Book Nook

The daily delight of promoting our collective performing arts culture is what Book Nook is all about.

The independent book shop is becoming a much less common sight, and this goes for specialist bookshops in particular.  It is difficult to remain viable amid the seemingly unlimited global marketplace.

So why do we do it? Because our culture, as it is expressed in theatrical performance, forms a quintessential role in reflecting our shared society and sense of ourselves.

Actors, writers, directors and teachers everywhere share this passion with us and it is a joy to be able to help bring exciting new plays as well as revered classics to the next generation of theatregoers.

Book Nook specialises in performing arts books, both plays and texts on acting, theory and history.

We stock every new Australian play and as many new international plays as possible. We also stock a large collection of popular and frequently studied plays from Ancient Greek to the present.

Throughout the 1990s I worked as a freelance theatre maker and designer in Melbourne working with Handspan Theatre and Polyglot Puppet Theatre and many other companies and this gave me the opportunity to work with many of our leading playwrights.

The insight I gained has fuelled my lasting passion for theatre and assists me with recommending plays for the many different specific needs of schools throughout Australia.

Below is a list of new plays recommended for schools

  • Secret River by Andrew Bovell (from the novel by Kate Grenville)
  • In a Heart Beat by Jo Turner
  • Fearlessby Mira Todd
  • Teenage Alchemist by Angela Betzien
  • Fly-In Fly-Outby Robert Kronk & Howard Cassidy
  • Compassby Jessica Bellamy

Please visit our website for more information on all these plays, you can purchase plays on line or download purchase order forms for school use. We have recommended lists for both NSW HSC and Victorian VCE.

Mary Sutherland

www.booknook.com.au

Photographer: Tricia Birt.