aurora metro & supernova books 2017
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new fiction Introducing Aurora Metro & Supernova Books 2017 With over 200 international authors on our list, Aurora Metro Books may be a small independent but it has a big reach. Last year our book Silent Women: pioneers of Cinema was voted best book on Silent Film in the UK. Our film list continues to grow with the launch of the IN THE SCENE Series looking at top film directors Ang Lee and Jane Campion. Our latest round of the biennial competition The Virginia Prize for Fiction has unearthed a number of great little gems by emerging women writers, including Shambala Junction by Dipika Mukherjee, The Dragonfly by Kate Dunn and The Walls Came Down by Ewa Dodd. Our drama list gets better every year with more from international playwrights. You can find our list also on Bloomsbury’s Drama Online platform. www.dramaonlinelibrary.com Read, enjoy and discover!
SHAMBALA JUNCTION
NEW
Dipika Mukherjee
WINNER OF THE VIRGINIA PRIZE FOR FICTION Previous work long-listed for the Man Asia Prize
Iris is visiting India from the U.S. for the first time with her fiance and not enjoying the experience. When she steps down off the train for a bottle of water at Shambala Junction, little does she know that her life is about to undergo a radical change. Stranded at Shambala, she becomes caught up in the drama of stall-holder Aman’s battle to recover his lost child. Along the way, she finds real friendship, learns what counts and grows to love India, in all its vivacity and charm. ‘...takes hold of you and leads you with absolute confidence into one of the most extraordinary journeys any of us ever embark on:the discovery of India.” – Barney Norris, author
£8.99 / ebook £4.99 ISBN: 978-1-910798-39-3 336 pages
“…What emerges is a powerful tale of treachery, poverty – and both cute and inexcusable ignorance on the part of its lead character Iris (an Indian American).” – asianculturevulture.com
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THE VIRGINIA PRIZE FOR FICTION – Fiction NEW
THE DRAGONFLY
Kate Dunn
The perfect summer read!
When Colin discovers his son is on a murder charge in France, he trails his small boat, ‘The Dragonfly’, across the channel to stay in Paris to help him. There he meets his grand-daughter – the irrepressible Delphine – for the first time. They embark on an exciting boat journey through the picturesque French canals, heading south through Burgundy, ‘until the butter melts’. Along the way, they catch up with Tyler, a spirited American, and through various mishaps and misunderstandings, they land big fish, cultivate new loves and uncover a burning secret. But can Colin finally help his son get off the hook? ‘Quirky and warm-hearted, with darker undertones that keep you gripped. Kate Dunn is a fine storyteller.’ – Ben Elton
NEW
£8.99 / ebook £4.99 ISBN: 978-1-910798-39-3 336 pages
THE WALLS CAME DOWN
Debut Polish-British author
Ewa Dodd
A young boy goes missing during a workers’ strike in 1980s Communist Poland, unravelling a chain of events which will touch people across decades and continents. Joanna, a young journalist in Warsaw, is still looking for her brother, who’s now been missing for over twenty years. Sam, a high-flying London city financier is struggling with relationship problems and unexplained panic attacks. And in Chicago, an old man is slowly dying in a nursing home, losing his battle with cancer. What connects them? As the mystery begins to unravel, the worlds of the three protagonists are turned upside down. Can they find each other before time runs out?
£8.99 / ebook £4.99 ISBN: 978-1-910798-39-3 336 pages
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Fiction – THE VIRGINIA PRIZE FOR FICTION WINNERS
KIPLING & TRIX Mary Hamer
Explores the hidden truth behind Kipling’s drive, his so-called ‘go fever’ and his sister Trix’s battle with mental illness …
WINNER OF THE VIRGINIA PRIZE FOR FICTION
Rudyard Kipling’s incredible life is known to many while his poetry and books have been read by millions – but what became of his talented younger sister? Her story, full of love and lies, became a distressing family secret that was hidden from the world …
£9.99 / ebook £8.99 ISBN: 978-1-906582-34-0 ebook: 978-1-906582-46-3 368 pages
‘Hamer’s books opens up the complex world of the Kiplings, moving between continents and momentous world events’ – Daily Mail ‘Although based closely on historical fact, Kipling and Trix is a tour-de-force of imaginative fiction as well as a lyrically written, if often harrowing, tale of surprising passion.’ – The Huffington Post, USA
THE LEIPZIG AFFAIR
SHORTLISTED SALTIRE PRIZE FOR FICTION
Fiona Rintoul DRAMATIZED AS A BBC BOOK AT BEDTIME!
£8.99 / ebook £7.99 ISBN: 978-1-906582-97-5 ebook: 978-1-906582-65-4 300 pages
The year is 1985. East Germany is in the grip of communism. Magda, a brilliant but disillusioned young linguist, is desperate to flee to the West. When a black market deal brings her into contact with Robert, a young Scot, studying at Leipzig University, she sees a way to realise her escape plans. But as Robert falls in love with her, he stumbles into a complex world of shifting half-truths – one that will undo them both. Many years later, long after the Berlin Wall has been torn down, Robert returns to Leipzig in search of answers. Can he track down the elusive Magda? And will the past give up its secrets?
“... impressive debut shows lives on the cusp of change as the Cold War ends.” David Robinson - The Scotsman
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THE VIRGINIA PRIZE FOR FICTION WINNER – Fiction
POMEGRANATE SKY
WINNER OF THE VIRGIINIA PRIZE FOR FICTION
Louise Soraya Black
Living in post-revolutionary Tehran, Layla refuses to bow to the ayatollahs’ rules, resisting her mother’s relentless attempts to find her a suitable husband. Instead, she embarks on an illicit affair with her art teacher, Keyvan, and they tentatively imagine a future together. But the sudden death of her uncle, an outspoken journalist, raises many unanswered questions and Layla’s plans for the future begin to unravel.
£8.99 / ebook £7.99 ISBN: 978-1-906582-10-4 ebook: 978-1-906582-20-3 240 pages
‘Vividly written, fresh and eloquent, a girl’s poignant tale of love and menace in contemporary Iran.’ – Fay Weldon ‘ … a bittersweet tale of betrayed trust and ruptured innocence … the feel for colour and language is vibrant … ‘ –The Guardian First Novel Choice Winner of The Écrivain Croyant Literary Prize
SACRED
Eliette Abécassis
Filmed as Kadosh by Amos Gitai and selected for the Cannes Film Festival Sacred is the moving love story of a young woman, living in the ultra-orthodox community in Jerusalem. Spurned by her community for failing to conceive a child in ten years of marriage, her husband is forced by custom to reject her. Should she tell the truth about his infertility – or watch while her husband, the son of the Rabbi, marries another?
£9.95 / ebook £8.95 ISBN: 978-0-9536757-8-4 ebook: 978-1-906582-28-9 144 pages
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‘In Rachel and Naomi, Abecassis creates two powerful and sympathetic heroines, and the power and beauty of her writing renders their story both heartbreaking and hypnotic.’ – The Observer ‘A terrifying book on the feminine condition.’ – Le Figaro
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Fiction
MOSAIC DECEPTIONS Patrick Gooch
Literary thriller set in the Middle East When Matt Clements meets an enigmatic prophet on the Kurdistan border, he is set on the trail of ancient relics that have profound consequences for our time. Assembling his team, he travels to the most remote desert regions of the Middle East unaware that the search for evidence endangers all their lives. In a race against time, Matt must outwit his adversaries to present his discoveries publicly in New York, discoveries that will send shockwaves throughout the Western world and rewrite history as we know it.
£8.99 / ebook £7.99 ISBN: 978-1-906582-14-2 ebook: 978-1 906582-24-1 320 pages
‘A real page-turner that jolts us out of complacency with a bold and clever plot’ – Dazed & Confused ‘Thought-provoking and intelligent thriller’ Metro ‘Gooch predicts a female Islamic prophet will shake up our views of men and women’s roles under Islam … the ending in New York at the UN building is spectacular.’ – ****goodreads.com
TRACKS, RACING THE SUN Sandro Martini
As featured in the NEW YORK TIMES
In this epic novel about European motor racing heroes before and after World War II, larger-than-life characters survive incredible battles on the track that most of us would never dream of. Tracks is about what drives men to risk it all to claim the title of Champion, as well as their need for love – and their love of danger. This is a thrilling version of events based on the true rivalries, triumphs and disasters of a fascinating period in European sporting history. “Every fan of motor racing should read this book. How the legendary Italian drivers of the past forged the sport we love today with blood and bone.” – Motor sport legend Mario Andrettii
£9.99 / ebook £8.99 ISBN: 978-1-906582-43-2 ebook: 978-1-906582-44-9 336 pages
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Historical Fiction
THE EVOLUTIONIST
Avi Sirlin
The Malay Archipelago. 1858. In these remote tropics, a young British naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace, toils in obscurity. One night, suffering from fever and hallucination, Wallace solves the greatest mystery of the era: the origin of species. Wallace contacts Charles Darwin, who has been secretly penning a near-identical version of the same evolutionary theory for 20 years. While Darwin achieves world-renown, Wallace is set on a collision course with the men at the very heart of the scientific establishment, including Darwin.
£9.99 / ebook £8.99 ISBN: 978-1-906582-53-1 ebook: 978-1-906582-13-5 336 pages
“One of the great forgotten heroes of Natural History – you could say he’s the missing link in the story of evolution.” – Bill Bailey’s Jungle Hero BBC2 “ … an utterly convincing character study of one of the most poignant figures in the history of science – Alfred Wallace – overshadowed by Darwin as originator of the theory of natural selection.” – ***** goodreads.com
THE PHYSICIAN OF SANLÚCAR Jonathan Falla
A beautifully written and absorbing story of exile and redemption set against the stark Patagonian wilderness at the start of the modern age. A lone French doctor struggles to help the Indian tribes faced with disease and destruction as the Europeans invade and steal their land. Falling for another man’s wife only further complicates his troubled life. With the onset of the First World War, conflict and old rivalries erupt in this forgotten outpost, one of the remotest places on earth. ‘An original, unflinching work … the strength of the writing and the subject carry all before them.’ – New York Times ‘Coolly and confidently written, this is fiction at its most bracing.’ – Baltimore Sun ‘Assured, without a trace of self-indulgence … it knows where it is going, and that is nowhere near home.’ – The Scotsman
£8.99 / ebook £7.99 ISBN: 978-1-906582-38-8 ebook: 978-1 906582-45-6 224 pages
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Award-Winning Historical Fiction
THE RIVER’S SONG Suchen Christine Lim
A beautifully written exploration of identity, love and loss, set against the social upheaval created by the rise of Singapore. An ode to the Chinese community which grew up along the banks of the Singapore river, now dispersed. Young love blooms in the shanty town but circumstances drive the lovers to part. Will they feel the same way 30 years later? “A fine, deeply felt saga of lives caught up in progress that’s as heartbreaking as it is hopeful.” – Kirkus Reviews - starred review “I LOVED it… just as the best novels should be but so rarely are: like immersion in a vivid dream. A stunning achievement. ” – Jill Dawson, author of The Great Lover “A touching story that retrieves Singapore’s fast disappearing past and gives its famous river the depth and colour of a people’s history.” – Romesh Gunasekera, author of Reef
£9.99 / ebook £8.99 ISBN: 978-1-906582-98-2 ebook: 978-1-906582-57-9 336 pages
LIBERTY BAZAAR David Chadwick
Based on the true story of Liverpool’s aid for the South in the American Civil War.
