By Dan Sinclair
Founded in 1974 over a pint of Paines Bitter in the Plough Pub by David Pownall and John Adams, Paines Plough has consistently proven itself to be the new writing company, and one without a home. It has one of the most impressive rosters in British playwriting, we could be here for hours: Sarah Kane, Simon Stephens, April De Angelis, Dennis Kelly, Mike Bartlett, Penelope Skinner, Chris Bush it truly goes on. Currently helmed by the outstanding Charlotte Bennet and Katie Posner, the 50th Birthday Gala is a chance for us to think on the legacy of Paines Plough, see the plays that make up its DNA, and look ahead to the future of the company, and raise some money along the way.
It feels wrong to categorise this as a ‘star-studded’ event, rather one brimming with artists who first cut their teeth on Paines Plough, before happening to then become some of the biggest and best, it’s no coincidence then that Paines Plough were always their first cheerleaders. The night opened with a new monologue from the titanic (or Titanique, thanks Criterion Theatre for hosting) James Graham, the man who leaves no jobs for the rest of us. Performed by Sherwood alumni, Monica Dolan, the night started with a jab at the Labour government, AI and a gloomy look at the next fifty years. We then heard from Mark Ravenhill, another Paines Plough gem, before an extract from Sarah Kane’s Crave, performed by a stellar lineup: Thomas Coombes, Alfred Enoch, Siobhan McSweeney and Rebekah Murrell. Moving on to extracts from Dennis Kelly and Mike Bartlett with equally stacked casts.
The first half of the evening’s performances were firmly rooted in the history of Paines Plough, not forgetting Amy Trigg’s later performance of Reasons You Should (n’t) Love Me which took place in the actual Plough Pub. Across the night, I considered on the nature of the 50th, the gala presented itself as a midpoint, tipping between the past and present of the company, looking back but forward. I did feel like the balance here could’ve done with tweaking, a slight repositioning towards the future voices and work of the company could’ve been injected.
The second half opened with the highlight of the night, a performance from Simon Stephens’s Sea Wall by Tom Sturridge, who received a Tony nomination for his performance in the Broadway production of the play in 2019. Originally performed in 2008 at The Bush by some guy called Andrew Scott, it is one of the most beautifully devastating pieces you can ever hope to read or watch. Tom Sturridge gave a haunting performance, full of all the richness of Stephens’s text. Looking to the future of touching, funny and nuanced Paines Plough monologues, a genre they do better than anyone, was Nathan Queeley-Dennis’s Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz performed by Ted Lasso’s Kola Bokinni. After a rousing speech by Roy Williams, we were treated to the opening extract from one of the hit plays of last year. It’s hilarious, fresh and a look at the next fifty for Paines Plough.
Looking ahead to the next fifty years of essential and exciting new writing, Paines Plough have a number of ways that you can support them. Led by James Graham and Nick Payne, they are looking to create a Supporters Circle, 50for50, fifty donors to commit to a yearly donation of £1000 to help create a reliable income for Paines Plough. Or fancy sponsoring a seat in their iconic roundabout theatre (wherever in the country/world it may be at any given time), or buy a ticket and support their work with your bum on a seat. Have a look below for all the ways you can help them over the next fifty years.
50for50 Supporters Circle
Support Paines Plough
Photos by Greta Zabulyte