Drawing together the work of 12 leading playwrights, this National Theatre Connections anthology celebrates highlights from 21 years of the Connections festival with a retrospective selection of plays.Featuring work by some of the most prolific playwrights of the 20th and 21st centuries, and together in one volume, the anthology offers young performers between the ages of 13 and 19 an engaging selection of plays to perform, read or study.Each play has been specific...

In this book Richard Ayoade - actor, writer, director, and amateur dentist - reflects on his cinematic legacy as only he can: in conversation with himself. Over ten brilliantly insightful and often erotic interviews, Ayoade examines himself fully and without mercy, leading a breathless investigation into this once-in-a-generation visionary.Only Ayoade can appreciate Ayoade's unique methodology. Only Ayoade can recognise Ayoade's talent. Only Ayoade can withstand Ayoade's peculiar s...

THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERRobert Webb tried to follow the rules for being a man:Don’t cryDrink beerPlay roughDon’t talk about feelingsLooking back over his life he asks whether these rules are actually any use. To anyone.

Maureen Lipman has the knack of making the everyday supremely entertaining, the ordinary absurd and unexpected. This new collection of pieces sparkles with her inimitable prose and pithy opinions. Encounters in the street, at the hairdresser, in the dressing room, on her travels at home and abroad, indeed wherever she goes, are sharply observed, joyfully and - at times - ruefully recorded. Included too are a selection of brilliant monologues which capture the many voices of Maureen in wond...

Monologues are an essential part of every actor’s toolkit. Actors are required to perform monologues regularly throughout their career: preparing for drama school entry, showcasing skills for agents or auditioning for a role. Following on from the bestselling first volume (2008), this book showcases selected monologues from some of the finest modern plays by some of today’s leading contemporary playwrights. These monologues contain a diverse range of quirky and memorable characters that cr...

As most successful writers will tell you, one of the hardest things about writing is getting started. In this collection of articles, Writer, Musician, Hermit, Pie-Maker and Time-Traveller Colin Garrow explores ways of generating ideas, creating characters and developing stories. Using examples from his own stories, novels and stage plays, he'll show you what to do, what not to do and how to keep at it. Whether you're struggling to get started or wondering how to write amazing dialogue, th...

In these energetic, exhilarating stories, Ali Smith portrays a world of everyday dislocation, where people nevertheless find connection, mystery, and love. In “Astute Fiery Luxurious,” a misdelivered package throws the life of a couple into disarray. A boy's unexplained illness in “I Know Something You Don't Know” drives his mother to seek guidance from homeopathic healers, with inconclusive results. In “The Child,” an unnervingly mature young boy voices offensive humour that genteel socie...

With sold-out live events around the country and a bestselling book, Women of Letters have revived the gentle art of letter writing. In this all-new collection of missives, a dazzling array of noteworthy Australians share their wisdom, wit and wildest dreams.Here Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuire have preserved a year of captivating correspondence. The irresistible line-up features Kate Miller-Heidke writing 'A love letter' to her twelve-year-old self; Di Morrissey recounting a dra...

Life the Lipman way is always unexpected, and the hilarious and witty way in which she recalls her adventures and misadventures has made her a bestselling author and national treasure. Past-it Notes is the ultimate Maureen Lipman collection, drawing on choice material from her six previous books (re-visited and re-worked) laced with a heady dose of extremely funny new autobiographical material.Past-it Notes is packed with beguiling showbiz anecdotes, wonderful stories, eccentric cha...

Jarvis Cocker is widely regarded as one of the most original and memorable lyricists and performers of the last three decades. Here, for the first time, is a selection of sixty-six lyrics, presented with commentary and an introduction by the man himself.In this volume, readers (and Pulp fans) will find such classic Jarvis lyrics as 'Common People', 'Disco 2000', 'Babies', 'This is Hardcore' and 'Do You Remember the First Time?' The selection, assembled by the author, reveals a sens...

First published in 1995. This selection of speeches of all types - serious and comic, realist and absurdist - is drawn from contemporary plays by English, American and European playwrights. The editors have set each piece in its context, presenting a useful resource for acting classes, contests, auditions and rehearsals.

A young man reluctantly on his way to an online date, tries to strike up a conversation with a girl on the tube. Despite her initial reluctance, she opens up slightly when she finds out his destination. As the train carries them onwards, both find their conversation moving them towards an unexpected conclusion.