Kirjahaku

'A scared playwright won’t write a good play. We’re going to have to try to find a bit more steel.' – Telegraph Ryan Craig is not afraid of controversial topics. Described as a 'playwright with the ability to become one of the best of his generation' (British Theatre Guide), his work to date is known to probe both social norms and ethical issues. Since being nominated for the Evening Standard's Most Promising Playwright Award in 2005 his plays have been produced at venues of all sizes from London's National Theatre and the Hampstead to Theatre Royal Bath and the Menier Chocolate Factory. In this first collection of his works, Craig brings together four plays that go 'against the tide', offering an insight into the power of contemporary drama that doesn't shy away from the most contentious and hot-button debates of the age. Complete with a new introduction by the author, it begins with his hit National Theatre play The Holy Rosenbergs and includes his piece, Charlotte and Theodore which premiered in 2023, published here for the first time. The Holy Rosenbergs (2011): 'buzzes with discussion and debate ... In the clarity of its construction, the tension of its climax and the slow unveiling of its emotional core, this is a very fine play indeed' (Aleks Sierz, Arts Desk) Filthy Business (2017): 'A superbly modern Mother Courage…If plays survive by creating meaty roles for actors, Ryan Craig’s new work is destined for a long life' (Michael Billington, Guardian) What We Did to Weinstein (2005): 'There is no more compelling or politically significant drama in town than Ryan Craig’s What We Did to Weinstein….fascinates because it reflects the complex passions of Jews in more than two minds about what Jewishness entails' (Nicholas de Jongh, Evening Standard) Charlotte and Theodore (2023): 'cancel-culture drama that bravely captures the acrimonious mood of today' (Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph)

'A scared playwright won’t write a good play. We’re going to have to try to find a bit more steel.' – Telegraph Ryan Craig is not afraid of controversial topics. Described as a 'playwright with the ability to become one of the best of his generation' (British Theatre Guide), his work to date is known to probe both social norms and ethical issues. Since being nominated for the Evening Standard's Most Promising Playwright Award in 2005 his plays have been produced at venues of all sizes from London's National Theatre and the Hampstead to Theatre Royal Bath and the Menier Chocolate Factory. In this first collection of his works, Craig brings together four plays that go 'against the tide', offering an insight into the power of contemporary drama that doesn't shy away from the most contentious and hot-button debates of the age. Complete with a new introduction by the author, it begins with his hit National Theatre play The Holy Rosenbergs and includes his piece, Charlotte and Theodore which premiered in 2023, published here for the first time. The Holy Rosenbergs (2011): 'buzzes with discussion and debate ... In the clarity of its construction, the tension of its climax and the slow unveiling of its emotional core, this is a very fine play indeed' (Aleks Sierz, Arts Desk) Filthy Business (2017): 'A superbly modern Mother Courage…If plays survive by creating meaty roles for actors, Ryan Craig’s new work is destined for a long life' (Michael Billington, Guardian) What We Did to Weinstein (2005): 'There is no more compelling or politically significant drama in town than Ryan Craig’s What We Did to Weinstein….fascinates because it reflects the complex passions of Jews in more than two minds about what Jewishness entails' (Nicholas de Jongh, Evening Standard) Charlotte and Theodore (2023): 'cancel-culture drama that bravely captures the acrimonious mood of today' (Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph)

For nearly two decades, pundits have been predicting the demise of higher education in the United States. Our colleges and universities will soon find themselves competing for students with universities from around the world. With the advent of massive open online courses ("MOOCS") over the past two years, predictions that higher education will be the next industry to undergo "disruption" have become more frequent and fervent. Currently a university's reputation relies heavily on the "four Rs" in which the most elite schools thrive rankings, research, real estate, and rah (i.e. sports). But for the majority of students who are not attending these elite institutions, the "four Rs" offer poor value for the expense of a college education. Craig sees the future of higher education in online degrees that unbundle course offerings to offer a true bottom line return for the majority of students in terms of graduation, employment, and wages. "College Disrupted" details the changes that American higher education will undergo, including the transformation from packaged courses and degrees to truly unbundled course offerings, along with those that it will not. Written by a professional at the only investment firm focused on the higher education market, " College Disrupted" takes a creative view of the forces roiling higher education and the likely outcome, including light-hearted, real-life anecdotes that illustrate the author's points."

What makes someone a playwright?How do their identities and ideas interweave and co-exist?What permanent truths can we discern from examining existing texts?How can we write theatre that encapsulates the contemporary moment?How do we develop an idea from the embryonic impulse to a full and robust piece of theatre? In this fresh, lively and often very funny book, playwright Ryan Craig makes a case for the vitality of playwriting in our contemporary world and offers a way into writing those plays.From the very first moment of the process, as you sit in a coffee shop, staring at your 'laptop yawning open like some big, gormless mouth, the screen a flickering blank', to seeing your play staged and reviewed, the author takes you through the complete journey. Drawing on his own experience of writing for theatres such as the National, Hampstead and Tricycle and Menier Chocolate Factory, TV drama scripts for BBC, ITV and Channel Four, radio plays and adaptation, as well as commercial theatre, the author explores what practical tools the dramatist can use to write plays that build bridges between us. Full of practical advice for the aspiring - and practising - playwright, this book is also an important call-to-arms for playwrights everywhere, arguing for its necessity in the context of an increasingly fractured, distracted, disconnected world.

