Acclaimed for his screenplays for TV dramas including Skins, Shameless, The Fades, This is England '86/'88/'90 and Glue, Jack Thorne first emerged as a writer of unflinching, compassionate and often challenging plays for the stage. Described as a 'powerful voice for Britain's youth' ( Independent), he remains one of the most distinctive talents working in theatre today and was chosen by JK Rowling to write the script for Ha...

The official playscript of the original West End production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.It's been nineteen years since Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger saved the wizarding world, and now they're back on a most extraordinary adventure, joined by a brave new generation that's only just arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son, Albus, struggle...

If you could spend eternity with just one precious memory, what would it be? A group of strangers grapple with this impossible question as they find themselves in a bureaucratic waiting room between life and death. Encouraged by enigmatic officials, they must sift through their past lives to choose their forever. Adapted from Hirokazu Kore-eda's award-winning film, After Life is a surreal and powerfully human look at the way we view our lives, and a haunting meditation on what it is to liv...

Set in the antebellum South of the United States, "Hanover; Or The Persecution of the Lowly" tells the story of the Hanover family, a group of enslaved individuals living on a plantation in Georgia. The novel follows their struggles and triumphs as they navigate the harsh realities of slavery and strive to maintain their dignity and humanity in the face of oppression.At the center of the story is the protagonist, Solomon Hanover, a courageous and determined young man who dreams of freedom ...

In May 1926, Britain grinds to a halt, as workers down tools for the General Strike.With the printing presses shut down, the only sources of news are the government's British Gazette, edited by Chancellor of the Exchequer Winston Churchill, and the independent, fledgling British Broadcasting Company, led by John Reith. The stage is set for a fierce battle over control of the news and who gets to define the truth.Jack Thorne's When Winston Went To War With The W...

'No talent at all when it comes to cooking – as you will discover – but when it comes to pissing off my children – immense talent – Olympian talent.'Newbury, 1997. Sal is attempting to cook dinner for the family. She and husband David have pulled off a coup and gathered their brood back home for the weekend. Eldest son Carl is bringing his new girlfriend to meet everyone for the first time; middle daughter Polly is back from Cambridge University for the occasion; and young...

1964: Richard Burton, the firebrand Welsh actor, newly married to movie star Elizabeth Taylor, is to play the title role in an experimental new production of Hamlet under the exacting direction of John Gielgud.But as rehearsals progress, the collaboration between actor and director soon threatens to unravel. One of them is the most famous movie star in the world; the other, a patrician from an earlier age of theatre. The stage is set for two titans to collide.Jack ...

After the breakout success of his early work for stage and screen, Jack Thorne turned for inspiration to his own family for a series of plays about hope, idealism and domestic politics. The work in this collection – five full-length plays and two shorts – showcases his extraordinary ability to combine electrifying dialogue with heartfelt warmth, candour and humour.Hope(Royal Court Theatre, 2014) is a funny and scathing fable about the leaders of a local co...

One bathroom. Two people. One day. A relationship witnessed in minute, devastating detail.A story of intimacy, fragility and the darker side of love, Jack Thorne's play Mydidae exposes the private and disturbing moments a couple share, and explores what becomes of a relationship when it is held together not only by love, but by fear, guilt and despair.Mydidae was commissioned by DryWrite theatre company and first performed at Soho Theatre, London, in Decem...

A smouldering play about escaping the past, seizing the present and owning the future.2nd May 1997. An historic victory. The Tories, eighteen years in power, are defeated as New Labour sweeps into government. From the euphoria and despair, three deeply personal stories emerge.Tory MP Robert prepares to attend the count. With defeat looming large, he fears becoming a forgotten man, while his wife Marie counts the cost of her own sacrifice to politics. Lib Dem footsoldier Ian...

A painful – and painfully funny – play about being very young and in love – and coping with serious illness at the same time.Rachel and Peter are seventeen. They have been going out for six months. It's love's young dream. Then Rachel gets ill – seriously ill. She doesn't want her mum to fuss; she doesn't want Alice to pretend she's her best friend; and she certainly doesn't want Alice's boyfriend telling bad jokes at her bedside. The only person she wants is Peter, but Peter doesn...

'We live in an age of cuts. We are a working-class town, that's our strength – and in the current climate, our weakness.'An urgent political play from the writer behind Let The Right One In and This is England '86. Hope is a funny and scathing fable attacking the squeeze on local government.How do you save twenty-two million pounds? Mark and Hilary, the leaders of the Council, are about to find out.Jack Thorne's play Hope