has ever lived in London. Boasting one of the most diverse populations on the planet, London has an influx of thousands of immigrants every year. But what happens to this population when the countrys social, financial and political climate is stretched?How are Londons demographically diverse boroughs affected?What changes and sacrifices have to be made in order to survive?

Strepsiades lives in Greece. He has debt. A lot of debt. And thats because his son, Phiddy, has a penchant for betting and isnt so keen on working. At a loss, Streps has an idea: Phiddy can go to Socrates' Academy and learn how to talk himself out of trouble! Job done! What could possibly go wrong? Socrates and His Clouds is a serio-comic drama about the fragility of morality, the hazards of education and the burdens of being a teacher.

The story of a young African mothers struggle to care for her child in a Glasgow where everyone she meets is in some form of captivity. The play explores language, globalisation, solidarity and class. Ultimately, it asks whose responsibility it is to care for the children of those seeking refuge? High up in a Glasgow tower block, ten-year-old Star and her mother await the outcome of their claim for asylum. As Mamas mind fragments under the pressure of their unknown future, Star constructs a poetic and fantastical world of her own. Some Other Mother is a story of loss and survival, which explores the traumatising impact of the asylum system, regardless of the outcome.

Sometimes home sits heavy in your bones. Sometimes you leave. Performed in a mystery location at the Albany and using animation, folk music and spoken word, this intimate and original new show is about trying to make sense of where you come from when you're far away from home. Fergus has lived in England for almost seven years. He hasn't been back to his hometown in five. my heart is hitchhiking down peachtree st explores what it's like to live far away from home, the stories you tell people when they ask you where you're from and how, once you leave, you can't go back.

Includes the plays The River Line, The Flashing Stream and The Burning Glass. Charles Morgan was a distinguished novelist before he moved onto stage drama, with his reputation as a major dramatist established by his first play, The Flashing Stream. Morgan was unique for combining the roles of principal dramatic critic of The Times withthat of a practicing dramatist. The Daily Herald wrote that The Flashing Stream would indefinitely refute the old idea about the gulf between our preaching and the practice. It was hailed as a masterpiece by the Manchester Guardian, and also drew praise from The Telegraph who noted that it handles a major problem of humanity with passion and intelligence. The combination of serious themes with dramatic tension and masterly craftsmanship was continued in his other plays, The River Line and The Burning Glass, which are also included in this collection.

Banned from performing in their own country, Belarus Free Theatre serve up food, music, dance and Shakespeare as they share true stories from inmates, executioners, human rights lawyers and families of the executed. This provocative and urgent play pierces the imagination with moments of the darkest humour as it challenges capital punishment in our contemporary world, where 95 countries still carry out the death penalty.

Charles Morgan was the dramatic critic of The Times for most of the years between 1922 and 1939. The reviews for this small selection are taken from thousands written for The Times and from his weekly articles for the New York Times on the London theatre. Morgan was widely regarded as the most influential critic of his day. His fellow critic, James Agate, wrote 'When Morgan is on form he has us all beat.' Though most were written overnight for the following days paper, they were given space allowed to no modern critic. Beautifully written, they bring to life many of the great actors and actresses and the dramatists, old and new, as the theatre moved from the frivolous Twenties into the shadow of another war and towards the modern theatre of today. As they mirror the development of English theatrical taste in the inter?war years, they are as much a delight to read, both witty and erudite, as they are an important historical record.

Tracey Gordon, the 67 bus, friendship, sex, UK garage, school, music, teachers, friendship, periods, emergency contraceptive, arse and tits, friendship, raves, tampons, white boys, God, money. Friendship. aaron, Candice, sex and Connor Jones. Chewing Gum Dreams is a one-woman play that recalls those last days of innocence before adulthood.

She's got no business being a junkie. . .She had looks, brains. . .Everythin' goin' for her. Whereas you, Andy. . .You deserve addiction.. Andy and Jen have just moved on to a new farm, returning to the village they grew up in. The plan is to plant parsnips, breed pigs and live off the fat of the land. But escaping their shared demons was never going to be easy. While the couple make a fresh start, trust, responsibility and bio-dynamic farming challenge their rehabilitation in this darkly comic love story. Hope and optimism are tested in Smallholding, a fizzing new play by Chris Dunkley.

You want to be a thing? Make yourself that thing. 1981. Hollywood. Sue Mengers, the first female superagent at a time when women talent agents of any kind are almost unheard of, invites you into her Beverly Hills home for an evening of dish, secrets, and all the inside showbiz stories that only Sue could tell. . .Back in the 1970s, Sue Mengers represented almost every major star in Hollywood; her clients were the talk of the town and her glamorous dinner parties were legendary. But by 1981 the glory days were fading. Her time was passing as a sleek and corporate New Hollywood began to emerge. The phones not ringing so much these days and Sue is forced to face the inevitable truth: the credits roll sooner than you think.

Pastoral is set in a surreal future in which nature has gobbled up the high street and an old woman named Moll waits in her flat for the Ocado man. But when the ruthless trees and branches threaten to cut her off from the world, she is forced to leave home and make it in the wild forest that is the new England. The play is full of surprises  a story of danger and delight at the end of the world.

To old to move with the times; too young to let go of their dreams. Village schoolteacher Platonov is a man who is loved by women. Despite his best intentions he is drawn into a series of extra-marital affairs that all hold the promise of escape from the provincial Russian reality where he and his circle of friends are trapped. Consumed by bitterness and disappointment, they attempt to fill the void in their lives with sex and vodka, blaming their fathers for the mess they've been left in. Sons Without Fathers is a brand-new version of Chekhov's remarkable first play. Helena Kaut-Howson's version chooses to focus on just one of the many themes covered in the original text - the predicament of a disaffected generation left adrift in a world without hope. Updated to modern-day Russia, the play intertwines the central story with contemporary political issues.

Sadler's Wells is the world's leading Dance House. Sadler's Wells has developed new audiences for dance, this powerful and emotive art, for performances shown within its theatre spaces and outside - in fact around the world. What makes Sadler's Wells different is its determination to nurture world class artists like Akram Khan, Sylvie Guillem, Wayne McGregor, Matthew Bourne, Jasmin Vardimon, the Ballet Boyz and Hofesh Shechter, using its unique vision, style and creativity to put together choreographers, dancers, lighting and stage designers, composers and other artists to make dance that is wildly exciting, new and different. Sadler's Wells Dance House looks at the making of some of the most iconic dance works of this century and into the mix of dancers, choreographers and creators Sadler's Wells has helped inspire. Including insightful analysis of this phenomenon by Sarah Crompton, arts editor in chief and dance critic for the Sunday Telegraph, and colour photographs of many of those works, Sadler's Wells Dance House gives a clear view both of the creative process of the Sadler's Wells artists and of the role this legendary theatre has played in remaking and reshaping dance for the 21st century.

It is the Jubilee! Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, 1887. At Tilbury Docks, Rani and Abdul step ashore after the long voyage from India. One has to battle a society who deems her a second class citizen, the other forges an astonishing entanglement with the ageing Queen who finds herself enchanted by stories of an India she rules but has never seen. The Empress uncovers remarkable unknown stories of 19th century Britain, the growth of Indian nationalism and the romantic proclivities of one of our most surprising monarchs.

It's the middle of the night when 21-year-old Leo arrives on the doorstep of the West Village apartment where his feisty 91-year-old grandmother Vera lives. She's an old Communist who lives alone, he's a latter-day hippie, recently returned from a cross-country bike trip which ended traumatically. Over the course of a single month, these unlikely roommates infuriate, bewilder, and ultimately connect. When Leo's old girlfriend shows up and he begins to reveal the mysterious events of his journey, Leo and Vera discover the narrow line between growing up and growing old.

This beautifully produced new book by Royal Ballet dancer Andrej Uspenski is a collection of exclusive photographs which shines the spotlight on ballet, the most beautiful of art forms.These exquisite photographs feature some of the finest dancers on stage today, bringing the reader into the magical world of ballet. As a Royal Ballet dancer himself, Andrej Uspenski has a unique perspective on photographic composition of dance imagery, as well as unrivalled access not only to the Royal Ballets productions, but also to the dancers who perform in them. This gives the reader an exclusive insight in to the Royal Ballets work. Dancers includes exclusive, backstage photographs, as well as a number of breathtaking images taken from the wings during live stage performances, making this a unique photographic record, perfect for all ballet fans.

Not as if I always lived here, mind you. . .I started off in Govan. Never dreamt in those days Id end up this side of the river. Real step up in the world that was&Im grateful for it. Despite everything, Im grateful for it' Glasgow, the 1970s. Martha and Amie are old neighbours, trapped in their decaying tenement and cut off from family and friends. With the present closing in and the future uncertain, Martha and Amies real companions are the past and their memories of ordinary lives peopled by extraordinary characters and their struggles and triumphs. I Didnt Always Live Here is a compassionate and heart-rending journey into the forgotten lives of the dispossessed and elderly, as well as an uplifting journey into the human spirits capacity to cope with social exclusion and financial hardship. One of multi-award-winning playwright and poet Stewart Conns earliest works.

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 Logans remarkable new play, enchantment and reality collide as this brief encounter lays bare the lives of these two extraordinary characters.

Moving, powerful, ethereal; Mind Walking is a celebration of the life of one extraordinary man, the enduring love story of a mature couple and their family. Bobby has led a remarkable life. Migrating from India as a young man he found love in the UK with his with wife Moira, but as a Parsi Bobby was expected to marry within the community. His family disowns him and as a result he cuts them, their religion and their culture from his life forever& until his mind starts to wander. As secrets and hidden stories tumble out of Bobbys mouth, his family start to question the truth about their ancestry and shared history. Mind Walking explores what happens to a family when the mind of an old, Indian man, Bobby starts to unravel. This delicate, poetic play tumbles and traverses through Bobbys memories on an intergenerational journey of family ties, religious dogma and cultural expectations.

When little Conrad Van der Bosch claims he has an invisible tiger called Sigmund hiding on his wardrobe, his child-psychologist father sees the lie as a deliberate act of juvenile defiance. Doctor Van der Bosch is concerned that the boy is mentally maladjusted and in an attempt to terrify Conrad into admitting that there never was an invisible tiger, creates the terrifying figure of Mister Holgado, a child-eating monster who is apparently hiding inside Conrads wardrobe, waiting to consume the little boy. This triggers a battle for supremacy, as Conrad and his father struggle to manipulate the myth of Holgado. In desperation, as the Doctor fails to curtail his sons imagination, he realises he has no choice but to become the child-eating Holgado.

Laura has recently returned from the Gold Coast - she tells her family that he died from malaria. She then upsets her family by telling them that she is going to marry a man they all dislike - David. Laura's sister, Kathleen has learnt the truth about the death of her husband and the family confront - but Laura tells them that he did not commit suicide - she killed him. He was an abusive drunk. Laura's family then insist that after their garden party she must tell David the truth, break the engagement and leave the family home. Laura leaves a letter for David. The family then discover that David is the son of a Lord and will inherit a fortune. They change their minds about him and try to prevent him from seeing Laura's letter. But he has already read it. He says it changes nothing - he loves Laura. Disgusted with the family they elope

Nantucket.1851. Centre of a whaling industry that transformed blubber into the oils and candles that lit the world. Its there that a schoolmaster called Ishmael arrives to ship on a whale-boat. He enrols under Ahab, Captain of the Pequod  a man bent on destroying the white whale that lost him his leg. Certain the destruction of his nemesis will slake his thirst; Ahabs single-minded pursuit of Moby-Dick consumes Ishmael, the crew and the Pequod itself.

Blonde Poison is based on the true story of a Jewish woman during World War II who betrayed up to 3,000 fellow Jews. Gail Louw's powerful play examines the motivation of evil. Stella Goldschlag was living illegally in war-torn Berlin when she herself was betrayed and tortured. When offered the chance of saving herself and her parents from the death camps, she agreed to be a 'Greifer' for the Gestapo and inform on Jews in hiding. She was extraordinarily successful in this and her activities increased after her parents had finally been deported. The vast dimensions of Stella's character range from tortured victim to cruel killer, from loving daughter to betrayer of friends, from gentle lover to depraved promiscuity. She was given the name 'Blonde Poison' by the Gestapo who revelled in her treachery. Decades after the war Stella agrees to be interviewed by a well-respected journalist - her last chance for redemption. Can she ever be released from her past?

Faustus's restless quest for knowledge and his insatiable desire for notoriety drive him to make a pact with the devil in return for the power to perform the black arts. The life-changing decision propels him into a heady, celebrity-obsessed world, as magician and illusionist to the rich and famous. Quenching sexual desires as his power grows, he must question whether the price was worth paying. This new adaptation combines Marlowe's original acts with a re-imagining by Colin Teevan. Firmly placing this classic story within a present context, the universal truths held in the 400-year-old cautionary tale resonate powerfully with the greed of today's consumer-led society.

Two little known Priestley plays, which, while they are quite different, have important features in common. The 31st of June is a comedy set partly in an advertising agency and partly in a medieval castle; Jenny Villiers is a serious play set backstage in an old provincial theatre. But both exploit elements of Time. In the 31st of June scenes switch between modern times and the middle ages, while characters move between both. There are kings, company bosses, princesses, fashion models, dwarves and two rival magicians. causing confusion and romance. Jenny Villiers examines life in the Theatre. The doubts of the present are confronted by players from the past, and a jaded playwright recovers his faith in the Theatre. Both plays were performed on the stage, but later rewritten and published as novels.

Meet Chloe, 21 from Leytonstone. She likes the simple things in life: cherry sambuca, hairbrush-in-the-mirror karaoke with Rihanna and winding her Dad up. Oh, and shes a boxer.. 2012 in Britain is the year of the Olympics, and for the first time in history, women are allowed to compete in the sport of boxing. as one woman trains for the fight of her life  a chance to represent her country in the sport she loves  she is left winded by two life-changing events. In a man's world, can she still prove she's worth the title?

This is the first collection of plays by award-winning playwright Oladipo Agboluaje, a significant force in Black British drama. Described as an exciting, vital new voice' (Time Out), Agboluaje demonstrates his versatility to write plays that transcend African and British cultures.: Early Morning is a satirical comedy about three Nigerian office cleaners who decide to mount a coup to institute Blackocracy in Great Britain. The Estate centres on the conflicts within the wealthy Adeyemi family as they make funeral arrangements for their late patriarch, Chief Adeyemi. The Estate is also a social study of class conflict in Nigeria. The Christ of Coldharbour Lane is the story of Omo who, believing he is the son of God, preaches to the people of Brixton to abandon the 'wilful peace' that is holding them down. The Hounding of David Oluwale is based on Kester Aspden's award-winning book and reworks the tragic story of David Oluwale, who was hounded by two police officers in 1960s Leeds, and of the man who fought to get justice for him. Iyale (The First Wife) is the prequel to The Estate and tells the story of Helen Adeyemi's rise from being the servant to becoming the wife of the patriarch, Chief Adeyemi.

In 1997, a BAFTA award-winning British film about six out of work Sheffield steelworkers with nothing to lose took the world by storm. And now theyre back, live on stage, only for them, it really has to be The Full Monty. Simon Beaufoy, the Oscar-winning writer of the film, has now gone back to Sheffield where it all started to rediscover the men, the women, the heartache and the hilarity of a city on the dole.

Monologues are an essential part of every actors toolkit. Actors are required to perform monologues regularly throughout their career: preparing for drama school entry, showcasing skills for agents or auditioning for a role. Following on from the bestselling first volume (2008), this book showcases selected monologues from some of the finest modern plays by some of todays leading contemporary playwrights. These monologues contain a diverse range of quirky and memorable characters that cross cultural and historical boundaries. The pieces are helpfully organised into age-specific groups: Teens, Twenties, Thirties and Forties plus

Monologues are an essential part of every actors toolkit. Actors are required to perform monologues regularly throughout their career: preparing for drama school entry, showcasing skills for agents or auditioning for a role. Following on from the bestselling first volume (2008), this book showcases selected monologues from some of the finest modern plays by some of todays leading contemporary playwrights. These monologues contain a diverse range of quirky and memorable characters that cross cultural and historical boundaries. The pieces are helpfully organised into age-specific groups: Teens, Twenties, Thirties and Forties plu

The past is a very dangerous place'. Two people, united by blood and separated by time, weave the tapestry of their lives. Loretta arrives in Victorian England as a wide-eyed young Ayah for two children. Her dream is to earn enough money to pay for a ticket back to her beloved Indian homeland. However fate intervenes leaving her destined to a controversial, colourful life in Victorian London. A century later, Loretta's great great grandson Kalil leaves his East African homeland to start a life in England. He dreams of respect and the good life for his family but, as it did for his ancestor, fate intervenes.

