Having fled his home city of Liverpool and left with precious little time to escape his unpredictable father; Danny and his mother end up in a safe, rural corner of Shropshire. It seems to be yet another 'fresh start', but little does Danny know just how different it will be this time around. This most recent of moves will either make or break him. Working hard to forge a different reputation for himself, Danny tries to get things right. However, a chance finding of a long-forgotten drum - coupled with an encounter with a ghost from a bygone era - lead to an extraordinary sequence of events, as Danny concludes his last year at primary school before moving on. He will need every ounce of positivity and resilience that he can draw on, as things look likely to unravel in spectacular style. Danny is tested to the limits by new acquaintances, as well as figures from his past returning to complicate matters further. With the clock ticking, he needs to quickly piece the jigsaw together and it's not just Danny who needs everything to fall into place! There's far more at stake than that. A story for ten to twelve years-old children which perfectly complements the transition between primary and secondary school.

The Distant Beat

Variant: The Distant Beat

Warehouse 200

I Know Where I'm Going! (1945) is widely regarded as one of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's most remarkable achievements and a cinematic tour de force . A simple moral tale set in the wild Scottish Highlands, it follows the journey of a headstrong young woman forced by her encounter with this magical, mythic world and its exotic customs to revise her materialistic priorities.   Pam Cook traces the film's production history, exploring its place in Powell and Pressburger's canon and showing how it wove into its narrative the memories and aspirations of an international group of film-makers working in 1940s Britain. Focusing on the extensive use of special effects, she reveals a technologically ambitious masterpiece. I Know Where I'm Going! is, for Cook, a multilayered work rich in allusions whose emotional power reaches beyond boundaries of time and place to touch profound human desires.  In her foreword to this new edition, Cook argues that I Know Where I'm Going!'s ability to be both of its time and timeless is what ensures that it continues to captivate successive generations of viewers.

I Know Where I'm Going!

Variant: I know where I'm going!

Produced in the aftermath of the Second World War, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's A Matter of Life and Death (1946) stars David Niven as an RAF pilot poised between life and death, his love for the American radio operator June (Kim Hunter) threatened by medical, political and ultimately celestial forces. The film is a magical, profound fantasy and a moving evocation of English history and the wartime experience, with virtuoso Technicolor special effects. In the United States it was released under the title Stairway to Heaven , referencing one of its most famous images, a moving stairway between earth and the afterlife.  Ian Christie's study of the film shows how its creators drew upon many sources and traditions to create a unique form of modern masque, treating contemporary issues with witty allegory and enormous visual imagination. He stresses the teamwork of Powell and Pressburger's gifted collaborators, among them Director of Photography Jack Cardiff, production designer Alfred Junge, and costume designer Hein Heckroth, and explores the history of both British and international responses to the film. Christie argues that the film deserves to be thought of as one of the greatest achievements of British cinema, but of all cinema.

A Matter of Life and Death

Variant: A matter of life and death

Unicorn

Variant: Unicorn

'This is nice, innit? Yeah. Good little set-up to tell you the story of my name. The story of my true name.'    When a woman receives an unexpected letter from the British Passport Office, she is forced to confront an old mystery: why does her South African passport not carry her first name? Armed with the wisdom of favourite '90s TV shows, she sets out on a journey that will take her back to the turmoil of Mobutu's Congo, growing up in post-Apartheid South Africa, moving to Ireland, and finding love in a hostile England.    As her journey becomes inextricably linked with the tides of global history, how far will she go to unravel the truth? By turns wickedly funny and strikingly lyrical, Benedict Lombe's Lava is an explosive debut play that will turn the way you see the world on its axis.    It premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in July 2021, performed by Ronke Adékoluejo and directed by Anthony Simpson-Pike.    Lava was awarded the prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn Prize in 2022. It also won Best Performance Piece at the 2022 Offies (Off West End Awards), and Benedict Lombe won the Book and Lyrics Recognition Award at the 2021 Black British Theatre Awards.