Liverpool, 1863: Newly arrived in England, Trinity, an escaped slave girl, discovers a conspiracy to win the war for the South by breaking the blockade of Southern ports in the USA using British warships. A Confederate general arrives to raise funds by holding a grand Bazaar. How and why they come together to try and stop the conspiracy is a thrilling story told with wit and imagination. “A thrilling account of intrigue, deception, violence – and forbidden love.” James M McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author “ An addictive novel ... lived out by characters of real passion and true human complexity.” Paul Du Noyer, founder of MOJO magazine “Chadwick’s prose is brilliant in Liberty Bazaar..” ***** Readers’ Favourite
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£9.99 / ebook £8.99 ISBN:ISBN: 978-1-906582-92-0 ebook: 978-1-906582-66-1 308 pages
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Fiction/Satire
THE SCREAM by Laurent Graff The narrator, who works in a toll booth on the highway, describes a world where most humans have died due to a terrible sound that seems to come from nowhere. But not everyone can hear the sound. Is it real or only in the narrator’s mind? The Scream starts as sci-fi and ends as a realisation that despair can shape the world to the point where it becomes unrecognisable. Through Graff’s irreproachable style, the reader gets trapped in a nightmarishly poetic world embodied by the empty highway; a metaphor which unfolds until the point where reality becomes crueller than fiction. ‘a story of cinematic intensity that merges banality and catastrophe with one of the most iconic visual images in the Western canon.’ –BookOxygen Shortlisted for the Saga Award for Wit
£7.99 / ebook £6.99 ISBN: 978-1-906582-25-8 ebook: 978-1-906582-39-5 104 pages
HARD CHOICES by Carole Hayman
Grace Fry, bold and beautiful Minister for Women, discovers a plot to suppress the truth by means of spin, murder and manipulation. With her own life in danger, will she dare to speak out or be seduced by the promise of a post at the top table? ‘No wonder No 10 never wanted you to read this funny, clever, frightening book.’ – Sunday Express, Fiction Read of the Week £8.99 / 978-0-9546912-1-9 268 pages
HOW MAXINE LEARNED TO LOVE HER LEGS
and other tales of growing up Ed. Sarah Le Fanu
£8.95 978-0-9515877-4-4 242 pages / Age 14+
A sparkling collection of stories exploring a host of female parts, rites of passage, the pleasures and pains of growing up female in one entertaining volume. With stories from: Hilary Bailey Sally Cameron Betzy Dinesen Souad Faress Chrissie Gittins Bonnie Greer Vicky Grut Kirsty Gunn Brigid Howarth Mizzy Hussain Geraldine Kaye Carolyn Partrick Ellen Phethean Kate Pullinger Stella Rafferty Ravinder Randhawa Maire Ni Reagain Michele Roberts Daphne Rock Elisa Segrave Kirsty Seymour-Ure Susanna Steele Karen Whiteson ‘ … the stories are fresh, one for every occasion. Many of them I would read a number of times – they are thoughtprovoking.’ – Fed Mag
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WINNER DANISH CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD
new young adult fiction
ERIK AND THE GODS – JOURNEY TO VALHALLA Lars-Henrik Olsen
NEW
Translated by Paul Russell Garrett. Illustrated by Kohki Holman
Over 1 million copies sold in Denmark! Translated into over a dozen languages but first time in English. The Gods are fighting an endless war with the Giants and they are slowly losing their powers. During a terrible storm, Thor, the God of Thunder, appears to Erik, an ordinary 13-year-old boy. He sends Erik on a mission with his daughter, to travel to the Land of the Dead. Erik must bring back the Goddess of Eternal Life and her magic apples before the Gods weaken and totally lose their powers. Time is running out. Can Erik rescue the Goddess from the Giants and prevent the end of the world?
£9.99 / ebook £9.99 ISBN: 978-1-906582-63-0 ebook: 978-1-906582-66-1 252 pages
MY BROTHER’S WAR by David Hill It’s New Zealand, 1914, and the biggest war the world has known has just broken out in Europe. William eagerly enlists for the army but his younger brother, Edmund, is a conscientious objector and refuses to fight. While William trains to be a soldier, Edmund is arrested. Both brothers will end up on the bloody battlefields of France, but their journeys there are very different. And what they experience at the front line will challenge the beliefs that led them there. ‘… there are stories that need to be told over and over again, to introduce a new generation of readers to important ideas and to critical times in their country’s history … Hill’s descriptions of trench warfare are unforgettable.’ – New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children TRIPLE and Young Adults 2013 AWARD WINNER
£8.99 / ebook £7.99 ISBN: 978-1-906582-93-7 ebook: 978-1-906582-64-7 252 pages
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YA Fiction Shortlisted for The Marsh Award
THEMBA – A BOY CALLED HOPE
Lutz Van Dijk Translated by Karin Chubb
Themba grows up dreaming of becoming a football star but life without his mother and father is a struggle and Themba has to grow up fast. A lucky break gives him the chance to train as a footballer and play professionally – but Themba has a secret – should he tell the truth and risk everything he’s ever dreamed of? ‘Coupling together the glamour and excitement of a rags to riches football story with a description of a family’s struggle against poverty, prejudice … an important, worthy but highly readable novel.’ – dlbbookblog.blogspot.co.uk ‘It’s a really engaging book, and because AIDS is a serious issue, it made us want to carry on reading more about it.’ – Durning Library Teenage Reading Group
Shortlisted for The Marsh Award
£7.99 / ebook £6.99 ISBN: 978-1-906582-21-0 ebook: 978-1-906582-49-4 192 pages / Age 12+
DAVID’S STORY
Stig Dalager Translated by Frances Osterfelt and Cheryl Robson
Separated from his parents who are deported by the Nazis, David struggles to survive, hungry and alone, until by chance, he finds his way to the city of Warsaw. Quickly, he learns to smuggle things from one area of the city to the other, dodging the police and the Gestapo to earn enough for a crust of bread. Homeless and weakened by months of hardship, the days of running and hiding are coming to an end. The soldiers are brutally clearing the ghetto … Can he outwit them one more time? ‘ … one would think that this was written by Isaac B. Singer or one of the other Polish-Jewish geniuses.’ – Jewish Information Magazine ‘Dalager has written a shockingly relevant historical novel, a taut story of international standing and appeal. A monument to our own shame, at that time and now.’ – Politiken Newspaper
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£7.99 / ebook £6.99 ISBN: 978-1-906582-04-3 ebook: 978-1-906582-23-4 304 pages / Age 10+
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YA Fiction
BLACK MAIL by Thomas Feibel. Translated by Penny Black
£7.99 978-0-9551566-2-5 272 pages / Age 13+
Johnny is seventeen and the biggest Darlis Diller fan in Germany. Having tricked both his school and his parents, he follows his rock idol on a national tour. But things don’t go to plan when he has all his money stolen and the people around him end up dead – all because of an email he’s mistakenly received from a criminal gang! Soon he has nowhere to hide and nobody to turn to – except Pola, his new best friend. Unaware that both the criminals and the police are after him, Johnny tracks down his elusive rock idol but … ‘ … one of the best books for young people of the year.’ – Focus Magazine ‘a witty, page-turning entertainment, as trendy as any teenager could wish.’ – Books For Keeps
LETTERS FROM ALAIN by Enrique Perez Diaz
Translated by Simon Breden. Illustrated by Francisco Solé
Shortlisted for The Marsh Award
Arturo, a twelve-year-old boy lives on the island of Cuba. One day, his best friend Alain goes away with his family on a small boat, in search of a better life in America.But the sea can be a perilous place … When Alain’s dog returns mysteriously, the adults fear the worst. But Arturo begins to receive strange letters from his friend. What do they mean? And will his friend ever return?
