'The most impressive theatre-based bookshop in Britain' Plays International

Email the Bookshop at bookshop@nationaltheatre.org.uk

• If a theatre book is in print, we will do our very best to get it for you.
• If you can't remember the title, give us as many details as possible and we'll find it.
• Searching for a present for a theatre-mad friend or partner? We can make suggestions...

The Royal National Theatre Bookshop and Oberon Books join forces online.

Order from the Oberon website and, using the National's secure online order form, your order will be fulfilled by the National Theatre Bookshop team, using their 25 years' experience of mail order.

Click here for more information on the National Theatre/Oberon Books partnership, or go straight to the Oberon site now at: www.oberonbooks.com the National Theatre is not responsible for the content on this site.

New publications/releases:

Just About 'Anything Goes' The National Theatre at Work Robert Butler attended every day of rehearsal and talked to each member of the 38-strong cast, following the creation of Trevor Nunn¹s production of this classic musical through the eyes of its company. As with his earlier book in this series, Humble Beginnings, Robert Butler offers an absorbing portrait of an ensemble at work, from first read-through to first preview. A National Theatre publication. £8.00 plus p&p Order by secure e-mail form or the usual methods.

To coincide with Trevor Nunn's production of A Streetcar Named Desire at the National Theatre, we joined with Oberon Books to offer the Selected Letters of Tennessee Williams, Vol 1 at the special price of £15.00 (RRP £19.99) plus p&p To find out more about Oberon Books and their full list, visit www.oberonbooks.com the National Theatre is not responsible for the content on this site. Order by secure e-mail form or the usual methods.

Tom Stoppard's The Coast of Utopia: Voyage, Shipwreck and Salvage An in-house recording of the instrumental music from The Coast of Utopia is available on CD, priced £10 (plus £1 p&p). Playtexts for the Stoppard trilogy, published in three separate parts. Paperback £8.99 each and Hardback £14.99 each, plus p&p Order by secure e-mail form or the usual methods.

Peter Hall's Bacchai, The National Theatre at Work by Jonathan Croall As with earlier productions at the National, Jonathan Croall has observed the rehearsal process in minute detail. His book offers an intimate and absorbing picture of how a team of world-class theatrical talents brought one of the masterpieces of Greek theatre to the stage Paperback £8.00 plus p&p Order by secure e-mail form or the usual methods.

Important - please note!
This chapter is in Adobe's pdf format. To view and print it you will need a copy of Adobe's Acrobat Reader which allows these files to be viewed on a Mac or PC. You may download Acrobat Reader for free direct from Adobe.

Scenery: Draughting and Construction. by John Blurton Splendid new book from the National's former Head of Scenic Construction. Large format paperback £14.99 plus p&p Order by secure e-mail form or the usual methods.

The National's cast recording of South Pacific is £13.99 for the CD (there is no cassette version). Post and packing is FREE. Order by secure e-mail form or the usual methods.

The script of this new short Harold Pinter sketch, just given its world premiere sell-out performances here at the National on 8 and 11 February, is available to buy in a specially-published edition by Faber and Faber. Harold performed the new sketch himself, with members of the Company. Price £5, plus p&p. Order by secure e-mail form or the usual methods. Other sketches performed on these two special evenings are available in other volumes of the Collected Works of Harold Pinter. Just tell us which sketch(es) you require.

The video of Matthew Bourne's production of Carman is currently available from the National's Bookshop only. The format is PAL and DVD. The price is £15.99 for the video and £19.99 for the DVD, plus p&p. Order by secure e-mail form or the usual methods.

Lindsay Anderson directed Sir John Gielgud and Sir Ralph Richardson in David Storey's Home at the Royal Court in 1970. This video is a TV production with the original cast and director, filmed in 1971. This video is now available exclusively from the National's Bookshop The format is VHS PAL. The price is £14.99 plus p&p. Order by secure e-mail form or the usual methods.

The Laying on of Hands: a Story by Alan Bennett. Hardback, Profile Books with the London Review of Books. £6.99 plus p&p. The latest from Alan Bennett at his inimitable best. Funny, perceptive and deliciously cheeky. Also available as a BBC CD (£8.99) or audiocassette (£6.99) Order by secure e-mail form.