Lava

Variant: Lava

'I dunno how it happened,  But I like you.  I don't know where it came from,  But I.  Need to stop saying I like you.'    Eve's eyes are green like guacamole, she has posh hair, a freckle on her chin (it might be chocolate), and when she puts her hand on Elle's arm.    Bloody Elle - A Gig Musical is a heart-warming and belly-achingly funny story about falling in love for the very first time, stuffed full of stomach-flipping, time-stopping moments, touches, glances, kisses.    Written and originally performed by Lauryn Redding, this one-person gig musical, set to an original score, was first performed at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, in June 2021. It was directed by the theatre's Joint Artistic Director Bryony Shanahan and co-produced with Rebel Productions. It was revived at the Royal Exchange in June 2022, before transferring to the Traverse Theatre for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Bloody Elle

Variant: Bloody Elle

'I am the slave ship. Wrecked. Empty. I am a shark, livid with the desire for blood. I am the sea, boiling with fury.'    On the set of a new film about Victorian artist J.M.W. Turner, young actress Lou is haunted by an unresolved history. Meanwhile, in 1840, Londoners Lucy and Thomas try to come to terms with the meaning of freedom.    Moving between London past and present, Winsome Pinnock's astonishing play retells British history through the prism of the slave trade. Fusing fact with fiction, and the powerfully personal with the fiercely political, Rockets and Blue Lights asks who owns our past - and who has the right to tell its stories?    Winner of the 2018 Alfred Fagon Award, the play opened at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, in 2020, directed by Miranda Cromwell. It transferred to the National Theatre, London, in 2021.    'Rockets and Blue Lights places at its center one of the nineteenth century's most famous paintings: J. M. W. Turner's "The Slave Ship". Moving between several sets of characters and ranging from the 1800s to the present, this intricately plotted drama compels us to confront the horrors of our shared past. It does so with compassion and wit, never once compromising Pinnock's vision of theater as the communal creation of new, stranger, and perhaps truer histories' Windham-Campbell Prize committee, on awarding Winsome Pinnock a Windham-Campbell Prize for Drama in 2022

Rockets and Blue Lights

Variant: Rockets and blue lights

In How Plays Work, distinguished playwright David Edgar examines the mechanisms and techniques which dramatists throughout the ages have employed to structure their plays and to express their meaning.    Written for playwrights and playgoers alike, Edgar's analysis starts with the building blocks of whole plays - plot, character-creation, genre and structure - and moves on to scenes and devices. He shows how plays share a common architecture without which the uniqueness of their authors' vision would be invisible.    How Plays Work is both a masterclass for playwrights and playmakers and a fascinating guide to the anatomy of drama. In this revised edition, Edgar brings the book right up to date with analyses of many recent plays, as well as explorations of emerging genres and new innovations in playwriting practice.    'A brilliantly illuminating, bang-up-to-date, unmissable read' April De Angelis    'A book of real theoretical heft written by a major working playwright' Steve Waters    'An essential accompaniment for anyone fascinated by the craft of dramatic storytelling' John Yorke    'Every theatremaker should read this book' Pippa Hill, Literary Manager, Royal Shakespeare Company    'Even if you've read the book before, it demands to be reread' Simon Callow    'Combines theoretical acumen with the assured know-how of a working dramatist' Terry Eagleton, Times Literary Supplement

How Plays Work

Variant: How plays work

'The sky turns the colour of a jay's eye. The sea turns a deep royal purple. The mist lifts in quick, lithe ribbons, like a conjuring trick. Before us lies the island.'    It's 1935, and an eccentric English family - four children, their widowed mother, and Roger the dog - arrives on the sun-soaked shores of Corfu to start a new life.    For eleven-year-old Gerry Durrell, the extraordinary landscape provides the perfect playground. Its exotic fauna inspires a life-long fascination with the animal kingdom - and his much-loved memoir My Family and Other Animals.    Janys Chambers' acclaimed stage adaptation was first seen at York Theatre Royal, and invites other theatre companies to make ingenious and inventive decisions, bringing to life all the inhabitants of Durrell's cherished island - whether they walk and talk, fly and squawk, crawl or swim or slither.