£6.99 978-0-9551566-4-9 104 pages / Age 10+
’not a story of economic migrants but rather the loss and sadness felt by the family and friends that are left behind … sensitively handled.’ – The School Librarian
MY BROTHER JOHNNY
Shortlisted for The Marsh Award
by Francesco D’Adamo.Translated by Sian Williams Johnny is a young airman who’s flown dozens of missions. When he comes home from the war, his family and friends greet him as a hero. But Johnny doesn’t feel like a hero. He’s sick at the thought of the destruction he’s caused to people in the villages over there. What’s wrong with him? Why is he doing this? And when he sets up an anti-war protest in the centre of town, nobody wants to listen.– Until the war comes home to them, that is. £6.99 978-0-9551566-3-2 136 pages / Age 12+
‘Some stories need to be written, and deserve to be read all over the world. My Brother Johnny is one of these … ’ – The Sunday Times
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Winner of Ibby ‘Best Book for Teenagers’
YA Fiction
TINA’S WEB by Alki Zei. Translated by John Thornley
Tina’s life in Germany had been so happy, it never occurred to her that one day her parents might split. Or – worse still – send her back to Greece to live with her grandmother! But Tina doesn’t mind anything anymore. She’s found the answer. With the help of her friend Wick, and a really amazing little blue pill … then lots more amazing little pills … then lots of really incredible lies … Sometimes it’s as if she’s in heaven, sometimes she’s crashing back down to earth, and now – there’s no return. Or is there? ‘Alki Zei’s description of Tina’s unravelling makes the heart beat faster and frequently puts Shortlisted for The Marsh a lump in the throat. Highly recommended.’– Award Children’s Books Ireland Magazine. Voted One Of The Top 40 Best Books For Teens by Teen Titles
£7.99 978-0-9551566-1-8 216 pages / Age 12+
THISTOWN by Malcolm McKay
Somewhere beyond the rain, the wind and the stars, as far from the Earth as it’s possible to be, there was a town so old that no one remembered how or when it began. It was a town where everyone stayed exactly the same, a town where no one grew older, a town surrounded by a million miles of yellow corn, which was so strange that if you went in, you disappeared immediately. And perhaps Thistown would have always stayed the same if they hadn’t found The Sleeping Man. He changed everything. Forever. ‘ … an intriguing fantasy parable. The writing is clear and simple; The ending is a particularly enigmatic affair which should get your students questioning.’ – Writing in Education
JUNK FOOD HERO by Pat Swindells
£7.99 / 978-09546912-5-7 288 pages / Age 10+
George, aged thirteen, weighs seventeen stone and is still growing in all directions. When a TV chef brings healthy food to the school dinner menu, George demands his right to chips, chips and more chips. But his teachers won’t budge and they set him thinking … George embarks on a journey of discovery where he takes the giant leap from living to eat to eating to live. ‘ for every hour your children spend on their Playstations this week, they should devote an equal amount of time to reading Junk Food Hero. It could just change – perhaps even save – their lives.’ – Women Talking
£7.99 / 978-1-906582-02-9 240 pages / Age 10+
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YA Fiction Shortlisted for The Wingate Literary Prize
S OBIBOR
Jean Mo lla Tr an sla t ed b y P o lly McLean
‘I did it so they’d stop me,’ Emma said, when she was caught stealing biscuits from a supermarket. But Emma is hiding behind tough words … Emma is sixteen and anorexic. Why? Is it her parents’ indifference, the long family silences, the lies they tell each other? Emma wants to know. She wants to understand. When she discovers an old notebook in her grandparents’ house, disturbing secrets emerge about their part in the War, that demand an answer.
‘Once you start one of Molla’s books, you can’t put it down. By the time you’ve finished, you’ll have been moved to tears.’ – Le Monde £6.99 / 978-0-9546912-4-0 176 pages / Age 14+ Finalist in The New Zealand Post Book Awards
COM ING BA CK Da v id Hill
Ryan has just got his licence. He’s in the car with his mates. Tara likes to go running. She’s on her way back home. Neither of them is paying much attention … The harrowing accident that follows impacts many lives. Ryan grows up and finds a way to make amends while Tara has to re-learn everything as she struggles to recover from her injuries. ‘This is a fine book for young adults who want to learn how to drive. It makes clear how quickly things can go wrong and never be right again.’ – Classroom Magazine ‘Every teen should read this book before setting foot in a car. Come to think of it, most adults should too.’ – NZ Inspired Magazine
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£7.99 / 978-0-9542330-2-0 192 pages / Age 13+
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non-fiction arts and culture COUNTERCULTURE UK – A Celebration
NEW
Eds. Rebecca Gillieron and Cheryl Robson
The first comprehensive exploration of counterculture in the UK – from illegal raves to street art, alternative comedy and agit-prop theatre to pop-up galleries, as well as the larger agents for social change such as the green movement, feminism, disability rights and much more. Offers an entirely unique look at the myriad subversive scenes in Britain today. Contributors include: Penny Pepper, Tim Burrows, Mark Sheerin, Em Ayson, Susan Murray, Paul Quinn, Mark Edward, Hayley da Foster, Coco Khan, Ellen Cheshire, Charlie Oughton, Jack Bright, Ben Graham, Simon Smith and Bella Quist. ’…a wonderfully scholarly, readable and useful treat on the perils of labelling culture.’ – Helen Lederer, Actress, Writer, Comedienne
£14.99 / 978-0-9566329-6-8 288 pages
ART, THEATRE & WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE Irene Cockroft and Susan Croft
An exploration of the creative explosion that occurred when the campaign for the vote brought together the talents of so many female writers and artists at the start of the 20th century. Includes: Cicely Hamilton / Chris St. John / Inez Bensusan / Elizabeth Robins / Edith Zangwill / Charlotte Despard / Ernestine Mills / Pamela Colman Smith / Sylvia Pankhurst / Ellen Terry / Edith Craig / Sybil Thorndike and many more.
£7.99 / 978-1-906582-08-1 128 pages
‘ … this is not a book about the gesture. It’s a story of connected and concerted bravery … a compelling reminder of a fierce and quietly-neglected artistic movement.’ – Exeunt Magazine
50 BEST PLAYS FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES Vicky Ireland MBE and Paul Harman
A compilation of the 50 best plays for children and young people by two distinguished practitioners and campaigners for Children’s Theatre in the UK. Includes information about the history of Theatre in Education and Drama in Education as well as a list of the best companies working in the field. £12.99 / 978-1-910798-99-7
NEW
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Non-Fiction – THEATRE
THEATRE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE ed. Stuart Bennett
An exploration of the way ‘Theatre for Children and Young People’ has responded to cultural diversity in a continually changing social and political context over the last fifty years. This publication is a tool to record and stimulate innovation and excellence – contributing to the long-term stability of the arts. It is the first publication to give the whole story of theatre for children and young people and its development in the UK. Essential reading for drama and theatre practitioners and for students of contemporary British theatre everywhere. ‘ … good to have on offer so many voices and such a wealth of experience, often with concrete examples, tips on writing and directing; the principles of TIE … ’ – T.E.S.
£11.99 / 978-0-9546912-8-8 246 pages
A GUIDE TO UK THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES ed. Paul Harman
The quality and range of Theatre for Children and Young People in the UK is one of our greatest cultural assets. This essential book provides the first ever guide to the wealth of talent and creativity displayed by over 150 professional companies involved in theatre for young audiences. £7.99 / 978-1-906582-09-8 112 pages
HOW TO PUT ON A COMMUNITY PLAY Sarah Burton
• Essential source book for universities and colleges and students of Community Theatre / Theatre Studies. • Appeals to local community groups, youth theatres and amateur players wanting to stage a community play. An invaluable guide to the myriad tasks and decisions facing any community play organiser. With detailed advice concerning the preparation, planning and execution required to achieve success, the author also offers essential tips on the creative process, administrative hurdles and technical headaches that must be overcome.
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£12.99 / 978-1-906582-15-9 192 pages
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Non-Fiction – COOKERY Winner of The Gourmand Best Sustainable Foodbook UK
THE GREEN TEEN COOKBOOK ed. Laurane Marchive
This unique cookbook and rough guide to ethical eating is for all those who want to eat well, pay less and save the planet! What is Fair Trade? What’s a Flexitarian? Are food additives bad? The perfect gift for young people learning to cook, for students on a budget and for all those interested in pursuing an eco-friendly lifestyle. ‘This is real cooking … a revolutionary little gem in its own right … quite political. And so it should be.’ – singlegourmettraveller.wordpress.com ‘It is the perfect antidote to our take-away crazy food habits … a good balance between presenting the opinions for ethical eating without being a preachy bible of eco warriorism.’ – www.referplus.org.uk
£9.99 / ebook £8.99 ISBN: 978-1-906582-12-8 ebook 978-1-906582-36-4 112 pages, full colour
THE ARAB-ISRAELI COOKBOOK – RECIPES
Robin Soans
A collection of recipes that offers the best of Middle Eastern food and more. With recipes gathered in Israel and Palestine from ordinary people going about their everyday lives, The Arab-Israeli Cookbook include tips, tales and anecdotes as well as recipes passed down through generations. Published in conjunction with the play by the same author: The Arab-Israeli Cookbook: The Play 978-0-954233-09-9
£9.99 / 978-0-9515877-5-1 96 pages, full colour photos
Winner of The Gourmand: Best Innovative Foodbook UK and Special Jury Prize For Peace
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Non-Fiction – Lifestyle
PROVENCE: People, Places, Food A Cultural Guide ed. Cheryl Robson
Artists, painters, writers and discerning travellers from royalty to rock stars have long been attracted by the region’s bright light, perfect climate and joie de vivre. Take the road less travelled as you find out more about the extraordinary range of places and people who’ve found inspiration in the mountains and valleys, rocky coves and verdant islands. ‘… an eclectic collection of travel and food recommendations, but also includes a curated selection of articles about the artists and writers who lived in Provence and contributed to its cultural life.’ – www.theculturetrip.com £12.99 / 978-1-906582-33-3 288 pages, full colour
‘This is an excellent travel guide to Provence, including anecdotal information about famous people from Provence, the culture, the food and the wine.’ --***** Readers’ Favourite - Emily-Jane Hills Orford
SILLY BEGGAR by James Spence
As featured on The Richard and Judy Show
Silly Beggar takes the art of acquiring the freebie to a whole new level of absurdity. Rejoice as the customer service departments of multinational corporations are fed ridiculous stories to make them part with T-shirts or other logo-bearing bounty. Whether he’s playing the system or just playing games, James Spence demonstrates his comic genius via his uniquely entertaining emails. ‘The author has clearly spent years plaguing companies with his idiotic requests for freebies, could this be where the global meltdown started?’ Paul Foot, Life President, Guild of Paul Foot Connoisseurs £9.99 / 978-1-906582-03-6 200 pages, full colour photos and illustrations
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‘a very amusing illustration of the lengths people will go to to earn a buck – public relations will never be the same again.’ – Nigel Williams, best-selling author, The Wimbledon Poisoner
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SUPERNOVA BOOKS BEST BLUES BOOK – BLUES MATTERS
Non-Fiction – MUSIC
THE BRITISH BEAT EXPLOSION: Rock ‘n’ Roll Island ed. J.C. Wheatley
• Including interviews with musicians & fans • b / w photographs throughout
Anyone with an interest in the UK’s history of rock n’roll is familiar with The Cavern Club but on an island in the middle of the The Thames, another great 60s club night played host to acts that would later make a global name for themselves. THE ROLLING STONES, THE WHO, PINK FLOYD, THE SMALL FACES, THE PRETTY THINGS, THE KINKS and THE YARDBIRDS are amongst the many acts who performed at the legendary Eel Pie Hotel during its 50s and 60s heydey, as did jazz greats like KEN COLYER, KENNY BALL and ACKER BILK as well as more avant garde performers like IVOR CUTLER.
