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One of the most enduring comedies of the modern British stage

First issued by Methuen in 1959, this play was the first title in the "Modern plays" series aimed at the burgeoning readership of young theatregoer This title and five others are reissued, representing the range and vitality of the list of titles in print .

Reissue of a classic Methuen Modern Play in a newly restored version with a new Introduction by Joan Littlewood

A new paperback edition of what is arguably Brecht's finest comedy, featuring an extensive introduction and commentary and Brecht's own notes.

Written between 1939-1942 "The Messingkauf Dialogues" are among the most concise, witty and light-hearted of all Brecht's theoretical discussions of theatre.

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.

I just remember, even as a, as a young . . . man, not even man, just a boy . . . when nothing makes sense, and you're not sure who you are . . . the idea of - the strength of the person that stands alone, carves their own path . . . of it not being who you are or where you're from but what you do.Sam, a working-class northern lad, is a Tory researcher working in the office of an education minister. His colleagues know that he's gay, but aware of his career prospects as a possible future MP, he prefers to keep it under wraps, much to the dismay of his Labour opposite number, James, who is trying to keen to have a relationship with him. Has Sam got any chance of rising through the Tory ranks if he comes out of the closet completely? Discovering that he is working in the same office in which Ted Heath originally began his career inspires Sam to research the man and the rumours about his sexuality. Through juxtaposing two careers - Ted Heath's and that of the young, modern Tory researcher - Graham questions whether sexuality matters in today's political world and, if it does, then why.Tory Boyz was first performed by the National Youth Theatre Company at Soho Theatre, London, on 21 July 2008. This edition contains the updated script from 2013 as well as an introduction by Anthony Banks, director and Associate Director for National Theatre Learning.

The press and politicians. A delicate relationship. Too close, and danger ensues. Too far apart, and democracy itself cannot function. Pravda (which means "truth") is a satire written at the height of Thatcherism when huge political changes were afoot. The play essentially studies, through black humour and close scrutiny, the tabloid ethic and the media industry as a get-rich-quick-fix. In the programme for the original 1985 production of Pravda, Brenton wrote: "Pravda means 'the truth'. English newspapers aren't propaganda sheets. The question is, why do so many of them choose to behave as if they are?"The character of Lambert Le Roux is a South African newspaper tycoon and the owner of several companies, striding his way through the regional papers en route to Fleet Street. Turning broadsheets tabloid, dumbing down the message, and stretching the truth, Le Roux takes no prisoners as he manipulates politicians and creates a media monopoly out of a once-respected industry.Le Roux is bent on dominating England's press as he has elsewhere in the world. As we see Le Roux accomplish his aims, we see also how the press is not the organ of truth we like to think it is. The dissemination of the truth is no longer its primary goal under the 'Lambert Le Rouxs' of our world. What is important now is what sells.The play is an epic satire on the media in the Thatcher era; a morality tale about how Andrew, a young liberal journalist, finally succumbs to Le Roux, who makes him editor of a tabloid; and - allegedly - the play is a direct representation of Rupert Murdoch who, even in 1985, was a major force in media ownership. Howard Brenton's and David Hare's first collaboration since Brassneck in 1973, Pravda was premiered at the National Theatre in May 1985, starring Anthony Hopkins and directed by David Hare, and was awarded the London Standard Best Play Award, the City Limits Best Play Award, and the Plays and Players Best Play Award.This Modern Classics edition features an introduction by Philip Roberts, Emeritus Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies at the University of Leeds, and a foreword by Jonathan Church.

Love, Love, Love, the latest play by Olivier award winning writer Mike Bartlett, explores whether the baby boomer generation is to blame for the debt-ridden and adrift generation of their children, now adults but far from stable and settled.

If you go, I don't think you should come back.On a startlingly bright autumn night in 2006, Harper Regan walked away from her home, her husband and daughter, and kept walking. She told nobody that she was going. She told nobody where she was going. She put everything she ever built at risk. For two lost days and nights, until it looked as though her entire life might unravel, she didn't turn back.From Uxbridge to Stockport to Manchester and back again, Harper Regan navigates the UK, exploring family, love and delusion. It received its world premiere at the National Theatre, London, in 2008.

Right, you know the rules, watch the low blows, if it's a knock-down no messing about, go straight to your corner, and don't come out till called for, are we clear? Touch gloves, let's go.In the red corner: Leon Davidson - Black British champ or Uncle Tom? In the blue corner: Troy Augustus - American powerhouse or naive cash cow? Having spent their youth in the same London boxing gym, vying for the favouritism of inspirational, foul-mouthed trainer Charlie Maggs, the two former friends step into the ring and face up to who they are. Boxing has dominated their lives with an unhoped-for structure and meaning, but it becomes clear that it is no substitute for their health, family, and friends. Roy Williams' Sucker Punch looks back on what it was like to be young and black in the 1980s and asks if the right battles have been fought, let alone won. With an introduction by Harry Derbyshire, Lecturer in English and Drama at the University of Greenwich.

