Books published by publisher NICK HERN BOOKS

A vital companion for actors in rehearsal - a thesaurus of action-words to revitalise performance, with a foreword by Terry Johnson.Finding the right action is an essential part of the process of preparation for the actor. Using this thesaurus of active verbs, the actor can refine the action-word until s/he hits exactly the right one to help make the action come alive. The method of 'actioning' is widely used in rehearsal rooms, but has never before been set down in a systematic and comprehensive way.'If you want to act, or act better, Actions will take you a long way on the journey to excellence' Terry JohnsonThis bestselling book is now available as an app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.In addition to the full list of action-words found in the book, the app includes:A to Z search, and predictive search functionEmotional groupings to help you pinpoint the action you requireBookmark, note-making and random word functionsShare your actions on social media or by emailFull instructions on how to use actioning in rehearsal, plus how to use the appTo learn more, and download your copy, visit the iTunes website.'This condenses all the usefulness of the book into a neat little app. Absolutely invaluable!' - User review

The gripping story of the sensational, real-life case in which Sir Arthur Conan Doyle found himself playing detective - based on Julian Barnes’s Booker Prize-nominated novel. In 1903, Birmingham solicitor George Edalji was found guilty of a terrible crime and sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment. Desperate to prove his innocence, he recruited Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, to help solve his mysterious case and win him a pardon. As absorbing as any Sherlock Holmes mystery, Arthur & George also raises many questions about guilt and innocence, identity, nationality and race. 'That the creator of Sherlock Holmes should turn sleuth himself is a life-mirroring-art marvel that continues to fascinate more than 100 years on. David Edgar has distilled 500 pages into two-and-a-half hours of theatre - involving you in the whodunnit aspect of the case while serving the finer intellectual textures of the novel' - Daily Telegraph

"A ravishing little romance of the undead that’s guaranteed to warm — and break — your heart, even as it chills your blood." - New York TimesA dark and visceral coming-of-age vampire love story, based on the acclaimed novel and film.Oskar is a bullied, lonely, teenage boy living with his mother on a housing estate at the edge of town, when a spate of sinister killings rocks the neighborhood. Eli is the young girl who has just moved in next door. She doesn’t go to school and never leaves the flat by day. Sensing in each other a kindred spirit, the two become devoted friends. What Oskar doesn’t know is that Eli has been a teenager for a very long time.Jack Thorne's adaptation of Let The Right One In premiered in June 2013 at the Dundee Rep Theatre in a production by the National Theatre of Scotland, before transferring to London's Royal Court Theatre in November 2013. It was the winner of the South Bank Sky Arts Award for Theatre, 2014."Extraordinary... Sets new standards in atmospheric scariness... Takes you to the edge of human experience with eye-opening candour, beauty and ingenuity." - WhatsOnStage"Astonishing... at once beautifully intimate and bedazzingly epic." - Time Out (London)"Exquisitely beautiful and heartbreakingly sad so painfully tender that, as you watch the show, it feels as if layers of your skin are gradually being flayed from your body." - Guardian"Remarkable gratifyingly scary dark and striking." - Telegraph"Moving and haunting... a rich and beautiful theatrical experience that is by turns gripping and tender." - Herald"A chilling and moving piece of theatre, full of pain, terror and unexpected moments of comedy." - ScotsmanJohn Ajvide Lindqvist is a Swedish novelist and short story writer, mostly working in the horror genre. He wrote the screenplay for the 2008 Swedish-language film of his best-selling novel Let the Right One In.Jack Thorne is an award-winning writer for radio, television, film and theatre. His plays include Fanny and Faggot (Finborough Theatre), Stacy (Arcola Theatre), 2nd May 1997 ?(Bush Theatre), Bunny (Underbelly, Fringe First Award 2010), a version of Duerrenmatt’s The Physicists (Donmar Warehouse) and Mydidae (Drywrite/Soho Theatre, then Trafalgar Studios). His work for television includes cultural phenomenon Skins, and the BAFTA-winning series This is England ’88 and The Fades.

