Kieran Hurley Plays 1: Hitch; Beats; Heads Up; Mouthpiece; The Enemy

Kieran Hurley is a Scottish playwright known for his politically engaged theatre that explores society and community. This collection showcases his work from his early solo shows to his later large-cast plays, including Hitch, Beats, Heads Up, Mouthpiece, and The Enemy.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 09 February 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Since the early 2010s, multi-award-winning Scottish playwright Kieran Hurley has been making waves with his vivid storytelling and searing honesty, creating plays that are acutely concerned with society and community and deeply enmeshed in Scotland's local political context. This exciting collection showcases Hurley's work from his early solo shows to his later large-cast plays, with an introduction by Scottish theatre critic Joyce McMillan.

The plays collected in this volume are:

Hitch (2010): A previously unpublished solo show about Hurley's hitchhiking trip to the 2009 G8 meeting in L'Aquila, exploring the meaning of political protest.

Beats (2012): A coming-of-age story exploring the aftermath of the 1994 Criminal Justice Act outlawing raves. It was adapted into a film in 2019, garnering nominations for BIFA Best Debut Screenplay and WGGB Best Screenplay.

Heads Up (2016): A ferocious piece of storytelling that asks what we would do if we found ourselves at the end of our world as we know it. (Winner of the Fringe First Award 2016.)

Mouthpiece (2018): An unflinching Edinburgh-centric two-hander that examines whether it is possible to tell someone else's story without exploiting them along the way. (Winner of the Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award 2019.)

The Enemy (2021): A provocative and timely drama offering a uniquely Scottish take on Henrik Ibsen's timeless work, An Enemy of the People.

Kieran Hurley's plays are known for their vivid storytelling, searing honesty, and their exploration of society and community. They are deeply enmeshed in Scotland's local political context, and Hurley has been praised for his ability to create plays that are both politically engaged and deeply personal.

This collection of plays showcases Hurley's evolution as a playwright, from his early solo shows to his later large-cast plays. It provides a fascinating insight into the world of politically-engaged theatre and the challenges that artists face when creating work that is both relevant and meaningful.

The Enemy, in particular, is a standout play in this collection. It offers a uniquely Scottish take on Ibsen's timeless work, and Hurley's interpretation is both provocative and timely. The play explores the themes of power, corruption, and the importance of speaking truth to power, and it is particularly relevant in the current political climate.

Overall, this collection is a must-read for anyone who is interested in theatre, politics, and the power of storytelling to shape our understanding of the world. Kieran Hurley is a talented playwright who has made a significant impact on the Scottish theatre scene, and his work is sure to continue to inspire and challenge audiences for years to come.

Weight: 200g
Dimension: 129 x 197 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350334786