Announcing our line-up for our 50th Anniversary Gala on 10 February 2025.

Celebrating 50 years of pioneering bold new writing, the evening will open with an exclusive world premiere short piece written by Paines Plough patron James Graham, performed by Monica Dolan as a rallying cry for theatre and new writing.

It will be followed by extracts from some of our past productions, performed by some incredible guests:

  • Crave by Sarah Kane, featuring Thomas Coombes, Alfred Enoch, Siobhan McSweeney and Rebekah Murrell. Directed by the play’s original director Vicky Featherstone.
  • After the End by Dennis Kelly, directed by Matthew Dunster and performed by television royalty, Meg Bellamy (Princess Kate in The Crown) and Hugh Skinner (Prince William in The Windsors)
  • Love, Love, Love by Mike Bartlett, performed by Lesley Sharp, Iain Glen and Jessie Cave.
  • Sea Wall by Simon Stephens, performed by Tom Sturridge (The Sandman), who received a Tony nomination for his performance in the Broadway production of Sea Wall in 2019.
  • Hungry by Chris Bush, featuring Heather Agyepong (Shifters) and Sophie Melville (Cowbois)
  • Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz by Nathan Queeley-Dennis, performed by Kola Bokinni (Ted Lasso).
  • Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe.

We’ll also be presenting a filmed segment featuring Olivier Award-winning actor and playwright Amy Trigg, who will record a scene from Reasons You Should(n’t) Love Me (winner of the Women’s Prize for Playwriting in 2021), in the venue where it all began for us as a company fifty years ago.

Guest hosts and appearances on the evening will also include Indhu Rubasingham (Artistic Director of the National Theatre), and playwrights James Graham, Roy Williams, Mark Ravenhill and Ryan Calais Cameron.

Click here to book your tickets for the 50th Anniversary Gala. Tickets start at £23.25.

As part of booking there is the option for a ‘Pay It Forward’ donation, which will go towards a ticket for an early-career writer who might not otherwise be able afford to attend. Stay tuned on our newsletter and our social media channels for details on the Pay It Forward tickets.

It’s an honour to announce this amazing line-up of plays and guests for our 50th Anniversary Gala. As a new writing company, it is in our DNA to always look ahead to what’s next: where’s the next tour stop? When’s the next workshop? What’s the next project? But for an evening, we’re allowing ourselves just one moment to reflect on Paines Plough’s incredible history, and to raise a glass to the many, many people and stories that have made their contribution to the fabric of British theatre, and to making our small but mighty company what it is today. We can’t wait to celebrate 50 years with this line-up, and to continue our unwavering mission to champion new writing as a priority for our stages.

One Page Play

Submit your bid for one of our exclusive one-page 50th anniversary plays, personally written for you by Mike Bartlett, Chris Bush, Dennis Kelly, Mark Ravenhill, Simon Stephens, or Roy Williams. Signed, framed and posted straight to your door. All proceeds will go directly towards our 50 for 50 campaign. Click here to find out more about One Page Play.

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