Ipswich will get the first look at a new comedy-drama about what goes on inside our heads. 48 Thoughts Per Minute, from verbatim theatre company The Paper Birds, opens at the New Wolsey Theatre on 27th and 28th January 2027, before it tours the UK. Tickets go on general sale on 6th November.
The show is co-written with comedian Jessica Fostekew, known for Sturdy Girl Club and The Guilty Feminist. It stars Mark Thomas, whose work includes Ordinary Decent Criminal, England & Son and The Mark Thomas Comedy Product. He is joined by Kylie Perry of The Paper Birds.
What is the show about?
Some scientists have suggested that the average human brain produces 48 thoughts per minute. The show asks what those thoughts actually are. It is set over three minutes, while one woman waits for potentially life-changing news. We move through four characters’ minds and follow her unstoppable cascade of thoughts.
The production turns the theatre into a human brain, with staging, sound and visuals changing at breakneck speed. Audiences can also join in by sharing their own thoughts through their smartphones.
The script returns to the company’s verbatim roots and blends real-life testimonies with sharp wit and new writing. Fostekew wrote it with The Paper Birds’ Co-Directors, Jemma McDonnell and Kylie Perry. A team of academic experts informed it, including Professor Charles Fernyhough, Director of the Centre for Research into Inner Experience at Durham University.
The humour goes alongside some heavy themes. Jemma McDonnell says that working with stand-up comedians has let the company explore grief and infertility through a comedic lens. In her words, it shows that “it is possible to tell profound, thought-provoking stories whilst generating belly laughs”. She hopes audiences will have a fantastic night out and leave with “brilliant conversation starters”.
A homegrown partnership
The New Wolsey co-produced the show, and it is the result of three years of working with The Paper Birds as Associate Artists. Chief Executive and Artistic Director Douglas Rintoul says it shows why relationships between producing theatres and independent companies in our region matter. A producing theatre can offer resources, expertise and a platform. In return, he says, The Paper Birds bring different ways of making theatre and fresh perspectives that challenge and enrich the theatre’s own practice.
The Paper Birds formed in 2003 and are an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. They are widely recognised as UK leaders in devised verbatim theatre. The company is female-led and describes itself as “quiet rebels”. It aims to make complex social and political subjects accessible and to encourage audiences to act on issues that matter to them. Its participation work has reached thousands of young people in schools and colleges, in the UK and abroad. The company is a prescribed practitioner for AQA A-Level Drama and is highly recommended by the WJEC and Pearson exam boards. That could make this a useful night out for local drama students and teachers.
The production is co-commissioned by Corn Exchange Newbury and Warwick Arts Centre. Arts Council England, Essex County Council and The Fowler, Smith and Jones Trust fund it.
Before you book
- Running time: 2 hours plus interval.
- Age recommendation: 14+.
- Content warning: strong language, and themes of infertility and grief throughout.
- Access: closed captions are available, delivered to audience members’ own mobile devices.
If you can’t make the Ipswich dates, the tour continues around the country in 2027. Chelmsford Theatre hosts it on 9th and 10th March. Other venues include Southampton, Newbury, Jersey, Derby, Sheffield, Warwick, Nottingham, Huddersfield and Manchester. Dates and booking links are on the company’s website.
To book for Ipswich, mark 6th November in your diary. 48 Thoughts Per Minute plays at the New Wolsey Theatre on 27th and 28th January 2027. You can find out more about the show and the full tour at thepaperbirds.com/production/48-thoughts-per-minute/. For press tickets or interviews, contact Flick Morris at flickmorrispr@gmail.com.
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