Jessica Swale – författare

A treasure trove of prompts, provocations and practical exercises to help you spark new ideas, hone your craft and unleash your creativity.In A Year of Creative Thinking, award-winning writer, director and film-maker Jessica Swale guides you through 366 fun and rewarding activities – one for every day of the year (including leap years!) – to fire up your imagination and flex your creative muscles.You'll find a host of writing prompts and imaginative challenges to get you going, quick-fire exercises to help you focus on key aspects of craft (including inventing scenarios, writing dialogue, building subtext, creating atmosphere and plot, and developing your characters), and plenty of quirky and unusual challenges to test your limits and help you explore new avenues. Some are writing exercises, others encourage you to draw, to listen to music, to get outside and find inspiration in your surroundings. Work through the activities day by day, or dip in to suit your needs, the choice is yours! Whether being creative is a professional goal, your aspiration or simply your hobby, you'll discover a storehouse of ideas and inspiration, along with insights from a wide range of literary and cultural figures – from T. S. Eliot to Quentin Tarantino, Jane Austen to Jimi Hendrix, Maya Angelou to George R. R. Martin, and Virginia Woolf to Paddington Bear.Fun, engaging and pressure-free, this book is designed to supercharge your imagination and boost your creativity, helping you build a set of expressive tools that you can apply in all aspects of your life.'Jessica Swale is one of the most inspiringly creative people I know, and in this book she's kind enough to share some of her spark and magic. It is a must-read for any creative spirit' Zooey Deschanel'Jessica has stitched together an endlessly inventive, engaging, accessible ejector-seat (parachute included) into the heart and soul of creativity itself. That energy flows through every page: challenging and guiding you into releasing your inner mad-genius. I wish there were more days in the year for more of her exercises!' Inua Ellams'Wonderful' Emerald Fennell'The most brilliant book on creativity – so inspiring it will make you want to write your own book!' Tom Fletcher'An enticing treasure chest of inspiration for any writer or creative' Deborah Frances-White'This book will last you a lifetime, as you'll return again and again to these gems of wise, witty prompts and provocations – guaranteed to inspire not just your creativity, but your outlook on life in general' Sabrina Mahfouz'Charming, imaginative, practical and light-hearted, this is the perfect gift for anyone, young or not so young, wanting to kickstart their creativity and have fun while doing it' Kate Mosse'As I sit in my room smashing my head repeatedly against my laptop, it gives me (some) joy to report not all writers do the same. Jessica's book is a great big fantastic soulful fizzy key to make you think and work hopefully. 16th April is my favourite, but her point is: there are delights on every day of the year' Jack Thorne

101 great drama games for use in any classroom or workshop setting. Part of the Nick Hern Books Drama Games series.A dip-in, flick-through, quick-fire resource book, packed with 101 lively drama games suitable for players of all ages, with many appropriate for children from age 6 upwards. Whilst aimed primarily at school, youth theatre and community groups, they are equally fun - and instructional - for adults to play in workshop or rehearsal settings.'An extraordinarily helpful compendium... a valuable help to directors, teachers and workshop leaders' Max Stafford-Clark, from his Foreword

As part of the ever-growing, increasingly popular Drama Games series, Jessica Swale returns with another dip-in, flick-through, quick-fire resource book, packed with dozens of drama games that can be used in the process of devising theatre.The games will be invaluable to directors and theatre companies at all levels who are creating new pieces of theatre from scratch and need lively, dynamic games to fire the imagination. They will particularly appeal to school, youth theatre and community groups where devising is a growing trend – and a core element of the drama curriculum.Written with clear instructions on How to Play, notes on the Aim of the Game, and illuminating examples from professional productions, the games cover every aspect of the devising process and develop all the skills required: generating ideas, creating characters and scenarios, using stimuli, structuring the piece, and creating an ensemble.Mike Leigh, the most dedicated and celebrated creator of devised work, hails the book in his foreword as 'highly original and massively useful'.'A remarkable compendium of games and exercises… a lively starting point for rich invention' Mike Leigh, from his Foreword

'Love or knowledge: which would you choose?'A moving, comical and eye-opening story of four young women fighting for education and self-determination against the larger backdrop of women’s suffrage.1896. Girton College, Cambridge, the first college in Britain to admit women. The Girton girls study ferociously and match their male peers grade for grade. Yet, when the men graduate, the women leave with nothing but the stigma of being a 'blue stocking' - an unnatural, educated woman. They are denied degrees and go home unqualified and unmarriageable.In Jessica Swale's debut play, Blue Stockings, Tess Moffat and her fellow first years are determined to win the right to graduate. But little do they anticipate the hurdles in their way: the distractions of love, the cruelty of the class divide or the strength of the opposition, who will do anything to stop them. The play follows them over one tumultuous academic year, in their fight to change the future of education.Blue Stockings received its professional premiere at Shakespeare's Globe, London, in August 2013, directed by John Dove.

'I wish I'd had this book when I was starting out as a young director... I cannot recommend it highly enough' Marianne Elliott, from her ForewordThis dip-in, flick-through, quick-fire resource book in the bestselling Drama Games series offers dozens of ideas and exercises to energise and inspire a bold, creative rehearsal process for any play, of any period or genre.Aimed at directors of all levels, it covers every aspect of rehearsal, including:Warm-up exercises to prepare the body, voice and mind, and to create a strong ensembleIdeas for approaching the text, tackling the 'Story of the Play'A wealth of games for unlocking the 'World of the Play', including developing characters, finding a physical style, understanding genre and investigating themesSuggestions for exploring sound and music, whether for use in the production or simply to encourage a sense of fun in rehearsalsThis essential 'go-to' book will provide you with a host of original and illuminating games, perfect for the play you're rehearsing, be it Shakespeare or Greek tragedy, a Restoration comedy, physical theatre, Modern Naturalism – or even a brand new play.Marianne Elliott, one of the most innovative and exciting directors working anywhere in the world, describes it as a 'beautiful, and very clearly written book' which will become her 'constant companion in future'.

Jessica Swale's Blue Stockings is the empowering and surprising story of four young women fighting for their right to a university education in a world that assumed women belonged at home. First produced professionally at Shakespeare's Globe in 2013, and a sell-out success, it is now regularly performed by theatre groups in the UK and beyond, and widely studied by GCSE Drama students.This Page to Stage guide, written by the playwright, who also directed the first production at RADA, along with her assistant director Lois Jeary, is packed with contextual information, scene-by-scene and character breakdowns, and personal insights into the world of the play and the real lives that inspired it.An invaluable resource for those studying and staging the play, it takes you through the entire production process, considering each of the elements in turn, from sound and music to design and rehearsals. You'll also find notes from the original rehearsal process, extracts from working diaries, and interviews with key members of the creative team. Throughout, there are hints and tips on staging, and helpful games and exercises to bring the play to life on the stage and in the classroom.Highly accessible and uniquely authoritative, it is the indispensible guide for anyone studying, teaching or performing the play.

London, 1660. King Charles II has exploded onto the scene with a love of all things loud, extravagant and sexy. And at Drury Lane, a young Nell Gwynn is causing stirrings amongst the theatregoers.Nell Gwynn charts the rise of an unlikely heroine, from her roots in Coal Yard Alley to her success as Britain's most celebrated actress, and her hard-won place in the heart of the King. But at a time when women are second-class citizens, can her charm and spirit protect her from the dangers of the Court?Jessica Swale's exhilarating take on the heady world of Restoration theatre premiered at Shakespeare's Globe, London, in September 2015, before transferring to the West End in February 2016, starring Gemma Arterton. It won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 2016.