£9.99 / ebook £4.99 ISBN: 978-1-906582-47-0 ebook 978-1-906582-52-4 160 pages
WOMEN MAKE NOISE:
Girl Bands from Motown to the Modern ed. Julia Downes All-girl bands have made radical contributions to feminism, culture and politics as well as producing some unique, influential and innovative music. It’s time to celebrate the outspoken voices, creative talents and gutsy performances of the all-girl bands who demand we take notice. Including commentary from members of the original 60s girl groups and classic punk-inspired outfits like The Raincoats and The Slits, as well as contemporary Ladyfest heroines like Beth Ditto, this timely exploration shows the world that sidelining all-girl bands is a major oversight. ‘This timely book is both a summary of historic struggles and a cri de coeur that the pop-feminist counterculture is alive and well and possessed of the ability to oppose and correct the moribund culture of 21st century music if given the space to breathe.’ – Los Angeles Review of Books
£15.99 / ebook £8.99 ISBN: 978-0-9566329-1-3 ebook: 978-0-9566329-4-4 320 pages, b / w photographs
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Non-Fiction – FILM
SUPERNOVA BOOKS
IN THE SCENE: JANE CAMPION Ellen Cheshire
NEW
Jane Campion is one of the few women film-makers working today who has managed to create a unique body of work. A true independent film-maker, yet she has attracted ‘A’ List Hollywood superstars to appear in her films. Who else but Jane Campion could have convinced a tattooed Harvey Keitel to run buck-naked through the New Zealand landscape in The Piano, or for the multi-award winning Kate Winslet to pee down her legs in the middle of the desert in Holy Smoke? This book will cover Jane Campion’s remarkable career from her Palme D’or winning debut short film Peel to her recent return to television with the Top of the Lake, reflecting on the influence of her study in anthropology as well as her formative years growing up in New Zealand. £9.99 / £4.99 ISBN: 978-0-9932207-2-2 200 pages
Ellen Cheshire has written books on Audrey Hepburn, the Coen Bros and Bio-Pics; and contributed to books on War Movies, Fantasy Film, Silent Cinema, Counterculture, James Bond and Charlie Chaplin.
IN THE SCENE: ANG LEE Ellen Cheshire
£9.99 / £4.99 ISBN: 978-0-9932207-4-6 200 pages
NEW
Ang Lee came to the fore in the 1990s as one of the ‘second wave’ of Taiwanese directors. After studying at New York University, Lee returned to Taiwan where he directed Pushing Hands, The Wedding Banquet, Eat Drink Man Woman. Austen’s Sense And Sensibility was a tremendous critical and commercial success. But it was his triumphant return to the East with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon which has transformed him into an internationally successful director. A brief foray into the Marvel Universe with Hulk, it was his adaption of Proulx’s short story Brokeback Mountain which surprised critics and won him new fans. Yann Martel’s The Life of Pi pushed the boundaries of CGI animation. 2016 promises Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk an adaption of Ben Fountain’s 2012 Iraq-war set novel. ‘...this book covers all you really need to know about someone who is rapidly becoming one of the major directors at work nowadays.’ – Dowse.com
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SUPERNOVA BOOKS
Non-Fiction – FILM
CELLULOID CEILING: Women Film Directors breaking through
eds. Gabrielle Kelly & Cheryl Robson
Highlighting rising women directors alongside groundbreaking pioneers, this is a one-stop guide to women film directors working around the world in the 21st century. From the blockbusters of the Hollywood studios to emerging voices from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Laos, we learn of women making films in traditionally maledominated areas such as action, fantasy and horror. With wide-ranging contributions from countries with mature and nascent film industries, Celluloid Ceiling demonstrates that economic and technological changes are creating new opportunities for women film directors everywhere. Includes interviews and b / w photographs. ‘The call for equality is timely: in troubled economies, the editors note, any less would be “a waste of a country’s human resources. – **** Total Film ‘The book is a powerful instrument for asserting the existence and achievements of women filmmakers against the apparently endless sexism of the film industry.’ – Sophie Meyer, the fWord
SILENT WOMEN: Pioneers of Cinema eds: Melody Bridges & Cheryl Robson
£15.99 / ebook £8.99 ISBN: 978-0-9566329-0-6 ebook: 978-0-9566329- 5-1 288 pages VOTED BEST BOOK ON SILENT FILM
More women were working at every level in the first 20 years of the film industry in the USA than at any point since. Early pioneers, such as Alice Guy-Blaché, directed hundreds of films, invented techniques, ran businesses and set up distribution but with the rise of the maledominated studio system, their significant contribution to the dawn of the movies has long been forgotten. Celebrates the many women involved in the rise of the film industry and explains why the coming of the talkies and big business led to the inequality which exists today. Contributors include top film makers, critics, silent film experts, academics and writers from three continents. ‘This book is inspirational reading for any woman who dreams to express her vision through film in any direction this industry takes us. Only by understanding our past can we embrace our greatest future.’ – Gayle Nachlis, Women In Film Los Angeles
£14.99 / £8.99 ISBN 978- 0-9566329-9-9 ebk 312 pages
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ry, and ie. all but Media ls, the
Non-Fiction – FILM
SUPERNOVA BOOKS
CHOOSE LIFE: Britpop Cinema From Trainspotting To This Is England Paul Glasby
NEW
The Easy Riders, Raging Bulls of the indie era…
£14.99 / 9781911501084 256 pages
erlinale erence ect. how to ly –
The Britpop movement of the mid-1990s defined a generation. Much has been written about the music, but what of the films? Beginning with Shallow Grave (1994), going global with Trainspotting (1996), and encompassing works as diverse as Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Human Traffic (1999), Sexy Beast (2000), 24 Hour Party People (2002) and This Is England (2006), Britpop cinema pushed boundaries, paid Hollywood no heed and placed the UK film industry, all too briefly, at the centre of the movie universe. Featuring new interviews from key directors, actors, musicians and journalists, Choose Life celebrates Britpop cinema’s greatest works, the people who made them, and the Britain that made it all possible. Matt Glasby is an international film critic for Total Film, GQ, Digital Spy and The List among others, and a proud member of the London Critics’ Circle. His first book, The A-Z Of Great Film Directors (Octopus/Cassell), was published in 2015. He lives in London with his fiancé and cat.
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SUPERNOVA BOOKS
Non-Fiction – FILM / WRITING
NOT A NUMBER: Patrick McGoohan – a life
Rupert Booth
The only up-to-date biography of Patrick McGoohan celebrating an extraordinary character whose refusal to play by the rules of his profession earned him a worldwide following. Including exclusive interviews with leading directors, actors and industry insiders from his hit TV series The Prisoner and Danger Man as well as commentary from family and friends. A timely exploration of the man whose declaration ‘I will not be pushed, filed, stamped indexed, briefed, de-briefed or numbered’ continues to resonate with audiences decades after it was first uttered with such conviction. ‘He was meant to become the first James Bond … Now a revealing new biography tells of a destructive Jekyll and Hyde persona that governed his life.’ – The Daily Express ‘Prickly, controlling, fiercely puritanical … this wellresearched work offers compelling insights into the man who could have been Bond ...and whose idea of gentle encouragement on The Prisoner set was to bark ‘get it done!’ – Total Film
£12.99 / £9.99 ISBN: 978-0-9566329-2-0 ebook: 978-0-9566329-3-7 320 pages, b/w photographs
THE WOMEN WRITERS’ HANDBOOK
Eds. Robson, Beck, Georgeson
An essential handbook for new and experienced women writers, including practical help, teaching resources for running a series of writing workshops, grants awards and bursaries. Also contains examples of workshop writing – poems, short stories and essays on collaboration by women writers. Includes essays by Caryl Churchill, Ayshe Raif, Bryony Lavery, Jill Hyem.
‘a gem of a book: everything a woman writer might need in one slim volume.’ – Everyman Magazine ‘ … plenty of practical advice and information including details suggestions for a series of sessions.’ – Writer’s News
£4.95 978-0-9515877-0-6 148 pages
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new play collections NEW
NEW
ASIAN PLAYS FROM TARA ARTS A collection of six important plays from the Tara Arts Archive. Includes both ground-breaking early plays and more recent commissions. Selected by Artistic Director Jatinder Verma MBE who also pens an introduction giving the history of the 40 year old arts organisation in South London. Includes b/w photos thoughout. £14.99 / 978-1-911501-89-3 ebook 978-1-911501-90-9 300 pages
PLAYS OF LOVE AND CONFLICT by Neil Duffield
Three original plays for family audiences. THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME is an adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel. Commissioned and first produced by The Dukes Theatre, Lancaster. WITH ALL MY LOVE is based on a true story about the lives of a convict and his family following his transportation to Western Australia. A community play for The Arts Theatre, Rotherham. BROTHERS IN ARMS is based on a true story about conscientious objectors in the First World War. Commissioned by Riding Lights Theatre Company, York.
NEW
£12.99 / ISBN 978-1-910798-79-9 /240 pages
BLACK & ASIAN PLAYS Introduced by Afia Nkrumah
£9.95 / 978-09536757-4-6 320 pages
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HARVEST by MANJULA PADMANABHAN Onassis Award Winning play about the trade in human organs from the Third World. MADE IN ENGLAND by PARV BANCIL Time Out Critics’ Choice. A play about losing your cultural identity as the price of success. BROTHER TO BROTHER by MICHAEL MCMILLAN Exploring the experience of being black and male in Britain. CALCUTTA KOSHER by SHELLEY SILAS Pick of the Day Sunday Times Set in the Indian Jewish Community in Calcutta, a family secret is revealed. UNDER THEIR INFLUENCE by WAYNE BUCHANAN Time Out Critics’ Choice Raises questions about the way black people are treated in the mental health system.
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Play Collections – UK
THREE PLAYS by Jonathan Moore
TREATMENT • Edinburgh Fringe First ‘Treatment is one of the most disturbing and exhilarating plays in London.’ The Independent THIS OTHER EDEN • The Guardian Critics’ Choice ‘ … the play burns with passion and indignation.’The Telegraph FALL FROM LIGHT • A tale of art, savagery and redemption.
