West End Producer, the theatre impresario and Twitter sensation, has shared all he's learnt about how to get ahead in showbusiness, in the form of a handy book: Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Acting (But Were Afraid To Ask, Dear).

Packed with wit and marvellous indiscretion, full of gossip and insider knowledge, and with enough savvy advice to kickstart a career, it’s a practical – and sometimes deliciously impractical! – guide to everything you need to know about showbusiness.

We've now got fresh stock of the limited edition, exclusive Actors' Alphabet poster, only available through the NHB website. Finally discover if you're a Bactor, Mactor, or even (Heaven forbid!) a dreaded Zactor - it's a great accompaniment to what is undoubtedly The Theatre Book Of The Millenium, dear. 

You can have a poster absolutely free when you order a copy of Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Acting through this website - you can't find them anywhere else! A poster will be included with every copy of the book ordered through our website, available as long as stocks last.

To order your copy and claim your poster, click here.

To get a taste of the book, and read WEP's explanation of how casting actually works, visit his entry on the NHB blog.

Lucy Kirkwood's bold, epic thriller Chimerica was named Best Play at the 59th Evening Standard Theatre Awards last night (17 November), with NHB authors Rory Kinnear and Richard Eyre also among the winners.

A gripping political examination and engaging personal drama, Chimerica tells the story of an American photojournalist who witnessed the events of Tiananmen Square in 1989, and who twenty-three years later sets out to find the subject of his most famous photograph - the mysterious Tank Man.

First premiering at the Almeida Theatre in May 2013, in a co-production with touring company Headlong, Chimerica received rave reviews, including five-star write-ups from the Guardian,Telegraph, Evening Standard and Time Out, with the latter proclaiming it 'the play of the year'. It later transferred to the Harold Pinter Theatre in the West End. All of Lucy Kirkwood's plays are published by Nick Hern Books.

Rory Kinnear was named as Best Actor for his performance as Iago in the National Theatre's production of Othello, sharing the award with his co-star Adrian Lester. Rory was also nominated for the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright for his heartfelt, debut play The Herd, which premiered at the Bush Theatre in October.

Richard Eyre won the Best Director prize for his production of Ghosts. A new version of Ibsen's classic family tragedy - also written by Eyre - Ghosts opened at the Almeida Theatre in September, and will transfer to Trafalgar Studios from 9 December. Both the script to Ghosts and Richard Eyre's book Talking Theatre are published by NHB.

Elsewhere, Bob Crowley scooped the Best Design Award for his work on Once, The Audience and People. With a book by Enda Walsh, Once won eight Tony Awards on its debut on Broadway, and is currently playing at the Phoenix Theatre in London's West End.

The shortlisted nominees for the Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2013 were announced today (8 November), with NHB plays and authors featured strongly across a wide range of categories.

Lucy Kirkwood's bold, epic thriller Chimerica is nominated for Best Play. A gripping political examination and engaging personal drama, Chimerica tells the story of an American photojournalist who witnessed the events of Tiananmen Square in 1989, and who twenty-three years later sets out to find the subject of his most famous photograph - the mysterious Tank Man.

First premiering at the Almeida Theatre in May 2013, in a co-production with touring company Headlong, Chimerica received rave reviews, including five-star write-ups from the Guardian, Telegraph, Evening Standard and Time Out, with the latter proclaiming it 'the play of the year'. It later transferred to the Harold Pinter Theatre in the West End.

Elsewhere, two out of the three nominees for the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright are published by NHB, with Rory Kinnear (The Herd) and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) both shortlisted.

A witty and heartfelt look at a family falling apart – and pulling together – when life doesn’t turn out quite the way they imagined, Rory Kinnear's debut play The Herd premiered at the Bush Theatre in October. Directed by Howard Davies, it was praised by numerous reviewers including the Independent, who called it 'witty, agonising and eye-opening... a weave of painful insights and playful humour'. Kinnear also receives a Best Actor nomination for his performance as Iago in the National Theatre's production of Othello.

Fleabag, the debut play by actress and DryWrite artistic director Phoebe Waller-Bridge, is an outrageously funny but poignant look at responsibility and sexuality in today's young people. The comic monologue premiered at this year's Edinburgh Fringe to critical acclaim, with the Scotsman declaring 'I've never seen a play quite like it'. It won a Fringe First new writing award, while Phoebe also picked up The Stage Award for Best Solo Performance. It then transferred to London's Soho Theatre in September.

In addition, a number of NHB plays and authors have been nominated in other categories. Once, the uplifting West End musical with a book by Enda Walsh, is nominated for Best Design (Bob Crowley). Richard Eyre (writer of Talking Theatre) is nominated for Best Director for his production of Ghosts at the Almeida Theatre. Eyre's version of Henrik Ibsen's classic family tragedy has also garnered nominations for Lesley Manville (Best Actress) and Tim Hatley and Peter Mumford (Best Design). Rufus Norris - recently announced as the next Artistic Director of the National Theatre - is nominated for Best Director for The Amen Corner. Norris' version of Sleeping Beauty is published by NHB.

The Evening Standard Theatre Awards are judged by a panel of theatre critics, led by the Standard's editor, Sarah Sands. The winners will be revealed at a ceremony at the Savoy Hotel on Sunday 17 November.

We’ve been publishing great scripts alongside their production since 1988, and this year is no exception. So to celebrate our anniversary, we’re teaming up with theatres and producers to offer you a chance to win a pair of tickets to some of the shows we’re involved in, plus a free copy of the playscript.

November's Silver Ticket Giveaway show is:

Unscorched by Luke Owen

We’ve got two tickets to give away to the 15:00 matinee performance at the Finborough Theatre, London on Saturday 16 November. 

For more information, including how to enter, click here.