Photos: Inside Paines Plough’s 50th Anniversary Gala

Photos have been released from Paines Plough’s star-studded 50th Anniversary Gala which took place last night at the Criterion Theatre, featuring performers Monica Dolan, Tom Sturridge, Thomas Coombes, Alfred Enoch, Siobhan McSweeney, Rebekah Murrell, Jessie Cave, Iain Glen, Lesley Sharp, Meg Bellamy, Hugh Skinner, Heather Agyepong, Sophie Melville, Kola Bokinni and Jonny Donahoe. 

They were joined by guest speakers including James Graham, Indhu Rubasingham, Abi Morgan, Roy Williams and Mark Ravenhill.

Featuring performances from some of the acclaimed new writing company’s greatest hits - both new and old. The programme was a unique chance to  journey through the Paines Plough archive as some of the greatest acting and writing talents in the theatre world came together in a joyful celebration of playwriting at its finest. The images highlight both the rehearsal of the extracts, and the gala itself. 

Celebrating 50 years of pioneering bold new writing, the evening opened with an exclusive world premiere short piece entitled ‘The Next 50’, written by Paines Plough patron James Graham, performed by Monica Dolan as a rallying cry for theatre and new writing. It was followed by extracts from seminal work such as Sarah Kane’s 1998 meditation on the meaning of love, Crave, featuring Thomas Coombes, Alfred Enoch, Siobhan McSweeney and Rebekah Murrell and directed by the play’s original director Vicky Featherstone; Dennis Kelly’s 2005 psychological thriller After The End directed by Matthew Dunster, starring Meg Bellamy and Hugh Skinner; Mike Barlett’s 2010 indictment of the Baby Boomer generation Love, Love, Love performed by Jessie Cave, Iain Glen and Lesley Sharp, and Simon Stephens’ devastating monologue Sea Wall performed by Tom Sturridge, who received a Tony nomination for his performance in the Broadway revival of the show in 2019.

The line-up also included Standing at the Sky’s Edge writer Chris Bush’s exploration of class and food, Hungry, which premiered at Roundabout in 2021 and featured Heather Agyepong and Sophie Melville, and Bruntwood Prize winner Nathan Queeley-Dennis’ love letter to Birmingham, Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz, performed by Kola Bokinni. Finally, Jonny Donahoe performed a section of Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe’s phenomenon Every Brilliant Thing, which first premiered in 2014 at Roundabout and has since toured globally, including a sell-out return to Roundabout in 2024.

The company also presented a filmed segment featuring Olivier Award-winning actor and playwright Amy Trigg performing a scene from Reasons You Should(n’t) Love Me (winner of the Women’s Prize for Playwriting in 2021) at the Plough pub in Bolnhurst, Bedford, the place where it all began for the company fifty years ago.

The evening included appearances from guest hosts Indhu Rubasingham (Artistic Director of the National Theatre), and writers James Graham, Ellie Keel, Abi Morgan, Roy Williams and Mark Ravenhill.

This event was part of Paines Plough's 50 for 50 Campaign which aims to raise £50,000 to support its work developing the next 50 years and beyond of new writing.

The evening also saw Paines Plough patron James Graham join up with playwright Nick Payne to launch Paines Plough’s Supporters Circle, with an aim to recruit 50 patrons to commit their support for the company’s work for the next three years. More information about joining the Supporters Circle can be found on Paines Plough’s website at this link: https://painesplough.com/news/join-the-supporters-circle/.

As part of their fundraising efforts, Paines Plough also announces an exclusive auction for a personalised One Page Play written by the bidder’s choice from one of the following world-renowned playwrights: Mike Bartlett, Chris Bush, Dennis Kelly, Simon Stephens, or Roy Williams. This will be signed, framed and delivered to the highest bidder. All proceeds will go directly towards Paines Plough’s 50 for 50 campaign and support new writing and writers in the future. Anyone interested in bidding should email Paines Plough’s Executive Director jodie@painesplough.com.

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