The first ever full-length study of the Royal Court Theatre's International Department, covering the theatre's unique programming of international plays and seasons, its London-based residences for writers from overseas, and the legacies of workshops conducted in more than 30 countries.

The first ever full-length study of the Royal Court Theatre's International Department, covering the theatre's unique programming of international plays and seasons, its London-based residences for writers from overseas, and the legacies of workshops conducted in more than 30 countries.

But that's what this is, isn't it? The ultimate bitch fight. When John takes a break from his boyfriend, his accidentally meets the girl of his dreams. Filled with guilt and indecision, he decides there is only one way to straighten this out . . . Mike Bartlett's metrosexual play about love and longing provides us with questions of who we are and who we want to be. John's refusal to fix his identity disturbs and disrupts the lives of those around him in this contemporary tale of sex without nudity and struggle without violence. Mike Bartlett's punchy story takes a playful, candid look at one man's sexuality and the difficulties that arise when you realise you have a choice. Cock premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, on 13 November 2009. It is published here in the Modern Classics series, featuring an introduction by Mark O'Thomas.

Two tense and unnerving short plays from talented Brazilian playwright, Marcos Barbosa. In Almost Nothing, Antonio and Sara are being playful as they prepare to go to bed, but they cannot ignore what lurks outside. In a world where a life can mean almost nothing, just how far does one have to go to keep the demons at bay? In At the Table, six men's lives collide in a web of fear, duty and responsibility. Encounters twenty years apart show the reverberations from an undisclosed incident as Luis and Marcio try to come to terms with their past. The two plays were premiered, in English translations by Mark O'Thomas, in a double bill at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2004.