Joey
joey is a high octane monologue about multiple possibilities for survival: they've travelled far and wide, joey's travelling still.1981 and a hard right government makes savage cuts. Tories wear 'Hang Nelson Mandela' badges. Urban wastelands, poverty increases. Tebbit tells the rocketing unemployed to 'get on their bike'. Riots, racist attacks, police fitting up black youth. Labour party split; hunger strikes and terrorist attacks. Royal wedding; Yorkshire ripper caught. Aids reaches UK. Overnight, playground chants ov "spaz" change to "joey" because joey deacon who lived with cerebral palsy appears on Blue Peter.An epic, rebellious rollercoaster of a story.
Plays by Mediterranean Women
Plays by women from countries geographically linked but politically divided. The Plays: "Twelve Women in a Cell" by Nawal el Saadawi, translated by Helen Kaye and Miriam KainyA penetrating autobiographical play about the imprisonment in the same cell of twelve Arab women from different backgrounds, who would not tow the line."The End Of The Dream Season" by Miriam KainyA woman doctor outwits her friends and relations to retain her inheritance."Libration" by Lluisa Cunill矇A mysterious, intense and comic two-hander about two women who meet in a city park at night."Mephisto" by Ariane Mnouchkine, adapted from the novel by Klaus Mann, translated by Timberlake WertenbakerThe story of a German actor who sells his soul to Nazi ideology. Also a feature film."Harsh Angel" by Maria Avraamidou, translated by Rhea FrangofinouA gentle Chekhovian tale of a family torn by the partition of their native land."Veronica Franco, Courtesan and Poet" by Dacia Maraini, translated by Sian Williams and Marion Baraitser -The life of a sixteenth century Venetian courtesan during a time of plague.
Edufa
Edufa had cultivated an image of sophisticated affluence, he had the whole town eating out of his hand and a wife who loved him unconditionally. Was it not too soon to have it all snatched away from him? In desperation, he attempts an unthinkable substitution. Can he reverse his entanglement with the dark forces?
A Yankee Cherry Bomb
He was from Brazil and she a lovely american redhead in a Highschool in the US. They started as teen sweethearts and went strong . Both tried to get
The Power of Three
Something wicked this way comes.A year-old murder of a retired senior police officer on a Northumberland beach remains open, yet life in the nearby seaside village is beginning to get back to normal and rehearsals are going ahead for a Halloween performance of Macbeth at Cresswell Pele Tower.Still reeling from the collapse of his marriage, DCI James Massey is given three spooky prophesies by three raucous women at a charity rugby match after-party. Immediately, the first prophesy comes true when he comes face-to-face with an episode from his past he'd far rather forget. Fiercely protective of her boss, DS Christine Sparks suspects he's being set up.Then another murder throws up links with the first, and the second prophesy comes true. With all sorts of weirdness beginning to emerge, Massey and Sparks realise that nothing is as it seems.But it's the third prophesy that concerns them the most. The one that predicted Massey's death before next the moon wanes.
Quietly Waiting
Tanya is a strong, independent, intelligent young woman living in England.Surrounded by limitless possibilities, her biggest fear is not being able to find her true place in the world.Not usually prone to being driven by emotions, her world is turned upside down when she meets Evan. When Evan is equally captivated by her, a whirlwind romance sweeps them away.Their world comes crashing down when Evan is deployed with the British Army to Afghanistan. Helpless, Tanya waits quietly at home for him to return.As events spiral out of control, Tanya seeks to distract herself by working on a historical account of her wealthy family. Delving deeper into her family's past, she finds common connections in one of her ancestors, the woman who laid the foundations for their current lifestyle. As the situation in Afghanistan worsens, Tanya finds her dreams surprisingly filled with others who have gone through a similar experience. Tanya learns resilience, finding her own inner strength while Quietly Waiting with the others.
Ghosts
Since the death of her charismatic but abusive husband, Helene Alving has been treading water in a sea of empty days. What keeps her going is a deeply held belief that salvation can only lie in telling her son Osvald the truth about his father. But when Osvald returns after living as an artist in France, he has his own truth to reveal: he is already living the consequences of his father's life... Ghosts outraged critics and thrilled audiences when it first premiered. Over a century later, Henrik Ibsen's controversial masterpiece, adapted specially for Belvoir by Eamon Flack, remains just as riveting and radical.
Ellida
'You can't stop me from choosing. You can keep me here by force. You have the power to do that. But my choice comes from deep inside me...'What does it mean to be free? To be truly independent? Ellida - a lighthouse keeper's daughter - is living a life of quiet desperation with her husband Dr Wangel in a coastal fjord town when a stranger from her past arrives, upsetting the fragile equilibrium she and Wangel had created. In The Lady From the Sea, Henrik Ibsen explores the themes found in his earlier work, challenging and exposing the conventions of marriage and society with biting satire and subtle humour, and an ending that raises as many questions as it resolves. In this fresh adaptation by May-Brit Akerholt, the pull of the tide meets the stability of the land. Questions of freedom and responsibility, conformity and independence, emotion and rationality prove startlingly contemporary, as relevant as when Ibsen first penned the play in 1888.