£10.95 / 978-0-9536757-2-2 200 pages
‘A singular voice for his generation: furious, nihilistic, poetic … ’ – Time Out
BEST OF THE FEST Ed. Phil Setren
Plays from London’s New Play Festival. Includes: WILD TURKEY by JOE PENHALL EVERLASTING ROSE by JUDY UPTON STRINDBERG KNEW MY FATHER by MARK JENKINS IN THE FIELDS OF ACELDAMA by NAOMI WALLACE TWO HORSEMEN by BIYI BANDELE
‘Teachers of ‘A’ Level drama should find this a useful collection for post 16 students … well written, small cast pieces with relevance to their lives.’ – T.E.S. £12.99 / 978-0-9515877-8-2 312 pages
GRAEAE PLAYS 1 new plays redefining disability selected by Dame Jenny Sealey
SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL by RAY HARRISON GRAHAM PEELING by KAITE O’REILLY SOFT VENGEANCE by APRIL DE ANGELIS FITTINGS: THE LAST FREAKSHOW by MIKE KENNY INTO THE MYSTIC by PETER WOLF £12.99 / 978-0-9536757-6-0 352 pages
BIG THEATRE IN SMALL SPACES Brendan Murray Debut collection of contemporary drama from an award-winning playwright, exploring life in Great Britain today. Far from the stress of the city, rural tensions seethe, young men go to war, marriages founder, loneliness and denial flourishes. Is life in the English countryside as idyllic as it seems? Includes: THE FALLING SKY, MISSING IN ACTION and ENTERTAINING ANGELS. £15.99 / 978-1906582-18-0 240 pages
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‘Tender and ultimately shocking, the conflicts are subtle and the characters, all have the ring of truth about them.’ – The Stage
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Play Collections – International
DURBAN DIALOGUES, INDIAN VOICE Ashwin Singh Eclectic plays by award-winning SA playwright Ashwin Singh. To House, Duped, Spice ‘n Stuff, Reoca Light and Beyond the Big Bangs reflect, in different ways, on the complexities and contradictions of life in post-Apartheid South Africa, and focus particularly on people of Indian origin and their relationship with other communities. ‘...deals with alliances and conflicts between Black, White and Indian characters … ‘ – Independent on Sunday £15.99 / 978-1-906582-42-5/ebook: 978-1-906582-32-6 /224 pages
NEW SOUTH AFRICAN PLAYS Ed. Charles J. Fourie THE PLAYGROUND by BEVERLEY NAIDOO ‘... a joyful experience as well as a thought-provoking one..’ – Time Out Critics’ Choice TAXI by SIBUSISO MAMBA ‘A fine piece of work, free of clichés.’ – Daily Mail **** Pick of the Week GREEN MAN FLASHING by MIKE VAN GRAAN ‘This finely crafted drama tears at the heart and soul of our democracy … astute writing … ’ – Star Tonight TO HOUSE by ASHWIN SINGH ‘ … presents the new cultural divide succinctly, making cogent statements about South African society’ – D’Arts Magazine REJOICE BURNING by JAMES WHYLE ‘the cruellest irony of all is left until the end … ’ – BBC Radio 3 WHAT THE WATER GAVE ME by REHANE ABRAHAMS ‘ … tales £11.99 / 978-0-9542330-1-3 256 pages that retrieve ancient magics and reveal contemporary terrors.’ – Cape Times
SOUTH-EAST ASIAN PLAYS Eds. C. Robson & A. Mellor
NEW
The first comprehensive collection of plays by eight playwrights, both new and established, from countries in South-East Asia including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philppines, Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia. Covering topics as diverse as the global financial crisis, censorship, corruption and exploitation, these plays provide insight into the differing concerns of those living in a part of the world which is experiencing profound change. Includes plays by Tew Bunnag, Alfian Saat, Floy Quintos, Joned Suryatmoko, Dang Chuong, Ann Lee, Chhon Sina and Jean Tay.
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£14.99 / 978-1-906582-86-9 300 pages
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Play Collections – Women / International
SEVEN PLAYS BY WOMEN
Winner of The Raymond Williams Award
Ed. Cheryl Robson
FAIL / SAFE by AYSHE RAIF THE TAKING OF LIBERTY by CHERYL ROBSON CRUX by APRIL DE ANGELIS ITHAKA by NINA RAPI FORCED OUT by JEAN ABBOTT COCHON FLAMBÉ by EVA LEWIN ‘ … testimony to the work and debate going on among women, an inspiring document.’ – What’s On
£5.95 / 978-0-9515877-1-3 272 pages
PLAYS BY MEDITERRANEAN WOMEN 12 WOMEN IN A CELL by NAWAL EL SAADAWI (Egypt) THE END OF THE DREAM SEASON by MIRIAM KAINY (Israel) LIBRATION by LLUISA CUNILLÉ (Spain) MEPHISTO by KLAUS MANN / ARIANE MNOUCHKINE (France / Germany) HARSH ANGEL by MARIA AVRAAMIDOU (Cyprus) VERONICA FRANCO by DACIA MARAINI (Italy) ‘The quality of the writing is consistently high and never less than gripping.’ – Writing in Education
Ed. Marion Baraitser
£9.95 / 9780-9515877-3-7 296 pages
SIX PLAYS BY BLACK & ASIAN WOMEN WRITERS Ed. Kadja George
MY SISTER-WIFE by MEERA SYAL RUNNING DREAM by TRISH COOKE SONG FOR A SANCTUARY by RUKHSANA AHMAD LEONORA’S DANCE by ZINDIKA MONSOON by MAYA CHOWDHRY A HERO’S WELCOME by WINSOME PINNOCK ‘showcases a wealth of talent amongst Black and Asian communities … often neglected by mainstream publishers.’ – Black Pride Magazine
£12.99 / 978-0-9515877-2-0 228 pages
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Play Collections – Women / International
PLAYS FOR TODAY BY WOMEN
Eds. Cheryl Robson and Rebecca Gillieron
£15.99 978-1-906582-11-1 336 pages
A new collection of plays by women, tested in performance. With great roles for women of all ages (and men too) these plays will appeal to theatre practitioners, students and amateur dramatic groups looking for material that is both moving and topical. This wide-ranging collection explores aspects of contemporary life from a female perspective. YOURS ABUNDANTLY by GILLIAN PLOWMAN FROM THE MOUTHS OF MOTHERS by AMANDA STUART FISHER WELCOME TO RAMALLAH by SONJA LINDEN and ADAH KAY THE AWKWARD SQUAD by KARIN YOUNG FOR A BUTTON by RACHEL BARNETT
VOTES FOR WOMEN AND OTHER PLAYS Ed. Susan Croft
£12.99 / 978-1-90658201-2 256 pages
Introduced and set in an historical context by Dr Susan Croft together with an extensive chronology of suffrage drama 1907-1914. Including key suffrage plays and others not previously published. Full playtexts included: VOTES FOR WOMEN by ELIZABETH ROBINS HOW THE VOTE WAS WON by CICELY HAMILTON AND CHRIS ST. JOHN THE APPLE by INEZ BENSUSAN JIM’S LEG by L.S. PHIBBS AT THE GATES by ALICE CHAPIN IN THE WORKHOUSE by MARGARET W. NEVINSON A CHANGE OF TENANT by HELEN M. NIGHTINGALE
CLASSIC PLAYS BY WOMEN Ed. Susan Croft An anthology of the best plays by female dramatists from 1600-2000, including:
£16.99 978-1-906582-00-5 456 pages
PAPHNUTIUS (extract) by HROTSWITHA THE TRAGEDY OF MARIAM (extract) by ELIZABETH CARY THE ROVER by APHRA BEHN A BOLD STROKE FOR A WIFE by SUSANNA CENTLIVRE DE MONFORT by JOANNA BAILLIE RUTHERFORD AND SON by GITHA SOWERBY THE CHALK GARDEN by ENID BAGNOLD TOP GIRLS (extract) by CARYL CHURCHILL STONES IN HIS POCKETS by MARIE JONES
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Play Collections – Women / International
EASTERN PROMISE
A rare collection of plays by women.
7 Plays From Central And Eastern Europe Eds. Sian Evans and Cheryl Robson
BELGRADE TRILOGY by BILJANA SRBLJANOVIC (Yugoslavia) Slobodan Selenic Prize THE TENDER MERCIES by SLADJANA VUJOVIC (Montenegro) Edinburgh fringe first winner. NASCENDO by ALINA NELEGA (Romania) THE CHOSEN ONES by ELENA POPOVA (Belorussia) Winner of the first European play competition THE UMBILICAL CORD by KRYSTYNA KOFTA (Poland) TULIP DOCTOR by VERA FILO (Hungary) JENUFA (HER STEPDAUGHTER) by GABRIELA PREISSOVA (Czechoslovakia)
£12.99 978-0-9515877-9-9 320 pages
A TOUCH OF THE DUTCH
Plays by Dutch Women Writers
A collection of the best plays by women writing in the Netherlands. WRITE ME IN THE SAND by INEZ VAN DULLEMEN THE CARACAL by JUDITH HERZBERG A THREAD IN THE DARK by HELLA HAASSE EAT by MATIN VAN VELDHUIZEN DOSSIER: RONALD AKKERMAN by SUZANNE VAN LOHUIZEN £9.95 / 978-0-9515877-5-5 232 pages
BALKAN PLOTS
New Plays from Central and Eastern Europe Introduced by Gina Landor A collection of plays about war, tyranny and discrimination. THE BODY OF A WOMAN by MATEI VISNIEC (Romania) Produced in London and Avignon. CORDON by NEBOJSA ROMCEVIC (Yugoslavia) Made into a film presented at Toronto film festival. WHEN I WANT TO WHISTLE, I WHISTLE … by ANDREEA VALEAN (Romania) SOAP OPERA by GYORGY SPIRO (Hungary) £9.95 / 978-0-9536757-3-9 186 pages
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new adult drama THE UNDERGROUND MAN by Mick Jackson/Nick Wood
NEW
Adapted from the Booker nominated novel
William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck is an eccentric Nottinghamshire aristocrat whose imagination and curiosity know no bounds. This deceptively simple man struggles to come to terms with a world that is teeming with new knowledge, ill-founded opinion and gossip. Why does he hide himself away? What is his fascination with tunnels? Will he ever unearth the secrets hidden in his memory? In a sequence of events that are often curious and frequently hilarious he reveals moments of surprising perception and wisdom. £9.99 /e-book £4.99 ISBN: 9781911501107
SHAKESPEARE AND CERVANTES by Asa Palomera
NEW
It is the 400th anniversary of the deaths of two of the world’s most famous authors: William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes. This comic romp charts the influences of these literary giants on the modern world and contrasts the fortunes of two contemporaries whose countries – England and Spain – went from alliance to enmity in a short space of time.
