Papatango Theatre Company and Pentabus have announced a new collaborative partnership that will see two acclaimed new plays tour the UK, bringing the work of award-winning playwrights Tom Powell and Laura Waldren to audiences nationwide.
The initiative aims to create bigger platforms for new writing while responding to the sharp decline in touring theatre productions across the UK. The partnership will begin with the world premiere stage productions of The Silence and The Noise and Birdcatcher.
Tom Powell’s The Silence and The Noise, winner of the 2021 Papatango New Writing Prize, will finally receive its stage premiere this autumn. Directed by Papatango Artistic Director George Turvey, the production opens at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury before touring to Bristol Old Vic, Chichester Festival Theatre and Park Theatre in London.
Originally produced as an audio drama during the pandemic, the play was later adapted into a filmed version by Pentabus and Rural Media in 2023.
The drama follows Daize and Ben, two neglected teenagers whose lives collide as they navigate violence, vulnerability and the possibility of hope.
Powell, a former Pentabus Clive Richards Foundation Writer in Residence, drew partly on his own family experiences when creating the play.
The second production in the partnership is Birdcatcher, a new play by Laura Waldren directed by Pentabus Artistic Director Elle While in association with Hull-based theatre company Middle Child.
Opening at Middle Child’s venue on Humber Street in Hull before embarking on a rural tour and wider UK run, Birdcatcher is a darkly comic drama set in East Yorkshire about a teenage girl growing up inside a doomsday cult.
Waldren previously won the 2023 Papatango New Writing Prize for Some Demon, which premiered at the Arcola Theatre before transferring to Bristol Old Vic.
Commenting on the partnership, Papatango’s George Turvey and Chris Foxon said: “The touring ecosystem – especially for new plays – is at risk of collapse. This would have devastating consequences for emerging artists, who need access to a national network of venues, producers and audiences if they are to achieve sustainable careers, as well as for audiences, who deserve varied programming including relevant contemporary stories regardless of where they live. We are excited to pilot a new partnership with Pentabus to tackle this systemic crisis; by combining resources, expertise and networks, we can together help the next generation of writers to flourish and share their stories nationwide. We and Pentabus resolutely believe that the right to tell and to watch new plays belongs to everyone.”
Pentabus Joint CEOs Elle While and Verity Overs-Morrell added: “Tom Powell and Laura Waldren are two exceptional writers whose plays both Pentabus and Papatango have proudly championed. We’re delighted to be launching Birdcatcher, set in Laura’s home county of Yorkshire, in association with Papatango and Hull-based new writing theatre company Middle Child, as well as working with Papatango on Tom’s The Silence and The Noise. Collaborations like this give outstanding new plays the strongest possible launchpad, helping them reach more audiences across the UK.”
The Silence and The Noise opens at the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury from 4 to 6 November 2026 before visiting Bristol Old Vic, Chichester Festival Theatre and Park Theatre through December.
Birdcatcher opens at Middle Child on 16 and 17 October 2026 before touring Yorkshire, Shropshire and additional UK venues into 2027.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
