Or for the intimacy and tenderness you feel as you hold the hand of a suffering friend.A generation after the height of the AIDS crisis, what is it like to be a young gay man in New York? How many words are there now for the different kinds of pain, the different kinds of love?Matthew Lopez's The Inheritance premiered in two parts at the Young Vic Theatre, London, in March 2018, and on Broadway, Oct. 2019.

    I want to talk and find out a bit more about you and ideally have sex. Or maybe not full sex but – I need to be home by 11 p.m.'Dating again after a complex break-up, Jessie is trying to get her personal life in order – before her kids wake up.From actress, comedian, writer and doodler Jessie Cave. Sunrise is an honest, tender-hearted and uproariously funny story about crying in the woods, sexual accidents, Harry Potter conventions and Instagram espionage – but also about motherhood and trying to get stuff done.

    The scenes in this one-act play, for all the characters' disagreements, stalemates, and seeming impasses, explore what happens if one is willing to stay in the room when it is painful to bear the pressure to listen and the obligation to respond.--from the introduction by Claudia RankineClaudia Rankine's first published play, The White Card, poses the essential question: Can American society progress if whiteness remains invisible?Composed of two scenes, the play opens with a dinner party thrown by Virginia and Charles, an influential Manhattan couple, for the up-and-coming artist Charlotte. Their conversation about art and representations of race spirals toward the devastation of Virginia and Charles's intentions. One year later, the second scene brings Charlotte and Charles into the artist's studio, and their confrontation raises both the stakes and the questions of what--and who--is actually on display.Rankine's The White Card is a moving and revelatory distillation of racial divisions as experienced in the white spaces of the living room, the art gallery, the theater, and the imagination itself.

    It was one of the first published collections of poetry written by a woman in England. The little we know of Emilia Bassano is restricted to the possibility that she may have been the Dark Lady of Shakespeare's Sonnets - and the rest of HerStory has been erased by History.Commissioned specifically for Shakespeare's Globe, and with an all-female cast, this world premiere will reveal the life of Emilia: poet, mother and feminist. This time, the focus will be on this exceptional woman who managed to outlive all the men the history books tethered her to.

    John, a brilliant and witty doctoral student, hires overworked Jess as a caregiver. As their lives intersect, Majok's play delves into the chasm between abundance and need and explores the space where bodies--abled and disabled--meet each other.(Dramatists Play Service)

    I mean the happy satiety that comes from being in the hands of a real right-brain/left-brain author who channels her ineffable instincts with a master artisan’s practical skills … Ms. Baker has established herself as one of the freshest voices in American theater. Here she also provides evidence of her peerless ear for contemporary language.” —New York Times“Tantalizing … In John, a play set in a quaintly eerie bed and breakfast, Baker flirted with occult suspense. Here, in a drama confined to a fluorescent room … she edges into symbolist territory. Baker’s signature hyper-realism makes room for an irrational dimension that lightly evokes the supernatural enigmas of Maurice Maeterlinck and August Strindberg.” —Los Angeles Times“A paradoxical, puzzling, compellingly hypnotic work.” —Village VoiceIn Annie Baker’s The Antipodes, a group of people sit around a table telling, cataloging, and theorizing stories. Their purpose is never clear: are they brainstorming ideas for a TV show? A film? A mythology? This is a world where ghostly fables co-exist with mundane discussions of snacks and sexual exploits, where the vague instruction to tell stories about “something monstrous” though “it might not be a literal monster” becomes maddeningly impossible. Part satire, part sacred rite, The Antipodes asks what value stories have for a world in crisis. (TCG)

    When the struggling writer was asked to take over the unpaid, anonymous position of advice columnist, Strayed used empathy and her personal experiences to help those seeking guidance for obstacles both large and small. Tiny Beautiful Things is a play about reaching when you’re stuck, healing when you’re broken, and finding the courage to take on the questions which have no answers.

    Right is much easier said than done. While surrounding himself with his close group of girlfriends it comes to pass that the only thing harder than looking for love is supporting the loved ones around you. From the critically acclaimed writer who brought you Bad Jews.

    As they endure the ever-escalating dangers around them--in their home, as well as in the streets of Kabul--they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, playwright Ursula Rani Sarma reimagines Hosseini's novel to show how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival.A stunning accomplishment, this reimagination of A Thousand Splendid Suns is a haunting, heartbreaking, compelling production about unlikely friendship and indestructible love.This adaptation was first performed by the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco in February 2017.

    In this powerful new adaptation from visionary director Sally Cookson, the bestselling novel by Patrick Ness is brought to the stage to tell the stunning story of love, loss and courage anew. Conor has the same dream every night, ever since his mother first fell ill, ever since she started that treatments that don't quite seem to be working. But tonight is different. Tonight, when he wakes, there's a visitor at his window. It's ancient, elemental, a force of nature. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth. The final idea of the late, award-winning writer Siobhan Dowd, developed into an extraordinary and heartbreaking novel by Patrick Ness, and now adapted for an Old Vic production that brings the tale to a new audience.

