Publishing books, guides and resources
Tonic wants to drive the widest possible change. We publish books, plays and resources so that anyone – regardless of their role, level of seniority, or geographical location – can be a part of this.
Since 2013 we have developed a hugely fruitful partnership with leading theatre book publisher Nick Hern Books. To date we have published two books and seven plays together.
- 100 Great Plays for Women – a reference tool for anyone looking for brilliant plays with all female or mainly female casts.
- All Change Please – a practical guide to achieving gender equality in theatre
- Platform – our series of new plays for young people to perform which place girls and young women centre stage
At Tonic we’re always considering how we can maximise the impact we can achieve on the inevitably limited resources that, as a small independent charity, we have. Publishing presents a great solution and an excellent accompaniment to our programme of projects and in-person delivery. By publishing tangible books and playtexts (and yes, they are also available as e-books), our work archives a longevity; we know they will be on the shelves of libraries and bookshops for years to come and this is hugely exciting.
Publishing also expands our reach hugely. It means that anyone who’s part of the performing arts ecology – whether freelancers, employees, students, teachers, participants or simply passionate audience members – can engage with our work and receive their own tools for making change happen. You don’t need a budget, you don’t need to be in the same part of the world as us, you don’t need anyone to have given you permission: if you can get your hands on one of our publications you can start to make a more equitable sector.
