Wikipedia

Oberon Books

Oberon Books is a London-based publisher of drama texts and books on theatre. The company publishes around 100 titles per year, many of them plays by new writers. In addition, the list contains a range of titles on theatre studies, acting, writing and dance.

Oberon Books
Parent companyBloomsbury Publishing
Founded1985
FounderJames Hogan
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Headquarters locationIslington, London
DistributionMarston Book Services (UK)
Theatre Communications Group (United States)
Currency Press (Australia)[1]
Publication typesBooks
Nonfiction topicsDrama and performing arts
No. of employees10
Official websiteoberonbooks.com

History

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Oberon Books was founded by James Hogan in 1985. Two of its titles are poet Adrian Mitchell's 1998 stage adaptation of C. S. Lewis's The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe for the Royal Shakespeare Company and One Man, Two Guvnors (Richard Bean's modern version of Carlo Goldoni's Servant of Two Masters), a West End and Broadway hit for Britain's National Theatre in 2011 starring James Corden. The NT Live recording of the latter was scheduled to be shown on PBS in late 2020.

As of August 2019 the company has 1600 titles in print, most available as both print and e-books. As well as new plays, Oberon also publishes classic works by playwrights such as J. B. Priestley, Sir Arnold Wesker and Henrik Ibsen.

Oberon's mission expanded to include publishing a "culturally and politically diverse" range of plays. Recent examples include Barber Shop Chronicles by Inua Ellams, The HIV Monologues by Patrick Cash and Chewing Gum Dreams by Michaela Coel.

In December 2019, Oberon Books was acquired by Bloomsbury Publishing to join its longstanding play and performance imprints Methuen Drama and Arden Shakespeare.

Notable contemporary authors

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Theatre group partners

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Oberon also publishes plays from the following theatre companies:

Critical acclaim and awards

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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]

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]

Oberon's previous award winners include:

John Osborne discovery

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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

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  1. ^ "Trade". Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  2. ^ "64th Tony Awards – Competitive Award Winners" (retrieved 6 August 2010).
  3. ^ "Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play Winners" (retrieved 6 August 2010).
  4. ^ "Olivier Awards 2010 Nominations in full"(retrieved 6 August 2010).
  5. ^ "London Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2010: The Long-List" (retrieved 29 October 2010).
  6. ^ "TMA Theatre Awards 2010 Nominees" (retrieved 29 October 2010).
  7. ^ "Macbeth and Joan of Arc Storm ES Awards"(retrieved 6 August 2010).
  8. ^ "Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play Past Winners"(retrieved 6 August 2010).
  9. ^ "Oliviers: Bloody Sunday is 2006's Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre" (retrieved 6 August 2010).
  10. ^ "Nell Leyshon, University of Southampton profile"(retrieved 6 August 2010).
  11. ^ "Sheffield University News Releases 2009" (retrieved 2 August 2010).
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