Cleaners Lorraine and Muriel find Mr. B, face down in a pool of his own blood, making a hell of a mess on the mushroom carpeting.

Wielding squeeges and cleaning contracts our fearless private eyes must find the killer before he, or she, finds them.

“I thought dirt was what you got in the Sunday papers I thought dust was a class A drug, I thought I knew what I was in for but I didn’t have a clue…”

John Savage is woken by his daughter Kate, there is blood on their clothes and he has no idea how it got there. As Kate helps him piece together the previous day’s events that led to the haunting night before, has John really awoken at all? A dark and twisted contemporary Gothic tale.

“As Kris Akabusi’s flamencoing on the telly I’m thinking, I’m thinking, I’m thinking… is this all there is now?”

Sean, just out of prison, invites Lisa back to his flat for a drink. Lisa says she’s Norwegian. Is Sean Norwegian too. In this dark, funny encounter two outsiders reach out to each other across the deep fjords of the heart.

“In Norway we’re used to darkness in people’s heads. We even prefer it. Because if there is no darkness then what in heaven’s name are you thinking about? We Norwegians think people who are happy are perhaps just a little above themselves, don’t you?”

Paines Plough’s late night writing salon, LATER, has gone East.

We’ve invited three Pakistani playwrights to give us their unique view of contemporary life. The result is a surprising and unsettling kaleidoscope of urgent new work inspired by contemporary events:

ABDULLAH by Salman Sahid is a potent and comic exploration of the delicate balance between the wealthy and their servants in a changing political and religious landscape.

FREEDOM PASS by Anita Mir is an explosive and sensitive play about race, identity and the BNP.

GLAD TIDINGS by Bilal Hasan Minto is a taut and heartbreaking vision of one woman’s desperate bid to escape.

This year a new array of brilliant playwrights bring their work to the LATER stage. Join us and be the first to see new work at its inception.

Monday 12 February
A rehearsed reading of PORNOGRAPHY by Simon Stephens, directed by Matthew Dunster

Monday 12 March Curated by Che Walker
Award winning playwright Ché Walker takes to the stage, bringing some of the UK’s most exciting young talent with him, including Zawe Ashton, Bola Agbaje, Nirjay Mahindru Neil D’Souza, Lizzie McCallum, Chris Preddie and Ché himself, reading excerpts from their latest work

Monday 19 March Curated by Jess Walters
An evening of work hand-picked by playwright Jess Walters, featuring work from Tameka Empson, Emma Frost, Terry Johnson and Jess herself

Monday 16 April Curated by Tom Morton-Smith
Paines Plough’s new writer-in-residence, Tom brings to the stage his pick of emerging writers, featuring; In-sook Chappell, Joel Horwood, James Graham, Ali Taylor, John Terry and Tom himself.

Monday 23 April Curated by David Eldridge
Gathering playwrights writing from and about Romford, this LATER sees new work brought to the stage by; James Martin Charlton, Pauline Hannah, David Hill, Ben Musgrave and David himself

***

Monday 10 September Curated by Duncan Macmillan
Featuring new work by Bola Agbaje, Robin French, Nick Gill, Chloe Moss, Phil Porter, Amy Rosenthal and Duncan himself

Monday 17 September Curated by Leo Butler
Featuring new work by Elinor Cook, Elise Hearst, Ben Ockrent, Polly Stenham and Alexandra Wood

Monday 8 October
‘Murder at Gobbler’s Wood’ by Robin French, Dennis Kelly and Enda Walsh

Monday 15 October FUTURE PEFECT 3
Featuring new work from Paines Plough’s writers group FUTURE PERFECT, including Lydia Adetunji, Steve Hevey, Dominic Mitchell, Laura Neal, Nick Payne, Ali Muriel, Michael McLean

Monday 5 November Curated by Levi David Addai
Featuring new work from David Watson, Joel Horwood, Daniel Taylor, Tyrone James, Nathan Clough, Bola Agbaje and Levi himself.

Monday 12 November Curated by Laura Wade
Featuring new work from Moira Buffini, Patrick Marber, Alexandra Wood and Laura herself.

“It’s brass band music. The brass band is jolly. Like when Ground Force have finished their first day and Alan, Tommy and Charley are off to the pub for a feed of pints.

It’s Summery music and the vision we open on is clouds. Summer clouds but with a hint of grey. A hint of grey suggesting the horribleness that is about to unfold in this idyllic environment…”

It’s five days until Caulston’s annual cake fete when a body is found in Gobbler’s Wood. With the village caught in a baking frenzy, the Detective Inspector and his trusty side-kick must work alone to uncover the murderer before they strike again…

Amidst the rolling fields and warm sun of this year’s LATITUDE Festival, Paines Plough draws open the curtains on a disturbing and hilariously dark plot co-written by three of the UK’s most exciting playwrights.