£9.99 /e-book £4.99 ISBN: 9781911501138
“There is a chemistry at work which transcends expect-ations... an engaging and hilarious 90-minute performance.” – The Edinburgh Evening News NEW
ARABIAN NIGHTS
adapted by Neil Duffield
When Sheherazad is brought to the palace to be the Sultan's new bride, her very life depends upon her skill as a storyteller. She tells him tales of lost cities and buried treasure, of slave girls and robbers, of genies in bottles and evil sorcerors. But will it be enough to save her? The stories of the Arabian Nights originate from Persia, India and Arabia, and date back more than a thousand years. Neil Duffield has combined elements of many of them, keeping alive the excitement and humour to produce a show which transports the audience into a world of myth and legend where fantasy and reality can never be separated. £9.99/e-book £4.99 ISBN: 9781911501879 96 pages
“Like a Persian miniature in its case, this delightful show is the quintessence of the Neil Duffield storytelling style... I recommend it to everyone.” – The Sunday Times
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Single Plays
THE IRANIAN FEAST by Kevin Dyer The play explores how people make compromises to survive in societies where freedom is limited.
£8.99/e-book £4.99 ISBN 978-1-910798-93-5 72 pages
In modern-day Tehran, you can never predict how life will turn out. Part thriller, part cookery lesson, this is the story of a family struggling to deal with the challenges of a regime where secrecy and surveillance are an everyday part of life. Abbas calls together his wife and daughter and their friends and neighbours for an impromptu feast. Going in the pot are fresh herbs, spices, sweet vegetables and Eli’s mother’s secret ingredient...
THE DIARY OF A HOUNSLOW GIRL Ambreen Razia
A comic story of dreams and coming of age. You’ve heard of an Essex Girl or even a Sloane Ranger but what is a ‘Hounslow Girl’? ‘Hounslow Girl’ has become a byword for confident, young Muslim women who are grappling with traditional values, city life and fashion. From the joys of Pakistani weddings to fights on the night bus, this is a funny, bold, provocative play highlighting the challenges of being a teenage girl in a traditional Muslim family, alongside the temptations and influences of growing up in and around London. £8.99/e-book £4.99 ISBN 978-0-9536757-9-1 72 pages
CARE TAKERS by Billy Cowan
A two-hander about bullying and discrimination
Ms Lawson, a new teacher at Newall South High School, believes Jamie Harrow is being bullied because he’s gay. She wants to help but Mrs Rutter, the Deputy Head, thinks it will sort itself out. Is Mrs Rutter speaking from experience or is there something more unsavoury about her uncaring attitude? A battle royale occurs between youthful idealism and the system that evolves to choke it.
£8.99/e-book £4.99 ISBN 978-1-910798-81-2 72 pages
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***** “Tight and Powerful … hits home with a punch!” – WhatsOnStage
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Single Plays
THE TROUBLE WITH ASIAN MEN S.Bhuchar, K.Landon-Smith, L.Wallinger
Macho men or metrosexual guys? Mummy’s boys or blokes under their missus’ thumbs? Pukka professionals with their Mercedes Benz lives and designer clad wives; husbands, sons, uncles, brothers and fathers … From the award-winning theatre company that brought us East is East,a revealing verbatim comedy that has played to sellout houses internationally. ‘An honest, funny and touching insight into modern British Asian masculinity’ – Evening Standard ‘Enjoyably idiosyncratic’ – Time Out ****
£8.99 / 978-1-906582-41-8 48 pages
NEXT SWAN DOWN THE RIVER MIGHT BE BLACK sean burn
You think you won’t survive but you do … Next Swan Down the River Might be Black is a personal response to being sectioned under the mental health act. Cerys, nineteen, black and depressive, Kay, twenty-six, white and bipolar, and Zee, a Pakistani-British student nurse and former service user, are all fighting a faceless institution in their own way. The play examines diversity, friendships and power at a time of rising uncertainties. ‘Sometimes poetic, often distressing.’ – The Stage
£8.99 / 978-1-906582-35-7 56 pages
COLLECTOR OF TEARS AND OTHER MONOLOGUES
sean burn
An epic love story for our times. Unable to age until she has cried, Tanya must collect the tears of others in glass bottles down through the ages and through her stories, bear witness to the pain and suffering of the people, Taking both male and female lovers, Tanya is an outcast, until the day comes when she finally stands up to be counted – and learns how to cry.
£8.99 / 978-1-906582-91-3 96 pages
VOTED BEST PLAY IN NORTH-WEST ENGLAND ‘ … a theatrical Orlando for our times.’ – Colin Teevan, Professor of Playwriting
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Single Plays
WOMEN OF ASIA Asa Palomera Questions the myths and stereotypes which underpin the continuing oppression of women in Asia. Inspired by true stories, this critically acclaimed modern play explores the everyday abuse and exploitation of Asian women and their struggles to obtain freedom. The play has been performed internationally on three continents including theatres in New York, Melbourne, Bangkok and Singapore. ‘...a powerhouse on Melbourne’s independent theatre scene.’ – The Age
£7.99 / ebook £4.99 ISBN 978-1-906582-94-4 ebook: 978-1-906582-68-5 64 pages
WOMAN OF FLOWERS
Kaite O’ Reilly
Rose cannot remember what came before the house at the edge of the forest. Gwynne says he magicked her out of the flowers, but she’s not so sure. She has played the part of the perfect farmer’s wife for Lewis, who is kept firmly in place by his uncle Gwynne, and accepted her lonely existence. Then a stranger is seen in the forest. How far will she go to escape the life chosen for her? £8.99 / ebook £4.99 / ISBN: 978-1-906582-90-6/ ebook: 978-1-906582-69-2 /72 pages
PROJECT XXX
Kim Wiltshire and Paul Hines A dark, romantic comedy, this story follows a feminist teen blogger who decides it is time to prove that sex on the web is not just for men. During a rainy summer in a northern seaside town, Amy resolves to show that sexual choice is firmly in the hands of women, by persuading new love interest Callum to film her first time. Meanwhile, Callum has his own issues to deal with, including a mother on the edge of a nervous breakdown and an obsession with faded porn star Jaze. £8.99 / ebook £4.99/ ISBN: 978-1-906582-555/ebook: 978-1-906582-62-3 /96 pages
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Single Plays
LYSISTRATA – THE SEX STRIKE Germaine Greer & Phil Willmott
Aristophanes’ classic retold in a bang up-to-the-minute way The world’s leading feminist raconteur, polemicist and wit plunders the archetypal story of female resistance … This new version of the ancient tale gives the battle of the sexes an outing full of fun, farce and innuendo. ‘ … fast, broad, silly and profound … ’ – Independent on Sunday ‘ … captures a mixture of bawdy humour and serious moral point with rollicking exuberance.’ – The Telegraph
£7.99 / 978-0-9536757-0-8 104 pages
THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK Jean-Claude Carriere From the sucessful French play L’Aide-Mémoir One morning, Jean-Jacques leaves his door ajar – and a total stranger slips into his life. Is she deranged, a squatter, or a woman from his past? As a lawyer, he should know how to get rid of her, but as a man, he has no idea. His orderly world is turned upside-down when what started as a comic encounter changes his life forever. ‘ … the play is a cat’s cradle of ambiguities.’ – The Independent ‘ … a very droll, very clever and very French little number reminiscent of Yasmina Reza’s Art.’ – The Guardian
£7.99 / 978-0-9542330-7-5 86 pages
THE ARAB-ISRAELI COOKBOOK – Play Robin Soans
Arab and Israeli voices come together to cast light on the melting pot of Middle Eastern affairs. A verbatim drama created from the everyday realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Robin Soans went to Israel, Gaza and the West Bank where he sampled a variety of dishes and met dozens of people with different backgrounds and beliefs. Each person had a story to tell and a recipe to cook. See page 19 for the cookery book that accompanies this play.
£7.99 / 978-0-9542330-9-9 88 pages
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Single Plays
THE DIVIDED LAING Patrick Marmion Explores the ideas of radical psychiatrist RD Laing after 50 years. London, 1970: Laing is facing eviction from his pioneering asylum in the East End’s Kingsley Hall. Local residents are up in arms – and to make matters worse, Ronnie’s revolutionary colleague David Cooper is flipping out on the roof... With his personal life going down the pan and his mental state heading the same way, Ronnie takes an acid trip to the future. His mission is to save his therapeutic collective The Philadelphia Association and secure his professional legacy. Will it be a one-way ticket to madness – or can breakdown sometimes mean breakthrough? £8.99 ‘A Big Play with a streak of genius running from the first page to the last and a hell of spectacle bringing Laing roaring to life.’ ISBN 978-1-906582-82-1 – James Christopher, theatre critic 112 pages
INIGO Jonathan Moore First play to explore the life and times of Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Follows Inigo (Ignatius of Loyola) from ambitious, hot-headed, street-fighting sensualist to his co-founding, (with a radical group of young friends), the Society of Jesus in the sixteenth century. With the current Pope a Jesuit, this is a timely exploration of one of history’s major spiritual leaders and reformers. ‘Historically accurate, comic and thought-provoking while still incredibly relevant.’ **** – Plays To See
THE BOMB Kevin Dyer
£9.99 978-1-906582-72-2 120 pages
Inspired by Jo Berry, whose father was killed in the 1984 Brighton Bomb and Patrick Magee who planted that bomb. At 16, she was shell-shocked and caught in the blast. Now the bomber’s waiting on the other side of the door. THE BOMB is a journey into the minds of two extraordinary people – one who destroyed lives, the other who forgives the unforgivable. ‘A timely multi-faceted work and an emotionally explosive piece of drama, making you consider issues of justice and whether violence can be justified.’ – The Guardian
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£8.99 / 978-0-9546912-7-1 88 pages
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Single Plays
UNDER THEIR INFLUENCE Wayne Buchanan Randoulph is in hospital, a convicted murderer. His doctor unravels the incidents leading to the murder Time Out and his mental collapse. Critics’ Choice The play questions the way black people are perceived and treated in the mental health system. ‘The alter egos threaten to take over the asylum in an excellent new play.’ – Time Out ‘ … the best play so far to constructively deal with a serious issue in the black community. Wayne Buchanan deserves a Grammy for this one … ’ – The Gleaner
£6.99 / 978-0-9536757-5-3 96 pages
FROM THE MOUTHS OF MOTHERS Amanda Stuart Fisher
A powerful, short verbatim play assembled from mothers’ experiences of their children being abused. A verbatim play, created from the testimonies of seven mothers who have had to come to terms with the devastating reality of their children being sexually abused. In a society in denial of the widespread occurrence of the sexual abuse of children, and with a system ill-equipped to deal with the families, the women tell the often harrowing stories of how they have struggled to access medical and social services for their families as well as justice from the courts. £8.99 / 978-1-906582-99-9 96 pages
THE ALGEBRA OF FREEDOM Raman Mundair A taut political drama that asks questions about identity, faith and compassion in a society waging a war against terror. • Tony, a policeman, wishes he could turn the clock back. • Jack knows that what’s done is done. • Parvez, a young Asian man, can’t believe that Sara is back from beyond and this time she seems to have all the answers. How do we live today?
