Assistant Producer

ASSISTANT PRODUCER

RECRUITMENT PACK

You Bury Me by Ahlam
(photo: Pamela Raith)

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Thank you for your interest in joining the Paines Plough team

Paines Plough is one of the UK’s leading theatre companies, led by Joint Artistic
Directors/CEOs, Charlotte Bennett and Katie Posner.

We exist to nurture writers at all stages of their career, and produce
groundbreaking new plays to inspire audiences across the UK. Each year, tens of
thousands of audience members witness a Paines Plough show or take part in one of
our events.

Founded in 1974, Paines Plough has debuted plays from writers including Sarah Kane,
Dennis Kelly, James Graham, Abi Morgan, Zia Ahmed, Duncan Macmillan and Kae
Tempest. We’re proud to be one of the most celebrated new writing theatre
companies in the country; committed to discovering unheard voices, and striving to
ensure our development of writers is as extensive as our touring productions.

Paines Plough are an agent for change in the theatre industry. At a time of perceived
‘risk’ in touring new plays, we continue to passionately advocate for new writing to
enrich the lives of audiences everywhere, and we prioritise touring our shows outside
of London. Each year, we tour our shows to over 30,000 people and have worked
with 400 writers through our nationwide writer development programme: Tour the
Writer.

We co-founded the Women’s Prize for Playwriting with Ellie Keel in 2019, and
continue to co-produce the prize. The prize is one of our flagship projects, which
actively campaigns for more female and non-binary playwrights to have their stories
told on stages large and small across the UK. The first three winners of the prize,
Amy Trigg (Reasons You Should(n’t) Love Me), Ahlam (You Bury Me) and Karis Kelly
(Consumed), have all had their plays produced by Paines Plough, completing hugely
successful tours.

“Without Paines Plough many a British writer
would have given up / the company has always
been an essential part of the UK’s new writing
ecology and its nationwide place in that has
only grown in recent years.”
Lyn Gardner, Stage Door

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Consumed by Karis Kelly
(photo: Pamela Raith)

“A truly national
company, with an
incredible record of
discovering and
nurturing some of
our most important
writers, reaching
audiences and
communities who are
underrepresented
and doing it all with
passion, rigour and
inclusivity, there’s no
company quite like it.”
Duncan Macmillan
(writer of Lungs and
Every Brilliant Thing)

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Our values

Open: We are a friendly bunch, whether you are an aspiring writer or audience
member.

Collaborative: We never work alone and strive to be the best possible partner
whether we’re working with theatres, actors, designers, students, local communities
or accountants.

Inclusive: We want people to feel they can have their voices heard, and that these
voices and perspectives are representative of the society we live in today. Local:
We’re a national company that invests time, effort and care in getting to know the
communities we visit as if we were local.

Unafraid: We’re in the business of new plays and new ways of touring them. We are
inquisitive, unafraid to ask questions and to try things out both in our theatre and
team.

Environmentally aware: We are proactive in our practice in line with the current
climate change crisis. Our work Paines Plough tours new plays that are socially
relevant and that speak to the present moment and develop writers from across the
country.

Our recent productions include:

•  Consumed by Karis Kelly
•  Ordinary Decent Criminal by Ed Edwards
•  My Mother’s Funeral: The Show by Kelly Jones
•  Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe
•  Shanghai Dolls by Amy Ng
•  Strategic Love Play by Miriam Battye

In Spring 2026, Consumed by Karis Kelly transfers to the Lyric Theatre in Belfast and
the Park Theatre in London. We will also be associate producers on the Broadway
run of Every Brilliant Thing (a show which began its life with us in 2013), in a brand
new production starring Daniel Radcliffe.

As part of our mission to nurture writers across the country, we established Tour
the Writer, a multi-year project in partnership with seven organisations across the
country, to find and develop a nationwide network of writers. With 400 participants
since the beginning of the project, we are now mentoring 14 writers (2 from each
location) and developing their scripts for script-in-hand performances at the Tour
the Writer festival in March 2026.