The year is 1904 in the city of Dublin. Gretta and Gabriel Conroy attend the Morkan Sisters annual dinner on the Feast of the Epiphany and the last day of Christmas. An evening of laughter, music and dance ends in an epiphany for Gabriel.

Sodom. The day before the city's total annihilation. Among the grimy tables of a run down cafe, an angel tells Lot that God wants him to flee, before the city is obliterated. However, Lot's irresistible wife has other ideas... As the angel and Lot's wife embark on a dangerous game of seduction, cruelty and desire, we are drawn ever deeper into the dark and impenetrable forest that is the marriage between Lot and the bewitching woman he worships...

'You know sometimes when you're drinking, you feel a bit ill and you dread every swig, but you do it anyway because you want to get drunk?' He's been let down, belittled and ignored but tonight none of that matters  it's Friday and Joe is getting smashed. Kirsty has bought some vodka on the way home from school and is hastily shaving her legs with her friend's dad's razor. As bottles are drained and the sun sets the two hit the town, neither aware that soon their lives will irreconcilably collide. Chapel Street is a rowdy, relentless two-hander about modern life and love on the dole. It is an acerbic yet compassionate portrait of good times gone bad for a betrayed generation.

The war is over. Beyond the prison walls, Troy and its people burn. Inside the prison, the city's captive women await their fate. But their grief at what has been before will soon be drowned out by the horror of what is to come, as the Greek lust for vengeance consumes everything man, woman and baby in its path. This caustic and radical new version of Euripides classic tragedy comes from one of the UK's most exciting young poets, Caroline Bird. It is an intense, gripping look at what happens when the world collapses.

Dracula and Frankenstein: Two Horror Plays brings together two classic horror tales updated for the 21st century and adapted for the stage by two of Britain's leading playwrights. Bram Stoker's Dracula adapted by Bryony Lavery: This is the modern world. Its inhabitants can go anywhere, even toTransylvania. They can communicate globally in the blink of an eye. But their feet, in their modern shoes, walk upon the gravestones of a vast cosmic graveyard. Count Dracula is still alive. He could always come through walls, arrive on a moonbeam but, in the modern world, he has emails, smartphones, webcams and the worldwide web. . .Mary Shelley's Frankenstein adapted by Lisa Evans: Mary is imprisoned in a present-day psychiatric hospital, convicted of murdering her baby daughter. During her incarceration she becomes obsessed with Mary Shelley's famous novel. The novel comes to lifewithin her imagination, and we are left to question just who the realmonster really is, Mary or Frankenstein himself. . .

You have to laugh. It is a tragedy in three movements: The Thighs, The Dick, The Fame and a counter-movement: Italy. An actress creates a physical and vocal mask challenging a provocative, scandalous and beastly text. Words might be sung, howled and shrieked but a chant never emerges. In her naked physicality she tells a personal story in an unbroken flow of thoughts/words rendered as sounds and movement. The deafening screams being choked. Appeased. Imploded. This female onstage offers herself up in a feast, ready to be torn apart by anyone. A poetic piece born of the flesh that returns to the flesh, captured in a tightly-sealed aesthetic. Applause required. The Shit is driven by a desperate attempt to pull ourselves out of the mud, the latest products of the cultural genocide aptly described by Pasolini since the modern consumer society began taking form. A totalitarianism, according to Pasolini, even more repressive than the one of the Fascist era, because it's capable of crushing us softly.

Growing frustrated at the destruction of his rural idyll, a farmer picks up a pamphlet that encourages him on a dangerous path.... He has a great idea to secure the future of the native animals on his land - to kill all of the non-natives. With his daughter against him, and his son on the fence, his idea looks equally brilliant and insane. His goal may be achieved, but at what cost? A dark comedy pondering the effects of extremism

In Two Minds is the first comprehensive biography of Jonathan Miller  the story of one of post-war Britain's most intriguing polymaths. Descended from immigrants who fled Tsarist anti-Semitism to become shopkeepers in Ireland and London's East End, Miller was born into an intellectual milieu, between Bloomsbury and Harley Street  the son of a novelist and a leading child psychiatrist. Miller trained as adoctor but then forged a career as a stellar comedian and as a world-renowned theatre and opera director. He is a controversial humorist, public intellectual and TV personality. As a star in the groundbreaking satirical revue Beyond the Fringe, he shot to fame alongside Peter Cook, Dudley Moore and Alan Bennett. His expertise and interests encompass many areas, from medicine (he wrote and presented the hugely acclaimed BBC documentary series The Body in Question) to the history of art, Mozart, atheism and the nature of laughter. Jonathan Miller is one of the most multi-talented Britons of his generation, celebrated for his dazzling intelligence and anti-establishmentarian wit. Drawing on in-depth interviews, this is an entertaining and illuminating portrait of a fascinatingly complex man.

Widely accepted to have been inspired by Shakespeare's Macbeth, Boris Godunov recounts the tragic conflict between Tsar Boris and the pretender Dimitri. Following the death of Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov became regent for the feeble-minded Tsar Fyodor, the heir to whose throne, the boy-prince Dimitri, died mysteriously in 1591. It was widely rumoured that Boris had murdered him, and when a renegade monk later appeared claiming to be Dimitri, he rapidly became a focus for revolt. This adaptation by acclaimed playwright & novelist Adrian Mitchell, was Mitchell's final project before his death in 2008 and forms part of the Royal Shakespeare Company's Winter 2012 season.

Maggie has found a warm patch of ground on Horsell Common. She believes something is buried in the dirt. This is the site of the Martian invasion in H G Wells' The War of the Worlds and she sneaks out of the house in the dead of night and dances on the warm spot. Here she meets Behrooz, an amateur astronomer who spends his nights mapping the surface of Mars. Cartographer John is remapping the streets of Woking. He's about to become a father and is terrified by the thought. He finds an ally in Corinne, Maggie's mother - a woman struggling to keep her sex life separate and secret from her daughter. Kiph, who everyone thinks is gay, its madly in love with Maggie, his best-friend. He attends a book signing to meet his hero, Richard Bleakman - star of cult 80s sci-fi show John Carter of Mars. Richard has problems of his own. A stunning new play about fantasy and sexuality, and about the blurry and indistinct lines between reality and desire.

Acclaimed as one of the classics of 20th century children's literature, The Mouse and His Child is a moving story about two clockwork mice thrown on a scrap heap who then have to begin a dangerous quest for a place to belong. It is adapted for the stage by Tamsin Oglesby and will be directed by Paul Hunter, Told By An Idiot's Co-Artistic Director. The Mouse and His Child continues the Royal Shakespeare Company's long tradition of creating new stage adaptations of much-loved childhood tales including Beauty and the Beast, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, The Heart of Robin Hood, and Matilda The Musical, the RSC's award-winning Roald Dahl adaptation

With his louche air and a developed taste for smoking, gambling, port and women, it s hard to believe Cis Farringdon is only fourteen. And that's because he isn't. Agatha his mother lopped five years from her true age and his when she married the amiable Posket. The imminent arrival of Cis godfather sends Agatha incognito to the Hôtel des Princes to warn him of her deception. But it's also where her son has cajoled his otherwise staid stepfather into joining him for a binge. High-spirited carousing leads to a police raid and a night of outrageous mishap as the trapped guests make desperate attempts to conceal themselves from the law and from each other. Indignities escalate at court the next day where Posket, the police magistrate, must preside.

We need the theatre, couldn't, couldn't do without it. Could we? A successful actress visits her brother's isolated estate far from the city, throwing the frustrated residents unfulfilled ambitions into sharp relief. As her son attempts to impress with a self-penned play, putting much more than his pride at stake, others dream of fame, love and the ability to change their past. Chekhov's darkly comic masterpiece is reignited for the 21st century by one of the most exciting new voices in British Theatre, Anya Reiss, Winner of the Most Promising Playwright at both the Evening Standard and Critics Circle awards.

Khadija is 18 is a story from the frontline of multicultural Britain, and explores the lives of two teenage refugee girls in London's East End. Liza needs Khadija and Khadija needs Liza. When Khadija links up with Ade, things begin to unravel. Does Khadija care about Liza anymore? And what is Ade doin' having sex with a ref girl? All the while the immigration clock is ticking down. Giving voice to the dispossessed and capturing the hopes and heartbreak of our young, Shamser Sinha is an exciting new voice in playwriting.

Three Irishmen. Digging. Telling tales to put down the day. But as they dig down, long buried secrets begin to emerge and the story they tell is as dark as the earth itself. It's a tale full of rich and striking characters. The Kingdom vividly captures life as an Irish navvy in the last century  a time of immigration, violence, sex, triumph and, ultimately, tragedy. Rooted in the dramas of ancient Greece 'The Kingdom' is Colin Teevan's haunting and lyrical new play and his first collaboration with award winning director Lucy Pitman-Wallace.

Colder Than Here: 'Laura Wade's play is a 90-minute masterpiece, a jewel, dark bu ttranslucent. It is a play of love, death and grief: the grief that is hardest to bear, because it begins before the loved one dies.' Sunday Times. Breathing Corpses: 'The tension, the emotions and the sense of absurdity and fear are brilliantly handled... A terrifying tour de force.' Sunday Times. Other Hands: 'This is an extraordinary feat  a vicious satire with a heart of gold wrought with peculiar subtlety and intelligence.' The Spectator

Forty years of respectable marriage should have prepared Joyce for respectable widowhood. She, however, has other ideas - and a secret life of champagne, strippers, and chance encounters unfolds in this tender comedy. For 30 years she has done her domestic duty - played the part her husband, mother, father and daughter thought appropriate. Now she is free and her eyes open to a whole new world of possibilities. . .

Khadija is 18 is a story from the frontline of multicultural Britain, and explores the lives of two teenage refugee girls in London's East End. Liza needs Khadija and Khadija needs Liza. When Khadija links up with Ade, things begin to unravel. Does Khadija care about Liza anymore? And what is Ade doin' having sex with a ref girl? All the while the immigration clock is ticking down. Giving voice to the dispossessed and capturing the hopes and heartbreak of our young, Shamser Sinha is an exciting new voice in playwriting.

This delicious feast of 'Gielgoodies', compiled by Gielgud's biographer, reveals a less well-known side to this celebrated man of the theatre: his lightning wit, his love of scandal and gossip, his wicked delight in putting down his fellow-artists, his relish of bawdy humour. Full of startling new material, drawn from many unpublished letters and Jonathan Croall's extensive interviews, the book also celebrates the man who dropped a thousand bricks. Gielgud's excruciating gaffes were legendary, and here are both the famous and the unknown, collected in all their glory. Whether committed backstage, in the wings or in rehearsals, on film sets or in television studios, they bring this merry and much-loved man vividly to life.

The latest volume in Oberon's Howard Barker series comprises the plays Und, 12th Battle of Isonzo, 12 Encounters With a Prodigy, Christs Dog and Learning Kneeling. Howard Barker is Barker is an internationally renowned dramatist. There has been a recent resurgence of presentations of his plays in Britain, with particularly acclaimed productions at the Arcola theatre and the Hackney Empire in recent years. He has a sizable following on the European mainland.

"Isn't it funny? The thoughts your brain is capable of having even while you're lying there, bleeding on the carpet?..." The Soft of Her Palm is a devastating exploration of domestic violence, telling the story of Phil and Sarah's troubled and complex relationship. It begins in the present day, moments after Sarah has crashed her car outside Phil's house - by accident or on purpose? As we return to the past and the horrifying story unfolds, our allegiances shift as the truth is slowly revealed. Jumping from moments of sheer joy to volcanic ferocity and underscored with a vein of sharp, brutal humour, the shadow of violence creeps insidiously across the landscape of Chris Dunkley's painfully honest new play.

"I've started to recognise complete strangers. . ."An ad sales team leader on a joyride to self-destruction. A Romanian bookshop employee who wants to try something new. An entertainment journalist who wants out. A restaurant manager who mourns a suicide. An English movie star who seeks credibility by slumming it in theatre. A Japanese florist who feels its time to take another chance. Relationships are strained, snapped and formed in this modern-day look at life in a multi-cultural Dublin.

n The Wedding Feast an idealistic, altruistic shoe manufacturer arrives at an employees wedding, with disastrous consequences. One More Ride on the Merry-Go-Round features a comic plot involving academics who get high on a hash birthday cake, a recalcitrant daughter, and the appearance of an illegitimate son who is a magician. In Groupie 61-year-old Mattie Beancourt is shocked to discover her idol, the famous painter Mark Gorman, living alone in near poverty. She is sunny, he is curmudgeonly and the impact of their friendship is startling. Set against a scene of defiant old age, The Old Ones examines the eccentric rituals of old age and plays out the conflict between the optimistic and pessimistic spirit.

In The Friends (1970), Esther is diagnosed with leukaemia, causing her friends to reassess their working-class identity, their imagined achievements as well as their own mortality. Bluey (1993) is a play about repressed memory resurfacing and three imagined futures that the protagonist cannot muster the courage to confront. In Men Die Women Survive (1990) a trio of estranged wives gather around the dinner table. As they conduct a post-mortem on their failed relationships a tale of betrayal and revenge emerges. Telling the story of a 44-year-old actress Gertie and her influence on Sam, a black teenager working as a car-park attendant, Wild Spring (1992) explores acting as a metaphor for the false images of ourselves with which we fall in love.

Presented here are four epic history plays from Sir Arnold Wesker, which touch on the age-old conflicts caused by religion, science and the Establishment. Set in the Jewish ghetto of Venice, 1563, Shylock (1972) is based on the same three stories from which Shakespeare wove his play, The Merchant of Venice. The core plot remains, but the relationships and characterisations are very different. Caritas (1980) is at once the story of a monastic young woman in the fourteenth century but also a metaphor for the wrong decisions which can imprison us for life. In 1144 a young boy was found brutally murdered in Thorpe Wood. The Jews were accused of slaughtering a Christian child to use his blood for Passover and mock the crucifixion. Blood Libel (1991) investigates a calumny which persists to this day. Meanwhile Longitude (2002) tells of the eighteenth-century race to accurately measure longitude - and claim a £20,000 reward from Parliament.

The 2012/13 Royal Ballet Yearbook is the perfect companion to The Royal Ballet, its history, repertory, dancers and staff. Featuring the best photographs of all the ballets in the 2011/12 Season in an expanded Season images section and a summary of the ballets and exhibitions in the current one, this years book contains special interview features about dance partnerships and filming the Company on stage for cinema. With the annual Company news and a chronology of The Royal Ballets history, as well as a full gallery of all the Companys dancers, this is an essential Yearbook for anyone who loves ballet.

Music at Night centres on a group of people attending a musical evening to hear a new work. Each act follows a movement in the music, which inspires the listeners to react each in their own way, looking inside themselves for their true feelings and sometimes remembering significant moments from their past. As often in Priestley's work, the relations between the sexes play an important part, a theme which recurs in the other two plays. The Long Mirror recounts the meeting between a composer and a young woman who seems to have been telepathically connected to him for some time, and has experienced much of his life before actually meeting him. Her knowledge of his past can help his future as an artist and a husband. It was based on a true incident. Ever Since Paradise he described as A Discursive Entertainment, chiefly referring to Love and Marriage in Three Acts'. Three couples are made up of The Musicians, the Commentators and The Example, and together they illustrate various aspects of relationships, accompanied by appropriate music on two pianos.

Believe me, no civilised man ever regrets a pleasure. . .As London slides from one century into the next, a young man is cursed with the uncanny ability to remain both young and beautiful while descending into a life of heartless debauchery. With its glittering dialogue, provocative imagery and radical questioning of sexual and moral freedoms all brought sharply into focus by this brand-new adaptation, Oscar Wildes infamous parable has lost none of its power to provoke and disturb.