The History of the Musical by Richard Fawkes. Naxos Audiobooks. £16.99 (4CDs) or £11.99 (4 audiocassettes) plus p&p. Read by musicals diva Kim Criswell, this bold and entertaining undertaking traces the musical from its origins in classical music through to its flowering in America. With over 120 musical examples illustrating this remarkable story, the history of the musical comes alive.

Playtexts
For playtexts for recent, current and forthcoming productions, including Proof, Feelgod, The Secret Life of Ophelia, Gagarin Way, Platonov, Humble Boy, Boston Marriage, Jitney and more, click here.

People
Biographies, letters, memoirs and miscellanea.
The people include Alan Ayckbourn, Alec Guinness, Sir John Mills, Joan Plowright, Kenneth Tynan, Tennessee Williams and others.
For details click here.

Theatreworks
Books of theory, criticism and practical help about theatre
Subjects include Shakespeare, 20th century drama, physical theatre, scenography, and a practical guide to Make Acting Work.
For details click here.

Sound and vision:

The cd of Trevor Nunn's production of My Fair Lady is now available from the National's Bookshop. The price is £13.99 Postage and packing to anywhere in the world is absolutely free for a limited period. Order by secure e-mail form or the usual methods.

The video of Trevor Nunn's production of The Merchant of Venice is now available from the National's Bookshop. The format is PAL. The price is £13.99 plus p&p. Order by secure e-mail form or the usual methods.

Current publications from the National...

In Rehearsal at the National
Photographs 1976-2001
Compiled by Lyn Haill | Preface by Trevor Nunn | Cover designed by Andrzej Klimowski

The National Theatre on London’s South Bank opened in 1976. Since then nearly 500 productions have been rehearsed there and those rehearsals have been recorded by some of the world’s leading theatre photographers. More than 200 photographs have been selected that capture the essence of theatre-in-progress - actors and directors at work behind closed doors - and mark the development of some of the great names of our stage.

Published to coincide with the NT’s 25th anniversary on the South Bank, by the National and Oberon Books, it is available now, at £19.99 plus p&p.
For further information on this book, go to our Publications page.

The National Theatre at Work
A paperback behind-the-scenes series.

Inside the Molly House by Jonathan Croall. £7.00 plus p&p. Jonathan Croall follows the success of his Hamlet Observed (see below) with a vivid inside account of the world première production of Mother Clap's Molly House. His book looks in revealing detail at the developing creative partnership between playwright Mark Ravenhill, director Nicholas Hytner, and the National company. Published with the support of a grant from the Royal National Theatre Foundation, it is on sale now from the NT Bookshop.

Humble Beginnings by Robert Butler. £8.00 plus p&p. Following on from the National's publication of Hamlet Observed, Robert Butler attended every rehearsal of Charlotte Jones’ Humble Boy, talking to playwright, director, actors and production team, and following the production from first read-through to first performance in the Cottesloe Theatre. The result is a fascinating insight into the rigorous process of bringing a new play to the stage for the first time and will be of interest to theatre-goers, students, actors and potential playwrights alike. Published in association with The Caird Company Order by secure e-mail form.

The final chapter of Humble Beginnings, detailing the opening and reaction to the play, is on on this website in our Publications section.

Hamlet Observed by Jonathan Croall. £7.00 plus p&p. Simon Russell Beale has been hailed as one of the great Hamlets of our time. This is the backstage story of how he created the part for John Caird's National Theatre production. Jonathan Croall watched the Hamlet company at work from the first rehearsal onwards, and travelled with them on tour to Elsinore and beyond. His book provides a revealing picture of the making of a production at the National. Publication supported by a grant from the National Theatre Foundation Order by secure e-mail form.

Take advantage of our worldwide mail order service - just contact the Bookshop by:
secure e-mail form
e-mail bookshop@nationaltheatre.org.uk
phone +44 (0)20 7452 3456
or fax +44 (0)20 7452 3457 - you can print off an order form to fax or post

Our Service to You: Your Expectations and Rights

An article on the Bookshop that appeared in the National's programmes during late 2000, early 2001, can be viewed by clicking here