Pentabus brings accessible theatre experience to Telford and Wrekin
Residents are being invited to experience an innovative and inclusive theatre production when Birdcatcher, presented by Pentabus Theatre in association with Papatango Theatre Company and Middle Child, comes to the Borough on Friday 30 October as part of Telford Theatre on Tour in partnership with Arts Alive.
The acclaimed production has been designed to make live theatre more accessible, offering integrated audio description throughout every performance for blind and partially sighted audience members. Captions and subtitles are also available at selected performances via handheld difference engine devices, supporting deaf audiences and helping ensure more people can enjoy the production.
Presented through Telford Theatre's ongoing partnership with Arts Alive, Birdcatcher forms part of a wider commitment to making arts and culture accessible to everyone, while bringing high-quality performances into local community venues.
Birdcatcher, by Laura Waldren, 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.
Laura was a Pentabus Resident Playwright and also won the 2023 Papatango New Writing Prize, with her debut play Some Demon produced by Papatango at Arcola Theatre and Bristol Old Vic; a revival off-Broadway is opening next year.
The production tells a compelling and engaging story while demonstrating how accessibility can be seamlessly embedded into live performance, allowing audiences to share the same theatre experience together.
Councillor Angela McClements, Telford & Wrekin Council's Cabinet Member for Culture, Tourism and Leisure, said: "Accessibility is incredibly important to us, and Birdcatcher is a fantastic example of how theatre can be enjoyed by more people through thoughtful and inclusive design.
“By integrating audio description into every performance and offering captioning support for deaf audiences, the production helps remove barriers and creates a shared experience for all.
"We want everyone in Telford and Wrekin to have the opportunity to enjoy arts and culture, and we're proud to support performances that champion inclusion while delivering outstanding entertainment."
The production is suitable for ages 12+ and offers an accessible theatre experience for a wide range of audiences. Tickets are priced at £12 for adults and £10 for concessions, with a limited number of free tickets available for under 25s, helping to make the performance affordable and accessible to more people.
For tickets and further information, visit the Telford Theatre website.