£7.99 / 978-0-9551566-6-3 68 pages
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‘Raman Mundair is a rare breed: a poet whose writing works on both the page and the stage.’ – The Independent
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Single Plays
MISTAKEN… ANNIE BESANT IN INDIA Rukhsana Ahmad
Explores the incredible story of Annie Besant’s relationship with India and the boy who went on to become one of India’s greatest teachers and thinkers – Krishnamurti. 1916: India is simmering with discontent against the Raj. Enter English proto-feminist Annie Besant, notorious at home for the match-girls’ strike, political, charismatic. In India she finds a new family and a new cause. Gandhi hails her as the leader of the Congress Party after she courts imprisonment for promoting Indian Home Rule. Can Annie’s great love affair with India last? £7.99 / 978-0-9551566-9-4 92 pages
BLACKBIRDS Simon Startin
In the first month of the Blitz alone, 5,730 people were killed and 9,003 seriously injured. By the end of the Blitz in May 1940, just nine short months later, 43,000 people had been killed, half of them in London. Blackbirds gives a compelling account of the London Blitz told by a group of Londoners who remained in the city. Here the survivors recount their vivid memories; in their own words. Collected by local residents and performed by local people. £8.99 / 978-1-9-906582-29-6 80 pages
‘a theatrical experience of events that formed our city into what we know today.’ – STEP (Southwark Theatres’ Education Partnership)
FROM DOCKS TO DESKTOPS
Simon Startin
Created from dozens of personal testimonies, this is the story of the changing face of work today. Surrey Docks in South-East London was once a thriving commercial hub, hosting some of the UK’s leading commercial brands, but, with the decline of the docks in the 1970s, factories closed down or relocated, work patterns changed and redevelopment began. From Docks to Desktops explores the fascinating story of how one community has survived the 21st-century challenges of urban change and renewal. £8.99 / ebook £7.99 ISBN: 978-1-906582-54-8/ebook: 978-1-906582-70-8 64 pages
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Single Plays
All by Sonja Linden: I HAVE BEFORE ME A REMARKABLE DOCUMENT… Time Out Inspired by the experiences of refugees, the Critics’ Choice play is set in a refugee centre in London.
Juliette is a Rwandan asylum seeker, determined to write a book on the genocide that killed her family; Simon is a poet whose job is to help people write. The play follows their relationship and tackles issues that face many refugees in the UK today.. ‘Sonja Linden’s new play is a remarkable achievement.’ – Time Out ‘This most harrowing, powerful and yet beautiful piece of theatre … ’ – The Stage
£7.99 / 978-0-9546912-3-3 64 pages
CROCODILE SEEKING REFUGE Crocodile Seeking Refuge is the second play to be inspired by her writing residency at the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture. It explores the lives of several asylum seekers and their success or failure in seeking leave to remain in the UK. ‘Its theme could hardly be more topical, or more powerful – hope, human resilience and courage are set alongside descriptions of torture and injustice that are deeply affecting.’ – The Times
WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE?
£7.99 / 978-0-9546912-9-5 104 pages
A kaleidoscope of stories which interweave and overlap. Based on the incredible family histories, photographs and memories of the cast, Who Do We Think We Are? draws on real life experiences of key historical moments in the last 100 years. The play explores joy and hardship from life in a Siberian prison camp during the Russian revolution, childhood experiences in India under the Raj, an escape from the Warsaw Ghetto, surviving the atomic bomb in Nagasaki, experiencing the harsh reality of life under Ceausescu, London in the swinging sixties and much more. ‘You made age beautiful and something to value £8.99 / ebook £4.99 and celebrate. This play is of huge value and relevance to ISBN: 978-1-906582-89-0/ ebook: 978-1-906582-87-6 people of all ages.’ --Bruce Nixon, Writer, National Theatre
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100 pages
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classic plays for family audiences HARD TIMES by Charles Dickens. Adapted by Charles Way
In this new adaptation of Dickens’ critique on poverty and social division in 19th century society, award-winning playwright Charles Way continues his quest to keep the classics relevant today. ‘A stellar adaptation by Charles Way, moving, thoughtful and wonderfully drawn’. – What’s on Stage ***** ‘
A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens.
£9.99 / ebook £4.99 ISBN: 978-1-906582-48-7 ebook: 978-1-906582-56-2 128 pages
Adapted by Neil Duffield
Can the Ghosts of Christmas present, past and future teach Scrooge what is missing from his life? Charles Dickens’ timeless story is brought to life in this vibrant new version by the award-winning children’s playwright Neil Duffield. ‘Duffield’s additions fit smoothly with the original text, together with the addition of some beautiful harmony carol singing and a very impressive display of campanology.’ – The Stage
£8.99 / 978-0-9551566-8-7 96 pages
TIN SOLDIER AND OTHER PLAYS Adapted by Noël Greig Acclaimed playwright Noël Greig, has recreated these well-known tales for the stage with wit and imagination. All three plays have been performed throughout the UK by Tangere Arts, winning a Time Out Critics’ Choice Award. Teachers, youth theatres and amateur groups working with young performers will use this collection time and again for productions, drama classes and workshops – whether for one performer or many. £9.99 / ebook £4.99 ISBN: 978-1-90658-19-7/ebook: 978-1-906582-22-7 112 pages / Ages 7+
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Classic Plays for Family Audiences All adapted by Neil Duffield THE SNOW QUEEN by Hans Christian Andersen This acclaimed musical stage version of beloved children’s author Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen brings a timeless classic into the 21st century.
£8.99 / 978-1-906582-40-1 96 pages
‘ … Children’s theatre at its best – and there is enough to keep the adults entertained too.’ – The Times ‘ … Full of frosty bright colours, crunchy tunes and tangy originality … a quality show for children … ’ – The Guardian ‘Simple, unaffected theatrical magic … ’ –The Sunday Times
THE JUNGLE BOOK by Rudyard Kipling. In this theatrical production of the much-loved tales, we follow Mowgli the boy-cub as he meets Baloo the bear and Bagheera the panther and fights the terrifying tiger Shere Khan. After life in the jungle, can Mowgli ever return to his village? ‘ … a totally captivating piece of theatre.’ – The Scotsman ‘It can be a difficult task adapting the old classics, but the writer of this new Jungle Book, Neil Duffield, thrives on the challenge.’ – The Stage £8.99 / 978-1-906582-26-5 88 pages
THE EMPEROR & THE NIGHTINGALE by Hans Christian Andersen In ancient China, the young Emperor Wu is kept a virtual prisoner in his palace by his scheming guardian, Li Si. For Wu, the world outside the Forbidden City is a dangerous place. But when he hears Xiao, a young peasant girl, talk of the most beautiful sound on earth - the song of the nightingale - it’s too much to resist. The two embark on an adventure that will take them across
mountaintops and waterfalls, past chattering monkeys and fire-belching dragons to the far reaches of his kingdom. £8.99 / 978-1-906582-26-5 88 pages
‘...adapted with his customary panache by Neil Duffield, remains loaded with all the essential elements of a child’s fable.’ – British Theatre Guide
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Classic Plays for Family Audiences
WE DIDN’T MEAN TO GO TO SEA by Arthur Ransome.
Adapted by Nick Wood
Roger, John, Susan and Titty go on Jim’s boat Goblin. But disaster strikes when the boat is becalmed and Jim goes ashore to fetch petrol. Fog descends and, as the tide turns, the boat begins to drift away …
‘Highly recommended.’ – The Stage
£9.99 / 978-1-906582-05-0 96 pages
THE HOBBIT by J.R.R. Tolkien. Adapted by Kevin Dyer
A brand new adaptation for the stage. This large-scale outdoor walkabout show has picked up 4-star reviews. Bilbo Baggins’deeply hidden desire for adventure is coaxed out of him by Gandalf the Wizard. Bilbo is whisked off in the company of thirteen dwarves to recover stolen treasure and the dwarves mountain home. He has to defeat a dragon too. ‘... keeps the spirit of the original story and the tone of this production is much closer to the book than modern perceptions might allow. This is great work.’ – NWE reviews
£9.99/£4.99 978-1-911501-91-6 96 pages
HAMLET by William Shakespeare
Adapted by Mark Norfolk
Denmark, a Black Empire of modern England, where an intelligent young student discovers the world he once knew has crumbled. Implored to defend what is left of his father's decaying legacy, Hamlet now faces the greatest moral challenge: to kill or not to kill. Adapted with Shakespeare's text by award-winning playwright Mark Norfolk, this fast-moving version gets straight to the heart of a young man's dilemma. £9.99 ISBN: 978-1-911501-01-5 96 pages
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Single Plays for Young People
plays for young people THE ROAD TO GLORY Neil Duffield Explores how and why teenagers join up to fight in wars. A group of young villagers, some of them barely out of childhood, enlist in King Henry’s army and set sail from Southampton to claim the throne of France for England. Each has a different reason for going and their expectations vary, but none has any experience of fighting in a war. Combining fact and fantasy, the play takes us on a journey from the peace of rural England to the bloody battlefields of Agincourt in France, when the villagers finally come face to face with the mightiest army in Europe. What happens will change their lives for ever.