    But things get complicated when Lorenzo de’ Medici commissions Botticelli to paint a portrait of his wife, Clarice. What emerges is the famed The Birth of Venus and a love triangle involving Botticelli’s young assistant Leonardo that risks setting their world alight. For while Florence of 1497 is a liberal city, civil unrest is stoked by the charismatic friar Girolamo Savonarola who begins calling for sodomites to be burned at the pyre.In the Bible she is unnamed, referred to simply as “Lot’s wife.” In Sunday in Sodom, Edith recounts how her husband welcomed two American soldiers into their house, the fury this sparked in their village, and the chain of events that led to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. But most importantly, Edith sets the record straight as to why, after being told not to, she looked back upon the destruction of her hometown and turned into a pillar of salt.

    An epic, lyrical journey through the pulsating heart and underground soul of inner-city London.Arinzé Kene's Misty is an inventive blend of gig theatre, spoken word, live art and direct address, confronting the assumptions and expectations underpinning the act of telling a story.Misty premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2018, performed by the author and directed by Omar Elerian.

    In a way that is the point. Some people say that it is the body, but I think the body is more of a channel that leads us home. Ultimate reality is our home. It is here and now.In 2016, two artists embarked a cargo ship and retraced a route of the Transatlantic Slave Triangle - Europe, Africa, the Caribbean - all the while contemplating the notion of home. Both real and imagined, it was a journey to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, propelled by questions and grief; a journey backwards in order to go forwards, a diaspora. This show is what they brought back. Selina Thompson's Salt premiered at Southbank Centre in July 2017, and went on to tour in the UK, Australia, Canada and Brazil.Winner of The Stage Edinburgh Award, The Total Theatre Award for Experimentation, Innovation and Playing with Form, and The Filipa Bragan�a Award. Shortlisted for the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award.

    Beth wants nothing more than to help him.Join the hopeful, resilient residents of 'The Jungle', the refugees and volunteers from around the globe who gather at the Afghan Caf�. They're just across the Channel, right on our doorstep.Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson's The Jungle premiered as a co�production between Young Vic and the National Theatre with Good Chance Theatre, commissioned by the National Theatre, opening at the Young Vic, London, in December 2017. The play transferred to the Playhouse Theatre, London, in June 2018.

    Herzog's many fine plays." --Jesse Green, New York TimesArmed with medicines, feeding tubes, and various medical equipment, Mary Jane is a single mother and indefatigable force when it comes to caring for her young, sick child. A moving play about the stalwart endurance of a devoted mother, Mary Jane demonstrates the prevailing strength of the human will when fueled by unconditional love.

    When her time comes, the celebration begins; the traditional Jamaican Nine Night wake. But for Gloria’s children and grandchildren, marking her death with a party that lasts over a week is a test. Nine nights of music, food, sharing stories – and an endless parade of mourners.Natasha Gordon’s debut play Nine Night is a touching and very funny exploration of the rituals of family. It was premiered at the National Theatre, London, in April 2018, directed by Roy Alexander Weise.

    I'm stronger. How do you know I haven't sorted out some natural equilibrium all on my own? Maybe we should try it, just for a bit.Diagnosed with a severe mental illness as a child, Anna was prescribed a cocktail of pills. Now a young adult, she's wondering how life might feel without them. But as she tries to move beyond the labels that have defined her, her mother feels compelled to intervene - threatening the fragile balance they have both fought so hard to maintain.Winner of a Judges Award at the 2015 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting, Kendall Feaver's The Almighty Sometimes premiered at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, in February 2018. The play received the the UK Theatre Award for Best New Play at 2018.

    He is joined by his two brothers and an American epic begins.164 years later, the firm they establish - Lehman Brothers - spectacularly collapses triggering the largest financial crisis in history.The story of a family and a company that changed the world, Ben Power's English-language adaptation of Stefano Massini's vast and poetic play The Lehman Trilogy premiered at the National Theatre, London, in July 2018.

    Contains the plays The Roommate, The Moors and Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties.Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties - Five different women named Betty collide at the intersection of anger, sex, and the “thea-tah.”The Moors - Two sisters and a dog live out their lives on the bleak English moors, and dream of love and power. A dark comedy about love, desperation, and visibility.The Roommate - A dark comedy about what it takes to re-route your life - and what happens when the wheels come off.

    But when a girl she helped raise comes back home to North Carolina to get married, to a woman, Della's life gets turned upside-down.

    ‘I want the world to change shape.’ ‘I'm not sure theatre can do that.’‘Well then where am I meant to take that impulse because I'm very serious about the endeavour?’A young writer challenges the status quo but discovers that creative gain comes at a personal cost.Ella Hickson's play The Writer premiered in April 2018 at the Almeida Theatre, London, in a production directed by Blanche McIntyre.

    Ada envisions a whole new world where art and information converge – a world she might not live to see. A music-laced story of love, friendship, and the edgiest dreams of the future. Jane Austen meets Steve Jobs in this poignant pre-tech romance heralding the computer age. Original music by The Kilbanes on request. More at: adaplay.tumblr.com

    The patients—her mother, who’s recovering from surgery for ovarian cancer, and her roommate behind the curtain, aren’t laughing—or even awake—but there’s someone else in the room . . .In Halley Feiffer’s “ painfully irresistible” (The New York Times) new play, a foul-mouthed twenty-something comedian and a middle-aged man embroiled in a nasty divorce are brought together unexpectedly when their cancer-stricken mothers become roommates in the hospital. Together, this unlikely duo must negotiate some of life’s biggest challenges . . . while making some of the world’s most inappropriate jokes. Can these two very lost people learn to laugh through their pain and lean on each other when all they really want to do is run away?In A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center of New York City, Halley Feiffer slays in a work that’s dark and disturbing and yet totally hilarious. The acclaimed world premiere at MCC Theater featured Beth Behrs, Erik Lochtefeld, Lisa Emery, and Jacqueline Sydney, and was directed by Trip Cullman.