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Our partners

Partnership working is core to our model. Paines Plough is a lynchpin in collaborating
with regional organisations to deliver new plays to communities; many of whom
experience theatre for the first time. Some of our recent partners have included:

Ellie Keel Productions
Sheffield Theatres

•  Belgrade Theatre, Coventry
•  Women’s Prize for Playwriting
•
•
•  Bristol Old Vic
•  Critical Stages Touring
•  Deafinitely Theatre
•
•  Mercury Theatre, Colchester

Kiln Theatre

•
•
•

Second Half Productions
Soho Theatre
Landmark Theatres (North
Devon and Peterborough)
Live Theatre, Newcastle
Theatre Royal Plymouth
The Lyceum, Edinburgh
The Lyric, Belfast

•
•
•
•
•  Park Theatre
•

Synergy Theatre Project

Charlotte Bennett and Katie Posner, Joint
Artistic Directors & CEOs of Paines Plough
(photo: Rebecca Need-Menear)

tiata fahodzi
Theatre by the Lake, Keswick

•  Open Clasp
•
•
•  Rose Theatre, Kingston
•  Nouveau Riche
•
The Upsetters
•
Elsinor Centro di Produzione
Teatrale

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Staff

Joint Artistic Directors and CEOs

Charlotte Bennett and Katie Posner

Deputy Artistic Director (maternity cover)  Debo Adebayo

Executive Director

Senior Producer

Marketing & Audience
Development Manager

Claire Simpson

Ellie Fitz-Gerald

Manwah Siu

Administrator & Literary Assistant

Hannah Churchill

Fellowship Playwright 2025

Patron

Corey Weekes

James Graham

Board of Directors
Ankur Bahl
Corey Campbell
Lauren Dark
Asma Hussain
Abi Morgan
Helen Perryer
Farha Quadri
Carolyn Saunders
Kully Thiarai (chair)

My Mother’s Funeral: The Show by Kelly Jones company (2024),
with Paines Plough & co-producers (photo: Greta Zabulyte)

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Assistant Producer

Paines Plough is looking for an enthusiastic and highly organised Assistant Producer
to join our dedicated team, as we enter into an exciting year of artistic activity.

The Assistant Producer supports the Senior Producer, other Paines Plough staff and
partner organisations, in the delivery of the company’s production and artistic
development work. The role works across a range of projects as required.

Responsible to: Senior Producer

Key Responsibilities

Programming & Producing

•  Support the Senior Producer in the development and delivery of an
outstanding programme of new theatre that is financially viable.
•  Provide production-related administration support, including ensuring

schedules are up-to-date, administration of contracts with company and
production staff, and venues.

•  Booking travel and accommodation for production teams.
•  Support the Senior Producer and Administrator & Literary Assistant in the
administration of production finance including production payroll, supplier
invoicing, reconciliation and settlements.

•  With the Senior Producer, maintain strong, clear and consistent

communication with all artists involved with each production and project.
•  Work alongside the Senior Producer as the point of contact for production

teams whilst in rehearsals and on the road, ensuring needs are facilitated and
information is communicated to the relevant staff.

•  Manage and distribute touring information to relevant staff, as required.
•

In liaison with the Senior Producer and Administrator & Literary Assistant,
research and book rehearsal spaces for productions, readings and R&D.

•  Oversee the coordination of tickets and hospitality for press and guest nights,
post-show discussions and other production-related events as necessary.
•  Ensure accessibility for our annual programme of work, including arranging

accessible performances, encouraging best practise within the company and in
partners, being a point of contact for access users and developing contacts
with access organisations.

•  Actively contribute to the sustainability of Paines Plough’s produced work,

integrating the Theatre Green Book policies into our practice.

•  As required, assist in co-ordinating Open Auditions, including arranging venues

and audition timeslots, overseeing publicity and managing all related
communications as well as providing administrative support of the day as
necessary.

•  Supporting the delivery of workshops, community events on tour and Paines

Plough’s residency at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

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•  Maintain a knowledge of the national theatre landscape, supporting the

company in developing and nurturing relationships with producers, theatres,
creatives, makers and actors, in liaison with the whole Paines Plough team.

Marketing and Audience Development

•  Work with the Marketing & Audience Development Manager to create and

implement marketing campaigns for productions and projects as necessary, to
contribute to audience and financial targets being met.

•  As required, liaise with the external PR company to support exposure for

Paines Plough and its work.

•  Ensure data is collected, evaluated and reported in a timely fashion to co-

producers and stakeholders.

General

•  To attend company previews, events and press nights as required.
•  Attend company and production meetings as required.
•  To be an enthusiastic advocate of Paines Plough, acting in its best interests at
all times with a thorough understanding of the company’s mission and aims.

•  Publicly champion best practice in the support of playwrights and the

production of their work for the stage.

•  To uphold and implement Paines Plough's policies including but not limited to
equal opportunities, health and safety, environmental sustainability and other
policies outlined in the Staff Handbook.

•  Any other duties reasonably required by the organisation or line manager

outside of the scope of those defined in this job description.

Person Specification
Essential skills and experience

•  A genuine passion and interest for new writing theatre and touring work,

particularly new writing.

•  Experience of producing, administration and/or project management within a

theatre or equivalent arts context.