What makes someone a playwright?How do their identities and ideas interweave and co-exist?What permanent truths can we discern from examining existing texts?How can we write theatre that encapsulates the contemporary moment?How do we develop an idea from the embryonic impulse to a full and robust piece of theatre? In this fresh, lively and often very funny book, playwright Ryan Craig makes a case for the vitality of playwriting in our contemporary world and offers a way into writing those plays.From the very first moment of the process, as you sit in a coffee shop, staring at your 'laptop yawning open like some big, gormless mouth, the screen a flickering blank', to seeing your play staged and reviewed, the author takes you through the complete journey. Drawing on his own experience of writing for theatres such as the National, Hampstead and Tricycle and Menier Chocolate Factory, TV drama scripts for BBC, ITV and Channel Four, radio plays and adaptation, as well as commercial theatre, the author explores what practical tools the dramatist can use to write plays that build bridges between us. Full of practical advice for the aspiring - and practising - playwright, this book is also an important call-to-arms for playwrights everywhere, arguing for its necessity in the context of an increasingly fractured, distracted, disconnected world.

ROOM 101… BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU… SUPER STATES … THOUGHT POLICE…On 4th April 1984, Winston Smith, comrade 6079, starts a diary. In a world where every action is painstakingly monitored and controlled, this simple act puts Winston’s life in jeopardy. A clandestine love affair with co-worker Julia further enrages the authorities, but can they truly trust each other? And what of the mysterious O’Brien? Will he help them overthrow the regime, confront them with their most terrifying fears, or worse…?Shocking and fantastical when first written in 1949, Orwell’s novel has remained one of the most chillingly prescient novels of the last century. This thrilling stage adaptation by Ryan Craig was published to coincide with the world premiere at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, in October 2024

Four millennials looking for sex, love and a well-located flat find themselves caught in a complex game of rivalry, desire and seduction. As the cost of happiness soars, how can they negotiate the new rules of modern relationships and win the game of love? Games for Lovers is a glittering modern rom-com with a wicked gleam in its eye.

"NO! We can't change the subject! This is the subject! There is no other subject. Not for us.' Sickened by the everyday arguments and compromises he saw around him in his native London, the idealistic Josh has moved to Israel and joined the army. There, however, he finds himself in a situation with a Palestinian terror suspect which seems to challenge his most strongly held beliefs. Deftly cutting between different locations and time periods, Ryan Craig's play lets us see unexpected connections between disparate events, as well as bringing together people with apparently nothing in common. A wryly humerous, sometimes hilarious, look at a serious issue."

In a police safe house in a leafy suburb, a young lawyer, Myles, is seduced into a rapport with a notorious historian he has been hired to defend. But the sinister nature of the historian's crimes soon become clear, sending him into an ethical and emotional collision with his own identity. As Myles defends an infamous Holocaust denier, he becomes embroiled in the human rights paradox of free speech, where the liberty of the individual to express themselves freely is set against the security and peace of the community. This title is a production at the Hampstead Theatre in November 2006.

Two couples trample on friends and lovers as they search for happiness. In Fringe First and Peggy Ramsay award winner Ryan Craig's play, their dialogue crackles with desperation and raw humour. Happy Savages was performed at the Underbelly, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2008.

As big-hearted patriarch David clings to a deal that could save both his ailing catering firm and his cherished standing in the Edgware Jewish community, his children are at loggerheads."You must have heard him banging on about the long line of Rosenbergs, stretching back to the Bible. He reckons some ancient relative catered the Last Supper."While eldest son Danny fights for the Israelis in Gaza, his sister investigates war crimes in the same conflict. Their brother drinks and brawls and refuses to join their father's business. But when tragedy strikes, each family member is forced to confont head-on the clash between individual identity and the demands and expectations of community.The Holy Rosenbergs explores tribal loyalties, the culpability of family and the consequences of standing up for what you believe to be right.

Antigone makes everything OK. Gives me hope. I’m utterly devoted to her. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if she weren’t here.What could a play written 2,500 years ago possibly mean today? Ryan Craig’s new adaptation of Sophocles’ famous tragedy captures the passion, danger and moral deadlock of the story of Greece’s most famous teenager. Set in the aftermath of a bloody civil war, Antigone fights for what she believes is right.What would you do?

“When you’ve got no nation, no government, no place in the world what have you got? Family. You can’t depend on anything else” 1968, East London. Over the years and against all the odds, Yetta Solomon has built a thriving business from nothing through sheer grit and passion. Ignoring all the obstacles - insufficient capital, economic downturns, aggressive competition - she has found a way to survive everything adversity could throw at her. Now she faces her toughest challenge: her family. In a rapidly changing Britain, Yetta must protect the shop and keep it in the Solomon family. But her sons, grandchildren and in-laws have other ideas… Always ruthless, how far will she go to keep the business in the family and the family in the business?