Paines Plough

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Paines Plough Hello! We’re a touring theatre company led by Charlotte Bennett & Katie Posner. We champion and develop new writing, and tour new plays far and wide.

Paines Plough is the UK’s national theatre of new plays. We commission and produce the best playwrights and tour their plays far and wide. Whether you’re in Liverpool or Lyme Regis, Scarborough or Southampton, a Paines Plough show is coming to a theatre near you soon. "The lifeblood of the UK’s theatre ecosystem" The Guardian

Paines Plough was formed in 1974 over a pint of Paines bitter in the Plough pub. Since then we’ve produced more than 130 new productions by world renowned playwrights like Stephen Jeffreys, Abi Morgan, Sarah Kane, Mark Ravenhill, Dennis Kelly and Mike Bartlett. We’ve toured those plays to hundreds of places from Manchester to Moscow to Maidenhead. "That noble company Paines Plough, de facto national theatre of new writing" The Daily Telegraph

Our Programme 2015 saw 12 productions by the nation’s finest writers touring to 84 places from Cornwall to the Orkney Islands; in village halls and Off-Broadway, at music festivals and student unions, online and on radio, and in our own pop-up theatre Roundabout. With Programme 2016 we continue to tour the length and breadth of the UK from clubs and pubs to lakeside escapes and housing estates. Roundabout hosts our most ambitious Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme ever and brings mini-festivals to each stop on its Autumn tour. We’re extending our digital reach by live streaming shows and launching our free Come To Where I’m From app featuring over 100 audio plays. "I think some theatre just saved my life" on Twitter

a writing prompt for a grey monday, for anyone who needs it xTold by Roy Williams in our Meet the Writers video series, ...
12/10/2026

a writing prompt for a grey monday, for anyone who needs it x

Told by Roy Williams in our Meet the Writers video series, via the late great Stephen Jeffreys.



07/10/2026

Sophia Griffin (writer of After Sunday, last year’s smasher at and ) is back in LDN.

Her new short piece JULIE will be performed by Wil Johnson (House of the Dragon HBO; Merry Wives of Windsor RSC) at Come to Where I Am on Friday.

Your one and only chance to see. Come along to where we are?

Paines Plough’s Come to Where I Am
📍
📍
⏰ 6.40pm, Fri 9 Oct
🔗 link in bio

04/10/2026

Nick Ahad’s got a problem.

But we’ll figure it out together on Friday.

The line-up
📍 Nick Ahad performs his piece ‘719662719664’
📍 Jade Anouka performs ‘My Darling Asleep’ by Danielle James
📍 Wil Johnson performs ‘JULIE’ by Sophia Griffin
📍 Aisling Loftus performing ‘Northern/Not Northern’ by James Graham

📍
📍
⏰ 6.40pm, Fri 9 Oct
🔗 link in bio

TEAM = FULLY ASSEMBLEDAnnouncing Wil Johnson (HBO’s House of the Dragon; RSC’s The Merry Wives of Windsor), who complete...
02/10/2026

TEAM = FULLY ASSEMBLED

Announcing Wil Johnson (HBO’s House of the Dragon; RSC’s The Merry Wives of Windsor), who completes the line-up for our storytelling hour, Come to Where I Am, at Shedinburgh Fringe Festival on Friday 9 October.

Four writers. Four stories. Curated by Paines Plough.
A very very lovely way to start a weekend.

The line-up
📍 Nick Ahad performs his piece ‘718662719664’
📍 Jade Anouka performs ‘My Darling Asleep’ by Danielle James
📍 Wil Johnson performs ‘JULIE’ by Sophia Griffin
📍 Aisling Loftus performing ‘Northern/Not Northern’ by James Graham

📍 Shedinburgh Fringe Festival
📍 Young Vic
⏰ 6.40pm, Fri 9 Oct
🔗 link in bio

the story that launched a hit series, performed by one of its stars.Aisling Loftus will perform James Graham’s piece ‘No...
01/10/2026

the story that launched a hit series, performed by one of its stars.

Aisling Loftus will perform James Graham’s piece ‘Northern/Not Northern’, at Come to Where I Am at Shedinburgh, Young Vic.

A piece originally commissioned by Paines Plough, it became James’s creative inspiration for the hit BBC series Sherwood, in which Aisling also played a lead role.

The piece will be performed as part of Come to Where I Am, a storytelling hour featuring pieces from James Graham, Nick Ahad, Sophia Griffin and Danielle James 📍

Friday 9 October
Shedinburgh at Young Vic
6.40pm
Click the link in the comments to book.

30/09/2026

performer announcement within 👀

My Darling Asleep by Danielle James
Directed by Charlotte Bennett
Performed by Jade Anouka

As part of a series of short pieces being performed at Paines Plough’s Come to Where I Am, at 6.40pm on Friday 9 October.

📍 Shedinburgh, Young Vic

Click the link in the bio to book.

FINAL SHEDULE.Mark your diaries, drop the pins.This is Paines Plough at Shedinburgh, at the Young Vic in London 🏠 A cura...
28/09/2026

FINAL SHEDULE.
Mark your diaries, drop the pins.

This is Paines Plough at Shedinburgh, at the Young Vic in London 🏠

A curated programme of a bit of everything you know us for: championing artists, bringing creative people together, and telling bold new stories on the stage.

📍 3pm workshop led by Katie Lambourne
📍 5pm panel with Katie, Charlotte, Dennis Kelly, Abi Morgan and Nick Ahad
📍 6.40pm Come to Where I Am, featuring pieces from Sophia, danielle james / danielle nic eoin, James Graham and Nick Ahad

For one performance only. Get your tickets before there are no more to get.

Click the links in our bio to book.





25/09/2026

what do you and yours call it?

Extract from Northern/Not Northern by James Graham (2010), originally commissioned for our project Come to Where I’m From, which will have a special one-off performance at Come to Where I Am on Friday 9 October.

📍
📍
⏰ 6.40pm, Fri 9 Oct
🔗 link in bio

announcing: your full writer lineup for Come to Where I Am at Shedinburgh in London.For one performance only at 6.40pm o...
25/09/2026

announcing: your full writer lineup for Come to Where I Am at Shedinburgh in London.

For one performance only at 6.40pm on Friday 9 October.

📍 Nick Ahad, ‘718662719664’
📍 Danielle James, ‘My Darling Asleep’
📍 Sophia Griffin, ‘Samuel Browne’
📍 And written by Paines Plough’s Patron James Graham, a performance of ‘Northern/Not Northern’. Originally commissioned for our Come to Where I’m From series in 2010, the piece became the inspiration for his hit BBC series, Sherwood.

Drop the pin. Mark the diary. Come to where we are.
🔗 Click the link in the comments to get it booked in.

21/09/2026

IT’S MAGIC

Words by
📹 by





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Belgrade Theatre
Coventry

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