    Twilight. A woman takes a step forward into the air. A teenage boy pulls her back. Two lives are changed forever.Libby whiles away her days in New Town cafes and still calls herself a writer - but she's not put pen to page for years. Declan is a talented young artist struggling with a volatile home life. As they form an uneasy friendship, complicated by class and culture, Libby spots an opportunity to put herself back on track, and really make a difference. She needs Declan's story. In all its messy, painful detail.But does she have the right to it? When does poverty portrayal become poverty porn? [Playscript]

    Believe me. I don't know what's happened, but something has. He's changed. He . . . And I'm wondering if . . . To be absolutely honest with you . . . I'm even wondering if . . . Nicolas, just two years ago a smiling boy, is going through a difficult phase after his parents' divorce. He's listless, skipping classes, lying. He believes moving in with his father and his new family may help. And a different school, a fresh start. When he doesn't feel comfortable there, when he senses he isn't wanted, he decides that going back to his mother's may be the answer. But at some point, options are going to dry up. And then what?I'm telling you. I don't understand what's happening to me. Florian Zeller's The Son forms the final part in a trilogy with The Mother and The Father, all of which are translated by Christopher Hampton. The Son premieres at the Kiln Theatre, London, in February 2019.

    They practice together, they compete together against each other, they spend their lives together. They wish they were friends.

    Because these two women are beheading him - did I not mention that?”Fringe First and Total Theatre Award- winning Breach (Tank, The Beanfield) restage the 1612 trial of Agostino Tassi for the rape of baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi.Based on surviving court transcripts, this new play dramatises the seven-month trial that gripped Renaissance Rome, and asks how much has changed in the last four centuries.Blending myth, history and contemporary commentary, this is the story of how a woman took revenge through her art to become one of the most successful painters of her generation.

    This play is a cocommission by Clean Break Theatre Company and NationalTheatre Connections.As part of her research process, Alice Birch undertook a week’s residency at the former Holloway Women’s Prison. From spending time with the women there, Alice was struck by the impact the criminal justice system had on families and how, often, children are the silent victims of crime.[ BLANK ] isn’t simply a playtext, but a theatrical provocation; a blueprint from which theatre-makers can shape their own narratives and build their own productions. Indeed, no two versions of [ BLANK ] are ever likely to be the same, yet every single production will have an indelible bond with the next.This text contains the script for [ BLANK ] along with imaginative production notes and exercises and a short introduction to the writing process by Alice Birch.Connections is supported by The Mohn Westlake Foundation, The Buffini Chao Foundation, Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, Delta Air Lines, Jacqueline and Richard Worswick, Peter Cundill Foundation, Mactaggart Third Fund, The EBM Charitable Trust, Samantha and Richard Campbell-Breeden, The Garvey Family Trust, Susan Miller and Byron Grote, Anthony P. Skyrme, The Derrill Allatt Foundation, Hays Travel Foundation, Faithorn Farrell Timms and supporters of the Connections Appeal.The National Theatre’s Partner for Learning is Bank of America Merrill Lynch.Includes forewords by Bryony Kimmings (Performance Artist) and Joanne Majauskis (Safer Places).

    Jon Lien is a risk-taker and respected researcher, working for over twenty years in the dangerous waters off Newfoundland to rescue massive humpback whales and save the fishing gear in which they’re trapped. With his head down in freezing waters and armed only with a snorkel and knife, Lien saves the lives of over five hundred animals and earns the hard-won respect of Newfoundland’s fishermen. But his toughest battle comes at the end, as his body is slowly conquered by a relentlessly progressing paralysis and dementia.Between Breaths moves backward in time, from Lien’s final moments to his very first whale intervention. As his life becomes further and further confined, his mind stretches back in memories of release and salvation. Based on a true story, Robert Chafe crafts a raw portrayal Newfoundland’s “Whale Man” in this beautiful and poignant play about the parts of ourselves we hold on to after everything else has gone.

    . . a finely tuned ear and eye for the hidden--and not always noble--calibrations of the human heart." --Jay Reiner, The Hollywood Reporter"Letts is a keen observer of the way the past oozes into the present and future. And while each of his characters has a vivid identity, each also has a dozen richly contradictory aspects to his or her nature. . . . The playwright also serves up some blackly comic laughs, too, just to clear the air from time to time."--Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-TimesAt fifty years old, Wheeler is moving into an apartment of his own. Divorce and a dead-end job leave him faced with the challenge of building a brand new life as a middle-aged man. Wheeler's hilarious, tangled journey in Linda Vista is punctuated with complications, both painful and joyful, as he forges a new path. With a deftly crafted blend of humor and humanity, Pulitzer Prizewinning playwright Tracy Letts demonstrates the ultimate midlife crisis: the bewildering search for self-discovery once you've already grown up.Tracy Letts is a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright and actor. His works include August: Osage County, Mary Page Marlowe, Superior Donuts, The Man from Nebraska, Killer Joe, and Bug, among others.

    to duck1. a quick lowering of the head (to avoid a blow or so as not to be seen)2. depart quickly3. avoidnoun. wild duck (more commonly known as mallard duck or anas platyrhynchos) – an undomesticated duck.note. Due to its beautiful feathers, the mallard duck is one of the most popular ducks for hunters. When injured or threatened, ducks have been alleged to commit suicide, by diving to the bottom of the water, never returning to the surface. Almeida Associate Director Robert Icke stages a new version of The Wild Duck, Ibsen’s masterpiece about the nature of truth.

