Oberon Books
 | |
| Founded | 1985 |
|---|---|
| Founder | James Hogan |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Headquarters location | Islington, London |
| Publication types | Books |
| Nonfiction topics | Drama and performing arts |
| Official website | Oberon Books |
Oberon Books is an independent publisher which specialises in drama and the performing arts. Whilst the majority of Oberon's catalogue is made up of play texts, in recent years it has begun to publish theatrical biographies as well as books on ballet, opera, illustration, photography and cinema.
Oberon is one of the most prolific publishers of drama in the UK, with over 800 titles in its back catalogue and approximately 80 new books going into production each year. In 2009/10 plays were published alongside productions at the Royal Court, the National Theatre, RSC, Trafalgar Studios, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Belgrade Theatre, National Theatre Wales, Tricycle Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, Soho Theatre, the West End and Broadway.[1]
Notable contemporary authors
- Abi Morgan
- Oladipo Agboluaje
- Howard Barker
- Richard Bean
- Torben Betts
- Ranjit Bolt
- Will Eno
- John Fraser
- Christopher Fry
- A. C. Grayling
- Tanika Gupta
- Sir Peter Hall
- Dennis Kelly
- Bernard Kops
- Bryony Lavery
- Nell Leyshon
- John Logan
- Robert David MacDonald
- Mustapha Matura
- Glyn Maxwell
- Sheridan Morley
- Virginia McKenna
- Dorota Masłowska
- Douglas Maxwell
- John Mortimer
- Richard Norton-Taylor
- Meredith Oakes
- John Osborne
- Gary Owen
- Julia Pascal
- Michael Pennington
- Barry Reckord
- Anya Reiss
- Roy Smiles
- Ade Solanke
- Laura Wade
- Sir Arnold Wesker
Theatre group partners
Oberon also publishes plays from the following theatre companies:
Critical acclaim and awards
John Logan's Red was the winner of six Tony Awards in 2010, including Best Play and Best Direction (Michael Grandage). Red was also the winner of the 2010 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play. The following Oberon plays were also nominated for Olivier Awards in 2010:[2][3][4]
- Ìyà Ilé (The First Wife) by Oladipo Agboluaje nominated for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre
- Afghanistan: The Great Game by various authors, nominated for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre
- England People Very Nice by Richard Bean, nominated for Best New Comedy
- Our Class by Tadeusz Slobodzianek, nominated for Best Director for Bijan Sheibani
A number of Oberon playwrights have been nominated for the 2010 Evening Standard Awards:[5]
- Richard Bean's The Big Fellah for Best New Play.
- Laura Wade's Posh for Best New Play.
- Anya Reiss and Atiha Sen Gupta, both nominated for the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright
Nominees for the 2010 TMA Theatre Awards include:[6]
- Mrs Reynolds and the Ruffian by Gary Owen for Best New Play.
- Spur of the Moment by Anya Reiss for Best New Play.
- "Kursk" by Bryony Lavery for Best Touring Production.
Oberon's previous award winners include:
- A Disappearing Number by Simon McBurney and Complicite, winner of both the Evening Standard Award and the Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2008 [7][8]
- Bloody Sunday: Scenes from the Saville Inquiry by Richard Norton-Taylor, winner of the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre in 2006 [9]
- Nell Leyshon, winner of the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright for Comfort Me With Apples in 2005 [10]
- Torben Betts, winner of the Critics' Award for Theatre in Scotland for Best New Play with The Unconquered, 2007.
John Osborne discovery
In September 2008 two early playscripts by John Osborne, previously thought to be lost, were discovered in the British Library's archives. Both plays predated Look Back in Anger and were published together for the first time by Oberon Books, as Before Anger.[11]
References
- ↑ "Introduction to Oberon Books." (retrieved 28/07/2010)
- ↑ "64th Tony Awards - Competitive Award Winners" (retrieved 06/08/2010).
- ↑ "Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play Winners" (retrieved 06/08/2010).
- ↑ "Olivier Awards 2010 Nominations in full"(retrieved 06/08/2010).
- ↑ "London Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2010: The Long-List" (retrieved 29/10/2010).
- ↑ "TMA Theatre Awards 2010 Nominees" (retrieved 29/10/2010).
- ↑ "Macbeth and Joan of Arc Storm ES Awards"(retrieved 06/08/2010).
- ↑ "Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play Past Winners"(retrieved 06/08/2010).
- ↑ "Oliviers: Bloody Sunday is 2006’s Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre" (retrieved 06/08/2010).
- ↑ "Nell Leyshon, University of Southampton profile "(retrieved 06/08/2010).
- ↑ "Sheffield University News Releases 2009" (retrieved 02/08/2010).