TRASHED Noël Greig
The play explores the period leading up to the 9 / 11 attack on the Twin Towers and shows us how things have changed. We meet two young men in love and living in New York prior to the attack, one a fireman, the other a city trader. When the mother of one goes to England to meet the family of the other, they must both face the loss of their loved ones and come to terms with who and what they really were. ‘ … a playwright who has consistently attempted to extend the voice of British Drama.’ – The Listener
WARRIOR SQUARE Nick Wood
Winner of The Brüder Grimm Prize, Berlin
£8.99 978-1-906582-80-7 96 pages
£7.99 / 978-0-9546912-2-6 58 pages / Age 14+
The exciting story of a brother and sister’s escape to England from a war-torn country. Persecuted for being different, Andrea and Riva are forced to flee their homeland, and arrive on the south coast of England. Now they must learn to live in a country very different from their own.
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‘ … shows us the extent to which children are capable of taking control of their own lives, and conquering the absurdities of bigotry and hatred.’ – Berlin Theatre Festival
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£7.99 / 978-0-9546912-0-2 64 pages / Ages 8+
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Single Plays for Young People All by Charles Way:
Texts in English and Mandarin
THE DUTIFUL DAUGHTER
A group of troublesome actors arrive in a modern city. They tell the story of Ke Xin, princess of the Isle of Joy, who is always obedient until the day the sea brings to her island home a strange sailor, a raving fool without a memory, a man who will challenge everything she believes in. A timeless tale of love, power and transformation that explores many of the key issues faced by young people today.. £7.99 / 978-0-9546912-6-4 172 pages / family audiences Writer’s Guild Best Children’s Play
A SPELL OF COLD WEATHER
Holly has to spend New Year with the grumpiest pair of farmers who ever ploughed a field. Luckily, she meets a faery called Tom, whose magic and mischief brighten up her days and transform her stay into a real adventure. ‘A major playwright.’ – The Guardian £7.99 / ebook £6.99 ISBN: 978-0-9542330-8-2/ebook: 978-1-906582-58-6 64 pages / For family audiences
MERLIN AND THE CAVE OF DREAMS The King is dead and the Green Kingdom is in turmoil. Only Merlin knows that the future lies in the hands of young Arthur. Taken away from the only home he’s known, Arthur slumbers in Merlin’s Cave of Dreams. Here, his past and future are revealed in a glorious vision that will lead him on the adventure of a lifetime. Can Arthur slay the giants and dragons that stand in his way? Will he pull the sword from the stone and claim his rightful kingdom? £7.99 / £6.99 ISBN: 978-0-9551566-0-1/ebook: 978-1-906582-59-3 68 pages / For family audiences
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Helen Hayes Award Finalist USA
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Single Plays for Young People
THE MONSTER UNDER THE BED Kevin Dyer Ben has a BIG problem. His best friend Vince has stolen his precious binoculars, his Dad is far, far away … oh, and there’s a monster under his bed. But when Ben swaps places with the underbed monster, Ben’s life – and his school – is turned inside out, and upside down. A funny and thrilling play for children about friendship, and facing up to your fears..
Winner of Writer’s Guild Best Children’s Play Award
‘Drawing with delicacy and wit upon the childhood fantasy of the monster under the bed, Kevin Dyer proves why the original play for children is worth saving. This is a terrifically entertaining story about fathers and sons and the monster inside all of us.’ – The Guardian
£8.99 / 978-1-906582-07-4 94 pages / Ages 6+
HARVEST Manjula Padmanabhan Winner of The Onassis International Play Competition
Broadcast by the BBC World Service and now a film. Harvest is a satire on the export trade in live organs from the Third World to the West – has been produced in the UK, USA and Greece.
Om is driven by poverty to sell his body parts for cash. Guards arrive to make his home into a germ-free zone. Jeetu, his brother returns unexpectedly and is mistakenly taken away as the donor. Om can’t accept this and follows them. Jaya, his wife is left alone. Will she too be seduced into selling her body too? £6.99 / ebook £5.99 / ISBN: 978-0-9536757-7-7 ebook: 978-1-906582-37-1/ 96 pages / Age 14+
DEVOTION Leo Butler George Devine Award winner, Butler explores war and its aftermath among a group of lost and confused young people. Do you believe in paradise? Do you believe in family? Do you believe in god? Do you believe in war? How do you know what to believe in? ‘A show that addresses children’s intrinsic sense of things unspoken and their capacity to embrace the realm of enchantment.’ – Time Out
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£7.99 / 978-0-954233-04-4 72 pages / Ages 14+
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play collections for young people FOUR SHORT PLAYS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE Rachel Barnett
An entertaining collection of new short plays by popular children’s playwright Rachel Barnett. Specially commissioned for young people, these plays are a great resource for schools, colleges and youth theatres. With contemporary themes and a wide variety of roles, this is a collection which enables young people to engage with serious topics while enjoying all the fun of performance.
£12.99 / 978-1-906582-95-1 128 pages
GIRL WITH A BOOK AND OTHER PLAYS
NEW
Nick Wood
A topical collection of new plays by UK playwright Nick Wood. A Girl with a Book is an honest response to the story of Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Taliban. This play has been produced many times in Germany and the UK and raises serious questions about the West’s complex relationship and attitudes to the Muslim world. Other plays in this wide-ranging collection for young people concern refugees, friendship, loss and courage. ‘The easy option ...is to think that Pakistan is somewhere so distant, inhabited by people so different, that you could never understand why it happened. Wood invites us to better understand Malala, her father, and her kinsmen.’ – On Religion journal
£12.99 /ISBN: 978-1910798-61-4/160 pages
ALL TALK: MONOLOGUES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE A series of short, single voice plays by writers based in the North West of England. These powerful, contemporary monologues share the struggles, courage, conflicts and joys of different characters facing difficult decisions in their lives. FIRST DATE by Anne-Marie O’Connor GETTING IT RIGHT by Peter Spafford RESULTS DAY by Aelish Michael CLOSE TO HOME by Mary Cooper WEIGHED DOWN by Carla Monvid-Jenkinson / Mary Cooper GIGGSY’S LEGS by Michael Harvey ‘Spellbound!’ – Woodhey High School
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various authors
£7.99 / 978-0-9551566-5-6 68 pages / Ages 12+
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Play Collections for Young People All by Charles Way: CLASSIC FAIRY TALES 2 retold for the stage
THE GOLDEN GOOSE ‘transforms A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream into a lively and magical adventure.’ – ****The Guardian THE TINDERBOX ‘This is truly magical entertainment, a beautifully crafted show’ – The Stage SINBAD: THE UNTOLD TALE ‘This fabulous new adventure is a Christmas treat families will remember forever.’ – The Keswick Reminder £11.99 / 978-0-9551566-7-0 226 pages
THE CLASSIC FAIRY TALES retold for the stage
SLEEPING BEAUTY ‘Hovering deliciously between scary and fairytale, this is a show with fire in its belly and bewitching theatre for anyone over six.’ – Time Out CINDERELLA ‘This adaptation of the world’s best loved fairytale is not to be missed. A Christmas treat for all the family, whether one is five or ninety-five.’ – Morning Star BEAUTY AND THE BEAST ‘all the ingredients of the classic fairytale with the added dimension of rounded characters who are flawed human beings.’ – Manchester Evening News
£11.50 / 978-0-9542330-0-6 204 pages
PLAYS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
‘A rare and mature piece of children’s theatre, in both thought and form, it satisfies on every level.’ – The Guardian
PLAYING FROM THE HEART exploring the struggle of Evelyn Glennie to become a percussionist despite her profound deafness. EYE OF THE STORM A contemporary version of Shakespeare’s – The Tempest ‘ … anything but Prospero’s story, focusing on Writer’s the sulky, bored, teenage Miranda … ’ – T.E.S. Guild Award RED RED SHOES Explores war, ethnic boundaries and the for Best Children’s struggle for life and death. Play
£9.99 / ebook £8.99/ ISBN:978-0-9536757-1-5 ebook: 978-1906582-17-3/ 160 pages / Age 12+
NEW PLAYS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
MISSING – a modern take on Hansel and Gretel, about the nature of poverty. This play won the German Children’s Theatre Prize 2010 and has had eight productions in Germany alone. NIVELLI’S WAR – about a six-year-old German Evacuee and his journey home at the end of WW2. PIRATES – about a boy at sea. Winner of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education ‘Distinguished Play’ Award 2012.
£12.99 / ebook £11.99 / 978-1-906582-51-7/ebook: 978-1-906582-71-5 170 pages / Age 12+
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Play Collections for Young People
PLAYS FOR YOUTH THEATRES & LARGE CASTS Neil Duffield
TWICE UPON A TIME In the distant future, a young warrior enters the Otherworld. Can he find his way back to the girl he loves? SMALL FRY ‘pits dragons, predators, scavengers and small fry all against each other in a battle for power … ’ – Telegraph THE MINOTAUR ‘excellent entertainment for bright kids ’ – Sunday Times TALKING WITH ANGELS ‘This fine show is suitable for anyone over the age of seven and it works very well.’ – The Stage £12.99 / 978-1-906582-06-7 232 pages
YOUNG BLOOD – PLAYS FOR YOUNG PERFORMERS THE GIRL WHO FELL THROUGH A HOLE IN HER JUMPER by NAOMI WALLACE / BRUCE MCLEOD THE SEARCH FOR ODYSSEUS by CHARLES WAY DARKER THE BERRY by J.B. ROSE. GERANIUMS by SHEILA YEGER OUT OF THEIR HEADS by MARCUS ROMER
Ed. Sally Goldsworthy
‘five tried and tested contemporary classics … ’ – 95% magazine £12.99 / 978-0-9515877-6-8 296 pages / Ages 11+ Winner of the Commission of Racial Equality Race in the Media Award
THEATRE CENTRE – PLAYS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Introduced by Rosamunde Hutt
LISTEN TO YOUR PARENTS by BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH PRECIOUS by ANGELA TURVEY LOOK AT ME by ANNA REYNOLDS GORGEOUS by ANNA FURSE GLOW by MANJINDER VIRK SOULS by ROY WILLIAMS £12.99 / 978-0-9542330-5-1 256 pages / Ages 11+
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