We are lucky enough to have two brilliant associate companies as part of Team PP. We have a long-standing relationship with these companies, and they share our commitment to touring nationally and telling powerful new stories. We support them on an ongoing basis in their development and planning. You can check them out below:

MIDDLE CHILD

Middle Child are a Hull-based company creating gig theatre that brings people together for a good night out with big ideas. They tell untold stories which capture the electrifying moment when the beat drops, mixing original live music with bold new writing. Their events are live and loud, making sense of the modern world.

Middle Child are committed to breaking down barriers and ensuring that theatre is affordable and accessible for all. They will set fire to your expectations of what a night at the theatre can be. Their artist development programme, Reverb, ensures that artists in Hull are given top-class development opportunities across disciplines, without having to leave the city.

Middle Child are an Arts Council England national portfolio organisation and an associate company of Paines Plough, supported by Absolutely Cultured and Hull City Council.

“There is a disconnect between an industry predominantly based in metropolitan areas and those who feel unheard, those who never go to the theatre, who think it’s not for them, or who have no access. Middle Child is the kind of company that can bridge the gap.” Lyn Gardner

Introducing Re:Build – a programme to support companies in building their resilience and strengthening their strategic plans.

With a change in leadership in 2019 came a commitment to champion the unheard and reach the overlooked and we are actively finding ways that we can support underrepresented voices from the artists we work with to the audiences we engage.

We are now offering a package of support for two theatre companies over an initial six-month attachment in the hope of supporting them to build their resilience and strengthen their strategic plans in the current climate.

The two theatre companies we have chosen to support this year are:

Re:Assemble is a professional development dramaturgy programme launched by Paines Plough in association with 45 North in December 2020. The ambition is to create a peer-led, co-learning space with input and contributions from guest practitioners: Paines Plough will curate the space in which this journey begins, but the exploration, journey and destination will be driven and defined by the group.

Over the course of six months, our 2020/21 cohort of 12 dramaturgs will collectively identify, challenge and evolve existing dramaturgical systems; working towards building a more inclusive practice. Through this project, we want to broaden the pool of practitioners we support so that we might work individually and as a team to identify the best conditions in which bold, eclectic and visionary writers can thrive.

To learn more about this programme, please contact our New Work Associate Phillippe – Phillippe@painesplough.com.