My Family and Other Animals

Variant: My family and other animals

A time to learn. A time to rebel. A time to love. A time to burn.    A group of teenagers - silenced and controlled by a censorious society - discovers a new world of feeling and freedom, with beautiful and devastating consequences.    Inspired by German playwright Frank Wedekind's once-banned and groundbreaking play from 1891, Spring Awakening tells a story of adolescent anarchy, set to one of the best-loved musical scores of the twenty-first century.    Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik's musical opened in New York City in 2006, and London in 2009, and won eight Tony Awards and four Olivier Awards, including both prizes for Best New Musical.    This new edition of the complete book and lyrics - the first to be published in the UK - features four pages of colour photographs and exclusive bonus material by writers Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik, and members of the original Broadway and West End casts: Aneurin Barnard, Jonathan Groff, Evelyn Hoskins, Lea Michele and Iwan Rheon. It was published alongside the first London revival at the Almeida Theatre in 2021, directed by Rupert Goold, which won the 2022 Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical.

Spring Awakening

Variant: Spring awakening

Thirty-somethings Leo, Misha, Ralph and Dawn have been inseparable since college. Making their way together in the big city, they are liberal, open-minded and socially aware.    As best friends and lovers, confident in their 'woke-ness', their connection with each other is stronger than anything else - until Leo is assaulted by the police in a racially motivated incident. Shaken to the core, he brings to the group an extreme proposition...    Suzan-Lori Parks' play White Noise takes an unflinching look at race in the twenty-first century from both a black and white perspective. It was first performed at The Public Theater, New York, in March 2019, directed by Oskar Eustis, and had its European premiere at the Bridge Theatre, London, in October 2021, directed by Polly Findlay.

White Noise

Variant: White noise

Two compassionately subversive plays about identity, by Young Jean Lee, a Korean American playwright whose work is groundbreaking, humorous and often thrillingly transgressive.    In Straight White Men, it's Christmas Eve, and Ed has gathered his three adult sons to celebrate with matching pyjamas, trash-talking, and Chinese takeaway. But when a question they can't answer interrupts their seasonal cheer, they are forced to confront their own identities.    Raucous, surprising and fearless, Straight White Men takes an outside look at the traditional father/son narrative, shedding new light on a story we think we know all too well. It had its UK premiere at Southwark Playhouse, London, in 2021, following US productions including a Broadway run that made Lee the first Asian-American woman to have a play produced on Broadway.    In Untitled Feminist Show, six charismatic stars of the theatre, dance, cabaret and burlesque worlds come together in an exhilaratingly irreverent, nearly wordless celebration of a fluid and limitless sense of identity.    Untitled Feminist Show isn't a show about feminism - it is a feminist show. It premiered at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, in 2012 before transferring to the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City.    'Young Jean Lee is, hands down, the most adventurous downtown playwright of her generation' New York Times

Straight White Men

Variant: Straight white men

'Every winner might be the one who loses the next day.'    Tessa is a young, brilliant barrister. She has worked her way up from working-class origins to the top of her game: defending, cross-examining and winning.    But an unexpected event forces her to confront the patriarchal power of the law, where the burden of proof and morality diverge.    Prima Facie by Suzie Miller is an award-winning play for a solo actor, taking us deep into a world where emotion and integrity are in conflict with the rules of the game.    After several acclaimed productions in Australia and winning the Australian Writers' Guild Award for Drama, the play received its European premiere at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London's West End in April 2022. It was produced by Empire Street Productions, directed by Justin Martin, and starred Jodie Comer, the Emmy and Bafta Award-winning star of TV's Killing Eve, making her West End debut.

Prima Facie

Variant: Prima facie

'A working-class woman inside the walls of Westminster? If that is not espionage, I do not know what is.'    Forever on the right side of history, but on the wrong side of life, Labour MP Ellen Wilkinson is caught between revolutionary and parliamentary politics as she fights for a better world.    Battling to save Jewish refugees in Nazi Germany; campaigning for Britain to aid the fight against Franco's Fascists in Spain; leading two hundred workers in the Jarrow Crusade against unemployment and poverty... she pursues each cause with a passionate, reckless conviction.    And yet - despite a life spent running into the likes of Albert Einstein and Ernest Hemingway, serving in Churchill's cabinet, having affairs with communist spies and government ministers - she still finds herself, somehow, on the outside looking in.    Caroline Bird's play Red Ellen is the remarkable true story of an inspiring and brilliant woman. It was first produced by Northern Stage, Nottingham Playhouse and the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh in 2022.

