Birdcatcher
A darkly comic new play about a teenage girl trapped in a doomsday cult, by Laura Waldren and directed by Elle While.
A Pentabus production in association with Papatango Theatre Company and Middle Child Theatre.
A new play by Laura Waldren directed by Elle While.
Birdcatcher is a darkly comic drama 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.
Pentabus is the Nation’s Rural Theatre. This inaugural production is directed by 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.
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.
Suitable for ages 12+.
Access: Audio Description integrated into every performance.