HEROIN by Grace Dyas, Trade by Mark O'Halloran, The Art of Swimming by Lynda Radley, Pineapple by Phillip McMahon, I love Alice love I by Amy Conroy, The Big Deal edited by Una McKevitt, Oedipus Loves You by Simon Doyle & Gavin Quinn, The Year of Magical Wanking by Neil Watkins. Edited and introduced by Thomas Conway. This anthology comprises eight new plays by Irish playwrights premièred between the years 2006 and 2011. These playwrights ride, however, in no slipstream of the identifiably Irish play. Here, the enterprise of playwriting itself is being re-imagined. Here, above all else, is a commitment to becoming in the theatre. For all that, each play is concerned with what is unfinished business in Ireland. How astonishing, then, that these plays should revolve for the most part around identity and, in particular, sexual identity. How identity comes into play, how we open up the field of play, how we raise into collective experience the exercise of that play - the urgency in the playwriting would appear to lie precisely here. We can read from the historical moment - from a narrative emphasizing an economic bubble and its hangover - into these plays. Or we can take these playwrights at their word and observe lives lived at the contour of identities in the making. It is for us as readers, just as we have as theatre-goers - frequently scandalized, enthralled, shamed, appalled, unburdened, tickled pink - to decide.

When Aubrey Tanqueray marries for the second time, he knows that his new wife, Paula, is a woman with a past. But he has no idea how that past will catch up with himin the end. More probing than Oscar Wilde, more accessible than Ibsen, Pineros The Second Mrs Tanqueray (1893) is one of the masterpieces of the Victorian theatre: sexy, dramatic, funny and very moving.

Three war plays by Michael Morpurgo, author of War Horse, dramatised by Simon Reade. Private Peaceful relives the short life of Tommo growing up in rural Devon before fighting the battles and facing the injustices of the First World War. In Toro! Toro! young Antonito liberates his favourite bull from the ritualised killing of the bullfight as he tries to escape the Spanish Civil War. In The Mozart Question Paolo Levi discovers the astonishing truth about his parents flight to Venice from the gas chambers of the Second World War. Each play is accompanied by an introduction from Michael Morpurgo.

The Welsh Boy is a scintillating rediscovery of one of the hidden gems of eighteenth century literature and brings back to life a true story of passionate love and outrageous sexual scandal in the sleepy provincial town of Ross-on -Wye. Jem Parry is blessed with a wonderful singing voice that has allowed him to escape his humble origins in South Wales. Mary Powell is the richest heiress in the district - also its loveliest, and its most daring. When Mary engages Jem as her music master their lessons at the spinet turn into tutorials in the most heavenly pleasures. But love is one thing, sex another and marriage yet a third.

Kenyatta Shakur is alone. His wife has died, and now, this former Black Revolutionary and political prisoner, is desperate to reconnect with his estranged daughter Nina. If Kenyatta truly wants to reconcile his past, he must first conquer his most challenging revolution of all  fatherhood. Sunset Baby is an energised, vibrant and witty look at the point where the personal and political collide. One of the most exciting and distinctive undiscovered voices in America.

'There certainly are not so many men of large fortune in the world as there are pretty women to deserve them.' Unceremoniously uprooted from her humble family home, intelligent young Fanny Price is dropped into the bustling, aristocratic household of her uncle, Sir Thomas Bertram, where she finds herself buffeted from one crisis to the next. Yet, throughout this turmoil one thing remains a constant  her love for the generous, worthy and steadfast Edmund Bertram. But will this love be her salvation? Or will she be forced to marry the charismatic Henry Crawford for connections and wealth alone?

It's holiday week in the Lancashire town of Hindle, just before the First World War. Fanny Hawthorne, a spirited, determined mill girl, has just returned from a weekend in Blackpool with her friend Mary Hollins. At least that's what she tells her parents. In fact, she's been spending the weekend with Alan Jeffcote, a wealthy mill owner's son who is engaged to someone else. When Fanny's parents discover the truth, they set out to ensure that Alan will do the decentthing and marry her  only to discover that Fanny has her own ideas on the matter... One of the first plays to have a working class female protagonist, Hindle Wakes was hugely controversial at the time of its writing.

Desire and duty collide in Shakespeares captivating tragedy of politics, passion and power. Two charismatic leaders, Mark Antony of Rome and Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, are caught in an all encompassing love that threatens the Empire. Rome will do all it can to pull them apart. Or it will destroy them both. This classic Shakespeare tale is edited by Dame Janet Suzman, making this an authoritative edition. As she says in her new book Not Hamlet: Meditations on the Frail Position of Women in Drama which studies the role of and for women in Shakespeares canon, Suzman knows this play better than anyone else in the world, having played Cleopatra twice and having now directed the play twice.

In a remote Russian town, Olga, Masha and Irina yearn for the adrenaline rush of life in Moscow  but their plans go nowhere. Disaster, deception, meaningless self-sacrifice  in Chekhovs heartbreaking masterpiece, each new twist of fate sees the sisters control over their destiny slip away. In a new version of a well known Chekhov play, by this visionary young director Benedict Andrews

Edited by Edward Hall and Roger Warren. The Winters Tale takes us on an extraordinary journey. King Leontes falls prey to an inexplicable jealousy of his wife Hermione; it causes her (apparent) death and the (actual) death of his young son Mamillius. Sixteen years of repentance, supervised by Paulina, lead to scenes of reunion and reconciliation  but without concealing the cost in human terms. This is a slightly shortened version of the text of The Winters Tale as printed in the First Folio of Shakespeares works (1623). The opening sequence, divided between various voices, and the first half of Scene Twelve, draw upon, and re-shape, the more extended versions of the original.

Set before and during the First World War, is a story that grips people of all ages. Michael Morpurgo's original novel has become part of the contemporary publishing phenomenon of cross-over literature, existing in an adult's as well as a children's cover. In this one-man play, it now takes on a different form again, as a play for everyone, however old or young. I've changed the ending from the original novel (with Michael's blessing): because we spend the performance with one young man as he lives through the last night of his life, while reliving his short but eventful past, I felt we needed to complete the journey with him.
Simon Reade

"It took your Great-Great-Grandfather and the rest a this town years to build this chapel. A hundred years of people's lives caught between its stones. And now these invisible men are trying to erase it till there's nowt left of any a' us". Chesterfield, Derbyshire, 2012. Kath is 86 years young and still going, but as her friends keep dying around her, her only tie to the world is her beloved chapel. When Kath discovers that the chapel is to be converted into luxury flats for young professionals and that her own son, Graham, has won the contract for the rebuilding work, she is forced into a bitter battle between the past and the future. In the Big Society thats just waiting for her to die, Kath is confronted with the fragility of family loyalties and the pain of learning to let go...

This anthology of plays by Boguslaw Schaeffer, a Polish playwright, composer, musicologist and graphic designer, includes his most frequently performed works: Scenario for a Non-Existing, but Possible Instrumental Actor (1976), Quartet for Four Actors (1979), and Scenario for Three Actors (1987). The plays are examples of Instrumental Theatre. Like Schaeffers microtonal compositions, they are carefully structured and employ cyclical repetitions, and codes. Schaeffers most famous instrumental play, the Quartet for Four Actors, has been so successful that it has been staged by practically every Polish theatre. Scenario for a Non-Existing, but Possible Instrumental Actor, opened in 1976 and has since been staged over 1,500 times around the world. During its 40-year run, it has been critically acclaimed and has won many awards, including the 1995 Grand Prix at New Yorks Theatre Festival. Winner of many prestigious international awards, Scenario for Three Actors, has been a permanent fixture in many Polish theatres since its premiere. Schaeffer is a universal artist, unafraid to explore a range of fields,forms, and subject matter, and his theatre, like his music, defies previous, established conventions and techniques, surprising its audiences with innovative and invigorating form and style.

In Freds American Diner on a busy English motorway, people dream of better lives. Youll find friendly staff and get service with a smile, but not far beneath lies a deadly secret. Penelope Skinners new play serves up a beautifully plotted, blackly comic thriller that gives an unsettling portrayal of the darker reaches of intimate relationships

As bankruptcy looms, the ever optimistic Jim Cornelius, partner at import firm Briggs and Murrison, is fighting to keep his creditors happy and his spirits up. Tensions rise with the arrival of Judy, the beautiful, young typist who shows Cornelius the life he could have led... Written for Ralph Richardson in 1935, Priestley observes the politics and tensions of daily office life with searing wit and humanity in this hilarious and heart-breaking story of friendship, unrequited love and business.

"When you're a child you don't really think... cos you like to live like a child. Doesn't really seem you're just going to be an adult. Like time flies by and you just want... to, like, stay as a child, but you just enjoy things, the way it goes." Award-winning writer Chris Goode asked thirty 8-10 year olds to talk about their lives, their thoughts, their world. In Monkey Bars their words are spoken by adults. Not adults playing children, but adults playing adults, in adult situations. Monkey Bars is a revelatory verbatim show that is funny, touching and endlessly surprising. Dialogues by Karl James

An essential guide to mastering the Stanislavski technique, filteringout the complexities of the system and offering a dynamic, hands-on approach. In-Depth Acting provides a comprehensive understanding of character, preparation, text, subtext and objectives: How to prepare for drama school and professional auditions; How to develop a 3-dimensional, truthful character; Preparation exercises to help you get in character; Rehearsal guidelines; An appendix of Transitive/Active Verbs and more.

Am I a virgin? I think I am. I mean it went in her but it was floppy and it wasn't very nice so I think I am a virgin. I'm going to say I am. Will look better on me uni applications. Liverpool, 1989. Greg is thirteen. He has just started secondary school. He earns pocket money sweeping up hair in a barbers. Girls are aliens. Liverpool FC are everything. Edinburgh, 2012. Greg has an extraordinary story to tell you. Bottleneck is a vibrant coming-of-age story about becoming a man through adventures both big and small. It is about a notorious city; Liverpool. How the outside worlds views it. And how it views the outside world.

A new play inspired by the true story of a miner who became entombed in a tunnel during World War One. As the horror threatens to engulf him, he discovers another world beneath the mud and death. Setting off on an epic journey of salvation, the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur as he questions whats real, whats not and whether it even matters? The Trench blends Les Enfants Terribles acclaimed brand of physical storytelling, verse, puppetry and live music from Alexander Wolfe.

This new series brings together some of the best new writing from contemporary American playwrights. Volume One is introduced by Andre Bishop, Artistic Director of the Lincoln CenterTheater, the most prestigious theatre in the USA. Each play is introduced by critically acclaimed writers themselves. The volume includes: KIN by Bathsheba Doran, (with an introduction by Chris Durang). Kin sheds a sharp light on the changing face of kinship in the expansive landscape of the modern world. MIDDLETOWN by Will Eno (with an introduction by Tracy Letts). Middletown was awarded the prestigious Horton Foote Prize for Promising New American Play in 2010. COMPLETENESS by Itamar Moses (with an introduction by Doug Wright). Completeness is a 21st-century romantic comedy about the timeless confusions of love. GOD'S EAR by Jenny Schwartz (with an introduction by Edward Albee). This ode to love, loss and the routines of life has the economy and drywit of a Sondheim love song & Schwartz is a real talent and she is trying something ambitious & In [her] very modern way, [she is] making a rather old-fashioned case for the power of the written word. - Jason Zinoman, New York Times

This is the tale of Jonah, Sophie, and a fox called Scruffilitis. It's a love story. A dysfunctional, voyeuristic and darkly funny love story, but a love story all the same.

A Royal encounter. An enduring love. A bungalow in Penge. For 60 years Helena has been Queen of Maurice's heart. But his Great Love is another Queen. The Queen Helena says he's never met. Maurice's Jubilee, a new play by award winning actress and writer Nichola McAuliffe, is a funny and poignant exploration of one man's enduring commitment to a dream. And an eternal love triangle fallen on hard times. . .

The country's in turmoil, the spring is sprung, there's about to be a coup, a woman has been found murdered, her unborn child stolen from her womb, things can't get any worse; wait until Peter Pan turns up. Peter Panic exposes the devilish side of J.M. Barrie's eternal child making the audience recoil in fascination as they are asked whether child monsters are essential for sociological function. Peter Panic is a deliciously frightening, dangerously familiar, dystopian world of tomorrow.

Tom Holloway's beautiful new play is an uplifting testament to the power of love and the indomitability of the human spirit. Don and Pam have lived together most of their lives, the kids have grown up and moved on, but now, suddenly,she wants to leave him  or that's how it seems to him at least. And No More Shall We Part looks at what happens to a relationship when death comes into the room.

Ladies In Lavender tells the tale of two sisters Ursula and Janet who live in a close-knit fishing village in picturesque Cornwall, in 1936. When a handsome and talented young Polish violinist bound for America is washed ashore, the Widdington sisters take him under their wing and nurse him back to health. However, the presence of the mysterious young man disrupts their peaceful lives and the community in which they live.

"When we came for a romantic walk in the park, we didnt think we would be involved in aninternational crisis...This side of the line, that side of the line. Does it really make that much of a difference which side I am from?" When a country's new border is drawn, a couple are divided by the line. Under the rigorouseyes of a brand new border guard, they are trapped in an increasingly absurd nightmare, stuck in between two aggressive nations on the verge of war. A comic new play exploring the imaginary lines that divide us and the severe penalties for breaking them...

The story of Desdemona from Shakespeare's Othello is re-imagined by Nobel Prize laureate Toni Morrison, Malian singer and songwriter Rokia Traoré, and acclaimed stage director Peter Sellars. Morrison's response to Sellars 2009 production of Othello is an intimate dialogue of words and music between Desdemona and her African nurse Barbary. Morrison gives voice and depth to the female characters, letting them speak and sing in the fullness of their hearts. Desdemona is an extraordinary narrative of words, music and song about Shakespeares doomed heroine, who speaks from the grave about the traumas of race, class, gender, war  and the transformative power of love. Toni Morrison transports one of the most iconic, central, and disturbing treatments of race in Western culture into the new realities and potential outcomes facing a rising generation of the 21st century.

As thousands have been tortured, jailed, maimed or killed by the Syrian regime, The Fear of Breathing is not only a new play based entirely on verbatim reports from inside Syria itself, but is also a hard-hitting evocation of a life or death fight for freedom, experienced from the inside. To uncover these personal stories from the uprising, award-winning journalists Paul Wood and Ruth Sherlock, together with theatre director Zoe Lafferty, travelled into Syria covertly, circumventing the ban on journalists and restrictions on movement for all non-Syrians. They spoke to protesters as well as citizens who love President Bashar al-Assad and are terrified of a future without him. Featuring verbatim scenes, interviews, stories and film footage, The Fear of Breathing is a powerful and profoundly disturbing portrait of a revolution struggling to survive.

We value truth in this family. Carpe Diem. Seize the day. We're all just food for worms. So tell them you love them. Have fun, mount a donkey, whatever, just feel alive. Charades is fun, right, with those people, yes, your family, the ones you try to get away from at Christmas. For the Pilgrims though it's not simply a family affair, this is more than a game, this. . . Is an Eisteddfod. This bawdy new play from acclaimed young playwright Luke Barnes, is inspired by Suffolk folklore and explores the idea of family and identity, stories and how they are told.

Sports Play (written in 1998, original title: Ein Sportstuck) is a post-dramatic text that explores the marketing and sale of the human body and of emotions in sport. Jelinek questions contemporary society's obsession with fitness and body image and rejects the romanticized notion of sport as portrayed in today's media. She considers sport as a mass phenomenon and as a medium for chauvinism and fanaticism - sport as war. At the same time this is one of Jelinek's most personal plays in which she styles herself as "Elfie Electra" and mixes anger with self-irony. Blurring the boundaries between a theatre event and a sports event, this performance turns Jelinek's linguistic gymnastics into an Olympic feat for the actors and audiences alike.

'I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you!' vowed Malvolio at the end of Twelfth Night, but twelve years have passed in Illyria and nothing has been heard of him. Illyria is a ghost town now: all its young people have left for 'Upriver', for the legendary land of Moai, a realm of love requited, fortunes made and dreams come true, presided over by a mysterious figure who may or may not be Malvolio. Whoever he is, the Duke Orsino wants him terminated' and sends a motley crew of fools and assassins upriver to get the job done. But, as the Ferryman warns them: Nothing makes no sense where we're going, no geography, no history, no language. Minds, meanings, souls and sexes will be transformed in Moai before the lost are found, the evil foiled, and broken hearts made whole.

How to Produce A West End Show demystifies the working world of live theatre. This is an insider account that maps an entry route into the industry and examines the challenges faced by West End producers. Julius Green shares the experience he's gained as one of the U's most prolific theatre producers to illuminate the glamorous, gritty process of putting on a West End show. A compelling read for anyone who works in or is interested in the theatre.

