Why it matters: RABBLE Theatre's acclaimed production Glitch – The True Story of the Post Office Scandal will visit Ipswich on 13-14 February as part of a spring UK tour, offering local audiences the chance to experience one of Britain's biggest miscarriages of justice brought to the stage.
The details: Written by Zannah Kearns and directed by RABBLE Associate Artist Gareth Taylor, the play was originally commissioned by the University of Reading and created in association with legal professionals and victims of the scandal. It was first produced in June 2024 at Minghella Studios, University of Reading.
Joanne Howarth will play the lead role of Pam Stubbs, the sub-postmistress of Barkham, who is wrongly accused of stealing tens of thousands of pounds. Howarth started her career at the Wolsey, Ipswich and is a Shakespeare's Globe Associate Artist, having played in five seasons there, most recently in The Crucible in 2025 and Much Ado About Nothing in 2022. She has also appeared in 11 productions for The Royal Shakespeare Company, most recently in 2023's Falkland Sound.
The ensemble cast includes Naveed Khan, who has worked with the RSC, Shakespeare's Globe and Chichester Festival Theatre, Sabina Netherclift, who co-founded Filament Theatre and lectures at GSA, and Laura Penneycard, who has been involved in Glitch from the very beginning and graduated from The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in 2002.
For context: The play is based on an original idea by Elizabeth Conaghan and features sound and music composition by RABBLE Associate Artist Benjamin Hudson, lighting design from Oliver Welsh, and set and costume design by Caitlin Abbot.
The bottom line: Glitch brings one of the most significant legal scandals in British history to Ipswich audiences, telling the human story behind the headlines through professional theatre that was created with input from those affected by the scandal.
Tickets cost £15-26 and are available at wolseytheatre.co.uk or by calling 01473 295900. The production runs on Friday, 13 February at 19:30 and Saturday, 14 February at 14:30 and 19:30.
