The first book-length study devoted to this topic, Mendacity and the Figure of the Liar in Seventeenth-Century French Comedy offers an important contribution to scholarship on the theatre as well as on early modern attitudes in France, specifically on the subject of lying and deception. Unusually for a scholarly work on seventeenth-century theatre, it is particularly alert to plays as performed pieces and not simply printed texts. The study also distinguishes itself by offering original readings of Moliere alongside innovative analyses of other playwrights. The chapters offer fresh insights on well-known plays by Moliere and Pierre Corneille but also invite readers to discover lesser-known works of the time (by writers such as Benserade, Thomas Corneille, Dufresny and Rotrou). Through comparative and sustained close readings, including a linguistic and speech act approach, a historical survey of texts with an analysis of different versions and a study of irony, the reader is shown the manifest ways in which different playwrights incorporate the comedic tropes of lying and scheming, confusion and unmasking. Drawing particular attention to the levels of communicative or mis-communicative exchanges on the character-to-character axis and the character-to-audience axis, this work examines the process whereby characters in the comedies construct narratives designed to trick, misdirect, dazzle, confuse or exploit their interlocutors. In the different incarnations of seducer, parasite, cross-dresser, duplicitous narrator/messenger and deluded mythomaniac, the author underscores the way in which the figure of the liar both entertains and troubles, making it a fascinating subject worthy of detailed investigation.

There was a ruckus at lunch time. It was the best one so far. Nobody knew why they were fighting . . . You actually thought they were going to kill each other. You wanted them to stop. It wasn't funny anymore. Newly arrived from Ghana with his mother and older sister, Harrison Opoku lives on the ninth floor of a block of flats on a London housing estate. The (second) best runner in the whole of Year 7, Harri races through his new life in his personalised trainers - the Adidas stripes drawn on in marker pen - unaware of the danger growing around him. But when a boy is knifed to death on the high street and the police appeal for witnesses draws only silence, Harri decides to start a murder investigation of his own. In doing so, he unwittingly breaks the fragile web his mother has spun around her family to keep them safe, and Harri will come face to face with the very real dangers surrounding him. A powerful, unforgettable tale, importantly relevant for young adult readers of today. Stephen Kelman's 2011 Man-Booker-prize-shortlisted novel has been adapted for the stage by Fringe-First-winner Gbolahan Obisesan (Mad About the Boy). The stage adaptation received its world premiere at Bristol Old Vic in a Bristol Old Vic Young Company and the National Youth Theatre co-commission on 7 August 2013, before transferring to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Winner of the London Hellenic Prize 2020 The Greek Trilogy of Luis Alfaro gathers together for the first time the three 'Greek' plays of the MacArthur Genius Award-winning Chicanx playwright and performance artist. Based respectively on Sophocles' Electra and Oedipus, and Euripides' Medea, Alfaro's Electricidad, Oedipus El Rey, and Mojada transplant ancient themes and problems into the 21st century streets of Los Angeles and New York, in order to give voice to the concerns of the Chicanx and wider Latinx communities. From performances around the world including sold-out runs at New York's Public Theater, these texts are extremely important to those studying classical reception, Greek theatre and Chicanx writers. This unique anthology features definitive editions of all three plays alongside a comprehensive introduction which provides a critical overview of Luis Alfaro's work, accentuating not only the unique nature of these three 'urban' adaptations of ancient Greek tragedy but also the manner in which they address present-day Chicanx and Latinx socio-political realities across the United States. A brief introduction to each play and its overall themes precedes the text of the drama. The anthology concludes with exclusive supplementary material aimed at enhancing understanding of Alfaro's plays: a 'Performance History' timeline outlining the performance history of the plays; an alphabetical 'Glossary' explaining the most common terms in Spanish and Spanglish appearing in each play; and a 'Further Reading' list providing primary and secondary bibliography for each play. The anthology is completed by a new interview with Alfaro which addresses key topics such as Alfaro's engagement with ancient Greek drama and his work with Chicanx communities across the United States, thus providing a critical contextualisation of these critically-acclaimed plays.

Each edition includes:

• Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play

• Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play

• Scene-by-scene plot summaries

• A key to famous lines and phrases

• An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language

• An essay by an outstanding scholar providing a modern perspective on the play

• Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books

Essay by Catherine Belsey

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit www.folger.edu.

'One of the best plays ever written about the First World War' GUARDIAN 'To say that it leaves you emotionally shattered feels like an insult to those bygone souls and the horrors the faced, but quietly shattering it is, all the same' DAILY TELEGRAPH A battalion of 1,000 young men raised in 1914 from volunteers in the Accrington area of East Lancashire go to war. They are destined to see their first real action on 1st July 1916 on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, still regarded as the greatest British military disaster with huge loss of life. Not many return to Accrington alive or intact. Whelan's play traces these men's history through individual stories, but his special interest lies in the lives of the women left behind, battling with their own problems, deprived of their relationships with husbands and lovers, undertaking traditionally male roles, and kept in doubt by the misinformation of wartime propaganda. Their moving stories interweave in scenes that are often comic, but which reach a devastating climax as the news of the disastrous battle finally reaches them. Commentary and notes by John Davey.