The Dimension of Loss
The Dimension of Loss is an extended and tragic reflection on that inescapable experience, evoking the loss of familiar places and of homes lived in, and also the loss of hopes, of affection, of meaning, of desire. In two long monologues from Enzo Lamartora's volume It was (published in Italy in 2017), extensively revised by the author and translated by Michael Palma, we come to know two women whose family histories of anguish and emptiness have left them with a "feeling of loss / that enfolds us, that permeates us, / like a fog in the darkness of a forest." Shot through with emotional intensity, rich in images both concrete and fantastic that suggest a battle scene viewed through the eyes of a child, the poems form what the author describes as "the rough draft of a life and a poem that might have been."
Quietly Waiting
Tanya is a strong, independent, intelligent young woman living in England.Surrounded by limitless possibilities, her biggest fear is not being able to find her true place in the world.Not usually prone to being driven by emotions, her world is turned upside down when she meets Evan. When Evan is equally captivated by her, a whirlwind romance sweeps them away.Their world comes crashing down when Evan is deployed with the British Army to Afghanistan. Helpless, Tanya waits quietly at home for him to return.As events spiral out of control, Tanya seeks to distract herself by working on a historical account of her wealthy family. Delving deeper into her family's past, she finds common connections in one of her ancestors, the woman who laid the foundations for their current lifestyle. As the situation in Afghanistan worsens, Tanya finds her dreams surprisingly filled with others who have gone through a similar experience. Tanya learns resilience, finding her own inner strength while Quietly Waiting with the others.
A Very Jewish Christmas Carol
Local baker Ely is not letting anything get in the way of fulfilling customer demand for her Bubi's famous Polish gingerbread. Not her family's impending Chrismukkah celebrations; not the imminent birth of her child; and certainly not the ghosts who've suddenly shown up in her kitchen. But the Rein-Dybbuck of Chrismukkah Past, Gingerbread Golem and Lilith Claus have other ideas... Drawn from the writers' own backgrounds, A Very Jewish Christmas Carol is a celebration of life-with a sprinkle of time-travelling ghosts, overbearing relatives and a life lesson or two.
Herbert Hatred
Book 4 of 5 in SILVER SERIES OF GROWN-UP WISDOMJust like every other wannabe dictator, Herbert Hatred invaded our sensibilities and focused on who he could hurt the most: women and minorities.Daily, he painted foreigners and immigrants as potential threats. Herbert Hatred challenged women's social status, undermining gender equality and interfering with laws protecting women's reproductive rights.Herbert, extremely self-absorbed, a masterful liar, and compassionless, with a sadistic personality, embodied hatred.His playbook tactics were filled with ramped-up rhetorical rants, deep-seated anger, rage, and evil hatred.He was masterful at riling it up, stoking it, fueling it through repetition, and using it to advance his own personal desire to be the "Boss of all of us, FOREVER."But we've been there before. Political unrest and a nation divided were well documented during this nation's Civil War era, where families' allegiances were deeply divided and brothers fought each other.Today, 1,400+ organized hate groups and anti-government entities are creating havoc throughout this nation.We've witnessed failed governments all across the globe.Could we possibly lose this nation's democracy, too?Perhaps this adult fiction illustrated short story is worth your time.OTHER BOOKS IN THE SILVER SERIES OF GROWN-UP WISDOM: Bertha BaggageEdith ExcuseConnie ConformityUlla Universe
Directing New Plays
Every theater director will oversee a new play process in their career: here is what to expect and how to prepare. Drawing from over 20 years of experience as a freelance director, and as the Artistic Director of LCT3 at Lincoln Center Theater, Evan Cabnet combines the creative with the pragmatic to provide an honest, useful, and entertaining look at the art of directing a new play. Integrating practical advice with personal experience, Directing New Plays demystifies the process of directing a new work. From developing a creative vision to navigating the challenges of collaborative art-making, this book offers a comprehensive look at the director's role in the process and the tools they use at every step, including development (readings and workshops), pre-production (casting and design), rehearsal (staging, working with actors, rewrites, and run-throughs), tech, previews, and opening a world premiere production. Incisive, supportive, and clear, this book is an indispensable resource for theater directors looking to begin- or to sustain- a career in new play development.
Pins and Needles
Well, I suppose we have to believe him. He is the author. The authority. CAUTION: CONTAINS TRUTH, LIES AND MISINFORMATION. YOU DECIDE. Rob is putting science and scepticism to the test in his new play. For research, he speaks to Mary, a mother trying to make the best decisions for her family, Toby, an angry son who distrusts institutions, and Edward Jenner, the father of modern vaccinations. The more he listens, the more he struggles to keep his own subjectivity off the table, which begs the question - how do you know who to trust? Rob Drummond, whose plays are 'utterly unpredictable' (The Stage), explores the politics around vaccines, and the human stories behind them in Pins and Needles. This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at London's Kiln Theatre in September 2024.
