Award winning playwright Martha Loader’s latest play takes to the stage. Splinter, presented by Play Nicely Theatre, is set to embark on a UK wide tour this October. Splinter movingly depicts the story of a couple facing memory loss and its impact on their lifelong relationship. Following her recent win at the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting, Martha Loader’s poignant new play is directed by Amy Wyllie and explores the ordinary yet heartbreaking experience of one partner’s early onset dementia. It focuses on Maggie and Jac, once an ordinary couple now facing extraordinary challenges, as Maggie starts forgetting things she shouldn’t at her young age.
Talking about her inspiration for writing the play Martha Loader said “Splinter originated as a short play, which was turned into a full-length script during lockdown and then, after a series of conversations I undertook with people affected by dementia, it was workshopped over the course of a week last year. We’re now delighted to be touring the full production this autumn. I wanted to write something about dementia, having lost friends and family to it. This was, in part, to try to understand how it must feel to experience these changes in memory and perception, and how that affects the people who love you most.
Hopefully this is a truthful representation of dementia – the sadness and heartbreak of it all, as well as the love and laughter that comes out of such experiences.” Ahead of rehearsals beginning, Amy Wyllie, director of acclaimed productions like The Velveteen Rabbit, said “I’m really looking forward to digging down into the intricacies of these two women’s relationship and showing how it gently unravels.”
Produced by Play Nicely Theatre and starring Henri Merriam and Caroline Rippin, Splinter sheds light on the deep human bonds of love and partnership that have been put to the test. With empathy and care, it examines the pain of watching someone you love start to disappear before your eyes.
Splinter tours in venues throughout the UK between 10th-28th October 2023. Tickets for all venues are on sale now and more information about the tour can be found at playnicelytheatre.com
October tour dates:
Tuesday 10th October Sudbury Quay Sudbury
Wednesday 11th October Mercury Theatre Colchester
Thursday 12th October Bury Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds
Friday 13th October Garage Theatre Norwich
Saturday 14th October Southwold Arts Centre Southwold
Wednesday 18th October The Place Bedford
Thursday 19th October Aylsham Town Hall Aylsham
Friday 20th October Sir John Mills Theatre Ipswich
Saturday 21st October The Key Theatre Peterborough
Tuesday 24th October Coach House Theatre Malvern
Wednesday 25th October Dedham Assembly Room
Thursday 26th October The Cut Halesworth
Friday 27th October The Seagull Theatre Lowestoft
Saturday 28th October Fisher Theatre Bungay
Tickets (from £12) available from www.playnicelytheatre.com
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