It's 1958. Beatie Bryant has been to London and fallen in love with Ronnie, a young socialist. As she anxiously awaits his arrival to meet her family at their Norfolk farm, her head is swimming with new ideas. Ideas of a bolder, freer world which promise to clash with their rural way of life.Roots is the remarkable centrepiece of Wesker's seminal post-war trilogy. It was first performed in 1959 at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, before transferring to the Royal Court. It is the second play in a trilogy comprising Chicken Soup with Barley and I'm Talking About Jerusalem. It went on to transfer to the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End.A true classic, Roots is an affecting portrait of a young woman finding her voice at a time of unprecedented social change. This Modern Classic edition features an introduction by Glenda Leeming.

The village has lied. William has lied. It is not because I am undeserving. Not because I am young and they are old. God has given them nothing. I know this now. Knives in Hens is a brutal fable set in a timeless spartan rural community. First staged at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh in June 1995, before transferring to the Bush Theatre, London, in November 1995, the play was playwright David Harrower's first professionally produced work. It has been staged in twenty-five countries around the world and is widely acknowledged as a modern Scottish classic.A remarkable play about the transformative power of knowledge and an emerging consciousness as the world moves from rural to the urban and industrial.With an introduction by Mark Fisher.

Abraham Heschel is a seminal name in religious studies and the author of Man Is Not Alone and God in Search of Man. When The Prophets was first published in 1962, it was immediately recognized as a masterpiece of biblical scholarship.The Prophets provides a unique opportunity for readers of the Old Testament, both Christian and Jewish, to gain fresh and deep knowledge of Israel's prophetic movement. The author's profound understanding of the prophets also opens the door to new insight into the philosophy of religion.

The Pitchfork Disney heralded the arrival of a unique and disturbing voice in the world of contemporary drama. Manifesting Ridley's vivid and visionary imagination and the dark beauty of his outlook, the play resonates with his trademark themes: East London, storytelling, moments of shocking violence, memories of the past, fantastical monologues, and that strange mix of the barbaric and the beautiful he has made all his own.The Pitchfork Disney was Ridley's first play and is now seen as launching a new generation of playwrights who were unafraid to shock and court controversy. This unsettling, dreamlike piece has surreal undertones and thematically explores fear, dreams and story-telling. First produced in 1991, it has gone on to be recognised as the annunciation of Ridley's dark and seductive world.

This bittersweet comedy about growing up is presented in the Methuen Drama series, with a new introduction by Professor Dan Rebellato.

Brecht's operatic play produced with Hauptmann, Neher and Weill was first staged in 1930. Translated and with commentary by Steve Giles, this critical edition is the first translation into English of the approved Versuche text of 1930/1.

"Stags and Hens" takes place in the gents and ladies loos of a tacky Liverpool club, where Dave and Linda, unbeknownst to each other, hold their stag and hen partie

Re-issue of this 60s classic

Robert Bolt's tense play of conscience, made into a film starring Paul Scofield, charts the dramatic events leading to the execution of Sir Thomas More in 1535. More enters into political and moral conflict with King Henry VIII over king's intention to divorce Catherine of Aragon.

1995 Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy and Writers' Guild for Best West End Play

The Beauty Queen of Leenane tells the darkly comic tale of Maureen Folan, a plain and lonely woman in her early forties, and Mag her manipulative ageing mother whose interference in Maureen's first and potentially last loving relationship sets in motion a train of events that is as gothically funny as it is horrific.

When Fox comes up with an idea for a blockbuster movie, he and Gould think they've made it. For one blissful day the world seems about to open its arms to embrace them. This play is more than an anti-Hollywood satire - it is a comedy about a world where language is out of synch with emotion.

An essential text in the development of modern British drama

Two plays by the Lancashire playwright Jim Cartwright, author of Road. Two is an evocation of English pub life, in which two actors play a series of characters. Bed is a surreal journey into old age and sleep.

Mrs Kay's 'Progress Class' are unleashed for a day's coach trip to Conway Castle in Wales - in an exuberant celebration of the joys and agonies of growing up and being footloose, fourteen and free from school. This edition contains the music for the play.

Described by Brecht as "a gangster play that would recall certain events familiar to us all", Arturo Ui is a witty and savage satire of the rise of Hitler - recast by Brecht into a small-time Chicago gangster's takeover of the city's greengrocery trade.

"Joe Orton's last play, What the Butler Saw, will live to be accepted as a comedy classic of English literature" (Sunday Telegraph)

Hugo, a young Communist Party member, is assigned the task of working for a "deviationist" Party leader, and shooting him. But has he camouflaged a political assassination as a "crime passionel"? On his release from prison, he tries to explain to a former comrade exactly what his motives were.