One of the most widely studied and performed works in the theatrical repertoire, this dark psychological drama, first produced in Norway in 1890, depicts the evil machinations of a ruthless, nihilistic heroine. Readers will discover in the shocking events Hedda Gabler precipitates, a masterly exploration of the nature of evil and the potential for tragedy that lies in human frailty.

If you click my face in the corner Yep That's it Then the blue follow button Tap it You're done Welcome hunny Becky wants to be famous. Becky deserves to be famous. Becky has to be famous. When drag artist Becky Biro is told they need a larger following to be considered for international TV hit The Drag Factor, Becky can smell success. She will do whatever it takes to get there, then reap the rewards of her inevitable stardom. From the writer of the multi-award winning Velvet comes an outrageous, fast-paced dark comedy, laced with irreverent humour and cabaret songs. Fame Whore holds a mirror up to the desperate human desire for relevance, and the lengths one may go to get there. This edition was published to coincide with the run at King's Head Theatre in London, in October 2022.

In his introduction to this collection, Stephen Gray states that `there can be no artistic grounds on which to uphold a belief that "short" implies "lesser"'; he goes on to make the point that `Fugard seems naturally to be most at ease when working in compact dense forms'. This collection brings together all the available shorter plays by Athol Fugard not accessible to readers and performers, and demonstrates through these plays the crucial stages of Fugard's development as a great man of the theatre.

April, 1984. Winston Smith thinks a thought, starts a diary, and falls in love. But Big Brother is watching him, and the door to Room 101 can swing open in the blink of an eye. Its ideas have become our ideas, and Orwell's fiction is often said to be our reality. The definitive book of the 20th century is re-examined in a radical new adaptation exploring why Orwell's vision of the future is as relevant as ever.

Well here's the problem Edrina, the law in this country doesn't work with stories. It only works with facts. And to put it simply, your story - look it just isn't credible. Edrina was trafficked from her family home when she was fifteen. She was taken to Italy for three years before being trafficked to the UK, where she was held captive for another three years. She escaped 152 days ago. What's Mine & What's Yours tells a story of survival. Just when Edrina thought she might have a chance at life - she is catapulted backwards by a hostile immigration system that does not believe her story. She is acutely vulnerable and is re-trafficked within weeks. Could this have been prevented? The Helen Bamber Foundation provides all encompassing care to help Survivors access the therapeutic, medical, legal, housing and welfare support they need to recover from the traumas of trafficking. The foundation now seeks to address the systemic problem of re-trafficking in the UK. Dame Emma Thompson, the President of the Helen Bamber Foundation and acclaimed writer and actor, introduces this edition, explaining and contextualizing the organization's mission. Find out about their new central London Trauma Centre and learn how you can help by visiting www.helenbamber.org

Long Day's Journey into Night was written in 1940 but not staged until 1956, after O'Neill's death. Unashamedly autobiographical, it is, as he puts it himself in the dedicatory note, 'a play of old sorrow, written in tears and blood', a harrowing attempt to understand himself and his family.

Rory Stewart, a thirty year old former British diplomat and soldier of distinction and accomplishment, is posted to serve as governor in a province of the newly liberated Iraq. His job is to help build a new civil society at peace with itself and its neighbours - an ambitious mission, admittedly, but outperforming Saddam should surely not prove too difficult...

Athol Fugard het met die koms van sy tagtigste verjaarsdag besluit om ’n toneelstuk in sy ma se moedertaal te skryf, soos sy hom jare gelede gevra het. Met behulp van Riana Steyn se kennis en navorsing oor die karretjiemense het hierdie toneelstuk tot stand gekom. Dit is die verhaal van die Geduld-gesin, wat, na die dood van hul ouma Mieta, haar in die Karoo-veld onder klippe begrawe, soos die gebruik onder die karretjiemense is. Haar kleinkinders se enigste vooruitsig blyk die plakkerskamp naby Colesberg te wees. Hul pa, Koot, was op sy dag die voorste skaapskeerder, maar nou is hy in die tronk vir die moord op hy sy tweede vrou. Na sy vrylating spoor Sarah, ’n navorser wat jare gelede met die gesin te doen gehad het, hom op. Saam neem hul bestekopname van die karretjiemense se verlede en toekoms.

Orestes' parents are at war. A family drama spanning several decades, a huge, moving, bloody saga, Aeschylus' greatest and final play asks whether justice can ever be done - and continues to resonate more than two millennia after it was written. Following Mr Burns and 1984, Almeida Associate Director Robert Icke radically reimagines Oresteia for the modern stage, in its first major London production in more than a decade. Lia Williams returns to the Almeida as Klytemnestra.

