Mike Bartlett

'Dreams. You don't compromise on those.' Lip and Ruth have left the city behind for a new life on a farm; trying to live differently, live better. But when Ruth's stepdaughter and her incendiary best friend arrive, this quiet rural project is thrown into chaos, as conflicting visions of the future come crashing into the present. Poignant and powerful, Mike Bartlett's play Juniper Blood explores the true cost of pursuing our ideals in an imperfect world. It premiered at the Donmar Warehouse, London, in 2025, directed by James Macdonald.

'My point is we're at the frontier here. No one knows. And I find that really fucking exciting.' Polly and Nick have it all. Happily married, two children, successful careers. And yet there's something missing… something rare and unforeseen… waiting to add a much-needed sparkle… Unicorn by Mike Bartlett is an explicit, funny and provocative play, which was first performed at the Garrick Theatre in London's West End in 2025. It was directed by James Macdonald and starred Nicola Walker, Stephen Mangan and Erin Doherty.

'Dear Miss Tweetwell, the ladder is where I live. For at the top lies reputation and wealth and at the bottom: ignominy and squalor.' When noble heroine Miss Phoebe Virtue receives worrisome news on Instagram that her twin brother Jack may be endangering his reputation in London Town, she decides she must visit herself, and investigate... Set in contemporary, post-pandemic London, full of illicit sex, political hypocrisy and the machinations of a fame-hungry elite, Scandaltown is a comedy for the new Restoration of the theatres. Mike Bartlett's play was first produced by the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, in association with Fictional Company, at the Lyric in April 2022, directed by Artistic Director Rachel O'Riordan. '[Mike Bartlett] is one of the prime movers in a new golden generation of British playwrights' Independent

'It's not a game for gentlemen we're playing, Political and civilized. This is Historic' 2024. As America goes to the polls, democracy itself is on the brink. Who takes the White House – and at what cost? Mike Bartlett's viciously funny and foreboding The 47th is a dazzling glimpse into the underbelly of the greatest political show on earth: the US presidential race. It was first produced at The Old Vic, London, in March 2022 by The Old Vic, Sonia Friedman Productions and Annapurna Theatre, directed by Rupert Goold, and featuring Bertie Carvel as Donald J. Trump, Tamara Tunie as Kamala Harris, and Lydia Wilson as Ivanka Trump.

Five ambitious and exciting plays by the multi-award-winning playwright, hailed as ‘one of the prime movers in a new golden generation of British playwrights’ (Independent), and introduced by the author. Earthquakes in London (National Theatre & Headlong, 2010) is an epic drama about climate change, population explosion, social breakdown and worldwide paranoia, travelling from 1968 to 2525 and back again. ‘The theatrical equivalent of a thrilling roller-coaster ride’ (Daily Telegraph) Love, Love, Love (Paines Plough & Drum Theatre Plymouth, UK tour, 2010; Royal Court & Paines Plough, 2012) examines the baby boomer generation, from coming-of-age in the 1960s to retirement-age more than forty years later, in a play that ‘does the clash of generational world views with a devastating precision’ (Guardian). The Enemy is a short play in which a journalist seizes an opportunity to interview the man who shot Osama bin Laden. It was staged by Headlong as part of Decade (St Katherine’s Dock, London, 2011), exploring 9/11 and its legacy. 13 (National Theatre, 2011) is a panoramic drama in which a young man returns to London, a city riven by social protest and upheaval, with a radical vision for the future. Premiered on the National’s largest stage, it confirmed Bartlett’s ability to tackle epic themes with supreme assurance: ‘His ambition is distinctive and immense’ (Evening Standard). Medea (Headlong, UK tour, 2012) is a startlingly modern version of Euripides’ tragedy, exploring a woman’s private fury at her husband’s infidelity, while imprisoned in her marital home. ‘A savage play for today, superbly well done’ (Mail on Sunday)

The fact is that some of us like women and some like men and that’s fine that’s good in fact that’s good, a good thing, but it seems to me that you’ve become confused. John is happy in himself, and with his boyfriend, until one day he meets the woman of his dreams. In a world full of endless possibilities why must we still limit ourselves with labels? Mike Bartlett’s razor sharp play about love and identity redefines the battle of the sexes as we know it. Cock premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, on 13 November 2009. This new and revised edition was published to coincide with the West End production in 2022, starring Jonathan Bailey, Taron Egerton and Jade Anouka.