    Because these two women are beheading him - did I not mention that?” Fringe First and Total Theatre Award-winning Breach (Tank, The Beanfield) restage the 1612 trial of Agostino Tassi for the rape of baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi.Based on surviving court transcripts, this new play dramatises the seven-month trial that gripped Renaissance Rome, and asks how much has changed in the last four centuries.Blending myth, history and contemporary commentary, this is the story of how a woman took revenge through her art to become one of the most successful painters of her generation.

    Reiko survives while Hanako is lost to the sea. Their mother, however, can't shake the feeling her missing daughter is still alive, and soon family tragedy takes on a global political dimension.

    Imaginary friends don’t normally stay with their person until that person is a teenager. Imaginary friends don’t suddenly become visible to their person’s mom and then go on a date with them, either. This darkly comedic bedtime story by Canadian theatre’s indie darling Kat Sandler blurs imagination with reality in order to save a family from its own destruction.

    The eleventh winner of the Yale Drama Series playwriting competition, it is a powerful story born out of the playwright’s own experiences with the rapidly changing social environment of rural Florida, where long-standing traditions and beliefs can collide, sometimes dangerously, with new ideas of personhood, identity, and self-realization. A rich and colorful mélange of American classes and cultures, Bottle Fly recounts a profoundly human struggle to reconcile the masks worn at home with the ones donned to go out into the world.

    Matthew Lombardo's brilliant script crackles with a number of zingy one-liners! His screamingly funny play will have you rolling in the aisles"! Palm Beach Post"A raucous comedy! Lombardo has penned a hysterically funny script with serious undertones that features a cascade of PG-rated zingers, R-rated retorts and X-rated anecdotes." Sun Sentinel"Fours stars! ...A terrific play! The biting wit is bawdy and hysterical! May LOOPED live on and on. I'll drink to that." The Washingtonian"Pure theatrical magic! Scathingly funny! Deliciously inappropriate. Sometimes, the saying goes, you have to laugh to keep from crying. Try to fight either as hard as you can. You will end up doing both." The Washington Times

    She's been cut off by her rich aunt and dumped back in the family home. Emma and her sisters must marry, fast. If not, they face poverty, spinsterhood, or worse: an eternity with their boorish brother and his awful wife.Luckily there are plenty of potential suitors to dance with, from flirtatious Tom Musgrave to castle-owning Lord Osborne, who's as awkward as he is rich.So far so familiar. But there's a problem: Jane Austen didn't finish the story. Who will write Emma's happy ending now?Based on her incomplete novel, this sparklingly witty play looks under the bonnet of Jane Austen and asks: what can characters do when their author abandons them?

    I think.Agnes and her daughter Kelly have walked the same stretch of Skegness beach every day for 15 years. They devour ice cream, hunt for crabs and watch as things mysteriously vanish along the shoreline. But when Kelly meets Neil, their cosy world soon begins to unravel.With her mum struggling to understand the needs of a maturing daughter with Down Syndrome, Kelly and Neil have to fight for their right to be together. While Agnes and Kelly drift further and further apart, an event is coming that will change all of their lives forever.Jellyfish is the story of a first kiss, chips by the beach and coming of age in modern Britain. It's a unique romance across uncharted waters which asks: does everyone really have the right to love as they choose?

    Along the journey of knocking off his eight unsuspecting relatives, Monty must juggle both matters of the heart and not landing behind bars. Winner of four Tony Awards, including Best Musical.Based on the novel "Israel Rank" by Roy Horniman

    This play draws upon the content and structure of a Lyrical Poem in literature from the 13th-14th century. It is essentially a play about love, but love in an eastern sense which differs from western notions of love. The philosophy of eastern love is to withstand the pain of separation and to surrender everything to the beloved, even life. Our story begins on an island where mystics, lovers, and magic mix to tell a tragic tale.This play won 1st prize at the Fajr International Theatre Festival and will be sure to delight and bring a tear to your eye.

    

    It was first performed at the Arcola Theatre, London, in 2018.The play is also available in the volume, Heretic Voices: Three Award-winning Monologues..'Three exceptional plays… powerful, emotional, rage-filled works that rail against injustice but contain tenderness, humour and passion… it's a pleasure to witness this simple, powerful storytelling' - LondonTheatre1'A whole theatrical season condensed into an evening' - Exeunt Magazine'Inspiring… a poetic assembly indeed' - A Younger Theatre

    

    But it’s not easy when you’re a 16 year old alien from the Planet Zlagdor. Stuck in a world where the only things that make sense are Roller Derby and salad, Arugula and her father, Nancy, must find out what it means to be human before time runs out for Planet Earth.

    A feminist hijacking of Shakespeare that investigates the voices that have been absented from our canon, and the consequences of cutting them.

    The first collection of plays from Indian playwright Abhishek Majumdar, in Hindi.