(Post)Socialist Dance
This book sets out to search for the Second World - the (post)socialist context - in dance studies and examines the way it appears and reappears in today's globalized world. It traces hidden and invisibilized legacies over the span of one century, probing questions that can make viewers, artists, and scholars uncomfortable regarding dance histories, memories, circulations and production modes in and around the (post)socialist world. The contributions delve into a variety of dance practices (folk, traditional, ballet, modern, contemporary), modes of dance production (institutionalization processes, festival-making and market logics), and dance circulations (between centres and peripheries, between different genres and styles). The main focus is Eastern Europe (including Russia) but the book also addresses Cuba and China. The book's historical examples make the reader aware, too, of the (post)socialist bodies' influence in today's dance, including in contemporary dance scenes. The (post)socialist context promises to be a prosperous laboratory to explore uncomfortable questions of legitimacy. Whose choreographic work is staged as a 'quality' dance production? Which dance practices are worthy of scholarly study? What are the limits of dance studies' understanding of what dance is or should be? In view of reclaiming the Second World through dance, this book thus probes questions that should be asked today but are not easy to answer; questions that dance practitioners, facilitators, critics, and researchers, including ourselves, are often not at ease with either. In doing so, the cracks of dance history begin to be sealed, and neglected dance practices are written back into history, provided with the academic recognition that they deserve.
Inheritance
In the Mallee country, a family gathers to celebrate the 80th birthdays of twin sisters Dibs and Girlie. But these have been heartbreak years in the bush and the cracks are beginning to show. All have a claim to the land, but which claim will prevail and who will lose out? A powerful family saga dealing with divisions between the city and the bush, black and white, and duty and freedom.
Jack Hibberd
White with Wire Wheels (1967) examines the insecurity inherent in male cultural attitudes towards women and cars. Dimboola (1969) is a Rabelaisian account of a country wedding. A Stretch of the Imagination (1971), a monodrama about an outback philosopher, brought us the archetypal Australian character of Monk O'Neill, the lonely misanthropist. A Stretch of the Imagination is also available in Plays of the 70s: Volume 1.
Selected Plays by Cuban Playwright Abel Gonz獺lez Melo
'One of Cuba's most important living playwrights, Abel Gonz獺lez Melo is known for a hybrid poetics in which he employs contemporary formal features, such as non-linear storytelling and flashbacks, interwoven with elements from the classical tradition in order to stage the ignoble realities of postmodern life.' - Lillian Manzor, University of Miami Born in Havana in 1980, Abel Gonz獺lez Melo is a rare example of a modern-day Cuban playwright whose work is performed and celebrated not only in Cuba, but also in the US, the Americas more widely, Europe, and beyond. Investigating a raft of national and global themes, such as queer sexuality, the dilemma of leaving or remaining, political power and censorship, family dynamics, the ambition and responsibility of the artist, and so-called 'cancel culture', Gonz獺lez Melo's work is international and universal in scope. The result of a twenty-year collaboration with translator William Gregory that began at the Royal Court Theatre in London, this collection of six plays follows the playwright's eclectic two-decade career: from his beginning with texts exploring the pulsing underworld of early-2000s Havana in Chamaco and Nevada, through an examination of political turning points and major figures of Cuban history in Weathered and Outside the Game, to his most recent takes on theatre and its intersection with contemporary issues in Tell Me the Whole Thing Again and Abyss. Complete with an edited introduction by Ernesto Fundora, this volume of selected plays surveys not only Gonz獺lez Melo's oeuvre but also his distinctive stylistic and aesthetic variety, gained from living in both Spain and Cuba.
Treasure Island
So you read, and read, and read, and read, wishing you could just disappear. But some books don't make you disappear. They make you come alive. Local lad Robbie Stevenson lives in the smallest bedroom of the smallest house on the smallest street of Scotland. He prefers to hide away from the world inside the pages of his favourite book, Treasure Island. But, with a little bit of imagination, the book comes to life, and he is thrust aboard. For some children in Scotland like Robbie, opening their bedroom door each morning requires phenomenal amounts of bravery. Robbie soon finds that you can't stay hiding forever when he must learn to navigate his own course and to discover the world is full of treasure if you're brave enough to look. Ross MacKay's adaptation of the classic story Treasure Island invites you to embark on a global journey along the Forth and Clyde canal and into the vast ocean. Treasure Island is published in Methuen Drama's Plays for Young People series which offers suitable plays for young performers and audiences at schools, youth groups, and youth theatres. This edition was published to coincide with the Scottish tour starting in September 2024.
