About

Birdcatcher is a new play by award-winning playwright Laura Waldren, directed by BAFTA-winning Artistic Director Elle While.

Produced by Pentabus in association with Papatango Theatre Company and Middle Child Theatre, this darkly comic drama follows a teenage girl navigating life inside a doomsday cult. Set in East Yorkshire, the play shines a light on the hidden and repressive world of religious high-control groups in the UK, asking how someone finds their place in a world they believe is about to end.

Laura Waldren's debut play Some Demon won the 2023 Papatango Prize, and Birdcatcher marks a major new production from Pentabus, the Nation's Rural Theatre.

Content guidance: This production explores life within a strict religious community and includes 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, content guidance may be reviewed and updated during the rehearsal process. Suitable for ages 12+.

Access:
(AD) Audio Description is integrated into every performance, making the show accessible for blind and partially sighted audiences.
(CC) Captions/subtitles are available at selected performances on handheld devices (the Difference Engine) for D/deaf audiences.

Birdcatcher is part of Telford Theatre on Tour.