    But when an everyday visit to a supermarket café turns into a far more troubling incident, their trust in those closest to them is shattered.Frances Poet's play Gut is a taut psychological thriller that asks: who can be trusted with our children – and is it more dangerous not to trust at all?Gut was first produced at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, in association with the National Theatre of Scotland, in 2018. It was directed by Zinnie Harris.

    Fourteen-year-old Ruffrino is struggling to make sense of his place in an impoverished world filled with seemingly random killings of young black men, As his anger towards reality grows, he moves further away from his family. Losing himself online, Ruffrino's world sinks around him while he battles to wake up the zombies and prove by any means necessary that Black Lives Matter.

    Is Quiz:A) The world premiere of a new play by acclaimed writer James Graham?B) A provocative re-examination of the conviction of Charles Ingram, 'the coughing Major', for cheating, following his appearance on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?C) A hilarious celebration of the great tradition of the British quiz show?D) A razor-sharp analysis of the 21st century's dangerous new attitude to truth and lies?Answer: You decide.

    He spends his days daydreaming and hanging out with his weird wee pal Stevie Nimmo. But when Max is called for his first Square Go, a fight by the school gates, it's his own demons he must wrestle with first.Featuring an original soundtrack by members of Frightened Rabbit, this unmissable collaboration between Fringe First winning writers Kieran Hurley (Heads Up) and Gary McNair (A Gambler's Guide to Dying) is a raucous and hilarious new play about playground violence, myths of masculinity and the decision to step up or run.

    Combined with the musical talent of Erin McKeown, Hudes artfully crafts a story of the barriers and the bonds of family, while also addressing the complexities of immigration in today's America.

    Firmino

    He broke up with his boyfriend and moved in with his best friend, Cooper. It’s election season, and he’s the speechwriter for Georgia’s only gay state senator, who’s engaged in a bloody campaign against a conservative darling. Then Bennett’s ex is attacked in the parking lot of a gay bar. Bennett and Cooper are informed that the assault can’t be classified as a hate crime – because in Georgia, hate crimes against homosexuals don’t legally exist. Their frustration and fear eventually turn to rage as they realize “acceptance” simply isn’t enough. They’re still living in a society that relegates them to second-class status. They’re not respected. They’re not feared. It’s time for that to change.

    Ann’s clearest memory is performing as Peter Pan in grade school, complete with the distinct elation of feeling she never had to grow up. A lyrical new play about yearning for youth, the pangs of aging, and the enduring bonds of family.

    

    From making the perfect sherry trifle to waging a war over cakes and from the pressured playground politics of sweets to the rigid rules of restaurant dining, this is a story of love, loss and...toast.

    

    The only two children born in a North Yorkshire village for a generation cannot imagine ever being apart, but as their lives shift, so too do the ties that bind them.Charley Miles’ outstanding debut play Blackthorn explores the changes and choices that pull us from the places and people we love.Blackthorn was a finalist for the prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn prize in 2017 and is premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2018.

    The play is a work of fiction but is inspired by the history of polygamist groups, and its timeliness is uncanny – two days after Gracie premiered, three members of Canada’s largest polygamist community went to trial for transporting child brides.As the play opens, Gracie is eight years old and moving with her mother, brother, and sisters from the southwestern United States to a community in southeastern British Columbia, Canada. In five acts, Gracie plays herself at five ages and also gives voice to thirteen other characters, including her older sister Celeste – who becomes a wife at sixteen, a mother at seventeen – and her brother Billy, who is forced out of the community just a few years after the family arrives in Canada. And yet Gracie’s faith is a source of comfort to her.Gracie is a window into a complex and secretive world. While the play takes place in a sheltered community, it also resonates with issues at the fore right now: fundamentalism, religious freedoms, and basic human rights.Cast of 1 virtuosic actor.

    Drawing from the headlines, Exit Strategy is set in Chicago and tells the story of a fictional public high school slated for closure at the end of the year. Despite funding cuts, bureaucrats run amok, apathy, and a rodent infestation, a small, multiracial group of teachers launch a last-minute effort to save the school, and put their careers, futures, and safety in the hands of a fast-talking administrator who may be in over his head. The tenuous situation also raises fears and anxieties among students, and within the volcanic neighborhood that is home to the school.  Holter has said that Exit Strategy was inspired by the 2013 mass closure of forty-nine Chicago public schools, which displaced nearly 12,000 children—the majority of directly impacted students were African American and Latinx. Hailed as "riveting," "sharp," and "richly metaphoric" by critics, the play indicts how we educate our children in big American cities, and shows why gaps between haves and have-nots continue to grow.Exit Strategy is one of seven plays in Ike Holter's cycle of works set in Chicago or Chicago-inspired neighborhoods.

    Tempers are flaring and Teddy Boys are on the march. Jamaican couple Pearl and George are helping Caribbean migrants to cut loose by hosting a forbidden party at their shebeen. Pearl has dreams of opening a restaurant on the Wells Road. George, a retired boxer, has hung his dreams next to his gloves. A young interracial couple are falling in love and figuring out how to be together. As tensions mount on a night filled with rum, calypso and dancing, and with the shebeen under threat from the police, everyone is forced to confront the uncomfortable truths their relationships are built upon. Shebeen is the winner of The Alfred Fagon Award 2017 for best new play.