Ulla Universe
Book 5 of 5 in SILVER SERIES OF GROWN-UP WISDOMUlla's all-time favorite expression is "What the World?!"One of her earliest childhood memories was a very painful one. Ulla was about four years old. She woke up in the middle of the night, throwing up, sick in her bed. She needed her mommy! Ulla went to awaken her mother and this is when she came face-to-face with her mom's inner demons, pent-up anger, and uncontrollable rage. Ulla's mom shouted in a nasty tirade the entire time she was cleaning Ulla up, jerking everything about and changing the soiled sheets. "Don't even think you are getting into bed with me!!" As Ulla sobbed herself back to sleep after that dreadful experience, she remembered feeling woefully guilty and utterly ashamed. "What the World?!" This was one of the dark memories from Ulla's early childhood.Today, we would call this early childhood trauma abuse. However, it would take many more years for Ulla to recognize it as such, and for her to begin to understand the deep roots of scarcity and unworthiness that she manifested.Many decades later, Ulla, much older and a wee bit wiser, decided to search for answers to some of her most probing life questions."Why am I here?" "Why are any of us here?" "What is my purpose?"Do you know anyone like Ulla? Perhaps this adult fiction illustrated short story will speak to them!OTHER BOOKS IN THE SILVER SERIES OF GROWN-UP WISDOM: Bertha BaggageEdith ExcuseConnie ConformityHerbert Hatred
Materializing the East in Early Modern English Drama
Despite the popularity of plays about the East, the representation of the East in early modern drama has been either overlooked, marginalized as footnotes or generalized into stereotypes. Materializing the East in Early Modern English Drama focuses on the multi-layered, often conflicting and changing perceptions of the East and how dramatic works made use of their respective theatrical space to represent the concept of the East in drama. This volume re-examines the (mis)representation of the East on the early modern English outdoor and indoor stage and broadens our understanding of early modern theatrical productions beyond Shakespeare and the European continent. It traces the origin of conventional depictions of the East to university dramas and explores how they influenced the commercial stage. Chapters uncover how conflicting representations of the East were communicated on stage through the material aspects of stage architecture, costumes and performance effects. The collection emphasizes these material aspects of dramatic performances and showcases neglected plays, including George Salterne's Tomumbeius, Robert Greene's The Historie of Orlando Furioso and Joseph Simons' Leo the Armenian, and puts them in conversation with William Shakespeare's The Tempest and John Fletcher's The Island Princess.
McGuffin Park
In the small Australian town of McGuffin, the local council is thrown into disarray when the mayor suddenly resigns a week before the mid-term election, despite being a shoo-in to keep his seat. When a self-proclaimed 'sovereign citizen' with an anti-government agenda is revealed as next in line for the top job, two friends step up and announce their rival candidacies. Complicated pasts, a meddling journalist and blackmail rumours push friendships to the limit - can they handle the mess of politics? Or will their friendship crumble under the pressure? Buckle up for a bumpy election ride!The iconic Aussie documentary RATS IN THE RANKS meets Thornton Wilder's OUR TOWN in this brand new comedy about the cut-throat world of politics and media spin. Fresh from the success of BOXING DAY BBQ, Sam O'Sullivan reunites with director Mark Kilmurry for another fast-paced and topical theatrical experience not to be missed.
Edith Excuse
Book 3 of 5 in SILVER SERIES OF GROWN-UP WISDOMIt's part of human nature to make excuses, but has it become your last name? Sometimes, we can take it a bit too far!Edith and Ellie have been best friends since childhood. Edith always seems to be the one with a dramatic song and dancewhen she needs an excuse not to participate in certain activities with Ellie. At other times, she seems very evasive.Whether it's an invitation for dinner together, an outdoor concert, a recommendation to use an organic hair product, or even the suggestion of a walk or workout routine, Edith almost always answers Ellie without any hesitation in defiant justification."What else have you been up to, Edith? Tell me about that short storybook your daughter Evelyn gave you to read. What's the name of it again?" asks Ellie."That weird book? 'OOOH Crap! We Become What We Think About, '" roars Edith."Isn't that the dumbest name anyone's ever heard?""It says right here, 'Give yourself permission to start a new path.' What the hell is that supposed to mean?""It's a little too late for me to be starting a new path at 77 years old!""It's called a 'StoryBookPath, '" Edith says with sarcasm."And I certainly don't have time to hear about some ridiculous stories!""I'm no damn kid, that's for sure!"Damn!...DAMN!!...and shit fire, shit!!!Do you know anyone like Edith? Maybe YOU are Edith!Perhaps this adult fiction, illustrated short story is worth reading.OTHER BOOKS IN THE SILVER SERIES OF GROWN-UP WISDOM: Bertha BaggageConnie ConformityHerbert HatredUlla Universe
So Long, Wee Moon
Ye'r a jinx! Ye hae ayeweys buin a jinx. Pat in this earth tae wrack fowk's lifes. March, 1924. In a rundown cottage near Crawfordjohn, a wedding dress hangs on the wall. Nancy's life is as cold as the Clyde in winter, but she knows she's going to be a star. Desperate to escape the poverty of her childhood, Nancy Gibbs dreams of being an actress. Her anxious, spiteful mother expects her to marry a farmer and take care of her family. Nancy lives for romance and imagination. She's plotting to get away. But her mother has secrets of her own and they're gathering like wolves. Braw Clan returns with another Scots language play after the success of Secret Wrapped in Lead, with So Long, Wee Moon by Martin Travers. This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere Scottish tour starting in September 2024.