It seems a long way from Moliere to Ray Cooney. There are immense distances between the worlds of Aristophanes, Plautus, Georges Feydeau, Ben Travers, Joe Orton and Basil Fawlty. But as one of the oldest genres in the history of the theatre, farce bridges the gaps by generating gales of helpless belly laughter across the generations. Inspired by John Mortimers observation that farce is 'tragedy played at a thousand revolutions a minute', theatre critic Roger Foss embarks on a lightning tour of the rib-tickling world of confused characters, absurd situations, ruined reputations, sexual innuendo and bravura comic acting and finds out if farce really is a force to be reckoned with in the 21st century. The latest addition to the Oberon Masters series, May The Farce Be With You celebrates the great creators and performers of farce, notably master farceur Ray Cooney, who celebrates his 80th birthday in 2012, in essays that will inform and entertain both the aficionado and anyone with a sense of humour.

Written in Brighton in 1887, Dandy Dick is tells the hilarious story of the Very Reverend Augustin Jedd, a pillar of Victorian respectability, who preaches regularly against the evils of horse racing and gambling. However, a visit from his tearaway sister, Georgiana, leads him to risk all at the races, much against his better judgement. Mayhem ensues, with romantic intrigue, mistaken identity and a runaway horse. A glorious British comedy, Dandy Dick is a rarely seen treasure that so richly deserves to be revived again, for the first time in almost fifteen years.

In 2012 Jamaica celebrates the 50th anniversary of Independence. Mixed Company is a collection of three of the finest early Jamaican theatrical works, written for the most part before the dawn of Independence. Written in 1954 (The Creatures by Cicely Waite-Smith), 1960 (Bedward by Louis Marriott) and 1970 (Maskarade by Sylvia Wynter), the plays are examples of works conceived with a Jamaican audience in mind, a Jamaican audience conscious of the melting pot in which it lived. Each offers a unique perspective on the spirit of a people who held on to traditional beliefs and customs in the face of colonial opprobrium as the populace struggled to gain its political, social and cultural independence.

'Would you ever want to sit with me in the dark? Just sit with the lights out, barely even touching, maybe not touching at all, and just listen to me breathe?' Everybody wants a piece of Stephanie Schwartz. Her son's demanding nuggets, her boyfriend wants her to wax and her best friend's taking her to a stripping class. Now there's a rapist on Sutton Drive, an obscene caller invading her home and a portal to hell beneath her sofa. How far must she go to make it all stop? And how far is too far? A heart-breaking, taboo-busting black comedy by Joshua Conkel,

This collection of tragi-comic plays explores the turbulent journey from childhood through adolescence towards eventual adulthood. Ideal for youth theatre groups and schools, these dramas are energetic, fun and emotionally honest and can help children, teenagers and teachers to discuss potentially award subjects. The Mother Ship won the Brian Way Award for Best Play for Young People 2009. Decky Does A Bronco was awarded both a Fringe First and a Stage Award. It was also nominated for The Barclay Card Stage Award 2001 for Best Touring Production.

This compassionate play is the story of Alan Turing, mathematician and father of computer science. Turing broke the code in two ways: he cracked the German Enigma code during World War II (for which he was decorated by Churchill) and also shattered the English code of sexual discretion with his homosexuality (for which he was arrested on a charge of gross indecency). Whitemore's play, shifting back and forth in time, seeks to find a connection between the two events. When first performed in the 1980s, Breaking the Code was critically acclaimed in the UK before a Broadway transfer won it a raft of awards & nominations including 3 Tony Awards, and 2 Drama Desk awards.

Peter Bowles invites us backstage to witness the job of acting as it really is. This is a warm-hearted look at the lived experience of a jobbing actor - and a survival guide to anyone thinking of entering this most emotionally gruelling of industries. Behind the Curtain is the inside scoop on 'the profession' as told by a master raconteur - one who has trodden the boards in the West End for five decades. Armed with an array of classic anecdotes, Bowles shares some of the infamous ad-libs, opening night disasters and dressing room dramas that he has been party to over the years. Full of sage advice about the pitfalls of celebrity and the fluctuating fortunes of an actor - and his own journey from TV stardom to the labour exchange and back again. With tales of some biggest personalities in the history of showbiz such as Michael Gambon, Noel Coward, Rex Harrison, Laurence Olivier & John Gielgud, this is a book that captures the acting profession in all its eccentric glory.

The story of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar told through the eyes of a jiggling fool, a lowly poet having bad dreams, a man who finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time... with the wrong name... while history thunders past. Forming part of Tim Crouch's series of solo shows inspired by Shakespeare's lesser characters, I, Cinna is written for ages 11+ and engages a young audience to think and write, to consider the relationship between words and actions, art and politics, self and society.

Modern Voice: Working with Actors on Contemporary Text has been designed to follow on from Catherine's previous book, Classic Voice: Working with Actors on Vocal Style, focusing on the less defined demands within contemporary drama. Lifting contemporary speech rhythms off the page can be a challenge for actors. Sometimes these rhythms are realistic, resembling or mirroring the speech patterns of real human beings, sometimes they are non-realistic, distorting speech patterns for particular effect. Modern Voice not only provides an accessible approach for understanding speech rhythm but also presents an overview of different types and styles of contemporary text (including the rise of dramatic realism in England, America and Australia). Along the way there are a myriad of practical ideas for directors, lecturers, teachers, trainers and coaches to explore in their workshops and rehearsals.

A testament to the millienium, Howard Barker's Ecstatic Bible sweeps through a landscape shaped by the European political and social experience of the twentieth century. A series of interlocking narratives negotiate a strange landscape - streets, a chateau, a hospital ward of war wounded - inhabited by amoral and passionate characters. Provocative imagery and poetic language are suffused with a rich, dark humour. This intriguing collection of parables without morality carries within it the profound echoes of past pain and comic contradiction.

Good Friday 1612. High on a hill in the wild and lawless area of Pendle, a secret meeting is held at Malkin Tower. By the end of the year, most of those present have been sentenced to death at Lancaster Castle - hanged for the crime of witchcraft. This powerful play attempts to unravel the mysteries behind one of England's most famous trials, that of the notorious Pendle Witches. Did Alice Nutter and the others really take part in a witches' Sabbat? Or were these Pendle folk innocent victims at a time of persecution, paranoia and superstition? Sabbat imagines the events leading up to the trial and execution of The Lancashire Witches and asks: who held the real power behind the tightly closed doors of Pendle? How many lives were destroyed by laws born out of fear?

Shakespeare's Cleopatra, La Pucelle, Ophelia, Shaw's St. Joan and Ibsen's Hedda  a handful of seminal roles for women in the classical canon. Janet Suzman has played them all and directed some. Here she examines their complexity and explores why only Cleopatra has an independence that allows her to speak to modern women. None of these, regrettably, matches up to a Hamlet, but as she is grateful for the parts he did write, Suzman feels a lightly-barbed attack on those who doubt Shakespeare's authorship is way overdue. She also takes issue with received ideas on boy-actors playing mature women in Shakespeare's company, and reflects on how female characters in classical drama have not been on a level with their male counterparts. Today, on TV, film and the stage, this remains the case. Not Hamlet but Hamlette, please.

The first collection of plays by acclaimed British dramatist Tanika Gupta includes Sugar Mummies, White Boy, Sanctuary and Gladiator Games. Refusing to be pigeonholed as an 'Asian playwright', Gupta has a fresh perspective on race relations, generational divide and sexual politics. A National Youth Theatre production, White Boy attempts to make sense of school-age stabbings and the nature of inner city white identity, in an increasingly complex racial landscape. In Sugar Mummies, the gender politics of the sex trade are inverted as wealthy white women flock to the Caribbean to take advantage of the native toy-boys. But who is exploiting who? On the eve of his release from Feltham Young Offenders Institution, Zahib Mubarek was attacked and killed by his racist cellmate. Gladiator Games is a verbatim drama that documents the Mubarek family's pursuit of the truth and the incompetence of the official response. In Sanctuary a London churchyard becomes a haven for the gardener Kabir. When a photo of an African church appears in this little Eden, a complex drama of morality and conscience unfolds.

Henry V dramatizes the legend of the heroic warrior-king who won the battle of Agincourt; but it also tells the more human story of a young king's psychological journey, learning to deal with the political realities of Church and State.As increasing numbers of British servicemen and women are seeing active service, Propeller brings its own unique take on one of Shakespeare's most famous plays.

Henry V dramatizes the legend of the heroic warrior-king who won the battle of Agincourt; but it also tells the more human story of a young king's psychological journey, learning to deal with the political realities of Church and State.As increasing numbers of British servicemen and women are seeing active service, Propeller brings its own unique take on one of Shakespeare's most famous plays.

Inspired by the world of the Mujra dancers, who for generations have entertained the rich and powerful with a spellbinding mix of dance and song, Wah! Wah! Girls tells a passionate and playful story of love against the odds. Set against the vibrant background of the East End in 2012, these unstoppable girls uncover deep secrets and create unexpected dreams.

Berlin. 1973. A soprano lies dead on a blanket. The human mind will not function when it is hot. Only when it is cool and dispassionate. If you are not careful you will no longer be human. If you are not careful you will become animals covered in sand. You are our descendants. You are very special. Some of you are to be precisely registered and preserved. You will become our most important historical monument. 'Bessie and Jessie have been stuck in a bombed ballroom. Theyare also stuck together. There appears to be no escape. Bessieis happy to be stuck. Surely it is better than being alone? Jessie often went blue as a child. Jessie clutches the last unopened Christmas present. They are instructed by a voice, The Special Detachment, who only eats strawberries, and keeps the world in order. Bessie and Jessie have a model trainset. The train is driven bya live rodent. The train has been moving for too many years. The train is about to fall off its tracks.

Michael and Gordon have been best friends since acting college. Now, 20 years later, Michael is Mr Saturday Night TV but failing actor Gordon is struggling with enormous debts. Meanwhile Gordon's daughter Effie couldn't care less about her Dad's problems  she is far more interested in the film that her cool boyfriend is making and setting up an ecologically sound clothing label. When Gordon asks Michael to lend him a large sum of money it sets in motion a series of events that reveal irreparable cracks in the characters' relationships.

Britain in 1956: the Suez Crisis. Prime Minister Anthony Eden, described by a colleague as 'half mad baronet and half beautiful woman', is faced with the terrible possibility of leading his country into war. His health is collapsing. His friends, colleagues and opponents, among them Hugh Gaitskell and Ian Fleming and his wife Ann, are facing crises of their own, crises of conscience and crises of the heart. Hugh Whitemore's new play is a true epic: a suspenseful thriller, an achingly romantic love story and a fascinating examination of a flashpoint in our history which still resonates today. What is the cost of an 'illegal' war?

On holiday with her streetwise son in Lagos, a British-Nigerian mother is in turmoil. Should she leave her only child in a strict Lagos boarding school, or return him to the battlefields of inner London? A family spanning three generations and two continents meet in Lagos for the first time in over thirty years. But the joy of reunion unleashes long-suppressed truths.

On Poetry, the latest addition to the Oberon Masters series, is a collection of short essays and reflections on poetry from the acclaimed British poet Glyn Maxwell. These essays illustrates Maxwell's poetic philosophy, that the greatest verse arises from a harmony of mind and body, and that poetic forms originate in human necessities  breath, heartbeat, footstep, posture. He speaks of his inspirations, his models, and takes us inside the strange world of the Creative Writing Class, where four young hopefuls grapple with love, sex, cheap wine and hard work. Illustrated with examples from canonical poets, this is a beautiful and accessible guide to the most ancient and sublime of the realms of literature.

Antigone makes everything OK. Gives me hope. I'm utterly devoted to her. I couldn't imagine what would happen if she weren't here. What could a play written 2,500 years ago possibly mean today? Ryan Craig's new adaptation of Sophocles' famous tragedy captures the passion, danger and moral deadlock of the story of Greece's most famous teenager. Set in the aftermath of a bloody civil war, Antigone fights for what she believes is right. What would you do?

Behold the newest nobody of the funniest century yet. He's almost Christ-like, from a distance, in terms of height and weight. Listen closely or drift off uncontrollably, as he speaks to you directly about the notion of home, about the notion of the world. All of it delivered with the authority that is the special province of the unsure and the un-homed, which is a word he made up accidentally. The running time, if he doesn't die or think of anything else, is roughly one hour.

Terence Rattigan was one of the most acclaimed playwrights and screenwriters of his generation. His fall from critical favour marked a turning point in modern British theatre. Terence Rattigan wore a carefully constructed mask of respectable, suave gentility in order to conceal his true nature. But who was the man behind the mask? Who was the real Terence Rattigan? The Art of Concealment is a play not only about the demons that haunted one of our great playwrights but about the creative process itself, and the process of ageing, of loss, and the pain of love - with the ironic twist that we know Rattigan to be more honoured now than he would ever have expected in his lifetime.

Fired from his skiffle band, Francis Henshall becomes minder to Roscoe Crabbe, a small time East End hood, now in Brighton to collect £6,000 from his fiancee's dad. But Roscoe is really his sister Rachel posing as her own dead brother, who's been killed by her boyfriend Stanley Stubbers. Holed up at The Cricketers' Arms, the permanently ravenous Francis spots the chance of an extra meal ticket and takes a second job with one Stanley Stubbers, who is hiding from the police and waiting to be re-united with Rachel. To prevent discovery, Francis must keep his two guvnors apart. Simple. Based on Carlo Goldoni's classic Italian comedy The Servant of Two Masters, in this new English version by prizewinning playwright Richard Bean, sex, food and money are high on the agenda

F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby was first published on April 10, 1925. Set on Long Island's North Shore and in New York City during the summer of 1922, it is the story of an attractive young man, hopelessly in love, who, having worked so hard to improve himself so he can win back the woman he loves, finds himself in a world where money has replaced humility and despair has replaced hope.For me, the novel is a comment on the values and cynicism of east coast America almost a hundred years ago, a time when a section of society had suddenly become very wealthy and the American Dream was for most, nothing more than the mere pursuit of money.' Peter Joucla

War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. Winston Smith rewrites history for the Ministry of Truth, but when he's handed a note that says simply I love you' by a woman he hardly knows, he decides to risk everything in as earch for the real truth. In a world where cheap entertainment keeps the proles ignorant but content, where a war without end is always fought and the government is always watching, can Winston possibly hold onto what he feels inside? Or will he renounce everything, accept the Party's reality and learn to love Big Brother?

The No Rules Handbook for Writers is a timely, creative and refreshing antidote to prescriptive guides for writers. It will inspire playwrights, screenwriters and novelists; offer fresh insights toteachers, editors, dramaturgs, directors and producers. Lisa Goldman takes 40 established conventions of creative writing. She explores why these rules persist, how to master them, bend or break them and why the most important rules to overturn are your own. The book weaves together industry experiences, psychological observations and inspirational tips. It also contains practical advice from 40 rule-breaking writers including: Hassan Abdulrazzak, Oladipo Agboluaje, Ronan Bennett, Sita Bramachari, Trevor Byrne, Anthony Cartwright, Matthew Greenhalgh, Tanika Gupta, Neil Hunter, M.J. Hyland, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, Dennis Kelly, Bryony Lavery, Chris Paling, Stacy Makishi, Neel Mukherjee, Hattie Naylor, Anthony Neilson, Kim Noble, Tom Palmer, Lucy Prebble, Philip Ridley, Paul Sirett, Edmund White, Roy Williams. The No Rules Handbook for Writers will be a valuable addition to the bookshelves of anyone curious about the craft, context and process of writing

It is the summer of 2010. Despite the rapid erosion of Fairwold's coastline and a global recession threatening local businesses, ex- celebrity photographer David Tiller and his sister Sophie are managing to run their old family home as a guest house. But their peaceful existence is threatened when their one-time brother-in-law Lawrence and his stunning new girlfriend decide to spend a weekend by the sea...Our Brother David is a poignant tale of misplaced love, and a lively story of people trying to do the right thing in a crisis. Rich in humour, this beautiful new play, inspired by Chekhov's masterpiece Uncle Vanya, could make you think differently about the future.

1951. Hollywood. Songwriter Ernie Case has an Oscar on the shelf, an aspiring actress in his bed, and a screenplay getting the green-light from Studio. Life, it seems, is looking up. Only two hurdles lie ahead: he needs the mysterious Diva as his leading lady and he needs to keep well clear of Senator McCarthy's anti-communist witch hunt. But, as his relationship with Diva deepens, he realises that some things are more important than hit songs sung by Sinatra.

Unexpected, quirky and provocative, BALL & Other Funny Stories About Cancer is a unique collection of performances about illness and the changing body over time. Documenting a trilogy of Brian Lobel's monologue performances from 2001-2011, this collection challenges the inspirational stories of survivors and martyrs that have come before, infusing the 'cancer story' with an urgency and humour which is sometimes inappropriate, often salacious and always, above all else, honest and open. Published together for the first time, this collection of performances goes beyond the chemotherapy to include reflections on politics, sexuality and gender, providing cancer - and cancer narratives - with a much-deserved kick in the ball(s).

