Cheryl Robson

Three distinctive adaptations from a master of total theatre, Steven Berkoff fuses all the elements of drama together in a whole theatrical experience. Combining movement and mime with text to achieve a heightened dramatic intensity, Berkoff takes Kafka's stories and transforms them into a powerful dramatic expression of the inhumanity which plagued the twentieth century and continues unchecked today.

Artists, painters, writers and discerning travellers from royalty to rock stars have long been attracted by the region’s bright light, perfect climate and joie de vivre. Take the road less travelled as you find out more about the extraordinary range of places and people who’ve found inspiration in the mountains and valleys, rocky coves and verdant islands.

This collection features four new plays about war, tyranny and discrimination by Eastern and Central European writers. Includes the plays The Body of a Woman as a battlefield in the Bosnian war by Matei Visniec, Cordon by Nebojsa Romcevic, When I want to whistle, I whistle... by Andreea Valean, Soap Opera by György Spiró The title of this volume alludes to the history of political double-dealing in a troubled region within southern Europe, surrounded by the Adriatic, Aegean and Black Seas. G. B. Shaw wrote Arms and The Man about a small Balkan plot in the 19th century. It's in this tradition, rather than in a geographical sense that we use the title Balkan Plots. The plays in this volume are dramatic works which have emerged from, or which take as their subject matter, the struggle of individuals within societies affected by recent political upheaval. The writers explore aspects of freedom and rebellion, ethnicity and discrimination, loyalty and betrayal in situations where conventional attitudes and beliefs are severely tested. In some plays, the conflict is between traditional socialist attitudes and western capitalism. In others, the values and beliefs of the younger generation collide with and challenge those of the older generation. Within each of the plays, the way in which the personal and the political interacts, is very much in evidence.

A play collection with an introduction by Afia Nkrumah and bibliography by Susan Croft Featuring five works by prominent Black and Asian playwrights. Harvest by Manjula Padmanabhan | Under their Influence by Wayne Buchanan | Calcutta Kosher by Shelley Silas | Made in England by Parv Bancil | Brother to Brother by Michael McMillan These five plays in this collection each give us a glimpse of a different world - from the poverty of a Bombay tenement in Harvest by Manjula Padmanabhan to the world of rock and pop in Made in England by Parv Bancil, from the fading grandeur of former wealth in Calcutta Kosher by Shelley Silas to the inside of a mental institution in Under their Influence by Wayne Buchanan and many voices collide in the tales from the city in Brother to Brother by Michael McMillan. Some of these plays have been commended by critics and won awards, going on tour nationally. A few have been broadcast or adapted for film. By publishing these texts, we aim to inspire further productions, perhaps in venues where little or no work by black and Asian writers has previously been performed. In addition, the book includes a unique list of published plays by black and Asian writers, compiled by Susan Croft, so that those looking for plays to study or perform can access the considerable body of work that now exists in libraries, bookshops and archives.

Featuring five plays by Dutch women writers (Hella Haasse, Matin Van Veldhuizenm, Suzanne Van Lohuizen, Inez Van Dullemen and Judith Herzberg) this play collection showcases the best plays by women writing in the Netherlands at the time of publication. The Plays A Thread in the Dark by Hella Haasse: This is a profound retelling of the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, from the viewpoint of Ariadne. Winner of the Visser Neerlandia prize. “[W]e cannot rephrase it for you. If we Could, why would we trouble to show you the myth?” Eat by Matin Van Veldhuizen: A darkly comic exploration of the lives of three sisters who come together to eat, drink and celebrate the anniversary of their mother's death. Dossier: Ronald Akkerman by Suzanne Van Lohuizen: A two-hander, detailing moments between a patient suffering from AIDS and his nurse. “...the moving story of a relationship between a young man in the final stages of AIDS and his nurse, Dossier: Ronald Akkerman ... tackles the epidemic full-on.” Gay Times Write Me in the Sand by Inez Van Dullemen: A poetic portrayal of a family where layer upon layer is removed to reveal the painful secrets within. The Caracal by Judith Herzberg: A comic one-woman show about a teacher whose complicated love life is revealed through fragmentary telephone conversations.

Practical Advice, Professional Resources on the Craft & Business of Writing edited by Cheryl Robson, Janet Beck, and Vania Georgeson With contributions by: Alison Prager, Ann Hazel Clare, Ayshe Raif, Bryony Lavery, Caryl Churchill, Cherry Smythe, Clare Bayley, Jean Abbott, Jill Hyem, Nina Rapi Winner of The Pandora Award.

Winner of The Raymond Williams Prize Plays by Ayshe Raif, Cheryl Robson, April De Angelis, Nina Rapi, Eva Lewin, Jan Rupee, Jean Abbott.