Connie Conformity
Book 2 of 5 of the SILVER SERIES of GROWN-UP WISDOM Conformity can be good or bad, but it doesn't lead us to community. Connie was born into a well-to-do family that prided themselves on the beliefs of their political affiliation. Her ancestors owned slaves, although her family agrees this was not their fault.Connie's family believed they'd had enough of this total bullshit (as they described it)-eight long years with the country's first Black president. They didn't agree with a single move or idea from him. All of Connie's friends and their families shared the same views.But occasionally, Connie wondered if there might be a way for both political parties to work toward bipartisanship so we could all live in harmony.One day, Connie proclaimed, "Mom, I've been thinking about taking my own path and registering as an independent voter.""Constance Suzanne! I don't ever want to hear you speak of something so foolish again," replied her mother in a very stern voice."As long as you are a part of THIS family and we pay your college tuition, you are to put that nonsense out of your pretty little head. We will NOT talk about this again!"Shortly thereafter, Connie met a tall, handsome young man named Ralph. He shared the same ideology as most everyone around her. Connie's parents simply adored Ralph and encouraged her to pursue this relationship with gusto.In 1958, "political party" was not a deciding factor in considering a romantic relationship. Today, deep-seated political positions trump personal integrity, with 79% not willing to choose someone of an opposing party. Yep...that's conformity.Want to know more about the path Connie chose?Perhaps this adult fiction, illustrated short story is worth reading.OTHER BOOKS IN THE SILVER SERIES OF GROWN-UP WISDOM: Bertha BaggageEdith ExcuseHerbert HatredUlla Universe
We Expect the Drip, Not the Downpour
Like most of us, Kimberly has a challenging life. The Bible says it will rain on the just and the unjust, but no one is expecting a downpour!What do you do when life throws one large wave after another in your direction? You can't dodge it, either. Do you slit your wrist and put an end to it? Hmm, not that helpful.Or do you fight on, like most of us have to do, and pray to keep it together? Kimberly's life starts with a mother who doesn't want her and a father who experiences a life-altering event that changes her life forever! Between the two of them, she is forced to grow up!Life doesn't stop because it starts to rain. We have to play this game even in the biggest downpour!It can feel like the rain pouring down has no other purpose than to beat you down. You've played the game, got the education, heard the prophecy, but what next? What do you do when your life doesn't mirror what you heard? Do you keep believing even if you do not see the promise fulfilled? Is it our patience? Did we miss something or improperly hear, so we stand outside the will of Yah (God)? We look for the drip and expect the outpour! I heard this preached one day, listening to Dr. Krystal Lee. She was dynamic and energized, and her testimony moved me. I thought she was amazing, but I couldn't bring her story to reflect mine. I couldn't see myself in her story. I only saw lack and pain. Have you ever heard a word that you wanted desperately to be your story? She said, "We look for the simple things and seek to build momentum with consistency. We don't doubt and always believe. We walk by faith and not by sight." Wow, when she said that, I was mesmerized. My soul wanted to jump up and down and say that's it! I needed that-and I did. Furthermore, she said, "We are the salt of the earth, and we cannot lose our saltiness. If life is a drought or the rain is not seen in the clouds. If the water is a drizzle or a full-on downpour, the posture to move the Almighty is the same. In our weakness, He is made strong! If you lack vision, trust His plan for your life. When you feel like giving up, let the Word take the wheel! If doubt creeps in or naysayers attack your confidence, don't run, but double down!"She spoke straight to me, and seeing and hearing it, I knew it was the power of Yah. This little woman had the power and conviction so intense I wanted what she had. Not her money and things, that's not a problem for me anyway. I wanted to garner her style of boldness and confidence. My life is more like a storm that never ends. I seemingly jump from one bad crisis to the next with hardly time to breathe. I desperately want to be set free, but I struggle to get off the dock!I barely left the shore and want to sail into success, reach the deep blue sea, and see the world. Yet I have no passport and have only been shuffled around from family to family. If we were playing monkey in the middle, I would definitely be the monkey trying to grab ahold of the bold idea tossed over my head and sideways. I want my life to change, and I needed to believe this sermon more than I knew she had the conviction to preach it. My life is like living on a dune. Every step is heavy and laborious. Something is constantly being stirred up and taking me by storm. The storm, the power of the wind with the sand, feels like sandpaper rubbing my face raw.
The Black Cat
This collection of interconnected mystery stories centers on Sanford Quest, a master detective known for his cutting-edge methods and sharp intellect. As he faces a series of enigmatic cases involving theft, murder, and deception, a mysterious black box plays a pivotal role in his investigations. Each story is filled with suspense, unexpected twists, and the thrilling atmosphere of early 20th-century crime fiction. Oppenheim's work combines clever detective work with a touch of adventure, keeping readers engaged through every turn.
