RABBLE Theatre, founded in Reading in 2012, have announced a highly experienced cast for their acclaimed play, Glitch – The True Story of the Post Office Scandal, which will be touring the UK in the spring of 2026.
In 2022, Elizabeth Conachan of the University of Reading’s School of Law contacted RABBLE Theatre to ask if the company would be interested in developing a new play based on the largest miscarriage of justice in English legal history.
Because RABBLE Theatre tell local stories of national significance and champion women, their creative team quickly agreed that this was a project that strongly aligned with the charity aims.
Following significant research by writer Zannah Kearns, who worked closely with Pam, the School of Law and legal professionals involved in the case, Zannah created a script that deals brilliantly with the complexities and emotional challenges of the story, with dramaturgy from RABBLE’s associate writer Beth Flintoff.
Reading University PhD student and RABBLE’s then Director of Outreach, Gemma Colclough, led the play through a research and development process with student actors from both the Film, Theatre and Television and Law departments, working alongside RABBLE’s professional creatives.
In 2024, the play previewed at the University of Reading’s Minghella Theatre, with RABBLE Associate Artist Gareth Taylor joining as Co-Director. The play achieved critical acclaim to the extent that every single seat sold and the team are now delighted to be exporting culture made in Reading to the rest of the UK thanks to investment from Arts Council England.
Toby Davies, Artistic Director and Founder of RABBLE Theatre, said: “RABBLE tell local stories of national significance and we champion women. This project fits the bill perfectly, with Pam’s story being both inspiring and deeply relevant. We are incredibly proud to be sharing it with a national audience, whilst helping keep the injustice of it all in the public eye. It still has a long way to go.”
The cast of Glitch has now been announced and, as ever with RABBLE, there is a strong Reading presence among the team.
Local theatre-maker Sabina Netherclift, who was praised for her moving performance in Glitch 2024, will again be playing the roles of Kay Linnell, Swift, Hilary and others.
Sabina has been part of RABBLE for many years, as performer, movement director, director and GUOS teacher. She trained with Jacques Lecoq in Paris and has worked extensively as a performer, movement director and director. Her acting credits include Glitch stage 1 and Off the Block (RABBLE Theatre), The Great British Bump Off (South Street Arts Centre), The Red Ladies, The Feast During the Plague, The Overcoat (Clod Ensemble), and The Nativity (Young Vic).
On screen, she has appeared in Doctors (BBC) and The Rise and Fall of Ancient Rome (BBC). Sabina co-founded Filament Theatre, alongside composer Osnat Schmool, and is a resident artist at South Street Arts Centre. Sabina lectures at GSA and is a regular teacher for RABBLE Theatre’s participation programme.
Playing Nora, Tracey, Jan, Judge is Berkshire resident, Laura Penneycard. For RABBLE, Laura has been involved in various development projects, Off The Block new writing festival and the BBC Radio Berkshire radio co-production of Who Killed Alfred Oliver? She has been involved in Glitch from the very beginning.
Laura graduated from The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama 2002. Theatre credits include The Mousetrap, Firework Maker’s Daughter, Master and Margarita directed by Blanche McIntyre & Of Good Report chronicling the work of Spike Milligan & co. She has toured with Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Bristol Old Vic, Birmingham Stage, Yellow Coat Theatre, Queens Theatre Hornchurch, Torch Theatre, Rosa Productions, Greenham Trust and ACT Productions.
TV & film credits include Doc Martin and multiple historical horrors.
Joanne Howarth returns to Reading as the play’s heroine, Pam Stubbs, the sub-postmistress of Barkham wrongly accused of stealing tens of thousands of pounds. Joanne starred in RABBLE’s The Last Abbot of Reading in 2021.
She is a ‘Shakespeare’s Globe’ Associate Artist where she worked on 5 seasons of Shakespeare and The Crucible last year and has been in 11 shows for the RSC, recently as Margaret Thatcher in Falkland Sound. Joanne started her career at The Wolsey, Ipswich and has played many places on the ‘Glitch’ tour including The Importance of Being Ernest in Chester, Our Lady of Blundellsands in Liverpool, and Henry V in Scarborough.
Other favourites this millennium include Told By An Idiot’s You Can’t Take It With You at The Royal Exchange Manchester, Parliament Square there and at The Bush, Goodnight Mr Tom in the West End, King Lear with Glenda Jackson at The Old Vic and The Pull of Negative Gravity at 59E59st Off-Broadway. Television includes Wallander, Grange Hill, Spooks, It’s A Sin, Call the Midwife and EastEnders.
Naveed Khan trained at The Oxford School of Drama and joins RABBLE for the first time. He will be playing the roles of David, Daljit, Green and Sir Alan Bates.
Theatre – Tamburlaine, Buddha of Suburbia and Tartuffe (RSC), Pitcairn (Shakespeare’s Globe, Chichester Festival Theatre & Out of Joint), Parlour Song (Greenwich Theatre), A Thousand Splendid Suns (Birmingham REP), Around the World in 80 Days (Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds), Paradise of the Assassins (Tara Arts), Darknet (Southwark Playhouse) 59 Minutes to Save Christmas (The Barbican & Slung Low), Flood – To The Sea & Flood – Abundance (Slung Low & BBC), The Trial (Watford Palace Theatre), Pioneer and After the Rainfall (Curious Directive).
TV – QuarterLife (Amazon Prime), Black Ops (BBC), The Cleaner (BBC),Ludwig (BBC), Generation Z (All3Media International), Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes (ITV), This City is Ours, (LeftBank), Sex Education (Netflix), Breeders (Sky), Not Going Out (BBC), Tell Me Everything(ITV), Living in Fear (Sky), Humans (Channel 4), Electric Dreams (Channel 4), Hold the Sunset (BBC), Josh (BBC), Birds of a Feather(ITV), River (BBC) and The Catherine Tate Show (BBC).
Feature Film – Bridget Jones – Mad About the Boy (Universal), Fuze (Sigma Films), Death on the Nile (20th Century Studios), Between The Lights (Laal Blue Dot), Northern Comfort (Good Chaos), What’s love got to do with it? (Instinct), Body of Water (BFI & BBC Films), Survivor (Millennium Films), Second Coming (BFI/Film4).
Glitch is written by Berkshire’s Zannah Kearns and directed by RABBLE associate artist, Gareth Taylor. Dramaturgy is by local writer and RABBLE associate artist and Beth Flintoff who is also associate playwright at the Royal Court Theatre. Sound and Music Composition is by RABBLE Associate Artist, Benjamin Hudson whilst lighting design from Oliver Welsh, who is born and bred Reading. Set and costume design is by Caitlin Abbot.
For tickets, further information and for films about how the production was created, please visit https://rabbletheatre.com/glitch/.
Glitch – The True Story of the Post Office Scandal
Written by Zannah Kearns
Directed by Gareth Taylor