This collection of short plays is a passionate response to the effect of Clause 28 on the artistic and social language of a generation. The plays dance between intimate details and the big, historical picture, telling the story of a love affair from three different angles. Each piece is formally inventive & draws on a rich history of gay and queer theatre practice, whilst innovatively pushing the form forward. This collection includes: So Little of You Left - This begins as a traditional poetry reading and rapidly disintegrates into physical theatre, combining poetry, children's games, physical risk & bold imagery to tell the story of a love affair from start to finish. So Little details the marks that love leaves on our bodies. His Spread Legs - One year later. Tom, alone in his flat in the early hours, begins to speak. A haunting and heartbreaking monologue, inspired by the biblical Song of Songs, excavating the relationship between love, language and identity. The Actor Has Told of His Pain - In this final installment, the two lovers from So Little meet again and a third character  another ex  helps to give shape to the stories they have been telling each other. A three-act play with a queer twist, about the act of leaving and being left, and coming to terms with the end of the world.

A T-shirt is something most people have. It is a common denominator like a pair of blue jeans or a pair of Converse All Stars. From Fringe First winner Inua Ellams, comes a new story about two foster brothers building a global t-shirt brand. On their journey from a market in Nigeria to a sweatshop in China, Matthew and Muhammed discover the consequences of success. The play tackles capitalism and exploitation, as well as sectarianism and homophobia in modern day Nigeria.

Three men arrive by car at a remote house in the countryside. Who are they? Where are they? Are those stuffed beavers on the wall? Then the Vikings arrive. A comedy thriller about men, myths and the weather and how it blows all the other stuff away anyway.

Don Juan's back from the War and he's got some catching up to do. Berlin is crumbling, but after years of abstinence, the Don is ready for more of the debauchery that once made his name. Amidst political and economic upheaval, Don Juan finds himself increasingly at odds with the man he used to be. Is this notorious lothario about to experience a sudden change of heart? Odon von Horvath's startling tale of displacement and isolation in the aftermath of the Great War is presented in a bold new adaptation by award-winning playwright Duncan Macmillan.

A four character thriller. Two east-end chancers, George and Lennie, have kidnapped wealthy heiress Charlotte Chamberlain and taken her to a remote farmhouse. George is confident her father will pay five million to get her back safely. But why did he insist on renting the farmhouse in Lennie's name? Does he plan to double cross Lennie, frame him for the crime and keep all the money himself? Will slow-witted Lennie work out what's going on in time to save himself? Or is the kidnap only a feint to disguise an infinitely more devious scheme? And who is really pulling the strings? This intriguing new drama will chill and thrill you and keep you guessing until the last nailbiting moment.

The Hadron Collider - expected to address some of the most fundamental questions of physics, advancing the understanding of the deepest laws of nature and our existence, but sparking fears that the particle collisions might produce a black hole - the end of life as we know it David is a good teacher. Struggling to stay afloat in the modern day stressful world of secondary education and doing his best to keep his life on track, he immerses himself in his work. He has a passion for physics and he's desperate for his students to share his enthusiasm. There's just one boy, Kyle - the school loner, who takes an interest in science and shares David's thirst for knowledge. But when Kyle is picked on by his troublemaking class mates, Reece and Chantay, all of David's good work starts to unravel. Their disruptive behaviour is a catalyst for colliding personalities, resulting in an explosive reaction. A contemporary and dynamic new play about provocation, Gravity is a fictional story with roots in the real-life newspaper headlines of today's society.

This pair of plays are from Scottish theatre company Random Accomplice, by Random Accomplice writer, Johnny McKnight . . . follow on from the success of their Smalltown tour. Marymassacre 'refreshing & original production . . .dark, funny . . . at times, very hard hitting. . .' - The Irvine Herald It's where the fun of the fair meets a secret affair. On Irvine Moor, two women wait at the candy floss machine, both of them unaware how they'll change each others' lives forever. These two women share a secret  a secret that will cause deadly damage on Marymass Saturday. Seven Year Itch '...a tremendously vivid show, in which layers of narrative jostle together with such complexity and playfulness that it fairly takes the breath away... an unobtrusively excellent script that turns on a sixpence between looming tragedy and brilliant comic one-liners...' - The Scotsman Has the rut set in on what was once wonderfully described as watered down David Lynch? After all, who knew that working together was going to be so bloody hard. Join our hapless duo, stuck in their monotonous part time jobs wondering what could have been as they "grin and bear the dashed hopes of every wannabe who never hit the big time." Seven Year Itch is for anyone who thinks about shredding their co-workers' fingers, for the daydreamer looking at the stapler with murderous intentions and for the performers who keep forgetting their lines on stage.

THE BOMB - A Partial History is a season of plays from leading contemporary dramatists, charting the political history of the Nuclear Bomb and its proliferation from 1940 to the present day. FIRST BLAST (1940 - 1992) features plays by John Donnelly, Elena Gremina, Amit Gupta, Zinnie Harris & Ron Hutchinson. It is the first year of World War II, and in Whitehall two emigre Jewish scientists are waiting for a meeting to get the British establishment to take their nuclear research seriously. The following plays then trace the history of the Labour party wrestling with the decision to build the Atomic Bomb, the Cuban missile crisis from a Russian perspective, China's war with India and the subsequent development of India's bomb, the break-up of the Soviet Union and the unilateral disarmament of Ukraine. SECOND BLAST (1992 - 2012) features plays by Lee Blessing, Ryan Craig, David Greig, Zinnie Harris, Diana Son & Colin Teevan. A contemporary take on the non-proliferation debate looking at Israel and Iran's nuclear capability, the 'axis of evil' speech and its affect on North Korea, the U.K.'s continuing reliance on Trident in the post Cold War era, through to the current negotiations with Iran and weapons' inspections there.

Performing children have a very special existence which sometimes sets them apart from their peers. Parents are often excluded from this world but are expected to support them all the way. There is very little authoritative advice on how to cope and what to expect.This book will help children and their parents navigate their way through all of this: to advise, guide, inform and demystify the wonderful world of live theatre.Packed full of practical advice and information on all aspects of the life of a child actor, it is written by the leading children's casting director and administrator in the UK, who has worked on many large-scale West End shows including Oliver!, Shrek, The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins and Matilda.

Cardboard Citizens presents the story of an entire nation made homeless, starting in the age of Cold War secrets and ending in the era of global warming. A Few Man Fridays unearths an inglorious episode of British history. Between 1967 and 1973, the population of the Chagos Islands was evicted to make way for a US military base. For forty years they have fought for justice in an epic struggle that is unlikely to end even when the European Court of Justice delivers a ruling later this year. A Few Man Fridays traces the displacement of these 'unpeople' and the successive denial of their right to nationhood. Cardboard Citizens has worked with homeless people and the marginalised for 20 years, marrying personal stories and historical subjects into an epic theatre that challenges public perceptions of social exclusion. This new play explores the fantasies of the powerful, set against the dreams of the powerless.

With famine gripping Ireland, Sean and Annie have just one chance of survival - they must find their father. Leaving their dying mother behind, they travel across rough seas to America. With only the gold torc that Annie wears as a necklace to protect them, they embark on a long and dangerous journey. But will they ever be reunited with their family? Twist of Gold is an epic adventure, a classic novel by the masterful storyteller and author of War Horse, Michael Morpurgo.

One night in January 2010 an earthquake in Haiti leaves around a hundred thousand people dead and almost two million homeless. Meanwhile, somewhere in a leafy north London suburb, a group of six individuals convene over avocado and prawns, followed by monkfish stew. They struggle with worries over their mortgages, their mobile phone tariffs, their Facebook friends, their careers, their love lives, their diets, their holiday plans and whether or not any of them will be able to make any lasting impression on history. Muswell Hill, another comedy of acute social embarrassment from this award-winning playwright, is the third of Torben Betts' plays to be premiered at the Orange Tree.

Seven passengers meet in the saloon bar of a ship as it sets sail from an unidentified English port. Socialite Mrs Cliveden-Banks is on her way to join her husband, a Colonel in the army; Mr Lingley has important businessin Marseilles; charlady Mrs Midget is making her first passage by sea; Reverend William Duke is looking forward to a holiday, while Tom Prior intends to spend the journey in the ship's saloon bar. Also on board are Henry and Ann, a young couple who seem anxious for the ship to leave port. But the travellers have more incommon than they dare suspect. Out at sea, an eerie calm settles over the ship as Tom is the first to discover the fate which awaits his fellow passengers. . .Outward Bound was one of the biggest West End and Broadway hits of the 1920s and was twice filmed. Its production at the Finborough Theatre in 2012 marks its first London run in more than fifty years.

....a little show about death and other taboos..... Since her big sister, BBC journalist Kate Peyton, was murdered in Somalia, Rebecca has had rather a strange time. She welcomes us to her world in a passionately political, sharply comical and painfully personal account of life after Kate. Crafting a moving and often comic tapestry of private moments from a public tragedy, Rebecca tells her own story of a courageous journalist and a loving big sister, whom she misses.

Includes the plays Moj of the Antarctic, Desert Boy, Matt Henson: North Star and Muhammad Ali and Me

A brand new Christmas story for children, Holly and Ivan's Christmas Adventure is a magical tale of two brave little toys who fall off the back of Santa's Sleigh on Christmas Eve. Not wanting their new owners to wake up to no presents, they set off on an epic journey to find them. Presented here as both a story book and a play, Holly and Ivan's Christmas Adventure is packed with charming illustrations.

A Masterclass in Comedy, Tragedy, Farce, Shakespeare, New Plays, Opera and Musicals. This practical handbook takes us on a step by step journey from pre-production through the rehearsal process, followed by focused advice on each genre from comedy to tragedy, Shakespeare to new plays and musicals. Special chapters offer strategies for dealing with difficult actors, working with producers and taking on the job of an Artistic Director. An indispensible guide to a director's craft, packed full of advice and peppered with priceless anecdotes about the highs and the lows of a lifetime's work in the theatre.

Includes the plays Spain, I Heart Maths and Up. The theme of self-indulgence unites the three plays in The Ego Plays collection. At the heart of each is a gay man asking a lot of questions& about himself. These questions range from scientififIc and philosophical musings to angst-ridden pleas for enlightenment. They come from men who have become so trapped in their own situations that they can no longer successfully connect with the outside world. Up is a play about despair, I Heart Maths is a play about love and Spain is a play about moving on. Together they present the cognitive processes of three men who have allowed personal problems to grow to monstrous proportions. In each of these plays excessive self analysisleads to the main characters taking desperate measures, though frequently also leading to humorous consequences. But while these plays are comedies, exploring the perils of taking oneself too seriously, they are not intended to be cruel. Instead they set their characters free by making their worst fears come true and then taking them somewhere new.

The Riots, from spoken evidence, continues the Tricycle's record of addressing current issues, in this case with a dramatic account of the recent riots, brought to the stage more than three months before the Deputy Prime Minister's Committee on Riots is due to report. From tweets by taxi drivers, to moment-by-moment accounts by riot police, it will build a real-time picture of the riots as they unfolded. And then, from interviews with politicians, police, teachers, lawyers, community leaders, as well as victims and on-lookers, it will analyse what happened, why it happened, and what we should do towards making a better future for ourselves and our city.

The four Tim Crouch plays contained in this volume make up one of the most important bodies of English-language playwriting to have emerged so far in the twenty-first century. Of course, we're less than a dozen years into it, so the statement is still a little on the cautious side, but I can think of no other contemporary playwright who has asked such a compelling set of questions about theatrical form, narrative content, and spectatorial engagement. - Stephen Bottoms, University of Leeds. Includes the plays The Author, England, An Oak Tree and My Arm.

Who do you think I am? Another clueless white woman turned up in Africa with her conscience-stricken hat on to save The African from famine, disease, earthquake, wind and fire whilst secretly revelling in her ability to retreat to the nearest luxury lodge when the going gets tough or the dysentery kicks in? "Yah. Pretty much." Inspired by a real-life Amnesty International report, Fanta Orange is a playful and unexpected tale that gets under the skin of modern Africa. Regina is a Kenyan house servant. Roger is her white farmer boss. The two share a curious bond. Enter Ronnie, a privileged young English girl whom Roger discovers holed up in the bush, studying the bizarre practice of dirt-eating among local tribes. Soon both women are pregnant by Roger and a saga unfolds which turns every racial and sexual preconception on its head.

In Benin City, a young girl struggles to support her family. A world away, in an Edinburgh tenement, 'aunty' Martha arranges a job and flight for her. Based on the experiences of young women trafficked to Scotland, Cora Bissett's explosive production, combining direct, chilling performances with video,animation and music, thrusts you into the brutal, complex and hidden world behind the newspaper headlines on sex-trafficking.

In 1930s Berlin - an intriguing city of jazz and underground cabaret overpowered by the rise of Hitler and World War II - the daughter of a Jewish family falls in love with their black shabbes goy (a term used for those who assist Jews on the Sabbath with tasks forbidden to Jews within Jewish law). Fast-forward to the tale of a mixed-race couple in seemingly unprejudiced modern-day Brooklyn, where the same family is coping with a number of calamities. Shalom Baby is a touching and very funny exploration of love, family and friendship.

27 is a new play from acclaimed writer Abi Morgan about loneliness, ageing, science and the loss of our sense of self. Dr Richard Garfield has given Ursula a difficult choice. She is the Mother Superior in waiting of a convent that has been given the opportunity to take part in his revolutionary scientific study. This American study would require that the nuns donate their brains after death to potentially unlock the mysteries of Alzheimer's and dementia. Ursula must weigh up the value of preserving her faith, versus embracing science.The study is agreed and Richard and his team come to the convent every year to test the nuns who are willing to take part. This union will change their lives forever. For Ursula, with the impending pressure of taking over the ailing convent, the study brings more challenges than she could ever have imagined and rocks her faith and her hitherto cloistered existence to its core. Drawing on research contained within the book and study Aging with Grace, 27 is an extraordinary examination of a lifestyle in decline, but it could hold the key to the issues of our times - our ageing population and the decline of our minds.

Set in the midst of the Cold War, Lee Blessing's powerful and startling play dramatises a stand-off between U.S. and Soviet arms negotiators as they battle for supremacy. Full of tension and humour A Walk in the Woods shows how the relationship between the two experts evolves as they stroll in the woods above Geneva, away from the glare of the negotiating table. But will this escape lead to a true breakthrough or just more posturing? In this revised version of the play, originally performed at Northern Stage, Vermont, and directed by Nicholas Kent, a woman plays the role of the U.S. negotiator

'I could fly to New York and back every day for seven years and still not leave a carbon footprint as big as if I have a child. Ten thousand tonnes of CO2. That's the weight of the Eiffel Tower. I'd be giving birth to the Eiffel Tower.' In a time of global anxiety, terrorism, erratic weather and political unrest, a young couple want a child but are running out of time. If they over think it, they'll never do it. But if they rush, it could be a disaster.They want to have a child for the right reasons. Except, what exactly are the right reasons? And what will be the first to destruct - the planet or the relationship?

Anne Elliot fell deeply in love with a handsome young naval officer, Frederick Wentworth, at the age of nineteen. But because he had neither fortune nor rank to recommend him, Anne's mentor and friend, Lady Russell, persuaded her to break off the engagement. Eight years later, Anne has lived to regret her decision. She never stopped loving Frederick  and when he returns from sea a Captain, she can only watch as every eligible young woman falls at his feet. Can the pair rekindle a love that was lost but not forgotten?

Just Adrian is a patchwork tour of a legendary playwright, poet and activist's life in the theatre. It is a fascinating first-hand account of groundbreaking productions featuring figures like Kenneth Tynan, Peter Brook and Peter Hall as well as adventures in alternative theatre. These writings explore Adrian's many interests, from drama for children to musical theatre, in a voice that combines playful irreverence with compassion and insight. Taken together, they are a funny, moving testament to a great theatre lover.

Do you know your mirror scrims from your mirror balls? Or your get-outs from your get-ins? Or indeed your get-offs? The Oberon Glossary of Theatrical Terms includes explanations of over 1,300 technical, backstage, acting, musical, dance and showbusiness terms in common usage. Completely revised and updated, this concise glossary explains all theatre jargon. From amateur dramatics fans to West End directors, this new edition is a must have addition to the bookshelves of all theatre and performing arts aficionados.