Helen
Helen: Patent Pending is a modern comedic retelling of Euripides' Helen, an already subversive interpretation of Greek myth's most controversial woman, Helen of Troy. Where Euripides' production tells of Helen's unexpected marooning far from home in the kingdom of Egypt, Patent Pending thrusts her into an equally distant and unfamiliar environment-- the California tech industry. When she is hired by the thriving corporation, Eidolon (alongside her...very relaxed boyfriend, Gerard), Helen thinks she's snagged the opportunity of a lifetime. Eidolon is the biggest tech company around, its CEO is a genius (if a bit mysterious) and its daring new venture--cloning technology--is poised to change humanity as everyone knows it. Everything's amazing--until she gets kidnapped. Locked in the bowels of the company, with no idea why, Helen soon realizes this job might be a bit more than she bargained for. She came for a job opportunity and got a company that's holding her prisoner, a boss who knows and wants much more than he lets on--oh, yes, and a boyfriend she needs to find. What could possibly go wrong?
The Potent Solution
The Potent Solution received the following accolades in The Transfeminine Review Reader's Choice Awards 2024: Distinction for Best Transfeminine Fiction TFR Readers Choice AwardShortlisted for Best Transfeminine Debut TFR Readers Choice AwardDistinction for Outstanding Historical Fiction TFR Readers Choice AwardDistinction for Outstanding Thriller/Suspense/Mystery TFR Readers Choice AwardAn alchemical gaslamp fantasy full of wisdom, wit, more than a dash of magic, and a joyous F/F romance. Charlotte Price is a mess; perpetually tardy, chronically unfocused, and indecisive to a fault. She'd hoped that apprenticing for London's only master alchemist and private detective would help solve her problems, but her first investigation will test her limits in ways she never imagined. On the trail of a dangerous magical drug, Charlotte's mentor vanishes without a trace, Lost, overwhelmed, and inexperienced, she must use everything she's learned, and improvise the things she hasn't, as she takes on magically empowered assassins, gate-crashes a society ball, and uncovers a conspiracy that goes right to the heart of government. Yet Charlotte's biggest challenge is her own errant attention span, which threatens to stop the investigation in its tracks. To find her mentor and prevent disaster, she must overcome her fear of failure, trust her instincts, and learn that she has everything she needs to thrive.
The Island Race
The Hebrides off Scotland's West Coast are famed the world over for their stark beauty, culture and history.The Island Race lifts the lid on events on one island where a despotic landowner tries to control the lives of everyone who lives in his domain.When his aristocratic daughter falls in love with an island lad the laird will stop at nothing to end romance across the social divide and doesn't care who he hurts in the process.Forget the white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters - this is a community at war with the laird and each other -fuelled by jealousy and drink.This 21st century tale echoes the past centuries of repression and feudalism in a way that shows how little has changed. Dreams turn to nightmares as events unfold - and there can be only one winner.
Clean Break Theatre Company
Clean Break Theatre Company is a women-only theatre company that grew out of a prisoner-led drama workshop that took place between 1977-1979 in HMP Askham Grange. In addition to its considerable impact on criminalised women and public understandings of the socio-political impact of their experiences, Clean Break has had a significant but under-acknowledged impact on contemporary British theatre. We examine three areas of Clean Break's theatre making history and organisational practices: its origin stories; its education and engagement work; and how the company's performance practices have, across five decades, 'then' and 'now', adapted to directly intervene in carceral society. By highlighting Clean Break's distinct activist theatre making processes and practices, the book makes explicit the genealogical connections of the company's past work and its impacts on contemporary feminist theatre practices.
Clean Break Theatre Company
Clean Break Theatre Company is a women-only theatre company that grew out of a prisoner-led drama workshop that took place between 1977-1979 in HMP Askham Grange. In addition to its considerable impact on criminalised women and public understandings of the socio-political impact of their experiences, Clean Break has had a significant but under-acknowledged impact on contemporary British theatre. We examine three areas of Clean Break's theatre making history and organisational practices: its origin stories; its education and engagement work; and how the company's performance practices have, across five decades, 'then' and 'now', adapted to directly intervene in carceral society. By highlighting Clean Break's distinct activist theatre making processes and practices, the book makes explicit the genealogical connections of the company's past work and its impacts on contemporary feminist theatre practices.
Elektrafied
A reinterpretation of Sophocles' ancient tragedy, Elektra, Elektrafied transposes the scheming, subterfuge, and vengeance of the House of Atreus onto the grim mystery of early 20th-century noir. Alfred Atreides, war hero and business tycoon, has suddenly vanished without a trace, plunging his ancestral home of Mycenae Manor into chaos. His wife, Judith, has since seized control of the family and is confident that her husband will not return. The only resistance to Judith's rule comes from the manor's young maid, Elektra, who believes Alfred's disappearance to be more than just a twist of fate. Yet the only accomplishment of Elektra's defiance has been Judith's fury. The new Atreides matriarch has hidden Elektra's pay, leaving her trapped and penniless. Elektra now faces a strange and unpleasant ultimatum: remain destitute or marry Alfred's loathsome cousin, Randolph. With her grasp on her own future slipping away, Elektra must find her money and flee the only home she's ever known. However, escape might not be her only concern, as a nameless detective arrives one stormy night seeking answers for Alfred's absence. On this night, the hidden truths of the Atreides family will be unearthed-and no one will like what they find...
