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Playwriting Then and Now: 30 Years of Nick Hern Books
Thursday 8 November, 6pm
Dorfman Theatre, National Theatre, London
We've been celebrating our thirtieth anniversary throughout 2018 – and as we approach the end of a memorable and momentous year, we'd like to invite you to join us for a very special, one-off event at the National Theatre.
On Thursday 8 November, join renowned playwrights Alecky Blythe (London Road, Little Revolution), Howard Brenton (Pravda, Never So Good), Natasha Gordon (Nine Night), and Conor McPherson (The Weir, Girl from the North Country) and publisher Nick Hern, to explore how playwriting has – and hasn’t – changed over the past thirty years.
What new trends and themes have emerged in the last three decades? What changes have occurred in the way plays reach the stage? And where might playwriting, and theatre, go in the future? This discussion is chaired by Emily McLaughlin (Head of New Work, National Theatre).
Tickets are on sale for £7 (£5 concessions). Book via the NT website, or call 020 7452 3000. We hope to see you there to help us celebrate thirty wonderful years as the UK's leading specialist theatre publisher.
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Alecky Blythe is one of the leading proponents of verbatim theatre. Her productions include Cruising (Bush Theatre), The Girlfriend Experience (Royal Court Theatre and Young Vic) and Little Revolution (Almeida Theatre). London Road, with music composed by Adam Cork, enjoyed two runs at the National Theatre and a West End transfer, and won Best Musical at the Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards. A film adaptation was released in 2015.
'A startling, magically original success' Evening Standard on London Road
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Howard Brenton's playwriting career spans six decades. His productions at the National Theatre include The Romans in Britain, Paul and Never So Good, while other credits include The Churchill Play (Nottingham Playhouse, twice revived by the RSC), Berlin Bertie (Royal Court), Anne Boleyn (Shakespeare's Globe) and 55 Days (Hampstead Theatre). He was a lead writer on BAFTA-winning BBC series Spooks.
'Powerful and thrilling... sends shivers down the spine' Telegraph on Paul
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Natasha Gordon's debut play Nine Night opened to critical acclaim at the National Theatre in April 2018. It transfers to Trafalgar Studios, with Natasha also in the cast, in December – making her the first black British female playwright to have a play staged in the West End. Natasha has received a nomination for Most Promising Playwright at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018.
'A highly impressive debut play… Gordon has a gift for raising big issues through laughter' Guardian on Nine Night
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Nick Hern founded Nick Hern Books in 1988, and still serves as NHB's Publisher today. Previously a university drama lecturer and drama editor at Methuen, he has been hugely influential in the history of modern theatre publishing – introducing the simultaneous publication of playscripts alongside their professional premieres, and pioneering the format known as the 'programme-text', now a common sight at many of the UK's best-known theatres.
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Conor McPherson's plays include multi-award-winning The Weir (Royal Court, West End and New York), The Veil (National Theatre) and The Night Alive (Donmar Warehouse). His latest production Girl from the North Country – a musical featuring the iconic songbook of Bob Dylan – is currently wowing audiences in New York, having enjoyed runs at the Old Vic Theatre and in London's West End. His TV drama Paula aired on BBC Two in 2017.
'Perhaps the finest English-language playwright of his generation' New York Times
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Get postcard book 30 Years/30 Plays for just £3
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Released this year to celebrate our thirtieth anniversary, our limited-edition postcard book 30 Years/30 Plays features a selection of covers from some of the most successful plays published by Nick Hern Books over the course of our history so far.
The book offers a potted history - in postcard form - of some of the best moments in British (and international) theatre of the last three decades, as well as an overview of how theatre publicity images have evolved.
It contains thirty easily-detachable postcards printed on good quality card to send to your friends.
For a limited time only, get 30 Years/30 Plays for just £3 plus free UK delivery - enter code NHB30YEARS at checkout when ordering your copy from our website. This offer ends on 30 November.
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