•  Experience or evidence of working as part of a theatre production.
•  Knowledge and experience of writing contracts, and an understanding of

industry standard contracts (Equity, WGGB, BECTU).

•  Excellent administration and organisational skills and ability to work across

multiple projects concurrently.

•  Experience of monitoring or managing a budget.
•  Clear and concise communication skills.
•  Good interpersonal skills and ability to work within a small and busy team, as

well as the confidence to work independently.

•  A commitment to championing the creative case for diversity on productions

and across the organisation.

Desirable skills and experience

•  Experience of marketing and audience development.
•  A knowledge of and enthusiasm for Paines Plough and its work.

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Our commitment to Equality,
Diversity and Inclusion

Inclusivity is at the heart of Paines Plough’s values; we promote equality and
challenge discrimination in everything we do and tell relevant stories that reflect the
communities we serve.

We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds,
particularly those from under-represented groups in the arts.

We will commit to interviewing people who identify as disabled and/or as a person of
colour or member of the Global Majority who can demonstrate they meet the level of
knowledge and skills required to do the job - please see the Person Specification as
we operate a transparent scoring system, applying a score against your response to
each of the criteria as listed.

If you need any assistance, or require this information in a different format , please
contact recruitment@painesplough.com to request the right version for you.

If you would like to submit your application in a different format, we would be happy
to accommodate this too. For example, this could be a short video or audio recording
(up to 5 minutes in length) rather than a letter. Again, please contact
recruitment@painesplough.com to discuss this.

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Terms of Employment

Salary

Contract

Pension

£30,000 per annum, pro-rata

Fixed term for 8 months

Auto-enrolment in the company pension scheme on completion
of probation, with 4% employer contribution and 5% employee
contribution.

Holiday

The basic annual holiday entitlement with pay is 20 days per
annum, pro rata, plus bank holidays.

Hours

21 hours per week (3 days).

Full time (35 hours) will be required of the post on the weeks
commencing 27th July and 3rd August 2026

Paines Plough operates a flexible working policy with core
office hours between 11:00-17:00 and a flexible working day
operating from 09:00 – 19:00. Additional hours may be required
to fulfil the role, including evening and weekend work for which
no overtime is payable. A TOIL (time off in lieu) policy is in
place.

Location

Paines Plough has a hybrid working model with two days
working from home and three days office-based at Paines
Plough’s offices in Coventry or London.

In addition, employees may be required to work from Edinburgh
during the month of August as part of the company’s residency
at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Some additional travel may be
required throughout the year and all work related travel and
accommodation will be covered by Paines Plough.

We welcome applicants from the West Midlands as part of our
new location at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry.

Probation period  6 weeks

Notice period

During the probationary period, 2 weeks’ notice on either side
is required. After completion of the probationary period, 6
weeks’ notice on either side is required.

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How to apply

The deadline for applications is Wednesday 11 February 2026
First round interviews will take place on Tuesday 17 February 2026
Second round interviews on Friday 20 February 2026

We are ideally looking for someone to take up this post as soon as possible.

Please send your CV and a covering letter to recruitment@painesplough.com with
the subject line: “[Your name]: Assistant Producer Application.”

We also appreciate if you could complete an Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form at
this link: https://www.tfaforms.com/5169484

Your covering letter must be no more than one page of A4. Please ensure that your
covering letter addresses why you are interested in the role of Assistant Producer
and what you would bring to
at Paines Plough, your fit to the person specification,
the company.

Applications should be sent before the closing date and time; applications received
after this deadline will not be considered.

We wish you the best of luck with your application.

Guidance Notes

Questions for us?
If you would like an informal chat about the role please contact Senior Producer, Ellie
Fitz-Gerald at elliefitzgerald@painesplough.com

Shortlisting and Interviews
When shortlisting we are looking at how closely your application meets the criteria
set out in the Person Specification. We will reply to all candidates via email,
regardless of whether you have been shortlisted or not.

Offers
All offers are made subject to satisfactory references, proof of identity, address and
eligibility to work in the UK.

Accessibility
If you would find it more accessible to complete this application in another format,
please get in touch with us.

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Paines Plough Limited

Coventry office
(and registered address):
Belgrade Theatre
Belgrade Square, Corporation Street
Coventry,
CV1 1GS

London office address:
38 Mayton Street,
London, N7 6QR

Main contact address: office@painesplough.com
Website: www.painesplough.com
Instagram: @painesplough
Facebook: @painesploughHQ
YouTube: /painesplough/

Registered charity. 267523 Registered company in England and Wales. 1165130 VAT.
156 8615 38 / ITC Member

Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan
Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe.
Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic

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