Paines Plough's 2020 season, Live Out Loud, is the first of new artistic directors Charlotte Bennett and Katie Posner.
The work, presented with new and existing partners, is described by them as "stories that celebrate what it is to live life out loud, own who you are and speak your truth.”
Amongst the co-productions are"
- Chloë Moss's Run Sister Run, with Soho Theatre and Sheffield Theatres. This story of family, love and dependence is directed by Charlotte Bennett with composition Arun Ghosh and plays Sheffield Theatres in February London's Soho Theatre from the end of March.
- Also with Soho Theatre, Sessions by Ifeyinwa Frederick about therapy for suffers of depression. This is a co-commissioned play written by Frederick during a yearlong attachment run by Soho Theatre; it will tour after playing the London venue.
- Moon Licks by Charlotte Josephine directed by Hannah Hauer-King is produced with the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. It will play the Cardiff venue in March and then have a run at London's Gate Theatre in April.
Roundabout 2020, a rep season delivered in the company's portable venue, is co-produced with Oldham Coliseum Theatre, playing Oldham town centre, Summerhall Edinburgh, York Theatre Royal, Salford, Ramsgate, Doncaster, Poole and Lincoln.
In association with York Theatre Royal they are producing
- Hungry a play about food, class and grief by lyricist and theatre-maker Chris Bush.
- Black Love a musical about romantic love between black people by Chinonyerem Odimba with music by Ben and Max Ringham.
- Really Big And Really Loud a play for families by Phoebe Eclair-Powell about ten-year-old Charli who literally loses her voice.
- The Inconvenience Store by Charlotte Keatley about a shop where you leave the changing room with more than different clothes. Katie Posner directs.
New for this year is a 30-minute short ‘trailblazer’ show to be written by Charlotte Keatley.
In a further new initiative, LAMDA Live Lab will see early-career playwrights, actors and technicians work with established pioneering female playwrights, the first is actress and poet Jade Anouka from whom a new work has been commissioned.
And finally, in announcing the new season, Paines Plough and Ellie Keel Productions have launched The Women’s Prize For Playwriting to find and support ground-breaking playwrights in the UK and Ireland who identify as female.
The prize is open from 11 November to 2 March. Submissions should be a full-length play of 60 minutes or more written in English. The winner will receive £12,000 for an exclusive option to co-produce their work. Second and third prizes will also be awarded.
Senior literary agent Mel Kenyon will chair the judging panel made up of Sarah Frankcom, Tanika Gupta, Kate Packenham, Indhu Rubasingham and Maxine Peake. Musicals and pantomimes are not eligible for submission.