Claire
CLAIRE ( The featured character)A primitive tribe (1000 years old, from Spain) settled in northern Scotland. In their settlement, called Wotan, after the old tribe, they lived a humble farming life. All was as it always was until the end of the Second World War. Then life changed. Once the bureaucrats 'discovered' Wotan, taxes and charges entered their life, and bureaucrats established Government Departments. An ancient tribe lived by tribal rules, yet this tribe was expected to follow modern Scottish laws. This is the Wotans' and Claire's paradox, leading to their sorrows and legal shenanigans.
New Psychoanalytic Readings of Shakespeare
The essays in New Psychoanalytic Readings of Shakespeare: Cool Reason and Seething Brains engage a broad spectrum of psychoanalytic theory and criticism, from Freud to the present, to read individual plays closely.
Loss and Legacy
A HOUSE FULL OF MEMORIES, A LIFE FULL OF SECRETSWhen Eva Bailey returns to her apartment in Marseille after a week of retreat, she finds an email waiting in her inbox that will change her life forever. The message brings news of her father's death and the unexpected inheritance of her childhood home. As Eva travels back to Australia, she is confronted with memories long buried and the realisation that her father had secrets she never imagined.Eva soon encounters Isabella, a woman who shares a deep connection with her late father. Together, they navigate the tangled threads of loss, love, and the legacies left behind, uncovering truths that challenge everything Eva thought she knew about her family and herself.Set against the backdrop of Australia's evocative landscapes, Loss and Legacy is a beautifully written exploration of how the past shapes the present, and the choices that define our future. With lyrical prose and vivid characters, this novella invites readers to reflect on the nature of home, the bonds that tie us to our roots, and the courage it takes to step into the unknown.
Loss and Legacy
A house full of memories, a life full of secrets.When Eva Bailey returns to her apartment in Marseille after a week of retreat, she finds an email waiting in her inbox that will change her life forever. The message brings news of her father's death and the unexpected inheritance of her childhood home. As Eva travels back to Australia, she is confronted with memories long buried and the realisation that her father had secrets she never imagined.Eva soon encounters Isabella, a woman who shares a deep connection with her late father. Together, they navigate the tangled threads of loss, love, and the legacies left behind, uncovering truths that challenge everything Eva thought she knew about her family and herself.Set against the backdrop of Australia's evocative landscapes, Loss and Legacy is a beautifully written exploration of how the past shapes the present, and the choices that define our future. With lyrical prose and vivid characters, this novella invites readers to reflect on the nature of home, the bonds that tie us to our roots, and the courage it takes to step into the unknown.
I Wish I Was Lonely/The Oh Fuck Moment
Two performance texts by Hannah Jane Walker and Chris Thorpe The Oh Fuck Moment Fucking up is the truest, funniest, most terrifying moment you can experience. Poet Hannah Jane Walker and theatre-maker Chris Thorpe examine the poetic guts of mistakes in a bundle of words and strip lighting. The Oh Fuck Moment is an award-winning conversation around a desk for brave souls to hold their hands up and admit they fucked up, or for people to laugh at us because we did. 'A brilliant celebration of our mistakes and evolutionary reflexes' Guardian I Wish I Was Lonely I Wish I Was Lonely is an interactive show about contactability asking whether the invisible waves we're tethered to might be drowning who we are. It's a show in which the audience commit to leaving their phones on. A show investigating what it means to participate in communication - or not. There are poems, there are stories and there is conversation. I Wish I Was Lonely sees Hannah Jane Walker and Chris Thorpe ask how much of ourselves we've given up to the new gods in our pockets. Hannah Jane Walker is a poet and Chris Thorpe is a theatre-maker.Together they make award-winning work that is part performance, part poetry gig and part interactive experience. Their work is based around an honest encounter between themselves, an audience and the difficult but often uplifting moments we all face in the process of living. Their shows feel like a generous, open conversation, with poetry and storytelling at their heart and space for audiences to contribute in a meaningful way.
Crook's Paradise
This story unfolds along the most storied bend in the Hudson River, Crum Elbow. This magical spot has attracted a long line of historical figures and crooks, beginning with Charles Crook. Now with its mighty mansions in decay, sinister forces are cutting the town off from history and the natural order. None of this is lost on Valentine Hitch. The last of the patrician landowners and visionary-Life photographer has a plan to reclaim Crum Elbow. After Jessica, a Sotheby's art expert, shows up to inspect one of Valentine's rare Sargent paintings and his prodigal nephew returns from California, things begin to happen. When a repentant billionaire, a shadowy eco-terrorist, and a millennial river hydrologist get involved, Valentine comes face to face with the shadowy, new breed of crooks.