'The last thing I want is all these total strangers, who live literally inches away from me, knowing every last detail of my life.' When a young woman buys her first flat it seems that all her dreams are coming true. Then she meets him. Overbearing, brash, and prone to spectacular gaffs, her across-the-hall neighbour is definitely strange  yet strangely attractive. But when an innocent prank goes horribly wrong the newly-formed friendship is pushed to breaking point. Only then do the neighbours realise they don't know as much about each other as they thought they did. A vertical thriller for a time when a stranger is only one wall away.

The King James Version of the Bible (KJV) is a foundation stone of the English language. The KJV was composed as a collective project and written to be spoken. Sixty-Six Books has been created, in the spirit of the original, in the same way. Pulpit to print; stage to page; mediated through many forms oral and written, the KJV has, since its inception, been a fundamental part of written and spoken English.This is a work that has travelled to every continent of the globe. It has been shared as a melodic instrument of inspiration, illumination and mutual understanding; and it has also been wielded as a tool of colonial oppression.

Why does everyone steal from the twelfth man? Casey is back home. She's here to sort her club out and they have some problems to solve. The solution is obvious. Money. And Casey knows where to get it. Inspired by real footballing events, Fit and Proper People exposes dealings that manufacture our national heroes, asking serious questions about who is running our social and cultural institutions, and how they are doing it.

This powerful version of Chekhov's famous drama reflects the South African phenomenon of the 1990s. With the hindsight of the new millennium we can look back and see that the miracle did happen. The new order did take over from the old. The fruitless cherry orchard was chopped down. The old men who couldn't move with the times have been left behind and forgotten. Chekhov's great pre-revolutionary drama, dreaming of youthful energy replacing the worn-out inertia of a dying world, lends itself vividly to this new setting in post-revolutionary South Africa.

They have a picture, a picture which could spell the destruction of civilised society, a plan so devastating it would change the world as we know it. They must put a stop to it. They have a suspect, tied to a chair, a hood covering his face. The only problem is the suspect claims the picture was drawn by his four year old son. They have the suspect's wife, but she claims her son couldn't have made the picture. Who's telling the truth? What is the truth? And does the truth really matter any more? Are we paranoid? Or are they really out to get us? What effect have the politics of fear had on our society? How much we will believe and what will we do to save ourselves when we feel we're under threat? Are we under threat? And if so what is justifiable? Can the myth of terror be more dangerous than the truth and could the biggest threat to our way of life be our own paranoia?

This is a provocative new play about Mikhail Kalashnikov - the Russian inventor of the AK47 assault rifle, and a decorated Soviet hero. Set in Kalashnikov's dacha amidst the dark woods and waters of a fairy tale Russian landscape, a young journalist, Volkov, comes to interview the elderly Kalashnikov about his time on the front line and his subsequent invention of the AK-47 assault rifle. With the help of his daughter and grand-daughter, Kalashnikov initially welcomes Volkov into his home but as the questions harden and ambiguities appear in Kalashnikov's recollections, some painful and extremely uncomfortable truths begin to emerge. . .

Some people are frightened of small spaces. . . Some people are frightened of sharks. . . Dennis is terrified of flies. In a kill-or-be-killed fight for sanity, one man is determined to conquer his fear of flies, but as darkness falls, what is that ominous hum behind the door?

Retired entrepreneur William invites his four grown-up children to visit his beautiful converted barn in the Welsh Borders to celebrate his birthday. They all join with William's carer Solomon to toast another year, but each of them has their own business in mind...Warm, intelligent, witty and moving, Family Business is the world premiere production of Julian Mitchell's new play, looking at the complex relationships that underpin family life.

'That is the story of our beginning. And this is the story of. . .the end' Lovesong is the story of one couple, told from two different points in their lives  as young lovers in their 20s and as worldly companions looking back on their relationship. Their past and present selves collide in this haunting and beautiful tale of togetherness. All relationships have their ups and downs; the optimism of youth becomes the wisdom of experience. Love is a leap of faith.

The Greek fleet bound for Troy is becalmed. For the sake of a wind, Agamemnon, leader of the Greek forces, is persuaded that he must sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia. But as the priest raises his knife to slit the child's throat, the goddess Diana spirits her away. Clytemnestra, Agamemnon's wife, believing her beloved daughter to be dead, slays her husband in revenge on is return from the Trojan wars. Their son, Orestes, avenges his father's death by killing his mother. Now, years later, as Iphigenia, a prisoner of the temple of Diana, looks across the sea to Athens, longing to return home, her brother Orestes arrives to rescue her. . .

Sensation Nation is a vocal group founded and led by the unstoppable DD. Her grand plan is for the group to storm next year's Britain's Got Talent. But first they need a gig, and more importantly a heartbreaking back-story that will win them votes later on down the line. So she's booked them in to sing at a funeral. And not just any funeral either. Sensation Nation is to sing at the funeral of Ali Monroe, an older girl from their school who was killed in a car crash. Too Fast is an ensemble comedy with a strong emotional heart and a huge theatrical reveal in the final scene.

Beneath a scorching Florida sun, Boss Godfrey watches the chain gang. Keeps his eye on Cool Hand Luke. War hero, trouble-maker, inspiration to his fellow inmates. And just the man Boss wants to crush...Cool Hand Luke is the hard-hitting story of a true original. He'll play it real cool in the face of brutality. He'll always get back up after a beating. He'll eat fifty eggs in an hour, to win a bet. A man who won't conform no matter what it costs.

Kerrie sets about her daily task of preparing Mum's heroin. . . Jakey has just about had enough of life in a gang. . . Cameron is too scared to step outside the front door. . . One morning, the three teenagers discover a note in the Frosties. Mum has abandoned them: they have been left home alone& Blackberry Trout Face is a bold, gritty and funny play, which explores the universal themes of family, loyalty and ambition. With sharply-drawn characters, crackling dialogue, and plenty of humour, we follow three young people as they struggle to cope in exceptional circumstances.

Should some secrets never be kept no matter what the cost? Five women come together to help clear out a run-down cottage a week before the wedding of its new owner, Una. Joining her on this hen night of sorts are her two best friends, Kelly and Triona, her soon to be mother-in-law, Olive, and Olive's best friend, Anta. But Una is keeping a secret that, if revealed, will destroy all hopes of her dream wedding and living happily ever after with the love ofher life. As the play unfolds we see the women, one by one, forced to confront awkward truths of their own.

First performed in 1967, this is an early, yet startling, brilliant work by the internationally acclaimed Argentine playwright Griselda Gambaro. In this absurd and forceful play, two brothers carry out a primal scene of envy, cruelty and torture. Ignacio wants to break free of his brother and move out of their shared house, but Lorenzo has other plans. Through a series of dark comedic scenes the absurd becomes a harrowing metaphor of the most pure and raw reality.

Ambivalences: A Portrait of Arnold Wesker from A to W is a document of Arnold Wesker in conversation with the Italian academic Chiara Montenero. In their wide-ranging discussions, Wesker and Montenero address his ideas on art and drama with a particular focus on some of his most enduring characters. Betraying his reputation as theatre's perennial outsider', Ambivalences finds Wesker in generous and engaging form, offering a rich and unique insight into the mind of one of the key figures in 20th-century drama.

The 2011/12 Royal Ballet Yearbook is the perfect companion to The Royal Ballet, its history, repertory, dancers and staff. Featuring the best photographs of all the ballets performed in the 2010/11 Season and a summary of the current one, this Yearbook also contains special features about the Company's Director, Monica Mason, the making of The Royal Ballet's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and rare archive photographs by Zoë Dominic. With the annual Company news, listings and a chronology of The Royal Ballet, this is an essential Yearbook for anyone who loves ballet

'My preoccupation,' says Arnold Wesker in his interview/portrait Ambivalences (published by Oberon Books) 'with-violence-stemming from-perceived-intimidation-by-the-bright-ones who dare to be cleve ror simply different, began with an incident at school. While queuing for a school meal, one of the other boys wanted me to try his liquorice stick .I didn't want to. This other pupil insisted. I continued to decline. I didn'tlike liquorice! That I didn't want to share what he liked, what he thought was good, enraged the other boy who couldn't bear my indifference to his taste, and he hit me. I've never lost this image of violence induced by the outsider, the one who dissents, the one who doesn't share in what others like or believe. One day', Wesker vowed, 'I may write a play beginning with that image  of the boy who wants another boy to share his taste in liquorice and hits him because he doesn't. It'll be an exploration of the nature of violence.' In late 2010 he wrote just such a play, Joy and Tyranny, but the playwright doesn't describe it as a play, rather as: Arias and variations on the theme of violence. In fact it is a patchwork quilt knitting together many extracts from other of his works, as though throughout his career he was infusing those works, ghost-like, with a hidden play waiting the right time to emerge.

Set in the basement kitchen of a large restaurant, thirty chefs, waitresses, and kitchen porters, slowly begin the day preparing to serve lunch. The central story tells of a frustrated love affair between a high-spirited, young, German chef, PETER, and a married English waitress, MONIQUE. PART ONE slowly builds to a frenzy of serving. PART TWO is a lyrical period -the kitchen porters and chefs linger after serving lunch, and talk about their dreams of a better life. In PART THREE everyone returns for the slower evening service during which PETER, finally turned down by MONIQUE, goes berserk and smashes the gas leads to the ovens. The proprietor, bewildered by PETER'S violence, the nature of which he cannot understand, asks his workers what more is there to life than work, money and food.

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Shirley is a teenage boy, a bit of a loner, who is hopelessly in love with a classmate at school who barely knows he exists. Then, one night, a mysterious figure moves into his ordinary suburban street. Wound Man is an unconventional superhero, who happens to have a vacancy for a teenage side-kick.

Les Enfants Terribles: Collected Plays presents a thematic trilogy of plays from one of Britain's most innovative theatre companies. As a document of the company's progress over its ten-year history, the collection also features production photos, design sketches and introductions to each play. The Terrible Infants (2007) blends puppetry, live music, performance and storytelling to present a series of twisted tales for children and adults. Inspired by the likes of Edgar Allan Poe and Alfred Hitchcock. Ernest and the Pale Moon (2009) is a noir horror based upon a tale of murderous envy. The Vaudevillains (2010) is a dark miniature musical whodunnit&when the owner of The Empire music hall is murdered, everyone's a suspect&

Mary Swanson just moved to Middletown. About to have her first child, she is eager to enjoy the neighbourly bonds a small town promises. But life in Middletown is complicated: neighbors are near strangers and moments of connection are fleeting. Middletown is a playful, poignant portrait of a town with two lives, one ordinary and visible, the other epic and mysterious.

National Theatre Wales and Told by an Idiot bring their critically acclaimed celebration of Gwyn Thomas  one of the most distinctive Welsh voices of the last century  and an outstanding Welsh cast to the Edinburgh Festival. Taking as its inspiration Thomas' ink-black comic tales, The Dark Philosophers is a funny, violent and passionate depiction of a community teetering on the brink of humanity. Using Told by an Idiot's trademark anarchic physicality and inventive storytelling, this adaptation brings out the bleak, wild humour in tales laced with sex, murder and Thomas' devastating Valleys wit

Keith just wants to say he's sorry. A lifetime of drug and alcohol abuse has given him a lot to apologise for  particularly to the two people who raised from a child. But as the memories of violence, betrayal, lies and recriminations are raked to the surface, it becomes clear that past actions can have shocking repercussions in the present. Forgiving is easy, forgetting is a different story.

Champagne is flowing in Sloane Square while cash and coke change hands in the back alleys of Soho. City trader Jonny slinks effortlessly through the city's dark underbelly, on the prowl for new and dangerous experiences. Desired, depraved and dragging his reluctant intern behind him, he leaves a trail of broken hearts and barristers' blood in his wake. Sung in a new English translation and set in the pre-credit crunch days of the early noughties, this heady mix of sex, violence and beautiful music is a collaboration between Soho Theatre and the UK's hottest opera company, OperaUpClose

Based loosely on the testimonies of more than one hundred Gulf of Mexico residents, We're Gonna Make You Whole is a passionate magical-real political drama that follows the livesof five people brought together by environmental tragedy. Set in Louisiana, the play examines how the petrochemical industries have forever altered the lives and livelihoods of the people of the Gulf of Mexico.

Henry, are you awake? Henry lives each day like the last. Exactly like the last. Every day, he tries to make sense of the world around him; the girl sitting on the lawn outside his window, the pages of a book filled with the same sentence, the 80 year old man looking at him in the mirror. In 2009 Patient H.M.'s brain is dissected live on the internet to a global audience of 400,000 people, cut into carefully preserved slices: manuscripts of tissue like the pages of a book. In 1953 Henry Molaison emerges from experimental brain surgery without any recollection of the last two years of his life or the ability to form new memories. In 1935 nine-year old Henry is knocked over by a bike, leaving him unconscious for five minutes. Following Analogue's critically acclaimed Mile End and Beachy Head and inspired by the world's most important neuroscientific case-study, 2401 Objects tells the remarkable story of a man who could no longer remember, but who has proven impossible to forget.

In Loreto there is a Holy House, a divine and wondrously flitting house. A vessel for the holy. But now it's in Sam's house. And Sam can't figure it out. But Sam knows he must. It's not every day a miracle happens and your house becomes the vessel that contains the vessel that contained Mary and Mary is the vessel that contained our Lord. This symbol of faith and transformation comes crashing into a contemporary city as Sam races through 24 hours dealing with trapped parents, girlfriends and dentists to find meaning in this darkly comic odyssey.

A young rebel. A brutal victory. A devastating defeat. Aged 25, the charismatic Bonnie Prince Charlie laid claim to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland in a series of stunning military victories. By the time he was 26, his dreams lay in ruins and he was fleeing for his life. Amidst the chaos of war, the Young Pretender is forced to decide how far he is willing to go for the cause The flawed prince is brought to life vividly in this unflinching look at the nature of rebellion.

Keswick, 1940 - Britain is at war with Germany. Maggie's life is under invasion too: Gran knitting for England, evacuee lodgers, helping with the war effort  and now a fund-raising concert party! Husband Rob is due home on RAF leave and best friend Peg has just learnt that she's pregnant  but no such luck for Maggie and Rob. . .Nostalgia, romance, laughter and tears all feature full of live music, songs and dance from the war years.

Ninette de Valois was an extraordinary woman. Not only did she create The Royal Ballet, The Royal Ballet School and the company that has become Birmingham Royal Ballet - in themselves great achievements - but she was a gifted choreographer, dancer, teacher, administrator, speaker and writer. She also identified and developed so many of the talented dancers, choreographers and teachers who went onto make Britain a world leader in ballet and dance. During the 50th Anniversary Celebrations of The Royal Ballet in 1981, Ninette de Valois accepted an invitation tospeak to the Yorkshire Ballet Seminars. In that illuminating talk, printed here for the first time, she focuses on what 'English Ballet' is. Combined with her 1955 article, Some Problems of Ballet Today, and Sir Peter Wright's fascinating Madam's Memorial Address, this volume raises questions as meaningful today as they were when de Valois first addressed them. In an increasingly connected dance world, what does it mean to have a national style? Why is a national style important? How might a national style be identified, developed and nurtured? This volume provides thought-provoking and fascinating reading for all lovers of ballet, dance and art.

I felt I should say congratulations on winning the election but I couldn't find the words. . .There were suddenly three of us in our relationship. In the weeks leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the pressure on the UK government to commit to joining the American cause was escalating. And in one Stockwell household the pressure had completely erased the line between the political and the personal  the home of Laura and her husband Nick. . .TonyBlair's Chief of Staff. With the crisis coming to a head, Nick and Laura struggle to protect their relationship as Nick attempts to guide Tony Blair through one of the greatest controversies of our time.

Four plays. Five murderers. Five victims. Based on the true stories of five of Broadmoor's most notorious inmates from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and the people they murdered. The closely linked plays of Lullabies of Broadmoor weave together a rich, dark, Gothic tragicomedy about murder, love, madness, personal responsibility and redemption

Alan loves his work. He doesn't love his wife, his mother or his only child, so he aims to break free and live for himself. Alan's going to sort this mess out - this huge, horrific mess that is his life. He's got a plan. He's going to stop playing the husband, the father, the son and find himself. He's going to sort it out once and for all.

