Jez Butterworth, Chris Bush & More Join The NHB Playgroup

Theatre publishers Nick Hern Books (NHB) have announced five further writers to join The NHB Playgroup, their ongoing initiative throughout the current theatre shutdown which offers one free play each week to read and discuss, followed by a Q&A with the writer.

The upcoming NHB-published writers are Mike Bartlett, Chris Bush, Jez Butterworth, Jessie Cave and Nadia Fall. Additional names will be announced in due course.

The next NHB Playgroup play, available to read online for free for seven days from Wednesday 20 May, will be Mike Bartlett's acclaimed drama Albion. The play premiered at the Almeida Theatre, London, in October 2017, directed by Rupert Goold, and was revived at the venue earlier in 2020. It will also be broadcast on BBC Four later in the year, as part of the Culture in Quarantine season.

Each Wednesday during the coronavirus shutdown, Nick Hern Books is making one play available for free, and inviting everyone who reads it to send in a question for the writer. They then record a Q&A with them, which is then released as a podcast the following Wednesday, along with the next free play.

The plays are made freely available to read online, with readers invited to submit questions by the end of Sunday for the opportunity to be included in the Q&A. The first six weeks of The NHB Playgroup offered plays by leading writers Anna Jordan, James Fritz, Winsome Pinnock, Enda Walsh, Ella Hickson and Stef Smith.

More information about The NHB Playgroup can be found online at https://www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/playgroup.

Matt Applewhite, Managing Director of Nick Hern Books, said: 'Over the past six weeks, we've been delighted by the response to The NHB Playgroup from theatre-lovers across the world. The enthusiastic reception - especially from those getting into the playreading habit for the very first time - has been wonderful. Thank you to everyone who's been part of it, including the six playwrights who've generously made their work available so far.

'We're really excited by the upcoming NHB Playgroup writers, and invite even more readers to get involved in experiencing and engaging with their brilliant plays.'

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos

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