These include a short tour of Paul Heaton and Che Walker's soul opera The 8th, originally seen at the Manchester International Festival last year, which is performed by Reg E. Cathey, best known for his appearances on TV's "The Wire," and will visit London's Barbican (July 5), Salford, Leeds, Sheffield, Birmingham and the Latitude Festival. The company will also transfer its in-the-round, portable theatre to London's Shoreditch Town Hall to present a season of three plays, Duncan Macmillan's Lungs, Nick Payne's One Day When We Were Young and Penelope Skinner's The Sound of Heavy Rain, all performed by an ensemble of four actors. The season will run Sept. 19-Oct. 27, with a press day for all three shows on Sept. 25.

In a press statement, the company's joint artistic directors James Grieve and George Perrin commented, "Our passion for new plays continues to grow thanks to the extraordinary playwrights that lie at the heart of our company. This year we're presenting work by a huge range of writers, from Olivier Award winners to the stars of the future. We believe everyone should have the chance to see outstanding new plays, no matter where they live, so our commitment to national touring deepens this year with visits to over 40 different UK villages, towns and cities. After two years working outside the capital, we’ve been overwhelmed by the demand for our work to be seen in London. In response we've put together a London Season of productions, all of which have already been seen on tour. In typical Paines Plough style they’re spread right across the city so audiences can experience the work in their local theatre – whether that's Shoreditch Town Hall, the Barbican, the Royal Court, the Roundhouse or the Albany, amongst others."

For full details on the 2012 program, visit www.painesplough.com.