    But the arrival of Ericka, a new student with undeniable talent and beauty, captures the attention of the pageant recruiter – and Paulina's hive-minded friends. This buoyant and biting comedy explores the universal similarities (and glaring differences) facing teenage girls across the globe.

    Leigh is the ambitious director who will do anything to get noticed. Ruth is the Northern Irish playwright whose voice must be heard.The stage is set for great success, but when the three meet to discuss the play's challenges and provocations, a line is crossed and the heated discussion quickly escalates to a violent climax. Exploring consent, abuses of power and the confusions of cultural identity, Ulster American is confrontational, brutally funny and not for the faint of heart.David Ireland's recent plays include Cyprus Avenue which won the James Tait Black Award 2017 and Best Play at the Irish Times Theatre Awards 2017. This edition is published to coincide with the world premiere at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, in summer 2018.

    Because this can't be the future, can it? Everyone just... changing the rules?' Roger thinks the world's gone mad. He hates his job, his ex-wife torments him and to top it all, his girlfriend just discovered feminism. Roger's about to lose his shit. Until he discovers Angry Alan: online activist and "voice of reason"... A darkly comic new play about masculinity in crisis from award-winning Penelope Skinner. Includes Skinner's breakout play Fucked.

    We are totally not completely making this up. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S LONG LOST FIRST PLAY (abridged) is the literary holy grail: an actual manuscript in Shakespeare's own hand showing all his most famous characters and familiar speeches in a brand-new story. But because it's one hundred hours long and contains multiple unwieldy storylines, it was decided, as a public service, to abridge it down to a brief and palatable ninety-minute performance for this lost masterpiece."Something wickedly funny this way comes!" The New York Times"A breathlessly irreverent, pun-filled romp!" The Washington Post"A top-notch comic deconstruction of Shakespeare!" The Stage--U K

    

    Hakeem is an immigrant from Nigeria, a driven, loyal, righteous guy who's worked hard to build a career for himself as a scientist. His husband, Jeremy, is white, privileged, American, lazy, unfaithful, unable to grow up, and wracked with guilt.The couple seem an odd match, and we see the dishonesty already at the heart of the relationship when they decide to marry. This continues as they begin to grow further apart, showing not only how this couple lose their way, but also how many relationships falter - we can recognise "upsetting and perhaps familiar patterns of partnerships that gradually dissipate over time" (WeeReview).Free & Proud examines the dynamics of a messy relationship and how sometimes it takes a disaster in order to make sense of the present. It was performed at the Edinburgh Festival in 2018.

    In a story about family and love and the things we do to be together, one immigrant family must come to terms with a child who defies their most basic expectations of what it means to have a daughter…and one woman will redefine the limits of unconditional love. This unique play compassionately brings to life the often ignored struggle that a family goes through when their child transitions from one gender to another.

    Now he’s a failed LA lawyer, divorced, and working at his brother’s resort in the Muskokas. When a wedding conveniently brings Gloria to the resort for a weekend, Guy is determined to keep his distance. But their high-school friends Eva, Leslie, and Peggy, and Peggy’s mom Jessie—the crew’s former teacher—decide to play matchmakers and reconnect the long-split pair.Between the reunion of old friends, each with their own surprises, Gloria and Guy are pushed together, learning the power of forgiveness, the warmth of opening up to someone, and the possibilities of a rewritten future.

    Gunshots ring out in the Dublin streets. In her suburban sitting-room Hanna prepares for revolution. Frank walks through the crowds calling for peace, while John recalls the trenches and sees a city soaked in blood. Eighteen-year-old William fearfully reports to the barracks for duty, determined to serve the British army with honour. Inspired by true events, this absorbing play weaves movement and folk song into a stirring tale of militarism, corruption and the power of rebellion.Lizzie Nunnery's To Have to Shoot Irishmen premiered at the Omnibus Theatre, London, in October 2018, the first date in an Almanac Arts UK tour.

    Presented as a monologue for one actor, it asks profound questions with deepest sincerity whilst simultaneously balancing the human quest for meaningful connections.This edition was published to coincide with the play's run at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh in summer 2018 starring Julie Hesmondhalgh.

    

    Inspired by the real letters between Mary Woolley and Jeannette Marks spanning from 1899 to 1937, this fast-paced comedy asks: What is revolution? What does it mean to be at odds with the world? How do we fulfill our potential? And how the hell do we grow old together?

    That’s what his teacher says. Says he should see a psychologist. But Brian and Donna – recently separated – never liked school, never liked teachers.An explosive triple confrontation that is funny, heartbreaking and beautifully observed, Iseult Golden and David Horan's CLASS is an award-winning play about learning difficulties: in school, in life, wherever.After a sold-out run in the Dublin Theatre Festival 2017, the play transferred to the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, in January 2018 before playing in the Traverse Theatre as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2018.CLASS won Best Theatre Script at the 2018 ZeBBie Awards awarded by the Writers Guild of Ireland.‘An inspired look at society through the prism of a parent-teacher meeting’ - Sunday Times Ireland.

    The book commemorates the tenth anniversary of the playwright's death and coincides with Pinter at the Pinter, a celebratory season staging twenty of his one-act plays at the Harold Pinter Theatre, London, 2018.With a foreword by Antonia Fraser. 'The foremost representative of British drama in the second half of the twentieth century.' Swedish Academy citation on awarding Harold Pinter the Nobel Prize in Literature, 2005.