Red Ellen

Variant: Red Ellen

'The smaller you are, the quicker your heart beats. But it doesn't matter what size your heart is, we all only get an average of about two billion beats over our lifetime. It's just a pump at the end of the day, right?'    Seventeen-year-old Asha is a rebel, inspired by historical revolutionaries and unafraid of pointing out the hypocrisy around her - but less sure how to actually dismantle it. Her younger sister, Bettina, wide-eyed and naive, is just trying to get through the school day without having her pocket money nicked.    With essays to write, homework to do, and bus journeys home, the two sisters meet every afternoon, outside the school gates, to tackle the injustice of the world.    Sonali Bhattacharyya's play Two Billion Beats is an insightful, heartfelt coming-of-age story and a blazing account of inner-city, British-Asian teenage life. It was originally presented in the Inside/Outside season, livestreamed from the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, before receiving a production there in this full-length version in 2022, directed by Nimmo Ismail.

Two Billion Beats

Variant: Two billion beats

Hortense yearns for a new life away from rural Jamaica. Gilbert dreams of becoming a lawyer. Queenie longs to escape her Lincolnshire roots. Three intimately connected stories, tracing the tangled history of Jamaica and Britain.    Andrea Levy's epic novel, adapted for the stage by Helen Edmundson, journeys from Jamaica to Britain in 1948 - the year that HMT Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury.    Small Island was first performed at the National Theatre, London, in 2019, in an acclaimed production directed by Rufus Norris. This revised edition of the play was published alongside the revival of the production in 2022.

Small Island

Variant: Small Island

Meet Ashraf and his 'Habibti' - his daughter Shazia. He's an Egyptian, Muslim taxi driver; she's half-Egyptian, half-Wiganese, and more interested in the last call at the bar than the call to prayer.    Their relationship is put to the test when Ashraf introduces Shazia to his new Egyptian bride, whilst she is attempting to break the news of her own secret engagement. In Ashraf's taxi they must navigate driving lessons, sing karaoke and explore whether, despite their differences, family can win out regardless.    Habibti Driver is a heartwarming and hilarious play, based on Shamia Chalabi's real-life experiences and co-written with Sarah Henley, exploring the clashes, compromises and comedy that come with living in a mixed-culture family in today's Britain.    First performed in an earlier version - Burkas and Bacon Butties - at the VAULT Festival, London, this revised, full-length version premiered at the Octagon Theatre Bolton in April 2022, co-produced with Tara Finney Productions.

Habibti Driver

Variant: Habibti driver

'I'm going to answer all your wishes, bubba! Big or small, it'll be me who makes them come true, no one else.'    Leila is happy living at home with Noor, her loving but traditional grandmother. But when Aleena, her fiercely independent mother, returns home from prison determined to deliver a new world of fun and excitement, their calm lives are upended in a blur of nail varnish and sweet treats.    Family secrets come tumbling into the light, and Leila finds the task of deciding on her future more difficult than she first thought.    Ambreen Razia's play Favour is a touching and hopeful family drama about a working-class Muslim family, tackling duty, addiction and the challenge of pulling yourself back together after it all falls apart. It was a Bush Theatre and Clean Break co-production and premiered at the Bush, London, in 2022, directed by Róisìn McBrinn and Sophie Dillon Moniram.

