‘A scared playwright won’t write a good play. We’re going to have to try to find a bit more steel.’ – Telegraph
Ryan Craig is not afraid of controversial topics. Described as a ‘playwright with the ability to become one of the best of his generation’ (British Theatre Guide), his work to date is known to probe both social norms and ethical issues. Since being nominated for the Evening Standard’s Most Promising Playwright Award in 2005 his plays have been produced at venues of all sizes from London’s National Theatre and the Hampstead to Theatre Royal Bath and the Menier Chocolate Factory.
In this first collection of his works, Craig brings together four plays that go ‘against the tide’, offering an insight into the power of contemporary drama that doesn’t shy away from the most contentious and hot-button debates of the age. Complete with a new introduction by the author, it begins with his hit National Theatre play The Holy Rosenbergs and includes his piece, Charlotte and Theodore which premiered in 2023, published here for the first time.
The Holy Rosenbergs (2011): ‘buzzes with discussion and debate … In the clarity of its construction, the tension of its climax and the slow unveiling of its emotional core, this is a very fine play indeed’ (Aleks Sierz, Arts Desk)
Filthy Business (2017): ‘A superbly modern Mother Courage…If plays survive by creating meaty roles for actors, Ryan Craig’s new work is destined for a long life’ (Michael Billington, Guardian)
What We Did to Weinstein (2005): ‘There is no more compelling or politically significant drama in town than Ryan Craig’s What We Did to Weinstein….fascinates because it reflects the complex passions of Jews in more than two minds about what Jewishness entails’ (Nicholas de Jongh, Evening Standard)
Charlotte and Theodore (2023): ‘cancel-culture drama that bravely captures the acrimonious mood of today’ (Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph)