    The play opens at a country estate, where a group of friends and relations have gathered to see the first performance of an experimental play, written and staged by the young man of the house, Konstantin. Among the audience are Konstantin's mother, the actress Arkadina, and her lover, the famous novelist Trigorin. Their glamorous presence not only disrupts the performance, but soon takes on a more profound significance in the lives of all those present. This edition of The Seagull includes an introduction by Stoppard which addresses the issues faced by translators since its first appearance in English in 1909.

    Four very different Victorian women are drawn into the dark underground world of female boxing by the eccentric Professor Sharp. Controlled by men and constrained by corsets, each finds an unexpected freedom in the boxing ring.As their lives begin to intertwine, their journey takes us through grand drawing rooms, bustling theatres and rowdy Southwark pubs, where the women fight inequality as well as each other. But with the final showdown approaching, only one can become the Lady Boxing Champion of the World…Joy Wilkinson's play The Sweet Science of Bruising is an epic tale of passion, politics and pugilism. It premiered at Southwark Playhouse, London, in October 2018, in a production by Troupe.

    The town they live in doesn't have much going on. But they don't really care about that when they've got cheap cider and their whole lives ahead of them.And they're going to break away anyway. Someone's about to get a car. And all roads go somewhere else. Right? Island Town is bittersweet story about friendship, hope and dreams of an escape. Written by Simon Longman, recipient of the 2018 George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright (Gundog; Royal Court).

    It premiered at the Project Arts Centre, Dublin, in 2018, in a production by Landmark Productions.

    In a small town in Fife, a girl is busting to get out into the world and see what's on offer. And an ad in the local paper declares: BAND SEEKS SINGER. Grunge has just gone global, scruffy indie kids are inheriting the earth, and a schoolgirl from Glenrothes is catapulted to a rock star lifestyle as the singer in a hot new indie band. Touring with Radiohead, partying with Blur, she was living the dream. Until she wasn’t.Based on her meticulously detailed, pull-no-punches teenage diaries, this is the true story of Cora Bissett’s rollercoaster journey from the girl she was to the woman she wanted to be.

    It’s her first one, and she has everything crossed.An ethereal family drama, Joe White’s debut play Mayfly explores rebirth in the aftermath of tragedy. It premiered at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, in April 2018.

    Fraught, funny and ferocious, it testifies to the pain of carrying the memory of sexual assault throughout a lifetime.A play about secret trauma and public revelation, Rathmines Road bristles with tension and interrogates catharsis to ask: when and how do we take responsibility?The play premiered at the Abbey Theatre as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival 2018, previewing at the Civic Theatre, Tallaght, in a co-production between Fishamble and the Abbey Theatre.

    He's intelligent, handsome, makes her laugh and, most importantly, has a high rating on his genetic profile. What's not to like?Char is on the brink of landing her dream job and has big plans to start a family - but her blood rating threatens it all.In a world where future happiness depends on a single, inescapable blood test – which dictates everything from credit rating to dating prospects - how far will people go to beat the system and let nature take its course?The Phlebotomist questions the value we place on one another, whether knowledge really is power, and if it's truly possible for love to conquer all.

    Strongly influenced by cabaret and female drag, this exquisite rejection of shame and stereotype will punch you in the gut, break your heart and then take you dancing.

    A killer on the loose. Chinese detective Tommy Lam, the city’s most brilliant sleuth, is called in to investigate. Battling racism and his own reputation, Tommy follows clues to the glamorous Nine Dragons nightclub and into the haze of the opium trade … In true noir fashion, someone’s hiding something, everyone’s a double-crosser, and it’s always a good time for a few fingers of Scotch. Faced with corruption and the prejudice of his superiors, how far will Tommy go in the pursuit of justice? In his relentless quest to prove himself and protect his people, Tommy risks losing everything: his relationship, his badge, even his life. Nine Dragons is a hard-boiled mystery with a twist: a cross-cultural thriller and “a smart exploration of colonialism, racism, assimilation, and the clash of cultures” (Joff Schmidt, CBC).Cast of 5 men and 1 woman.

    As Nigerian traditions clash with the realities of American life, Abasiama and her daughters must confront complex familial legacies that span time, geography, language, and culture.

    The Ghost Children have been working hard at learning ghostly sounds. They and their teacher are taken by surprise when guests come knocking on their door. They are even more shocked to find out that they are very much alive! Will they be able to impress their teacher and frighten their new guests? The Halloween Surprise is filled with corny jokes and focuses on the heart-warming theme of friendship. Available from Drama Notebook:https://www.dramanotebook.com/plays-f...

    Dickens' panoply of London and Londoners, his big characters and fantastic stories in Sketches by Boz are updated for the modern age, incorporating the broadest range of voices from across the community in a theatrical whirligig of wonder and imagination.

    ESPECIALLY THE PERFECT ONES.On a regular Sunday morning, Walt sits in his sunny suburban kitchen while wife Barb makes him breakfast. It’s not long before the mundane descends into madness.Award-winning US playwright, Mary Laws, exposes the darker side of happily ever after in the UK premiere of this cutting, absurdly funny, twisted tragedy.

