Suffolk theatres present timely new play from award-winning writer
Photo by Ashley Day
What does one generation owe the next? That is the question at the heart of a timely new play from award-winning playwright Martha Loader.
Coming to Suffolk theatres this May, ‘Albatross’ blends the everyday with the extraordinary, transporting the audience to the frozen planes of the Antarctic without ever leaving the kitchen table.
The play, which is being produced by Menagerie Theatre Company, encounters mighty questions of motherhood, the explorer’s soul and how to be a hero in today’s world. Its strong central characters, sharp humour and urgent story make for a unique clash of what it means to care for those closest to us, diving deep into family ties and the lengths to which the climate crisis pulls them apart.
Set across the backdrop of a flood-stained kitchen in the dead of night, it speaks directly to the people who live and work across East Anglia - those who already feel the harsh impacts of the climate crisis.
To outline the story…
Alice (Caroline Rippin), a successful Glaciologist, returns home from a gruelling Antarctic expedition, to her daughter Alba and mother Eve (Agnes Lillis). But the dial has moved in her absence - catastrophic floods and an unexpected romance have changed the picture.
Photo by Ashley Day
Patrick Morris, Albatross Director and Menagerie Co-Artistic Director, says: “Living and working in East Anglia you can’t ignore the effects of climate change, with sea levels rising and coastal erosion. ‘Albatross’ doesn’t have a top-down approach though - it goes for the guts, weighing real choices that people have to make. Then thinking about what we owe to future and previous generations, Martha takes us on an emotional roller coaster.
I don’t think there’s a more poignant play to see right now.”
The play’s creator, Martha Loader is an award-winning writer, actor and producer. Her work has been performed across the UK and internationally, and she recently undertook the prestigious 4Screenwriting and BBC Voices programmes. She was also nominated at The Stage Debut Awards 2024 for her play ‘Bindweed’.
Commissioned by Menagerie after being on their Young Writers’ Workshop, she began writing ‘Albatross’ after interviewing female Antarctic researchers. So while it’s fictional, it’s deeply informed by their lived experiences.
Talking about the play, she says: “I’m delighted that Menagerie are taking ‘Albatross’ on tour this spring, across my home region and beyond. The process of writing this play has been an incredible experience. I’m so grateful to the scientists and academics I spoke to when researching the play. Their insight and honesty has been an integral part of creating this story of women’s roles in society in an age of climate catastrophe.”
The project is supported by funding from Arts Council England, Unity Theatre Trust and Sylvia Waddilove Foundation, and as if to underline the East Anglian setting, the whole team behind the play live in this region.
Albatross is at New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich on 19 May 2026.
FOR SHOW DETAILS AND BOOKING LINK, CLICK HERE
Also showing at The Quay Theatre, Sudbury on 20 May 2026. Click HERE for details.
Also showing at Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds on 22 May 2026. Click HERE for details.