This collection presents finest of Rory Kilalea's work: the plays 'Colours' and 'The Diary of David and Ruth', as well as three outstanding short stories. 'Colours' is set in a Zimbabwean graveyard and is a powerful monologue by a woman of her memories, of love's highlights and losses, of the realities of being mixed-race and of the ravages of AIDS/HIV. 'The Diary of Ruth and David' has won a number of international awards and is a two-hander primarily set during the guerilla war that ended white rule in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe. David is a sensitive and idealistic young white soldier and his girlfriend Ruth a naive and privileged white girl. Three short stories about Zimbabwe round out the collection: The 'Missing Cow', 'Zimbabwe Boy' and 'That's the Way it Is'. 'That's the Way it Is' is a droll account of filming in Africa. 'The Missing Cow' is a sinister tale set during the transition to black rule and 'Zimbabwe Boy' a touching sexual tale of an older white man and young black man.

Craig Higginson's first three plays for adult audiences - collected here in one volume - represent one of the strongest debuts in contemporary South African theatre. Although each can be seen as a variation on the theme of the post-apartheid state of the nation play, they are also engaged with realities in Zimbabwe, the Congo and contemporary Europe. Higginson's experience of growing up in wartorn Zimbabwe and apartheid South Africa have given him a deeprooted and potent angle from which to dramatize a dialogue between Europe and Africa. As British director Jeremy Herrin has noted in his Foreword: `The pairing of delicate psychology and considered plot allow the plays to move beyond the realism of their settings into a bespoke theatrical landscape, a place where the contradictions and messiness of contemporary life hold themselves up for inspection.'

Romantic Meg. Shy Beth. Wilful Amy. And, of course, passionate and fiery Jo. Little Women tells the story of the March sisters growing up in genteel poverty against the backdrop of the American Civil War. This timeless tale of four sisters' adventures has enchanted millions of readers, and is now available in this acclaimed adaptation for the stage.

Karl Koenig's plays for the festivals of the year are arguably his most original creations. Written to be performed in Camphill communities, they show a deep understanding of the Christian festivals. With one exception, all fourteen plays were written during the early years of the Camphill movement, and Koenig's hope was that their performance would help bring communities together. Not only is their content entertaining and informative, but the act of performing provides great benefits as social therapy. Since then, the plays have been translated into many languages and performed in Camphill and other communities around the world. This is the first time that the original texts of all the plays have been published together. They are presented with an introduction and commentary by series editor Richard Steel, alongside fascinating performance photographs.

If you're not interested in earning a new pair of Nikes by the end of the day...complete designer wardrobe by the end of the week...all the beers you can drink...if you don't want to meet Uma Thurman...then okay, stay here, as King of the Slackers, that's fine by me. As another summer season on the seafront gets underway Ella is turning up the heat in a high stakes game to get as far away as possible. Whilst Ruby keeps the cafe going and Dean mans the ice cream kiosk Ella learns there's no fast track to success. Judy Upton's coming of age drama first exploded onto the stage in 1998 at the Birmingham Rep. This new edition has been published to coincide with Boundless Theatre's twentieth anniversary revival at the Southwark Playhouse in May 2018.

Originally composed and published in 1981, this second book makes up two volumes of the plays of George Colman the Younger. Versatile, industrious, talented, Goerge Colman the Younger (1762-1836) followed Sheridan as England's most popular playwright. He wrote not only monologues, farces, pantomimes, comic operas, and straight comedies, but also hybrid three-act anticipations of melodrama.

My story is about love... No, it's about loss... No, it's about love and loss and pain and loneliness... But it's funny! Calvin is going to completely revolutionise his life. Escape his abusive boyfriend, detonate his inner sex bomb, see (and shag) the world. Yes, he's going to change things, and everything will be wonderful, and he's going to be so happy. Definitely. Finally. Right? Together with Wilf, a rusty Volkswagen Polo which, like Calvin, has seen better days, they hit the road on a wild ride of dodgy Airbnbs, greasy takeaways, anonymous graveyard sex and banging 80s power ballads - ending up somewhere they never imagined they'd go. But is Calvin breaking free, breaking down, or just breakdancing in hot pants? This riotous and heartfelt new play from James Ley (Love Song to Lavender Menace) takes audiences on a hilarious and unapologetic ride through Scotland as Calvin and Wilf attempt to escape loneliness, cope with mental illness and learn to love themselves, with the help of one another. This edition was published alongside the production at Traverse Theatre for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2022.

"Woza Albert!" is based on one dazzlingly simple idea - that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ should take place in present-day South Africa. This brilliant two-man show from the Market Theatre, Johannesburg, took the Edinburgh Festival then London by storm in September 1982, playing to standing ovations every night. It was also seen in Berlin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia and twice on BBC TV.

'A satire played with devastating energy in a brilliantly witty staging.' "Guardian"
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'The most politically potent show ever staged in South Africa.' "Observer"

This edition contains a new introduction by Yvette Hutchison

Award Monologues for Women is a collection of fifty-four monologues taken from plays written since 1980 that have been nominated for the Pullitzer Prize, the Tony and the Drama Desk Awards in New York, and The Evening Standard and Laurence Olivier Awards in London. The book provides an excellent range of up-to-date audition pieces, usefully arranged in age groups, and is supplemented with audition tips to improve your acting, and to ensure that the best possible performance.