Unprecedented, extraordinary, difficult, relentless, seemingly unending... however you choose to describe it, one thing's for sure: thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 has been one hell of a year. For a theatre publisher like Nick Hern Books, nine months with a shuttered arts industry has been a challenge that's forced us to adapt and find … Continue reading ‘We hold on to hope for a better future’ – Matt Applewhite looks back on 2020
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‘I’ve vowed to keep on telling my story’ – Nathaniel Hall on First Time and tackling HIV stigma
In Nathaniel Hall's hilarious and heartbreaking solo show First Time – a hit at Edinburgh Fringe 2019 and on its UK tour, and now available in print – the theatre-maker and activist draws on his own life story to smash through the stigma and shame of HIV, and present an uplifting and inspirational guide to staying … Continue reading ‘I’ve vowed to keep on telling my story’ – Nathaniel Hall on First Time and tackling HIV stigma
‘It remains necessary’: Lucy Kerbel on five years of Platform
Five years ago, in 2015, we joined forces with Tonic Theatre, a fantastic organisation working to address the gender imbalance and achieve gender equality in theatre, to create and publish Platform: our series of plays for all-female or mainly female casts, commissioned specifically to be performed by young actors. The initiative has been a huge … Continue reading ‘It remains necessary’: Lucy Kerbel on five years of Platform
‘A hero, a leader, a true warrior’ – a tribute to Larry Kramer
We're saddened to hear the news of writer and activist Larry Kramer, who sadly died on 27 May 2020 at the age of 84. Nick Hern Books is proud to publish his passionate, vital play The Normal Heart, set during the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New York in the 1980s. Here, we … Continue reading ‘A hero, a leader, a true warrior’ – a tribute to Larry Kramer
Discover the Most-Performed Plays of 2019
What a fantastic year 2019 was for NHB! We were shortlisted for an award at the IPG Independent Publishing Awards; celebrated awards success for loads of our authors including Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antony Sher, Frances Poet and Lynn Nottage; launched our new series Multiplay Drama (which is up for a prize at the Music and Drama … Continue reading Discover the Most-Performed Plays of 2019
Nick Hern Books at 30
This year, Nick Hern Books celebrated thirty years of theatre publishing. As the year draws to a close, we take a look at some of the things that have made it a year to remember... We published 100 new plays over the year, two-thirds of them by female writers. They included the exhilarating debut play … Continue reading Nick Hern Books at 30
Nick Hern and Matt Applewhite (The Nick Hern Books Anniversary Interviews)
Rounding off our Anniversary Interviews series, theatre journalist Al Senter talks to Publisher Nick Hern and Managing Director Matt Applewhite about thirty years of Nick Hern Books, and what lies ahead for the company... In the thirty years since it came into being, Nick Hern Books has grown into a considerable force, not just in … Continue reading Nick Hern and Matt Applewhite (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
‘Theatre in its purest form’: Cheryl Henson on the power of puppetry in an increasingly digital world
Puppetry is an artform with ancient roots, but contemporary applications - and the international success of shows like National Theatre hit War Horse proves that it has lost none of its magic. Here, Cheryl Henson, President of the Jim Henson Foundation, reflects on how that ‘magic’ happens, and pays tribute to director and puppeteer Mervyn … Continue reading ‘Theatre in its purest form’: Cheryl Henson on the power of puppetry in an increasingly digital world
Understanding the Mad King: Antony Sher on rehearsing King Lear
Leading actor Antony Sher's new book Year of the Mad King: The Lear Diaries provides an intimate, first-hand account of his process researching, rehearsing and performing arguably Shakespeare's most challenging role, Lear, in the acclaimed 2016 Royal Shakespeare Company production. This extract, written during rehearsals only a few weeks before the production opened, takes us behind … Continue reading Understanding the Mad King: Antony Sher on rehearsing King Lear
The Prompt Book 