Sir Harold Hobson (Sunday Times) coined the phrase The Lonely Trilogy' to include Rattle (Garrick Theatre, 1962-3), Mother Adam (Arts Theatre, 1971) and Staircase (RSC, 1966-67), plays which have been in constant production throughout the years. Of the middle duologue, Hobson wrote: In Mother Adam Dyer has written one of the few real tragedies of our time... It is more disturbing; it has deeper resonances; it ismore beautifully written, with an imagination at once exotic and desperately familiar; it has a profounder pity, and a more exquisite falling Close.'

Jane is a housewife. James sells guns. They live in one of the larger cities in our country and are both terrified of ethnic youths who might well be wearing hoods and carrying knives, or something. All is well in the Jones household, until their sexually frustrated eighteen year old daughter Jenny brings home her new boyfriend, Kwese Abalo. . .A visceral, smart, brutally hilarious play about prejudice, arms dealing, and what it means to be English.

When does a twosome become a threesome? A very confused Los Angeles therapist finds out when one beautiful woman and two alpha males meet for couples therapy in Strausser's frenetic new comedy.

Three men. One gym. A disaster waiting to happen. Steve has been stalking Dan. Terry has also been stalking Dan. Steve and Terry are best friends. Steve wants a fight. Terry wants to get laid. Dan just wants to do some reps. It's not going to work out like that. Muscle: a wrong-com about pumping iron, loving thy brother, and battling with the man in the mirror.

Seven angels have fallen through space and time for so long, they have forgotten why. Coming to rest on a desert landscape, they imagine the creation of a legendary garden that once flourished there and its destruction from greed and neglect. Inspired by Paradise Lost, Seven Angels interprets the themes of John Milton's masterpiece for a modern audience facing up to the urgent challenges of a changing climate and ever-depleting resources

Eddie is a youthful dreamer and wannabe ladies' man who works day and night in his father's Chinese take-away. In fact, he's never happier than when he wanders into daydreams of escaping the everyday and being like his idol Tom Jones. But with two girlfriends, a full-time job, and a whole host of other problems, will he ever achieve his dream?

Howard Barker's theatre is characterized by its tragic scale and its distinctive way of exposing the unconscious resistances that underlie apparent social unanimity, both in the sexual and political spheres. Barker's play, BLOK/EKO, is a large-scale drama about death and its status in the world. Eko, an ageing despot, seemingly on a whim liquidates the entire medical profession, asserting that consolation - in the form of song - is a better way with sickness than drugs or surgery. A connoisseur herself, she knows great song is itself the distillation of suffering and so deliberately exposes her greatest poet Tot to a life of crime, poverty and humiliation in order to extract from him his finest work.

Funny People is Roy Smiles' whimsical account of his life incomedy; from his childhood growing up with the star actorsand comedians on television, stand-up and film in the 1960s and 1970s, through to his own work, writing hit plays that pay tribute to those legends of comedy who had a vital influenceon both him and British popular culture of the post-war years.From Sunday Night at the Palladium and The Dean Martin Show through Monty Python to The Simpsons and When Harry Met Sally and from Laurel and Hardy and Danny Kaye through Les Dawson to Jon Stewart and Chris Rock, Funny People is a compelling celebration of comedy and its value in our lives.

Drawing is perhaps the most immediate medium through which an idea can be articulated. Illustration takes drawing into the narrative realm. The illustrations that we see as children stay with us forever; they play a seminal role in the development of our imagination. On Illustration argues that this unassuming artistic discipline can enrich a person's experience of cultural life provided the illustrator's talent is matched by the courage and intelligence of the client. The book is an insight into Andrzej Klimowski's practice, and will help define the role and status of the illustrator in today's creative industries.

To all intents and purposes Vernon has fulfilled his ambitions.He has a good job and a suburban lifestyle with his wife and teenage son. But things change when austerity measures put his job under threat and soon Vernon begins to neglect his family whilst fighting redundancy. When a tragedy at work forces him to look closer to home, he discovers that communicating with loved ones in a postmodern technological age is not as easy as he thinks.

On 14 September 2003, at the Haitham Hotel in Basra, Iraq, Baha Mousa and nine others were arrested by the British Army as suspected insurgents. Two days later Baha Mousa was dead. A post-mortem examination revealed that he had suffered from asphyxiation, and had received at least 93 injuries to his body whilst in the Army's custody. In 2008 the Secretary of State for Defence announced a PublicInquiry into Baha Mousa's death and the treatment of those detained with him. Tactical Questioning brings together scenes from the Public Inquiry which examined the shocking events that took placeover those two days of detention, and the British Army's policies towards the treatment of detainees.This production coincides with the publishing of the Inquiry's findings in Summer 2011.

A collection of self contained one-man shows which brilliantly re-imagine four of Shakespeare's well known plays through the eyes of the bit parts. I, Malvolio re-imagines Twelfth Night from the point of view of Shakespeare's pent-up "notoriously wronged' steward. A story of lost dignity, prudery, practical, jokes and bullying that draws us deep into the madness of Shakespeare's classic comedy. I, Banquo: A blood-shot, story-telling journey into the heart of Shakespeare's Macbeth, told through the eyes of his murdered best friend. Classic theatre and modern story-telling combined, accompanied by a heavy-metal-guitar-playing 13 year old Fleance, a severed head and 32 litres of blood. I, Caliban: Events on Prospero's island as viewed by Caliban, a puppy-headed monster alone on the island at the end of The Tempest, alone with his memories, his magic tricks and one last bottle of wine. I, Caliban is a sweet and sorry tale about injustice, inebriation and missing your mum. I, Peaseblossom: The story of A Midsummer Night's Dream as re-lived through the fevered nightmares of Shakespeare's most neglected fairy. Funny, heart-breaking and ever-so-slightly crazed, I Peaseblossom is a gloriously anarchic dream of a "dream', perfect for children and adults alike

Football systems, changing room banter and a couple of mops solve the big questions of life - immortality, happiness and why England always lose, in a new play tackling the beautiful game. After several years of embedded research in the football darklands, a failed attempt to create a UK football team for the 2012 games and pathetic efforts at understanding the offside rule, Ridiculusmus is patching up its metatarsals to examine the melting pot of what it means to be British today.

Fired from his skiffle band, Francis Henshall becomes minder to Roscoe Crabbe, a small time East End hood, now in Brighton to collect £6,000 from his fiancee's dad. But Roscoe is really his sister Rachel posing as her own dead brother, who's been killed by her boyfriend Stanley Stubbers. Holed up at The Cricketers' Arms, the permanently ravenous Francis spots the chance of an extra meal ticket and takes a second job with one Stanley Stubbers, who is hiding from the police and waiting to be re-united with Rachel. To prevent discovery, Francis must keep his two guvnors apart. Simple. Based on Carlo Goldoni's classic Italian comedy The Servant of Two Masters, in this new English version by prizewinning playwright Richard Bean, sex, food and money are high on the agenda

Juniper is looking for love, Robert is trying to avoid it, Ollie doesn't know what it is and Meg has resigned herself to never having it. As these four people move through a July day in London, they orbit each other, unaware that they are hurtling towards one moment that could devastate them all.

Mowgli was still a toddler when he was lost in the jungle - his parents feeing the tiger, Shere Khan. There, Mowgli was brought up by wolves, and educated by the bear Baloo and the panther Bagheera.He was happy while growing up and learning the ways of the jungle -and his name was soon known amongst all the animals. But Mowgli'sgrowing fame provoked resentment and envy, and his life was soon threatened from all sides. . . First published in the late 1890s, Rudyard Kipling's two Jungle Books have enchanted generations of children and adults. Often describedas an allegory for the society and politics of the time, The Jungle Book has now been adapted by critically-acclaimed South African playwright, Craig Higginson. The play asks: Who is your family? Those who look the same as you or those who love and nurture you? Here, the tales become a powerful examination of an emerging democracy, and the forces that threaten it. Based on a version by the celebrated director Tim Supple, this adaptation was first staged at Johannesburg's Market Theatre in 2008. This powerful and magical version of a much-loved classic is as resonant now as it was when it first appeared - both within South Africa and beyond its borders.

Dana, Ruth and Jess down shots to console the heart-broken, to comfort the anxious and just pass the time. Kicked out from the family home Jess's Dad, Jim, invades the party with just as much recklessness as the girls. As the night passes and vodka bottles are emptied, Friday night in becomes high drama. An unruly new comedy asking if age equals maturity

Number 6: Thai soup with chicken, coconut milk, Thai ginger, tomatoes, button mushrooms, lemon grass and lemon leaves (hot). On a typical evening, anywhere in Europe, you walk into your local Thai/Chinese/Vietnamese restaurant, and the whole world is there. Everyone connected to everyone else, through this one place. . . The Golden Dragon is a funny and theatrical fable of modern life and migration, whisking you from your local takeaway to East Asia and back, revealing what really goes into that bowl of spicy soup. Are you hungry yet?

Across the UK thousands of people are involved in protests and debates, sparked into action by the largest cuts to publicspending since WWII  cuts which are the turning point of a generation, undermining the welfare state, higher education and the arts in one fell swoop. Theatre Uncut is a national theatre event in response to these cuts, bringing together some of the UK's leading dramatists.

The verbatim monologues in Deep Heat are drawn from conversations Robin Soans has had or overheard, or are edited versions of interviews he has conducted in the course of research for his plays. Subjects range from people who have held high office to those who have blown them up; from those who live in large country houses to others whose home is two blankets and a pile of leaves in the corner of a disused garage. So much of what is passed on as historical fact is the version of events that those with an ulterior motive choose to project. This book doesn't seek to judge, nor provide solutions; it seeks to redress the balance by giving a fair hearing even to those who may not share the same views as ours. Useful as audition pieces for actors, but equally of interest to the historian and sociologist in all of us. We are after all human, full of contradictions, and we can never inch our way towards greater self-knowledge if we don't see more of the picture than is traditionally the case.

Irish Blood, English Heart is an exploration of how memories, real and imagined, can shape our lives. Ray is a charming, enigmatic and successful comedian turned author. His brother Con is a London taxi driver struggling to keep his family together and bruised by his brother's success. When the two meet in a mysterious lockup following their estranged father's death, raw memories and unspoken truths come spilling out.

Crane and Williams' sensational Master and Margarita (Satan's Ball) marked the beginning of a golden period when their company BrightonTheatre premiered a succession of ground-breaking new plays, which took festivals by storm and toured the world. Out of the spectacular Bulgakov, came the minimalist Gogol, a chilling evocation of Gogol's whirling world, distilled into a nightmare for today. Then Vanity, a glittering diamond of a play', reclaimed Pushkin's Eugene Onegin as a intimate reflection on a love mistimed and shattered by social convention. From these successes, Brighton Theatre moved onto the main Edinburgh programme with Brothers Karamazov: a leap into the dark world of epilepsy, orthodoxy and murder in the family, which won triumphant reviews and international acclaim. Published now for the first time, these four plays flourished out of a unique collaboration of author and director, which saw them progressing from fringe to mainstream, West End and Off-Broadway without changing their style, and becoming an acknowledged inspiration for many of today's theatre artists.

In their different ways, these plays are existential suspense stories, centred around a common concept of time. The past is recreated through present moments, the future hinted at through shared memories, yet experienced from different perspectives. Fosse's drama explores life lived in unexpected ways, with a sense of otherness pervading the present and colouring the characters' relationships.

Bee and Em have been best friends for thirty years: they're on holiday in rural France, away from the demands of work and family. But just as they're setting the clocks forward, in steps Chris, a blast from their school days past. As the evening wears on, the three women joke and fight with one another just like the old times. But time plays tricks with memory and some wounds are just too deep to heal. This provocative and hilarious play takes a scalpel to childhood friendships and asks whether we ever get over them.

This collection of plays from Perry Pontac includes Fatal Loins, Hamlet Part II and Prince Lear. 'To be or not to be?' may be The Question, but it is not the only one. Hamlet, Part II answers a question about Hamlet that has plagued scholars, readers and play-goers for over four hundred years: What happened next? Prince Lear tackles yet another conundrum: What happened just before the start of King Lear, setting in motion the improbable events of Act I, scene 1? And in Fatal Loins, the question answered by the play is directly posed in the prologue: 'If Juliet and Romeo survive / Will their eternal passion stay alive?'

Two men on a fragile boat, a trip to sea  a few drinks, a bite to eat  when one of them decides to push on to the open ocean. Suddenly there they are: among the distant islands, the threatening fog and gathering swell of the sea, bound together on an odyssey into the unknown

When Jon Fosse had his playwright début with And We Shall Never Part at the National Theatre in Bergen in 1994, he was already an established author of several novels, collections of poetry and children's books. Since his breakthrough in 1996 with the world premiere of Someone Will Arrive at the Norwegian Theatre he has written over twenty more plays and has become the world's most performed contemporary European playwright. Oberon Books publishes Nightsongs, The Girl on the Sofa and I Am the Wind, together with his other plays in five collections. Fosse was made a Chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite of France in 2007 and received The International Ibsen Award in 2010.

Dead frogs and domestic savagery. . .Deep in the English countryside a son returns home after an eight-year absence. An arsonist teenager, a small village, and a thatcher who hates Thatcher collide under the looming presence of a defunct currency-paper mill. Bud writes a twisted love song to an impoverished rural Britain. A darkly comic new drama by one of the UK's most exciting new writing talents.

When young Electra's father is murdered by her mother, her world changes irrevocably. Ten years on, bound by grief and unwilling to forgive, Electra surrenders to an all-consuming desire for revenge that propels her toward a bloody and terrifying conclusion.

The concept of craftsmanship has never been as relevant and timely as it is today. Assailed on all sides by  among many other tendencies - flexible working, short-termism, portfolio careers, quick-fix training and the cult of celebrity, it has recently re-entered public debate with a new sense of urgency. Why? This series of linked essays by the man who ran the Royal College of Art for many years explores the crafts in education, in history and literature, in the contemporary arts landscape, in the language, in the digital age, and takes an unsentimental, hard-headed look at craftsmanship today. Only when the romantic cobwebs have been blown away, it argues, can the key importance of the crafts be fully understood.

A murder-suicide forces two orphaned twins out of the rural wilderness they know and into a bleak, brutal London that they don't. But even as they plan their escape, they find themselves locked in a grisly battle with a grieving stranger over their dead father's legacy. Woven with pitch black humour A BUTCHER OF DISTINCTION combines Joe Orton's wickedest imaginings and Harold Pinter's cynicism on society operating at its most entrepreneurial. Hayes' ability to push the darker side of the imagination to the extreme comes to the fore in this new and provocative piece of theatre.

This celebration of George Orwell is made up of material drawn from his novel Coming Up for Air, two essays based on his experience as a colonial police officer in Burma and the Ministry of Love interrogation episode in 1984.

Balletboyz was founded in 2001 by Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, previous lead dancers with The Royal Ballet. This innovative new company has made a dramatic mark on the British dance scene thrilling audiences and dance critics alike with its exhilarating mix of award winning repertoire, performance style and high artistic standards mixing multimedia with contemporary dance. These are the rebels of ballet appealing to a wider audience than ever before, a Balletboyz show is more like a rock concert than a traditional ballet performance.
This beautiful new book is packed full of exclusive behind the scenes photographs, interviews and insights into this unique and attention grabbing dance company. Telling the story of the Balletboyz company over the last 10 years, this exciting book is a joy to behold, and a must have for every dance lover, young or old, male or female. Due in part to their high mass media profile following numerous Channel 4 television documentaries, the Ballet Boyz have a massive fanbase which will surely only be bolstered by the upcoming 2011 national tour.
With more demi-gods than demi-pliés, the Balletboyz know how to rock the dance world and turn everything you ever thought about ballet on its head.

The Latvians who fought for the Third Reich and halted the Red Army parade as heroes every year through the streets of Riga. As a growing number of young Russians campaign to halt the fascist' march, their Latvian counterparts join the veterans in commemoration. When teenager Anya becomes a political activist, her father's attempts to calm the situation stirs up a storm of extremist patriotism.

As big-hearted patriarch David clings to a deal that could save both his ailing catering firm and his cherished standing in the Edgware Jewish community, his children are at loggerheads. While eldest son Danny fights for the Israelis in Gaza, his sister investigates war crimes in that same conflict. Their brother drinks and brawls and refuses to join their father's business. But when tragedy strikes, each family member is forced to confront head-on the clash between individual identity and the demands and expectations of community. The Holy Rosenbergs explores tribal loyalties, the culpability of family and the consequences of standing up for what you believe to be right

David Pownall's Sound Theatre is an expert's to the art of writing drama for the radio. This book is sure to become the essential read for anyone wishing to write for a listening audience. However this is not merely a book about authorship, it is also a thoughtful meditation on the nature of sound and how it shapes and colours our daily experiences. Presented as a series of short missives, both whimsical and profound, that collectively form an intimate portrait of the author and his artistic philosophy. Forming part of the Oberon Masters series, this new book provides a great insight into writing for a unique and much cherished media.

