Aeschylus' Oresteia opens with Agamemnon sacrificing his daughter to the gods; an act which sets in motion a bloody cycle of revenge and counter-revenge. When he in turn is killed at the hands of his wife Clytemnestra, their son Orestes takes up the mantle of avenging his father, continuing the bloodshed until peace is ultimately found in the rule of law. Zinnie Harris reimagines this ancient drama, using a contemporary sensibility to rework the stories, placing the women in the centre. Orestes' leading role is replaced by his sister Electra, who as a young child witnesses her father's murder and is compelled to take justice into her own hands until she too must flee the Furies.

Aeschylus' Oresteia opens with Agamemnon sacrificing his daughter to the gods; an act which sets in motion a bloody cycle of revenge and counter-revenge. When he in turn is killed at the hands of his wife Clytemnestra, their son Orestes takes up the mantle of avenging his father, continuing the bloodshed until peace is ultimately found in the rule of law. Zinnie Harris reimagines this ancient drama, using a contemporary sensibility to rework the stories, placing the women in the centre. Orestes' leading role is replaced by his sister Electra, who as a young child witnesses her father's murder and is compelled to take justice into her own hands until she too must flee the Furies.

In this first collection by Zinnie Harris, Further than the Furthest Thing evokes the fragility of an island community as their way of life is threatened and they must determine their future, while Midwinter opens as a woman steals a dead horse to feed to a child. How To Hold Your Breath tells the story of a woman who sleeps with the devil and defends her belief in love, even as her world collapses around her, and Meet Me at Dawn offers a compelling, allegorical love story that explores the desolating effects of grief. With an introduction by director Dominic Hill. Further than the Furthest Thing 'Already has the status of a modern classic.' Lyn Gardner, Guardian 'Arguably the greatest tragedy in the Scottish theatrical canon' Mark Brown, Telegraph Midwinter 'There is no mistaking her talent' Observer 'A stunning metaphor for our time' Herald How to Hold Your Breath 'Harris's writing is not only wonderfully imaginative, but also beautifully light.' Tribune 'Dizzyingly bold . . . pressingly topical and admirably ambitious' Financial Times Meet Me at Dawn 'A twenty-first-century classic' Scotsman 'Lyrical, raw and hazy' Sunday Times

Because we live in Europe. Because nothing really bad happens. The worst is a bit of an inconvenience. Perhaps not such a good mini break. But really in the grand scheme of life, not so bad. Starting with a seemingly innocent one night stand, this dark, witty and magical play by Zinnie Harris dives into our recent European history. An epic look at the true cost of principles and how we live now, How to Hold Your Breath premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in February 2015.

Aeschylus' Oresteia opens with Agamemnon sacrificing his daughter to the gods; an act which sets in motion a bloody cycle of revenge and counter-revenge. When he in turn is killed at the hands of his wife Clytemnestra, their son Orestes takes up the mantle of avenging his father, continuing the bloodshed until peace is ultimately found in the rule of law. Zinnie Harris reimagines this ancient drama, using a contemporary sensibility to rework the stories, placing the women in the centre. Orestes' leading role is replaced by his sister Electra, who as a young child witnesses her father's murder and is compelled to take justice into her own hands until she too must flee the Furies. This Restless House premiered at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, in April 2016 in a co-production with the National Theatre of Scotland.

You'd be surprised how a simple thing like locking up your husband in the same room as you, makes you aware of something. Of being alive. The Scent of Roses begins with a wife who takes her husband hostage in order to have an honest conversation. This simple, transgressive act, and her demand for a straight answer, sparks a chain of conversations, interrogations, obfuscations and revelations, as they and those around them try to discover what is real and who they can trust in a post-truth world. Zinnie Harris's The Scent of Roses premieres at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, in February 2022.

You should know: I sing at parties, I wear colourful dresses, I am headstrong, I won't wear my hair up because you say I should, or do this because you prefer it, in fact I might do the other just to be contrary, but I am utterly and always myself.

The Duchess is a young widow. And with money, sexual freedom and youth, she's a threat to the status quo; she could get to determine her own life.

Terrified by her sudden power and its implications, her brothers Ferdinand and The Cardinal seek to block The Duchess's desires and to dismantle her authority and spirit by any means at their disposal. The results are horrifying, with bloody vengeance from the most unexpected of sources.

The Duchess (of Malfi), Zinnie Harris's radical take on Webster's great revenge tragedy, premiered at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, in May 2019.

A collection of wide-ranging and ambitious short plays reflecting the complexities of women and political power in the United Kingdom. The five plays in this volume look at the impact and influence that women have today. In Acting Leader by Joy Wilkinson, Margaret Beckett finds herself Acting Leader of the Opposition after the sudden death of John Smith. The Panel by Zinnie Harris is about the power politics underlying the selection of any candidate. Playing the Game by Bola Agbaje is about the election of a new President of a Students' Association. In Pink by Sam Holcroft, a millionaire businesswoman is confronted by an unexpected visitor. You, Me and Wii by Sue Townsend is set in a council house in a small Leicestershire town at election time. The plays were first performed at the Tricycle Theatre, London, as part of the Women, Power and Politics season in June 2010. The other plays presented in the season are available in the companion volume, Women, Power and Politics: Then.

Two women wash up on a distant shore following a violent boating accident. Dazed by their experience, they look for a path home. But they discover that this unfamiliar land is not what it seems - and that, though they may be together, they have never been further apart. Unflinchingly honest and tenderly lyrical, Meet Me at Dawn is a modern fable exploring the triumph of everyday love, the mystery of grief, and the temptation to become lost in a fantasy future that will never be. Meet Me at Dawn by Zinnie Harris premiered at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, in August 2017.

On a remote island in the middle of the Atlantic secrets are buried. When the outside world comes calling, intent on manipulation for political and economic reasons, the islanders find their own world blown apart from the inside as well as beyond. Further Than The Furthest Thing is a beautifully drawn story evoking the sadness and beauty of a civilisation in crisis. Further Than The Furthest Thing premiered at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh in August, 2000.