Birdcatcher

Experience the world premiere of this darkly comic drama by Laura Waldren about a teenage girl navigating life inside a doomsday cult. Set in East Yorkshire, the play shines a light on the murky, repressive underworld of religious “high control groups” in the UK – and asks how you find yourself in a world you think is about to end.

This inaugural production is directed by Pentabus’s BAFTA winning Artistic Director Elle While (Mother Courage; Richard III, Shakespeare’s Globe) and written by rising star and award-winning playwright Laura Waldren, whose first play Some Demon won the 2023 Papatango Prize.

A Pentabus production in association with Papatango Theatre Company and Middle Child Theatre.

‘One of British theatre’s unsung treasures’ The Guardian on Pentabus

‘One of my plays of the year… Suggests a major talent’  ★★★★★ WhatsOnStage on Some Demon

‘An astonishing debut… Ambitious, astute and utterly gripping’  ★★★★ The Telegraph on Some Demon

Suitable for ages 12+

Access
(AD) This show is accessible for blind and partially sighted audiences, with Audio Description integrated into every performance.

(CC) Captions/subtitles offered at some performances on handheld devices (the Difference Engine) for D/deaf audiences

Content Guidance
This play explores life within a strict religious community, including themes of coercive control and institutional abuse. It contains strong language, descriptions of sexual harassment, and references to accidental death. As this is a new play, the content guidance will be reviewed and updated throughout the rehearsal process as needed.