Helen, along with sixty-seven million other people, is in lockdown. Unfortunately, Helen's neighbour, Mrs Delgado, is not. Mike Bartlett's funny and poignant play for one actor tells a story of desire, control, raised blinds and lowered boundaries. Mrs Delgado was first performed by Ellen Robertson and directed by Clare Lizzimore in December 2021 at the Old Fire Station, Oxford, where Bartlett's play Snowflake premiered to critical acclaim. This edition also includes the monologue Phoenix, a powerful story of fire and destruction, self-deceit and the corrosion of trust. Phoenix was first performed in 2020 by Bertie Carvel as an audio drama, part of English Touring Theatre and Headlong's Signal Fires storytelling project.

It's Cabaret, we've got our heads down and we're dancing and drinking as fast as we can. The enemy is on its way, but this time it doesn't have guns and gas it has storms and earthquakes, fire and brimstone.... You were the glimmer. At the end of the tunnel. And you went out.Earthquakes in London is a fast and furious metropolitan crash of people, scenes and decades, as three sisters attempt to navigate their dislocated lives and loves, while their dysfunctional father, a brilliant scientist, predicts global catastrophe. The play deals, through amplified theatricality, with a range of contemporary issues from population growth to climate change.An all-pervasive fear of the future and a guilty pleasure in the excesses of the present drive Mike Bartlett's epic rollercoaster of a play from 1968 to 2525 and back again.Earthquakes in London first published in 2010 and has subsequently become a much-produced and widely studied drama text. It is published here as a Student Edition alongside commentary and notes by Bridget Escolme.The ancillary material is geared at students and includes:- an introduction outlining the play's plot, character, themes context and performance history- the full text of the play- a chronology of the playwright's life and work- extensive textual notes- questions for further study- an interview with the playwright

‘Because Christmas. Well… That’s when they say people come home.’ Andy loves nostalgic television, pints down the pub, and listening to the whole album from beginning to end. His daughter, Maya, wears good shoes, likes good arguments, and has a secret plan to bring down the government. The trouble is, three years ago Maya left home, and they haven't spoken since. But this Christmas, she might be coming back. Andy knows she's going to stay. Maya knows she's not. Mike Bartlett's play Snowflake is an epic story about generational conflict, fathers and daughters, and whether we're living in the best or worst of times. It premiered at the Old Fire Station, Oxford, in 2018, and was revived at Kiln Theatre, London, in 2019, directed by Clare Lizzimore.

If I don’t want to tell anyone, it’s up to me, right?Lucy knows James has avoided the battle. Mark knows Amanda has fought for her life. But speaking the truth could bring everything crashing down.What happens if we live a life of not talking?Olivier award-winning writer Mike Bartlett's gripping and lyrical first play unlocks a culture of silence and gives voice to the human casualties when things are easier done than said. This edition was published to coincide with a new production at the Arcola Theatre and features an introduction by the author.

This first collection of Mike Bartlett's plays showcases the adroit expertise and flair of a writer known for laser-sharp political comment, tight dialectics and needlingly real characters. My Child is a gut-wrenching exploration of the lengths a father will go to to have access to his child. The play creates a violent world where good intentions count for very little, and offers an incisive, honest look at what it means to be a good parent. Contractions is an ink-black comedy about work and play: Emma's been seeing Darren. She thinks she's in love. Her boss thinks she's in breach of contract. The situation needs to be resolved. Artefacts depicts a father-daughter reunion which, after 16 years, crosses between the world of a British teenager and an Iraqi expert in antiquity, and is complicated by the ambivalent gift of a precious Mespotamian vase. Cock is a punchy play which takes a playful, candid look at one man's sexuality and the difficulties that arise when you realise you have a choice.

‘It’s England really, isn’t it? A climate without cloud and rain isn’t honest.’ In the ruins of a garden in rural England, in a house which was once a home, one woman searches for seeds of hope. Mike Bartlett's play Albion was premiered in October 2017 at the Almeida Theatre, London, in a production directed by Rupert Goold. It was revived at the Almeida in February 2020.

