‘Charley’s debut Blackthorn proves her to be a writer of thrilling imagination, astonishing insight and rare dramatic instinct. She is a major voice of the future.’   

Paines Plough Artistic Directors, George Perrin and James Grieve   

The only two children born in a Yorkshire village for a generation cannot imagine ever being apart, but as their lives shift, so too do the ties that bind them. Charley Miles’ outstanding debut play Blackthorn explores the changes and choices that pull us from the places and people we love.

Charley's outstanding debut is a beautiful and evocative script, deeply rooted in rural Yorkshire life, its feasts and festivals, light and landscape. Charley puts the heart of the play best: ‘what does belonging mean when neither the place nor the person you belong to remains the same?’    

Blackthorn was a finalist for the highly prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn prize in New York and our workshop production at the West Yorkshire Playhouse was featured in the Guardian Readers' Choice, 2016. Charley Miles has just been appointed as Paines Plough’s 2018 writing fellow.  

We are incredibly excited to share Blackthorn with a wider audience at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.