Art Drama

In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the boy hunter Adonis is the willing lover of Venus, the goddess of love, and dies accidentally. Shakespeare has Adonis reject Venus. Venus endlessly argues for making love, with Adonis uttering petulant protests.

The ghost of the king of Denmark tells his son Hamlet to avenge his murder by killing the new king, Hamlet's uncle. Hamlet feigns madness, contemplates life and death and seeks revenge. His uncle, fearing for his life, also devises plots to kill Hamlet. The play ends with a duel, during which the king, queen, Hamlet's opponent and Hamlet himself are all killed.

Comedy, tragedy and folklore are played out in this quartet, all of which utilise the masque in unique and revelatory ways. Performed by an incredible array of the 20th century’s greatest actors, Marlowe alumni including Ian McKellen, Prunella Scales, Michael Hordern and Patrick Wymark can be heard in these recordings.

The Bard was so incredibly prolific that even most Shakespeare scholars would welcome the occasional refresher course, and most of the rest of us haven't even got a clue as to what a petard actually is. Fear not, the best-selling authors of Homework for Grown-Ups are here to help.

Becoming Shakespeare begins with his death in 1616 and relates the fascinating story of his unlikely transformation from provincial playwright to universal Bard. Unlike later literary giants, Shakespeare created no stir when he died. Though he'd once had a string of hit plays, he had been retired in the country for six years, and only his family, friends, and business partners seemed to care that he was gone.

Power, tragedy and hubris are played out in this quartet, all of which are set in the febrile political atmosphere of ancient Rome. Performed by an incredible array of the 20th century’s greatest actors, Marlowe alumni including Ian McKellen, Prunella Scales, Patrick Wymark and William Devlin can be heard in these recordings.

Clifton Webb was one of those rare motion picture actors who became a major box-office star when he was in his mid-50s. Indeed, his first sound movie was Laura (1944), and his role as Waldo Lydecker in that classic film noir earned him the first of three Oscar nominations. Four years later, Clifton Webb became a household name when he played Lynn Belvedere and poured a bowl of mush onto a baby's head in Sitting Pretty.

It was a drama about friendship, addiction, and loyalty (with some partial nudity thrown in, of course). And, let's not forget the case of the week. NYPD Blue exploded in the public's consciousness in 1993, and remained a presence in American homes for 12 years. For the first time, the entire run of the series is explored through a series of essays, character examinations, and trivia.

An uplifting comedy drama about the life, loves and misadventures of wheelchair user Maz. Nicknamed Tinsel Girl by her best friend Lisa because of her sparkly view of life, wheelchair user Maz is one of life's eternal optimists. She has just turned 30, only to become all too aware that not only is she single but also disabled. Her degenerative disease means she now has to use a motorised wheelchair, which isn't exactly the sexiest accessory a girl can have!

In 1949, John George Haigh, the infamous 'Vampire killer', was hanged for the murder of at least six people. Join him in the hangman's cell as he tells you his story and invites you to relive the seduction, murder and disposal of three of his victims. Nigel Fairs, whose great-grandfather put the shackles on Haigh in Lewes Prison, plays the charming murderer, with Louise Jameson and Richard Franklin as two of his victims.

At the age of 30, Robin is an Earl at last - but not the Earl of Waringham, the ancestral title that he still hopes to win back one day from the evil Mortimer. England has seen other changes too: Edward III is dead and his successor, the boy king Richard II, is at odds with his uncle, the Duke of Lancaster. The introduction of a hated new poll tax brings about one of the most dangerous episodes in English history and Robin finds himself embroiled in the Peasants’ Revolt.

Joanne Taylor - former TV Diva - is on the verge of her 50-something birthday, seriously single, 'hot-flushing' and about to make some drastic changes in her life. Pulling Faces is an acerbic, topical comedy about society’s obsession with youth, beauty and transformation.

In this survey of eighteenth and nineteenth century American drama, Tice L. Miller examines American plays written before a canon was established in American dramatic literature and provides analyses central to the culture that produced them. Entertaining the Nation evaluates plays in the early years of the republic, reveals shifts in taste from the classical to the contemporary in the 1840s and 1850s, and considers the increasing influence of realism at the end of the nineteenth century.

The Art of Guerrilla Warfare SE: The Guerrilla is the second book in the special edition series of the timeless treatise. The SE collection amplifies the wisdom of the flagship title with new insights and metaphorical lessons, useful to those facing insurmountable odds, in this war called life. Fighting a superior foe is a momentous task. There are many ways it can be done, there are many ways victories can be achieved. In war, there are no rules, there are no laws, there are only strategies and tactics.

Prince Hal leaves the company of the knave Falstaff and his revelers in order to command his father's troops and fight the rebels at the Battle of Shrewsbury.

Ben is having a difficult week. After five whole years of “drinking from Mommy’s boobies”, he suddenly has to step aside for his new baby sister, Beatrice, who may or may not be human. Mommy says he has to “support her appearance no matter how humiliating it is for us as family”, but that’s hard to do when your sister has branches for arms and legs.

Maddy was always being asked to sing jingles for commercials. She'd sung about chocolate, cereal and dog food. Now she wanted a real acting job. But was she good enough to be an actor? Then came the announcement in class: "Maddy, you have an audition for Halfway Hospital." An audition! She just had to get the job. The second book in a series of entertaining short novels about four girls who attend The Shooting Star drama school.

Aaaaaaaaghhhhhhh! Dene screamed at the TV. A commercial for ice-cream had just come on and it starred those twins Evie and Cameron Billingham. We've never spoken to them but we just know they're vomitus. If you walked into an audition and the terrible twins were there, you could forget about it! The first book in an entertaining series of short novels about four girls who attend The Shooting Star drama school.

All Brexit's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.... Written by the Bard himself, with a little help from novelist Boris Starling, this wonderful comedy of errors retells the tragic story of the UK's acrimonious break from the EU, written in wonderful iambic pentameter. From Cameron and Osborne, through May and Gove, to Cummings and Boris, this is a story of cynical electioneering and poisoned political scheming, and a most original take on the defining event of our time.

A Scottish meteorologist locks horns with his American counterpart as both men try to convince General Dwight D. Eisenhower that they can accurately predict the atmospheric conditions needed to launch the greatest amphibious assault in the history of mankind - the D-Day invasion.