In addition to his success as a highly respected writer and teacher, Stephen Jeffreys also spent many years working on a guide to the craft of playwriting, to share his wisdom and experience. That book, Playwriting, is out now, published posthumously following Stephen's sad and untimely death in September 2018. Here, in an extract from Playwriting, … Continue reading ‘As a playwright, you must have something that you want to say’: Stephen Jeffreys on the craft of playwriting
Playwriting
Vaulting ambition: the best new plays from VAULT Festival 2019
VAULT Festival, London's biggest arts and entertainment festival, is now underway in the Vaults in Waterloo, where it runs until 17 March. With over 400 shows from more than 2,000 artists, featuring the best new writing in theatre and comedy, cabaret, immersive experiences, late night parties and more, there's something for everyone. And to celebrate … Continue reading Vaulting ambition: the best new plays from VAULT Festival 2019
‘We all live within shouting distance of someone in crisis’: Lynn Nottage on her play Sweat
As her latest play Sweat opens at the Donmar Warehouse in London, the double-Pulitzer-winning playwright Lynn Nottage reveals the painful personal encounter that led her to write it, and how her intensive research uncovered truths overlooked by mainstream media... Several years ago I received a commission from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival to write a play … Continue reading ‘We all live within shouting distance of someone in crisis’: Lynn Nottage on her play Sweat
Howard Brenton (The Nick Hern Books Anniversary Interviews)
Howard Brenton's career as a playwright encompasses an extraordinary variety of subjects and many glittering successes, from Pravda and The Romans in Britain to Paul and Never So Good. But, as he tells theatre journalist Al Senter, there have been tricky times too, and he owes the revival of his career to a stint on … Continue reading Howard Brenton (The Nick Hern Books Anniversary Interviews)
Remembering Stephen Jeffreys
This week saw the tragic passing of playwright and NHB author Stephen Jeffreys. Known for works including hit historical romp The Libertine, he was also a caring and supportive mentor to an entire generation of writers. In this edited introduction from a recently published collection of Stephen's plays, his wife, Annabel Arden, pays tribute to the … Continue reading Remembering Stephen Jeffreys
Jack Thorne (The Nick Hern Books Anniversary Interviews)
Jack Thorne is the playwright behind Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and a five-times BAFTA-winning screenwriter. He talked to theatre journalist Al Senter about his abiding love for theatre, while, below, we publish his speech at the Nick Hern Books thirtieth anniversary party at the Royal Court Theatre in July... Jack Thorne is a … Continue reading Jack Thorne (The Nick Hern Books Anniversary Interviews)
Lucy Kirkwood (The Nick Hern Books Anniversary Interviews)
Lucy Kirkwood is a leading playwright whose plays include the hugely acclaimed Chimerica. She spoke to theatre journalist Al Senter as part of our interview series celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of Nick Hern Books in 2018... Lucy Kirkwood has come a great distance in a remarkably short period of time. In the ten years since … Continue reading Lucy Kirkwood (The Nick Hern Books Anniversary Interviews)
Rona Munro (The Nick Hern Books Anniversary Interviews)
Continuing our series of interviews with our leading authors and playwrights, commissioned to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of Nick Hern Books in 2018, theatre journalist Al Senter talks to playwright and screenwriter Rona Munro... Born and raised in Aberdeen, Scotland’s venerable Granite City, writer Rona Munro has recently transported herself to the other end of … Continue reading Rona Munro (The Nick Hern Books Anniversary Interviews)
‘Reaching out for life in a new country’: Winsome Pinnock on her play Leave Taking
Winsome Pinnock’s play Leave Taking, about a Caribbean family living in North London, is as powerful today as it was when it was first performed in 1987. As a major new production opens at the Bush Theatre in London, the author reveals how she came to write it, and how it was inspired by her … Continue reading ‘Reaching out for life in a new country’: Winsome Pinnock on her play Leave Taking
‘A writer of protean gifts’: Lucy Kirkwood on Caryl Churchill
This year's recipient of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Outstanding Contribution to Writing is the playwright Caryl Churchill – one of the leading figures in contemporary world theatre, and an NHB author for over thirty years – 'in honour of her illustrious body of work and a career which has spanned over … Continue reading ‘A writer of protean gifts’: Lucy Kirkwood on Caryl Churchill
The Prompt Book 