Ella Hickson's version of J.M. Barrie's much-loved story puts the character of Wendy firmly centre stage, in an adaptation that is refreshingly modern but never loses the charm of the original.Winter 1908. Snow is falling across London. Wendy Darling and her brothers sleep peacefully in their bedroom, as their parents bicker downstairs. In a sudden flurry of snow their window blows open, and into their lives tumbles a mischievous boy called Peter, followed by a fractious fairy called Tink.With the aid of a little fairy dust, Wendy agrees to fly with Peter to Neverland, seeing not only the promise of an awfully big adventure, but also the chance to rediscover the key to her parents' lost happiness. Once there, she will give the Lost Boys a run for their money, defeat Captain Hook and his pirate crew, and ultimately, learn what it means to grow up.Commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Ella Hickson's Wendy & Peter Pan premiered at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in December 2013. It was revived by the RSC in 2015.The play will suit any theatre company or youth group looking to stage a classic tale, full of magic, adventure and strong female roles.

The moving account of the life and early death of a young female activist, adapted from her own writings. Best New Play, 2006 Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards Why did a 23-year old woman leave her comfortable American life to stand between an Israeli army bulldozer and a Palestinian home in the Gaza strip? Compiled from her letters, diaries and emails by Alan Rickman and Guardian journalist Katharine Viner, My Name is Rachel Corrie recounts her short life and sudden death in her own words. 'Funny, passionate, bristling with idealism and luminously intelligent, Corrie emerges as a bona fide hero for this brutalised world of ours' - Time Out 'A deeply moving personal testimony... Theatre can't change the world. But what it can do, when it's as good as this, is to send us out enriched by other people's passionate concern' - Guardian 'Deeply moving' - Independent 'Extraordinary power' - Time Out

A two-play dramatisation of Philip Pullman's extraordinary award-winning fantasy trilogy, first seen at the National Theatre. His Dark Materials takes us on a thrilling journey through worlds familiar and unknown. For Lyra and Will, its two central characters, it's a coming of age and a transforming spiritual experience. Their great quest demands a savage struggle against the most dangerous of enemies. They encounter fantastical creatures in parallel worlds – rebellious angels, soul-eating spectres, child-catching Gobblers and the armoured bears and witch-clans of the Arctic. Finally, before reaching, perhaps, the republic of heaven, they must visit the land of the dead. Note to performers: although conceived for a theatre with rich resources, this adaptation can also be staged in imaginative ways without the aid of sophisticated technology. 'Nicholas Wright... has risen to the challenge with brilliance' - Mail on Sunday '"Unstageable" was the first reaction of the National Theatre's artistic director, Nicholas Hytner, to the idea of dramatising His Dark Materials. But last night's opening has triumphantly proved him wrong' - Sunday Times 'Children's theatre of an uncommon maturity and ambition... dazzling in just the right way... moments of heart-stopping simplicity' - Independent 'The hottest ticket in town long before press day... Book to see it next Christmas' - Financial Times

An electrifying, bittersweet love story with echoes of Romeo and Juliet, set in a society divided by racial bigotry and a world rocked by terrorism. Adapted from Malorie Blackman's best-selling novels. Sephy (a Cross) is the daughter of the Deputy Prime Minister. Callum is the son of a Nought agitator. United by a shared sense of injustice as children, and separated by intolerance as they grow up, their desire to be together begins to eclipse all family loyalty – sparking a political crisis of unimaginable proportions. 'I wanted to turn society as we know it on its head, with new names for the major divisions, i.e. Noughts (the underclass) and Crosses (the majority, ruling society)' - Malorie Blackman 'Dominic Cooke's excellent adaptation... a dark, politically unsentimentalised story about teenage love transcending the barriers in a deeply divided society... heart-rending' - Independent

A dark and visceral coming-of-age vampire love story, based on the acclaimed novel and film. Oskar is a bullied, lonely, teenage boy living with his mother on a housing estate at the edge of town, when a spate of sinister killings rocks the neighbourhood. Eli is the young girl who has just moved in next door. She doesn't go to school and never leaves the flat by day. Sensing in each other a kindred spirit, the two become devoted friends. What Oskar doesn't know is that Eli has been a teenager for a very long time' Jack Thorne's adaptation of Let The Right One In premiered in June 2013 at the Dundee Rep Theatre in a production by the National Theatre of Scotland, before transferring to London's Royal Court Theatre in November 2013. 'moving and haunting... a rich and beautiful theatrical experience that is by turns gripping and tender' Herald 'a chilling and moving piece of theatre, full of pain, terror and unexpected moments of comedy' Scotsman 'beguiling... polished and poetic' Guardian