The world premiere of the award-winning play Bindweed,
written by New Wolsey Theatre Associate Artist Martha Loader,
comes to Ipswich from Friday 28 to Saturday 29 June
Produced by the New Wolsey Theatre, Mercury Theatre and HighTide in association with the Royal Exchange Theatre, Bindweed was first written by Martha Loader as part of the Mercury Playwrights scheme and it won the Judges Award at the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 2022. Martha has had her work presented by HighTide, Mercury Theatre, Cambridge Junction and INK and is an Associate Artist of the New Wolsey Theatre. She is currently working on commissions from Menagerie Theatre Company and the Almeida Theatre as part of the ‘Genesis New Playwrights, Big Plays Programme’.
Set in Colchester, Bindweed is a shattering and darkly funny new play about responsibility and rehabilitation, which looks at what can be done to tackle abuse at its root. “Thursdays, curry night. Curry and a pint for a fiver. Go at five thirty, home by ten. Beat my mum up for a while. Bed by ten thirty.” Each week, four men convicted of domestic abuse offences meet up to undergo a perpetrator programme. But as Jen, the new group facilitator, starts to make progress with the men inside the room, life outside begins to buckle.
The full cast of Bindweed will be Josie Brightwell (Call The Midwife – BBC, Les Misérables – West End) as Nina, Siobhan and Belinda, Simon Darwen (Of Mice and Men – Birmingham REP & Leeds Playhouse, Sirens – Mercury Theatre) as Mike and Ed, Shailan Gohil (Love’s Labour’s Lost – Royal Shakespeare Company, Jack Absolute Flies Again – National Theatre) as Peter and Charlie, Laura Hanna (Mariam Argent in Netflix’s Heartstopper, The Comedy of Errors – Shakespeare’s Globe) as Jen, Sean Kingsley (Patriots – Almeida Theatre & West End, Les Misérables – West End and many of the New Wolsey Theatre’s Rock ’n’ Roll pantomimes) as Brian and Alistair and Moray Treadwell (Some Mother’s Do ‘Ave ‘Em – UK Tour, The Beatles LOVE show – Cirque Du Soleil / Apple, Las Vegas) as Frank.
Martha Loader said:“I am delighted that Bindweed is being brought to life by such an incredible team. The play started life on the Mercury Playwrights scheme and then, to my complete shock, won the Judges Award at the Bruntwood Prize 2022. I am so grateful to everyone who has worked on the play’s development. I would like to give particular thanks to Jo at Suffolk Police and Glenn and Brian at Iceni, whose specialist knowledge of these perpetrator groups has been such an important part of this process. I can’t wait to stage Bindweed in my home region.”
Douglas Rintoul, Chief Executive/Artistic Director of the New Wolsey Theatre, said: “We are immensely proud to showcase the talent of Ipswich’s own playwright, Martha Loader, at the New Wolsey Theatre. It is with great pleasure that we collaborate with our regional partners, High Tide and the Mercury Theatre Colchester, as well as the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. Their commitment to this exceptional play has been invaluable in bringing Martha’s work to our audiences.”
Bindweed is at New Wolsey Theatre Friday 28th and Saturday 29th June – tickets are available on the New Wolsey Website or from the Box Office in person or call 01473 295900.
SUFFOLK THEATRE 