Mike Bartlett's complete scripts for the award-winning first series of his superlative television drama, winner of Best New Drama at the 2016 National Television Awards and Best TV Drama at the South Bank Sky Arts Awards. Doctor Gemma Foster is a woman seemingly in control: a trusted GP, the heart of her town, a woman people can trust. But her life is about to explode. Suspecting her husband of having an affair, Gemma throws herself into an investigation that will propel her, her family, and even her patients into chaos. Bit by bit, Doctor Foster uncovers secrets that shock her to the core. Now she has to choose how to react. One thing is certain - she is going to behave in ways she could never have imagined. Doctor Foster: The Scripts contains the complete scripts to all five episodes of the first series, plus exclusive bonus material. Doctor Foster premiered on BBC One in September 2015, starring Suranne Jones and Bertie Carvel. The series drew a weekly audience of over 8.2 million viewers, peaking at over 10 million for the finale, and was the BBC's highest-rating new drama of the year. It won two prizes at the National Television Awards 2016, including Best New Drama.

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.

A darkly comic play that explores the unexpected, bewildering, and life-changing consequences of challenging the status quo at a global level. Last week, Andrew was that guy with his girl lunching in KFC, discussing apartments and making plans for the future. Today he's in Moscow, in an undisclosed hotel room, on the run and at risk of assassination. Last week, a nobody. This week, America's Most Wanted: a man who humiliated his country with one touch of a button. Mike Bartlett's Wild premiered at Hampstead Theatre, London, in June 2016, in a production directed by James Macdonald.

Queen Elizabeth II is dead. After a lifetime of waiting, her son Charles ascends the throne with Camilla by his side. As William, Kate, and Harry look on, he prepares for the future of power that lies before him. But how to rule? Winner of the 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Play, King Charles III is the "fresh, thrilling and fearlessly comic" (Entertainment Weekly) drama of political intrigue by Mike Bartlett, with sensational runs in London's West End and on Broadway. This controversial "future history play" explores the people underneath the crowns, the unwritten rules of Britain's democracy and the conscience of its most famous family.

1967. Kenneth and Sandra know the world is changing. And they want some of it.Love, Love, Love takes on the baby boomer generation as it retires, and finds it full of trouble. Smoking, drinking, affectionate and paranoid, one couple journeys forty-years from initial burst to full bloom. The play follows their idealistic teenage years in the 1960s to their stint as a married family unit before finally divorced and, although disintegrated, free from acrimony. Their children, on the other hand, bitterly rail against their parents' irresponsibility and their relaxed, laissez-faire attitude.This play by Olivier award-winning writer Mike Bartlett questions 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.This edition features an introduction by James Grieve, who directed Love, Love, Love at the Royal Court, London.

In a housing crisis, a young couple are offered a home of their own. But at what price? Mike Bartlett's provocative play Game invites us to spy on a family as they embark on a dangerous new way to live. Game premiered at the Almeida Theatre, London, in February 2015.

A razor-sharp, acid-tongued play by Mike Bartlett, one of the UK's most exciting and inventive young writers. Two jobs. Three candidates. This would be a really bad time to have a stain on your shirt...Bull opened at Crucible Studio Theatre, Sheffield, in February 2013 in a Sheffield Theatres Production, winning the 2013 UK Theatre Award for Best New Play. This edition is published alongside its production at the Young Vic Theatre, London. Winner of the 2015 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre.

Queen Elizabeth is dead. After a lifetime of waiting, her son ascends the throne. A future of power. But how to rule? Mike Bartlett’s controversial ‘future history play’ explores the people beneath their crowns, the unwritten rules of our democracy, and the conscience of Britain’s most famous family. Drawing on the style and structure of a Shakespearean history play, King Charles III opened in 2014 at London’s Almeida Theatre, directed by Rupert Goold, before transferring to the West End. The play went on to win Best New Play at both the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards and the Olivier Awards. It also won the South Bank Sky Arts Theatre Award. This special edition of the play includes a foreword by the journalist and broadcaster Jon Snow, an afterword by the playwright, and an essay about the original production.