    For The Love Of asks how much you’re willing to sacrifice – or lose – in order to follow your heart. Cast Size: 9 Diverse Females “tough, thrilling, compelling, dramatic”—Stage Raw “raw and real and complicated”—Chicago Tribune “a seductively rousing show.”—LA Weekly

    And now her 'real' parents want to meet. How can an ancient mix-up in an overstretched maternity ward be explained to a three-year-old? Is Hanna supposed to let these strangers into her daughter's life? Forced to question what being a parent really means, Hanna makes a drastic decision that will change all their lives. Produced by Papatango Theatre Company, Hanna premiered at the Arcola Theatre, London, in January 2018, before embarking on a UK tour.

    The fever dream of terrifying theatricality that follows investigates everything from Martha Washington’s family to her historical legacy.

    A revolutionary leads an attack on a colonial club in India. A bereaved mother defends herself against charges of infanticide.Snatches: Moments from 100 Years of Women’s Lives documents, remembers and bears witness to a century of struggle for progress and equality for women in the United Kingdom.Moving, funny, tragic and empowering, these eight monologues address the constant efforts of women to carve out their rights both in domestic and public spheres – from the criminalisation of marital rape to the first Reclaim the Night march – proclaiming a history of perseverance and resilience shown by women’s rights activists in this country.Curated by Royal Court Artistic Director, Vicky Featherstone, the monologues for Snatches were commissioned to mark the centenary of women’s suffrage in the United Kingdom. They were broadcast on BBC Four in 2018, directed by Vanessa Caswill, Vicky Featherstone and Rachna Suri, and starring Jodie Comer, Siobhan Finneran, Romola Garai, Shirley Henderson, Liv Hill, Corinne Skinner-Carter, Kiran Sonia Sawar and Antonia Thomas.

    Why you always got to dig things up?A cabin deep in the woods.A lost boy buried in the snow.A lone woman.And her wolf.You think you could keep him?You know where that ends up.Don't you.You no good with kids.The Woods by Robert Alan Evans premiered at Royal Court Theatre, London, in September 2018.

    Farm labourer George is cast in an amateur staging of the York Mystery Plays. His world is shaken when he falls for metropolitan assistant director John and the two men embark on a clandestine affair.Peter Gill's influential play is not only a finely drawn love story; it is also a touching reflection on the rival forces of family, class, and the origins and ownership of art.The York Realist was premiered by the English Touring Theatre at The Lowry, Salford Quays in November 2001; it moved to the Bristol Old Vic that same year and, in 2002, to the Royal Court Theatre, London. The play was revived by the Donmar Warehouse, London, in February 2018.Winner of the London Critics' Circle Award for Best New Play.'As a love story, The York Realist is riveting and heart-rendering... Gill is always terrifically perceptive about male tenderness. The personal and political are subtly united in a study of English masculinity, class and culture. Such outstanding work.' Independent on Sunday'Sensationally fine and poignant.' Evening Standard'It has the Lawrentian qualities of emotional intelligence, raw honesty and fascination with the intersection of class and sex... It is about the way the English, however hard they try, can never finally escape their origins. But, far from being emotionally conservative, it is adventurous, witty and fresh... The play comes like a rare blast of reality.' Guardian

    But behind the gingham curtains, being a domestic goddess is not as easy as it looks.

    

    This collection of her first six plays, together with a short introduction by the author, shows a dramatic artist in full control of her craft.born bad (Hampstead Theatre, 2003; winner of the Olivier Award for Best Newcomer) dives headlong into the heart of a conflicted family, unleashing wit, ferocity and verbal dexterity on the way. 'One of the most assured and extraordinary new voices we’ve heard in a long while. Electrifying' Independent on Sundaydirty butterfly (Soho Theatre, 2003) is a mesmerising study of voyeurism, power and guilt. 'There is a sly, controlled power in this writing… And now I cannot get it out of my head' Guardiangenerations (National Theatre Platform performance, 2005; Young Vic, 2007) follows three generations of a Black South African family comparing cooking skills – but food isn’t the only topic and the family numbers are declining. 'Devastating… will last you a lifetime' Guardianstoning mary (Royal Court Theatre, 2005) confronts the reality of global conflicts, transposing them to the West. 'The words fly around the theatre piercing the dark like gleaming shards of shrapnel' The Stagetrade (Royal Shakespeare Company, 2005) shines a light on the world of female sex tourism. 'Poetry laced with shards of broken glass' Guardianrandom (Royal Court Theatre, 2008) is set over one day, following one family and the effects of one random act of violence. 'The writing seems to penetrate the very heart of grief' Telegraph'debbie tucker green uses language as deftly as a composer might use notes.' Financial Times

    But when the young members of the Christian Puppet Ministry put those teachings into practice, one devout young man's puppet takes on a shocking personality that no one could have expected. In this hilarious black comedy, a foul-mouthed sock puppet named Tyrone soon teaches those around him that the urges that can drive a person to give in to their darkest desires fit like a glove. In Hand to God, a "true tour de force" (New York Times), Robert Askins has written a play of "unerring perfection" (Huffington Post). The must-see hit of the 2015 Broadway season, starring Steven Boyer and Geneva Carr, garnered an Obie Award and five Tony Award nominations, including Best Play, following its sold out, critically acclaimed off-Broadway runs at MCC Theater and Ensemble Studio Theatre.

    London: a son cooks a pot of stew for his mother, hoping to uncover hidden stories and unanswered questions.A humorous and moving response to the elders who leave the next generation uncertain of what is expected of them.­­­­­