Off West End Award nominations for Most Promising Playwright and Best Set!

‘Richly atmospheric and very well acted… Grinter has a genuine talent’ The Guardian

‘Dazzlingly acted…this fine, subtle and important piece of theatre.’ Broadway World

‘Seduces us with myth and theatrical magic.’ Time Out

‘ Grinter’s deviously delicate text unfolds [with] five exemplary performances. Grinter’s is certainly a name to look out for in the future.’ Morning Star

‘Gorgeous, atmospheric, compelling.’ The Stage

‘A joy to watch.’ Exeunt

‘Grinter writes with a real chill [but he’s] not the only talent on display.’ WhatsOnStage

‘Such a brilliant piece…heart-breaking…beautifully told.’ A Younger Theatre

‘Hits tremendously hard.’ Southwark News

‘Bittersweet fable for the modern age.’ Everything Theatre

“One girl, against the happiness of the whole village. Can you not see it has to be done?”

Midsummer. The village must choose a new Daughter to sail with the fishing boats and bless the waters, keeping the threat of the orcas that roam the sea at bay for another year.

Fan hopes with all her heart to be the one chosen, but her older sister Maggie is adamant she must never, never, go with the boats.

Because something happened to Maggie out there. Because no one will admit it. Because sometimes the most beautiful places harbour the darkest secrets.

Orca is an incisive, unflinching insight into what makes a community tolerate the unthinkable.

The winner of the eighth Papatango New Writing Prize, Orca was chosen from a record-breaking 1053 entries. It follows 2015 Prize-winner Tomcat by James Rushbrooke, nominated for Off West End Awards for Best New Play, Best Female Performance and Best Male Performance.

Other previous Prize-winners include BAFTA-winner Dominic Mitchell (In The Flesh, BBC), OffWestEnd Award and RNT Foundation Playwright Award winner Dawn King (Foxfinder, Finborough Theatre; Ciphers, Out of Joint) and Fiona Doyle (Deluge, Hampstead Theatre).

Previous press for Papatango:

‘Notable debut play, presented by those remarkable unearthers of new talent, Papatango.’ Fiona Mountford, The Evening Standard on After Independence

‘A debut of astonishing maturity…a rare discovery.’ Kate Maltby, The Times (Critic’s Choice) on After Independence

‘The annual Papatango New Writing Prize has unearthed some outstanding writers in recent years. This year’s winner, James Rushbrooke, shows similar promise.’ Michael Billington, The Guardian on Tomcat

‘Poignant and engaging.’ David Hennessy, The Irish World on Coolatully

‘An amazing debut to a writing career.’ Carole Gordon, WhatsOnStage on Unscorched

‘Knocks spots off much of the new writing I have seen.’ Michael Billington, The Guardian on Pack

‘A bold and often brilliant stab at something new.’ Dominic Maxwell, The Times on Foxfinder

‘Spell-binding…absolute imaginative authority…that will leave this play lodged in one’s mind forever.’ Paul Taylor, The Independent on Foxfinder

Photographs by Richard Lakos

Saturday 5 November (matinee): Free Post-show Chat with Papatango

Join Papatango to discuss the Papatango New Writing Prize, Orca, and the new writing process.

Monday 7 November: Free Post-Show Event with Creative Team

Director Alice Hamilton, Papatango, and other cast and creatives host a Q&A event to discuss the play.

Tuesday 8 November: Free Post-Show Discussion on Folklore, Rituals and Traditions

Join Papatango and Doc Rowe and Sophia Kingshill from The Folklore Society to discuss the myth-soaked world of Orca, the symbolism and meaning of the play, and its real-life parallels in maritime and midsummer folklore.

Thursday 10 November: Free Post-show Discussion

Join Papatango and a panel including child safeguarding professional Leigh-Ann Hale, youth specialist Robert Stanex, trauma psychologist Noreen Tehrani and specialist counselling psychologist Kim Barkerto to discuss Orca. We will focus on the challenges of tackling abuse in small or isolated areas, in which any disclosures can have devastating repercussions for a whole community, and discuss how safeguarding and welfare have evolved following recent investigations.