Favour

Variant: Favour

'In the morning they'll shut the streets, roll the tanks in and begin the arrests. Everyone who tries to leave will be taken in for days, weeks, years. If I don't board the flight tonight, I'll be here forever.'    Middle-aged, middle-management Dasha is ordered to quell the anti-government protests in her factory in Belarus by firing sixty workers.    Her only escape is a one-way ticket to the US, but as she prepares to flee, she cannot escape memories of her rebellious youth resisting the Soviets. As her country heads to the polls, Dasha must make a decision.    The Anarchist is a gripping, timely and deeply moving play, which won the inaugural Woven Voices Prize for migrant playwrights. It was first performed during the Footprints Festival at Jermyn Street Theatre, London, in 2022, directed by Ebenezer Bamgboye.    Originally from Kazakhstan, Karina Wiedman lived in Russia and Belarus before moving to the UK. The Anarchist is her first play.    'A beautifully written play for our times' Jatinder Verma, Chair of the Woven Voices Prize judging panel

The Anarchist

Variant: The anarchist

Insight Guides Italy Travel made easy. Ask local experts. Comprehensive travel guide packed with inspirational photography and fascinating cultural insights, now with free eBook. From deciding when to go, to choosing what to see when you arrive, this guide to Italy is all you need to plan your perfect trip, with insider information on must-see, top attractions like Ancient Rome, Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast, and cultural gems like exploring the canals of Venice, immersing yourself in the renaissance spendours of Florence, and discovering archaeological treasures in the museums of Naples and Palermo. Features of this travel guide to Italy: - Inspirational colour photography: discover the best destinations, sights and excursions, and be inspired by stunning imagery - Historical and cultural insights: immerse yourself in Italy's rich history and culture, and learn all about its people, art and traditions - Practical full-colour maps: with every major sight and listing highlighted, the full-colour maps make on-the-ground navigation easy - Editor's Choice: uncover the best of Italy with our pick of the region's top destinations - Key tips and essential information: packed full of important travel information, from transport and tipping to etiquette and hours of operation - The ultimate travel tool: download the free app and eBook to access this and bonus content from your phone or tablet - Covers: Rome, Venice, Milan, Lombary, the Lakes, Piedmont, Valle d'Aosta, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Florence, Tuscany, Umbria and the Marches, Abruzzo and Molise, Naples, Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia. Looking for a specific guide to Rome? Check out Insight Guides City Guide Rome for a detailed and entertaining look at all the city has to offer. About Insight Guides: Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books, with almost 50 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides with user-friendly, modern design. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps, as well as phrase books, picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.

Italy

Variant: Italy

Insight Guide to US National Parks West is a pictorial travel guide in a magazine style providing answers to the key questions before or during your trip: deciding when to go to US National Parks West, choosing what to see, from exploring Mesa Verde National Park to discovering the Zion Narrows or creating a travel plan to cover key places like Denali National Park and Olympic National Park. This is an ideal travel guide for travellers seeking inspiration, in-depth cultural and historical information about US National Parks West as well as a great selection of places to see during your trip. The Insight Guide US NATIONAL PARKS WEST covers: California and the Pacific, the Southwest, the Rocky Mountains, the Pacific Northwest. In this travel guide you will find: IN-DEPTH CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL FEATURES Created to explore the culture and the history of US National Parks West to get a greater understanding of its modern-day life, people and politics. BEST OF The top attractions and Editor's Choice highlighting the most special places to visit around US National Parks West. CURATED PLACES, HIGH QUALITY MAPS Geographically organised text cross-referenced against full-colour, high quality travel maps for quick orientation in Alaska, Yosemite National Park and many more locations in US National Parks West. COLOUR-CODED CHAPTERS Every part of US National Parks West, from Zion to Big Bend has its own colour assigned for easy navigation. TIPS AND FACTS Up-to-date historical timeline and in-depth cultural background to US National Parks West as well as an introduction to US National Parks West's Food and Drink and fun destination-specific features. PRACTICAL TRAVEL INFORMATION A-Z of useful advice on everything from when to go to US National Parks West, how to get there and how to get around, as well as US National Parks West's climate, advice on tipping, etiquette and more. STRIKING PICTURES Features inspirational colour photography, including the stunning Crater Lake and the spectacular Mount Rushmore National Memorial. FREE EBOOK Free eBook download with every purchase of a printed book to access all the content from your phone or tablet, for on-the-road exploration.

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