Troy is in ruins- the men dead and the women taken into captivity. The victorious Greeks prepare to sail home. An epic tale of love, loss, song and sarcasm in the smoking ruins of Troy. Award-winning poet and playwright, Glyn Maxwell rips up two Greek tragedies and makes a witty, passionate play from the fragments. A contemporary retelling of Euripides' Women Of Troy and Hecuba, After Troy exposes the cruelties of war both then and now.

Meet Samuel Johnson - poet, essayist, compiler of the first English dictionary. This evening of anecdotes and witty conversation brings to life one of the most colourful figures of the eighteenth century: irritable, generous, depressive yet hilarious. Meet characters from his life, from biographer James Boswell and painter Joshua Reynolds, to a society hostess who was Johnson's final, unrequited, love.

The Dickens epic classic is re-imagined for the stage in a unique adaptation by leading playwright Tanika Gupta, relocating Pip's extraordinary journey to nineteenth century India. Pip, a poor village boy, finds two chance meetings set his life on an unexpected course. At the water's edge, he has a terrifying encounter with an escaped convict. In the decaying grandeur of Miss Havisham's house, he falls hopelessly in love with the heartless Estella. When an anonymous benefactor helps him move to Calcutta, the heart of the British Raj, Pip pursues his great expectations and his dream of winning Estella's heart. Our production of this coming of age story, evoking some of Dickens' most colourful characters, is faithful to the period of the book and the richness of Dickens' language - a vivid theatrical retelling of a universally loved masterpiece

Things are about to get a whole lot crazy! Created by three of Scotland's most dynamic writers, Smalltown tells the unexpected tale of what happens when a polluted water supply turns its residents crazy: from zombies in the frozen food aisle, to oversexed teenagers releasing the animal within, to a dangerous game of Russian roulette on Girvan beach. Smalltown is the story of nature wreaking her revenge and unleashing all sorts of comedic carnage. Find yourself trapped in three separate stories of Smalltown life before you decide how the story ends!

An innocent evening of ice-cream and DVDs derails quickly into dangerous territory. This is a story of a father who loved too deeply.

A new black comedy of twisted morality set in modern Colombia. When a rumour spreads like wildfire through a Colombian village, a respectable family start to wither in the heat. As long- buried secrets begin to surface, their efforts to discern truth from slander become fused with a desire for justice.

It's been a month since Stephen stepped over the edge. There was no sign - no warning. Amy collects her husband's effects, the things he had with him gathered in a single box. As memories of their last night together rewind, replay and unravel, she is desperate to find out why. Joe and Matt are making a documentary. Whilst reviewing their footage they make a startling discovery that will take their film in an unexpected direction - the blurred image of a man jumping from the cliffs. Beachy Head is a powerful look at the ripple effects of one man's decision. Mixing text, 3D animation and a dynamic physicality,

The study of climate science is the cool degree at the university where Dr Diane Cassell is a lead academic in Earth Sciences. At odds with the orthodoxy over man-made climate change, she finds herself increasingly vilified and is forced to ask if the issue is political as well as personal. Could the belief in anthropogenic global warming be the most attractive religion of the 21st century?

Crossing the state border in a stolen Ford V-8, with a trunk full of shotguns and bootleg whiskey, Bonnie and Clyde have found one last place to hide. Time is ticking...they're on the run from the law and reality, but which will catch them first?

Frighteningly prescient, and tragically current, Oh, To Be In England is a dark comedy examining what it means to live in an ex-empire in economic free-fall, and the political and personal extremism that results when all other belief is lost. A middle-aged Englishman, bred to believe in his innate superiority as a birthright of class, race, and gender, loses his job in the City. Left floundering impotently in a world that is no longer cricket, his family, security, and sanity follow close behind.

In 1894, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, an innocent Jewish Officer in the French Army, was convicted on false evidence for a crime of high treason. He was stripped of his rank, publicly degraded and deported to the penal colony of Devil's Island to serve a sentence of life imprisonment in total isolation and under inhumane conditions. The fight to prove his innocence was to last 12 years. This trilogy of plays are a dramatic adaptation of this episode in 19th century European history. Also includes an introduction, a chronology of the Dreyfus Affair and an epilogue by the author, My Burning Protest by George Whyte after Emile Zola. The Dreyfus trilogy includes the dramatisations The Dreyfus Affair (premiered at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, 8 May 1994), Dreyfus - J'Accuse' (premiered at the Oper der Stadt Bonn, 8 September 1999) and Rage and Outrage (premiered by Franco/German TV Channel Arte 18 May 1995).

Bea is lively, naughty and full of life. When she asks something of her mother that no parent would want to be asked, and of Not Gay Ray' something far beyond the call of duty, they are both forced to challenge the boundaries of their own compassion.

Complications come fast and furious as the wife of a noble lord misinterprets a note.

Lila longs to become a firework-maker, just like her father. In order to become a true firework-maker, she sets off alone on a perilous journey to reach the terrifying Fire-Fiend. She travels through jungles alive with crocodiles, snakes, monkeys and pirates, and climbs up the scolding volcano. On finding the Fire-Fiend, she realises more is at stake than she ever imagined. Will Lila survive? Lila's is the kind of magical adventure that all children dream of and the gripping story of the fleet-footed heroine will live long in the memory of anyone who enters her world.

At the turn of the 20th Century, the great cruise liner Virginia shuttles back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean, transporting passengers from old Europe to the New World. When an abandoned baby is found on board the sailors christen Novecento  1900. The child is destined to a strange fate. Novecento will never leave the ship as long as he lives, yet he becomes the greatest jazz musician the world would never know. He only knows his music, which has a magical effect on everyone who hears. For six years before World War II, Tim Tooney played trumpet with him and Novecento gave him his story...

Blackthorn ; Kate and Tom with their troubled daughter Evie decide to leave the London rat race and start afresh in the peace of the countryside. They buy a farmhouse in Wales& Watch the drama unfold. Blackthorn is a darkly comic new play by Gary Owen about the clash between the newcomers with their expectations and the way of life a Welsh farmer holds dear . . .In the Pipeline: A massive liquid gas line tears through the countryside of west Wales. Gary Owen opens the doors to three of the residents in the port of Milford Haven, Andrew, Dai and Joan, who are caught in the path of this terrifying phenomenon.

In the heart of Northern England, three respectable couples, married on the same day, at the same church, and by the same vicar, join to celebrate 25 years of blissful matrimony. Or so they think& The happy celebrations are brought to a sudden halt by a shocking revelation  these pillars of the community aren't quite as respectably married as they thought they were. As the home truths fly like confetti and conjugal rites turn to farcical fights, an evening of sparkling comic mayhem erupts. With a photographer from the local paper due to arrive any second, a missing housekeeper and a doorbell that wont stop ringing, can the three couples keep a lid on their embarrassing secret? Penned in 1938, this is a classic comedy that is a blessed union of laughs and surprises

While staying as the guest of a factory owner in pre-First World War France, Stephen Wraysford embarks on a passionate affair with Isabelle, the wife of his host. The affair changes them both for ever. A few years later Stephen finds himself back in the same part of France, but this time as a soldier at the Battle of the Somme, the bloodiest encounter in British military history. As his men die around him, Stephen turns to his enduring love for Isabelle for the strength to continue and to save something for future generations.

A play about the stupid things you do when you're f*cked. A night out. Friends, alcohol, a shit club, a strop - the usual. But tonight is different. Tonight will change things forever. With Love Steals us from Loneliness, Gary Owen, one of Wales's foremost playwrights, returns to his hometown of Bridgend. The media have told us their Bridgend story, but what will a writer who spent his own teenage years here have to say?

In a world ever more focused upon global warming, climate change and the increased scarcity of resources Ugly is a dark comedy set in a future where food and water are dangerously scarce. A tale of four people who may have to kill their angels and become more like their devils if they are going to survive. Emotional, intense and visceral, this play breaks rules. It will also break your heart. . .Ugly is not pretty, a timely reminder of what we are doing to our planet.....reading it might just change your life.

It's summer 2005. Maya Marsalis takes you by the hand - sometimes the throat -and leads you through her landscape on the day Hurricane Katrina came, the levees broke, the world watched and the US Government did nothing. Go with her as she shows you how her world and that of thousands of black American citizens changed forever on the day the waters came.

Richard Bean's latest is a controversial and hilarious play set amongst the expatriate Irish community of New York as they try to raise money for NORAID, the charitable organisation often accused of being an IRA front. New York fire-fighters of Irish descent give money to NORAID, along comes 9/11 and several die at the hands of a terrorist group. Spot the irony.

Everyone's ever so polite and terribly obliging at Fairview Vale. But what on earth is Mr Price doing there? And what's he getting so het up about? All anyone's trying to do is help... All becomes terrifyingly clear in this mysteriously funny, intriguing new play from award winning writer Paul Sellar, recently described by The Spectator as "A writer we can cherish". Opening at Edinburgh Festival in 2010, A Man Who Fell Out of Bed is part conspiracy thriller, part dystopian drama, a nightmarishly sinister vision of a world to come.

South African writer Craig Higginson's powerful new play is a dark, witty and sexually-charged psychological drama told through the eyes of a beautiful English teacher and her French-Congolese pupil. A state of the nation' exploration of the tensions between the first and third worlds the play explores issues around language, power, identity, sex, past trauma, class, exile and refugees.

Tell me, please - is this a dream?'The night before he leads his troops into battle, the prince of Homburg strips off his uniform and goes sleepwalking. Moonstruck, his mind races with a young man's fantasies - love, ambition and victory. But when the morning comes, a single reckless act of disobediance sets in motion a chain of events that leads inexorable to the one thing he never dreamt would happen; his own death.

FIT is a bold and groundbreaking new play for young people written and directed by acclaimed writer/director Rikki Beadle-Blair. The play was developed to address the growing problem of homophobic bullying in Britain's schools and was especially created for Key Stage 3 (KS3) students (Year 7-9), specifically complementing various learning objectives from the National Curriculum, particularly PHSE and Citizenship.

After the apparent murder of his father the likely lad erupts into an isolated bar room - but this time in 1950's Trinidad.

The Good Soldier, a tale of deceit, delusion, and disintegrating marriage in pre-war Britain. Two seemingly upstanding couples find their friendships enveloped by scandal and tragedy, as the façade of wealth and privilege falls away and details of their indiscretions emerge.A fasinating new stage adaptation from an award winning writer.

tells the story of Jamal an African refugee who is on the run and hiding in a burnt out attic. But as fate would have it he finds himself sharing his 'precious' space with Tony a 17-year-old racist who is also on the run after stabbing a young black boy.

A new set of bohemians take over Soho Theatre and bar in this electric new English translation of La Bohème, a tale of love and tragedy, indulgence and excess. Having wowed audiences at Kilburn's Cock Tavern in a record-breaking, sell-out six-month run, Soho Theatre takes on opera for the very first time as Puccini's La Bohème is retold for contemporary Soho with a talented, classically trained young cast.

Pre-teen Delilah enjoys High School Musical, swim parties and ogling the lodger. Whilst her parents throw verbal grenades at one another, they barely notice their 21 year old tenant starting to notice her.

Lagos, 1989. Political hysteria and social change are sweeping Nigeria. Chief Adeyemi's wife Toyin is turning forty and, behind the mansion walls, the household is preparing for her party. Their troublesome sons, back from college, are more interested in seduction and starting revolutions that their parents' disintegrating marriage. Meanwhile Helen, the ambitious housegirl, is waiting for her chance&Prequel to 'The Estate'.

A study of a poet compelled to sacrifice friends and lovers to fulfil the demands of his imagination in obsessive pursuit of creating the perfect masterpiece.

As barbarians approach the palace of an ancient culture, four princesses must decide if they will witness the destruction of all they know or conform to expectation and commit suicide. For some, the possibility of life is all too compelling.

Doddie is a depressed gay man who shoplifts. Scratchitt has early menopause. Pam has an incontinent dead dog. Peter has erectile problems. They are all on holiday together when a mysterious young man called Stuck turns up

Dion Boucicault, the Irish genius of London theatre in the age of Dickens, wrote the brilliantly funny London Assurance in 1841 and thereby created  in Sir Harcourt and Lady Spanker  two of the great comic roles of the English stage, played at the NT by Simon Russell Beale and Fiona Shaw. This stage revival has been brilliantly adapted by the prolific and award-winning playwright Richard Bean.

a study of a pub quiz team whose name 'My dad's a Drug Addict', is not supposed to be ironic.
- Alfred Hickling, Guardian

Inspired by the John Lahr biography of the late British playwright Joe orton and the diaries of Orton himself

Why would anyone want to see a play about two children killing a smaller child? That is a question this play asks its audience at the outset. Just why is each of us there? "Do you think it is useful to watch two children killing a third?" - though that is the expectation rather than what the play presents. One might also ask why should a Swedish dramatist want to write a play about this British incident? The subject, as you may have guessed, is the murder of two-year old James Bulger by 10-year-olds, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, in 1993. It was a case which gained media attention the world over. Again why? Because the age of the killers makes it so exceptional? Not so, as a catalogue of recorded precedents since 1748 included in this play makes clear. But they were not put in the spotlight by contemporary international news media and was also the fact that the child's abduction took place under the public gaze in a shopping mall, watched by closed circuit television cameras.
- Howard Loxton, British Theatre Guide.

In Behud, a playwright attempts to make sense of the past by visiting the darkest corners of her imagination. It's a "playful and provocative response to the events surrounding Behzti, and the story of an artist struggling to be heard."

Tell me, please - is this a dream?'The night before he leads his troops into battle, the prince of Homburg strips off his uniform and goes sleepwalking. Moonstruck, his mind races with a young man's fantasies - love, ambition and victory. But when the morning comes, a single reckless act of disobediance sets in motion a chain of events that leads inexorable to the one thing he never dreamt would happen; his own death.

Rain. Spain. An epic movie on location. Two actors. Two egos. One leaking trailer.

asks questions about whether honesty is the best policy where infidelity is concerned and muse about the relative efficacy of rekigous consolation and its secular counter-part, psychotherapy
Ian Shuttleworth, Financial Times

Graham Green's original novel was a very witty send-up of the life of a secret agent in 1950's Cuba - a world which was very familiar to him having, in the early nineteen forties, played the spying game himself as agent 59200, - and although seemingly farcical was reputedly based on some sort of truth. Clive Francis' version takes the original concept and sends it up so far it practically goes into orbit.
- Sheila Connor, British Theatre Guide

Motherland is a powerful and moving dramatisation of conversations with wives, girlfriends and mothers of military personnel serving in Iraq and Afganistan. These North East women share their incredibly moving and hard-hitting stories with warmth, humour and candour.

Maverick theatre-makers On Theatre join forces with legendary singer-songwriter Billy Bragg to explore English identity and loyalty. 'Pressure Drop' takes us to the heart of one family's struggle to define home. Part play, part gig, part installation, it is a passionate account of what it is to be English today.

This exciting and funny new play by the award-winning writer and director Mick Gordon is proud to be part of Darwin200, celebrating the life and work of Charles Darwin and the 150 years anniversary of On The Origin of Species. It will help answer all the big questions as well as some smaller ones too! Will Fitz find a way to make himself more handsome? Will Charlie get his homework in on time? And will life ever be the same again?

In the battle between heaven and earth which ensues, the innocent quickly fall and David's challenge to God assumes cataclysmic proportions... King David, Man of Blood re-spins a classic biblical tale to devastating moral effect, fetching up on a very modern shore, where horror, tragedy, comedy and a terrible beauty co-exist.

S-27 asks if survival meant complicity with a brutal regime, what would you sacrifice for someone you love? May's revolutionary idealism has earned her a job as prison photographer for the Organisation. But as the faces of the regime's enemies pass her unflinching lens, will they shake May's belief in the world she helped create?

Foreplay looks at a South Africa seemingly obsessed with sex and violence, where AIDS is still taking far too many lives.

Grose sets his macabre scenes within the Parision theatre from which grand guignol takes its name, and populates his play with real - in a loose sense of the term - human beings; including Maxa "the most assinated woman in the world".br / - Susannah Clapp, Observer.

The story is set in and around a secondary school after the summer holidays and explores the consequences of one girl's decision to wear the Hijab.

sexual jelousy told from the viewpoint of the wronged husband rather than the wife or her lover