Papatango Announces Creative Team for Matt Grinter's ORCA

Papatango today announced the creative team for Orca, Matt Grinter's winning submission from a record-breaking 1053 entries to the 8th annual Papatango New Writing Prize. Alice Hamilton will direct, with set and costumes designed by Frankie Bradshaw, lighting design by Johanna Town and sound design by Richard Hammarton. The production opens at Southwark Playhouse on 4 November, with previews from 2 November, and runs until 26 November.

"One girl, against the happiness of the whole village. Can you not see it has to be done?"

Midsummer. The village must choose a new Daughter to sail with the fishing boats and bless the waters, keeping the threat of the orcas that roam the sea at bay for another year.

Fan hopes with all her heart to be the one chosen, but her older sister Maggie is adamant she must never, never, go with the boats. Because something happened to Maggie out there. Because no one will admit it. Because sometimes the most beautiful places harbour the darkest secrets.

Orca is an incisive, unflinching insight into what makes a community tolerate the unthinkable.

Matt Grinter lives in Bristol. He worked as a director prior to beginning a career as a writer. His very first play, Angel, was produced by Papatango in 2008 and won the Lost Theatre's One Act Play Festival; this inspired Grinter to focus on his writing. His second play, The Dog and the Elephant, had short runs at the Vault Festival and the Bristol Old Vic Studio, where he is currently one of the Open Session Writers on attachment. Orca will be his first full production.

Alice Hamilton's is co-Artistic Director of theatre company Up in Arms. Her work for the company includes German Skerries (Orange Tree Theatre and UK tour), Eventide (Arcola Theatre and UK tour), Visitors (Bush Theatre, Arcola Theatre and UK tour) and Fear of Music (Out of Joint UK tour). Her other credits include Orson's Shadow (Southwark Playhouse), Missing (Tristan Bates Theatre) and At First Sight (Latitude Festival and tour). She worked as Staff Director on Man and Superman at the National Theatre, and has directed development workshops and rehearsed readings with the Royal Court, National Theatre, Salisbury Playhouse, and High Tide.

Papatango is a charity who discover and champion new playwrights by running open application schemes and opportunities, all free to enter and assessed anonymously. As well as the New Writing Prize, Papatango offers an annual Resident Playwright scheme, taking an emerging playwright through commissioning and development of a new play, and also runs an extensive programme of free playwriting workshops for children and adults in London, Bristol, Bedford and Liverpool. This trained 721 budding writers in 2015 and has reached over 1000 individuals so far in 2016. All writers submitting scripts to Papatango receive full feedback for free.

The Papatango New Writing Prize is the UK's only annual award guaranteeing an emerging playwright a full production, publication, 10% of the gross box office and a £6000 commission for a second play. Previous writers produced under the prize include Dawn King, Dominic Mitchell, Tom Morton-Smith, Fiona Doyle, Luke Owen, Louise Monaghan and last year's winner James Rushbrooke.

Southwark Playhouse

77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD

Box Office: 020 7407 0234

www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

Twitter: @PapaTangoTC

Facebook: PapaTango Theatre Company

PERFORMANCE TIMES

Monday to Saturday evenings at 8pm

Saturday matinees at 3:30pm

TICKET PRICES

Previews £12

Full price £20

Concessions £16

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