Judges' Award

Nick Hern

Nick Hern has been one of the most quietly impactful figures in British theatre in the 20th and 21st century.

His contribution to the sector in a career spanning more than five decades has helped to build and expand the contemporary theatrical canon, and supported and championed countless playwrights and other theatremakers in the process.

Today, audiences expect to be able to arrive at a theatre and buy the text of the play they are about to see – but such a situation is largely thanks to Hern’s tireless work over many decades.

When he began his career in theatre publishing – at Methuen Drama, where he was drama editor from 1974 – play texts were published many months after the premiere.

Hern invented and pioneered the practice of publishing plays alongside that first production, and, particularly through collaboration with London's Royal Court Theatre, he also developed the model whereby the programme and script were combined to create a ‘programme-text’ which could be sold to audiences at every performance.

This has had a profound impact on the lives of many playwrights and theatremakers. The royalties earned from script sales of writers’ debut and early plays – and subsequent income received from amateur performances – have helped many of them sustain their careers.

Meanwhile, the availability of these works in print – via Hern’s eponymous publishing house – has enabled them to find their way on to set-text lists, inspired revival productions and international premieres, and even helped spark significant careers.

Hern stepped back from the day-to-day running of his business this summer, so this feels like the perfect time to recognise his life's work and 50-plus years' contribution to playwriting, playwrights and the UK performing arts industry.