A dissection of the impact on society of the war in Iraq 
 When one man goes to war he leaves the city, his wife and brother. A year later only the wife and brother remain. 
Christopher Shinn's new play asks what happens when people and events apparently thousands of miles away affect the heart and soul of a city.
'Christopher Shinn's clever, intricately calculated and quietly moving new play" Daily Telegraph
'Subtle, insinuating, beautifully written new play' Whatsonstage
'an impressive analysis of the collective American psyche rooted in details of real family life' Guardian

Dying City

Literature & Fiction

Shinn, Christopher

Dramas & Plays

Methuen Drama

Other People

Dramatist's Play Service

THE STORY: Chosen to star in a huge new movie by a legendary Hollywood director, an unknown young actor finds his life suddenly changed.

Picked

On election night, the son of a presidential candidate sends his father's political team into crisis mode when controversial photos of him at a college party spread over the internet, potentially sparking an international incident. Smart and timely, Christopher Shinn's searching play examines religion, freedom of expression, and personal responsibility.

Now or Later

Ten years after the publication of Shinn Plays: One comes this second volume of his plays, bringing together some of the playwright's most acclaimed work to date.The volume includes:Now Or Later (Royal Court, London, 2008) examines religion, freedom of expression and personal responsibility, focused around a US presidential election.Four (Royal Court, London 1998) is set on the 4th July public holiday and is about four isolated young people searching for connection.Picked (Vineyard Theatre, New York, 2011) takes as its centre a young actor who is selected to star in a major movie and the impact this then has on his life and identity.On The Mountain (South Coast Rep, Costa Mesa, 2005) is about a teenager whose mother is starting out on a new relationship, while both are battling with the memories of the past.The anthology also features an introduction by the author.

Shinn Plays: 2: Now or Later; Four; Picked; On The Mountain (Contemporary Dramatists)

Go where there's violence. Silicon Valley. The future. A rocket launches. Luke is an aerospace billionaire who can talk to anyone. But God is talking to him. He sets out to change the world. Only violence stands in his way. Christopher Shinn's gripping play received its world premiere at the Almeida Theatre on 12 August 2017 in a production directed by Ian Rickson and featuring Ben Whishaw as Luke.

Against (Modern Plays)

About the Author\nChristopher Shinn (b. 1975) is an American playwright from New York. His plays include Now or Later (shortlisted for the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Play), Dying City (Pulitzer Prize finalist), Where Do We Live (winner of an Obie in Playwriting), An Opening In Time, Teddy Ferrara, Picked, Four, What Didn't Happen, On the Mountain, Other People, and The Coming World. His adaptation of Hedda Gabler premiered on Broadway (American Airlines Theatre), and he has written short plays for Naked Angels (Democracy Project), the 24 Hour Plays on Broadway, the Bush Theatre (Sixty-Six Books), and Headlong (Decade). His work has been premiered by Lincoln Center Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizons, the Vineyard Theatre, South Coast Rep, the Goodman, the Royal Court, and the Soho Theatre, and later produced around the world. Christopher Shinn's awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship in Playwriting, a grant from the NEA/TCG Residency Program, an Obie in Playwriting and the Robert Chesley Award.\n“Its brilliance lies in the way Shinn marries ideological debate to psychological complexity, shedding light, laser-bright and precise, on the way in which political discourse informs and shapes individual experience.” The Times\nElection night in the U.S. and things are looking rosy for the Democratic Party as the likely President-elect, his wife, advisors, and twenty-year-old son John Jnr prepare for victory. When controversial photos of John Jnr begin gathering momentum on the internet, his father's advisors are forced into damage limitation leaving father and son to try and reach an agreement.\nChristopher Shinn's potent play examines religion, freedom of expression and personal responsibility. It premiered at London's Royal Court Theatre in September 2008.\nThis new Modern Classics edition features an introduction by Dominic Cooke.

Now or Later (Modern Classics)

Theatre has a complex history of responding to crises, long before they happen. Through stage plays, contemporary challenges can be presented, explored and even foreshadowed in ways that help audiences understand the world around them. Since the theatre of the Greeks, audiences have turned to live theatre in order to find answers in uncertain political, social and economic times, and through this unique collection questions about This anthology brings together a collection of 20 scenes from 20 playwrights that each respond to the world in crisis. Twenty of the world's most prolific playwrights were asked to select one scene from across their published work that speaks to the current world situation in 2020. As COVID-19 continues to challenge every aspect of global life, contemporary theatre has long predicted a world on the edge. Through these 20 scenes from plays spanning from 1980 to 2020, we see how theatre and art has the capacity to respond, comment on and grapple with global challenges that in turn speak to the current time in which we are living. Each scene, chosen by the writer, is prefaced by an interview in which they discuss their process, their reason for selection and how their work reflects both the past and the present. From the political plays of Lucy Prebble and James Graham to the polemics of Philip Ridley and Tim Crouch. From bold works by Inua Ellams, Morgan Lloyd Malcom and Tanika Gupta to the social relevance of Hannah Khalil, Zoe Cooper and Simon Stephens this anthology looks at theatre in the present and asks the question: "how can theatre respond to a world in crisis?" The collection is prefaced by an introduction from Edward Bond, one of contemporary theatre's most prolific dramatists.

Theatre in Times of Crisis: 20 Scenes for the Stage in Troubled Times

Washburn, Anne

McDowall, Alistair

Ya-Chu Cowhig, Frances

Stephens, Simon

Wade, Laura

Thorpe, Chris

Bhatti, Gurpreet Kaur

Bond, Edward

Gupta, Tanika

Crouch, Tim

Adebayo, Mojisola

Ridley, Philip

Graham, James

Ellams, Inua

Prebble, Lucy

Malcolm, Morgan Lloyd

Patel, Vinay

Khalil, Hannah

Bhuchar, Sudha

Cooper, Zoe

You can't live your life thinking everything you text will become public knowledge. 
Censoring yourself is no way to live.\nEveryone needs Jim. 
His mother. 
His best friend. 
His brother. 
A hopeful future President.\nBut can Jim really help anyone, when he isn't sure who he is any more, or what he actually believes? An expert in electoral strategy, he's forged a successful career by advising politicians how to communicate with voters. But following seismic shifts in the political landscape, he's disillusioned. And his marriage is in crisis. As he juggles the demands on his life through his smartphone, will the lure of success and fame prove irresistible?\nThe Narcissist is a gripping, inventive and witty take on personal and political communication in the internet age by celebrated US playwright Christopher Shinn. This edition was published to coincide with the premiere at Chichester Festival Theatre in August 2022.

The Narcissist (Modern Plays)

Election night in the U.S. and things are looking rosy for the Democratic Party. Holed up in a hotel watching the results flood in are the likely President-elect, his wife, advisors and twenty-year-old son John Jnr. Every speech, interview and photocall has been carefully controlled and meticulously orchestrated, all leading up to this big night.  At the same time controversial photos of John Jnr are gathering momentum on the internet. Whilst his father's advisors work against the clock on damage limitation, it's up to father and son to try and reach an agreement. Christopher Shinn's searching new play examines religion, freedom of expression and personal responsibility.  Published as a programme text, Now or Later premiered at the Royal Court Theatre on 3 September 2008.

Now or Later (Modern Plays)

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