Quintessence of Dust
Shakespeare's Hamlet contains a profound spiritual message for mankind that has been largely unrecognized for centuries. The meaning of Hamlet so perplexed critics over the last four hundred years that many finally concluded, after immense struggle, that the play lacks a binding philosophy. Nothing, in fact, is more wrong.Quintessence of Dust now explains how Shakespeare meticulously crafted every scene to convey a central spiritual message, using three unique Shakespearean techniques: cohesive unity, thematic resonance, and focused allegorical scenes. It demonstrates that Hamlet is nothing short of an artistic miracle, reflected both in its poetic brilliance and in its profound meaning.This book is written as a running commentary of the entire play so readers can follow the narrative of Hamlet like reading a novel. The increased understanding from the commentary intensifies the drama and reflects how Shakespeare conveys his spiritual message through our emotional involvement. It is akin to learning by direct experience-the initiatic quality that makes Shakespeare's plays an invaluable gift to humanity.
Amy and Speck
AMY and SPECK by Caridad Svich Amy and Speck is a play-installation. It looks at an encounter between a judge who serves on the highest court in the land and the various specters that haunt and govern them. A portrait of the rise of theocratic neoliberal necro-politics vs. the autonomy of subjugated people. This piece is loosely inspired by real life. This is a Santa Catalina Editions/NoPassport Press book project. ISBN: 978-1-304-02202-8
Beneath the Birch Trees
I never wondered if Oliver loved me. The second we met, I knew we belonged together. I knew Oliver knew it, too. I saw it in his eyes.The eyes I instantly adored.​The eyes everyone else feared.​After the AI Bot war of 2099, Layla and Oliver fall in love - but their bond is tested by a handsome renegade, an ambitious family, and a covert killer who twists the truth.​​With her community connections - and attunement to trees - Layla believes her love for Oliver can grow. But, despite her certainty, something is keeping them apart. And Layla has to know what it is.
Much ADO about Nothing
HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.'Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably.'One of Shakespeare's most witty and enjoyable comedies, Much Ado About Nothing is a play that explores courtship, romance and marriage through a number of relationships. Most famously, that of the irrepressible Beatrice and Benedick as they trade their wits against one another, criticising the notion of marriage, yet slowly falling in love with one another as they do so.
The Tempest
A masterful blend of magic, intrigue, and human emotion, The Tempest is one of Shakespeare's most profound works. Set on a remote island, the play explores themes of power, redemption, and the complexities of forgiveness through the lens of its protagonist, Prospero, a deposed duke and sorcerer. Though originally classified as a comedy, The Tempest has since been recognized as a romance, rich with themes of reconciliation and the interplay between nature and civilization. The play's nuanced depiction of authority, betrayal, and the human spirit has earned it enduring admiration. Shakespeare's final solo work offers a compelling reflection on the limits of control and the power of compassion, making it an essential piece in the canon of English literature.
Shakespeare's Measure for Measure
Measure for Measure is one of the most unique plays in the Shakespearean canon. It was not until the second half of the twentieth century that the play's themes about the uses and abuses of power began to be explored in productions. This brief study argues that the Shakespeare authorship question matters in understanding the play in its historical context at the court of Elizabeth I. The play has confounded critics, audiences, and readers for centuries. When it is understood that the author was shaping a powerful political drama around his own life story and making use of biting satire, then new light may be shed on this fascinating play. Measure for Measure is an underappreciated work that offers a mirror image of the Elizabethan court and resonates with profound political relevance in the modern age.
Bertolt Brecht’s Adaptations and Anti-Capitalist Aesthetics Today
This book examines Brecht's theory and method of adaptation. It first reconstructs it into a single framework using four key Brechtian concepts: Fabel, gestus, estrangement effects, and historicizing. It then uses that framework to analyse four Brechtian adaptations: The Tutor, Don Juan, "Socrates Wounded," and Kriegsfibel. It argues that adaptation occupies a previously unrealised central place in Brecht's thought, demonstrating that he provides us with a unique way to think about adaptation--as material transformation. It concludes by describing how Brecht is useful for anti-capitalist aesthetics today because through him one can foster a new consciousness which enables better social conditions to be created. This book is practical for both theatre practitioners and artists as well as theorists.
All’s Well That End’s Well
This translation of Shakespeare's overlooked play will captivate contemporary readers. Virginia Grise takes on one of Shakespeare's lesser-known plays in her translation of All's Well That Ends Well. It is a play that has challenged actors, directors, and audiences for four-hundred years, and in this edition, Grise updates Shakespeare's language for modern ears. This translation was written as part of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Play On! project, which commissioned new translations of thirty-nine Shakespeare plays. These translations present the work of "The Bard" in language accessible to modern audiences while never losing the beauty of Shakespeare's verse. These volumes make these works available for the first time in print--a new First Folio for a new era.
My Silent Cry
Apollonia's childhood was a vibrant tapestry woven with the love of her grandparents, the chaos of her brothers, and the joy of family vacations. Yet, beneath the surface lurked a secret - a missing father, his absence casting a long shadow, As Apollonia navigates the joys of childhood - video game battles epic family reunions, and summer adventures - the weight of this secret begins to unravel her carefree world.One fateful summer day, a stranger appears, shattering illusion and forcing Apollonia to confront the truth about her past. "My Silent Cry' is a poignant coming-of-age stop explores the complexities of family dynamics, the yearning for connection, and the enduring strength of a young grappling with a life forever altered.
