Menagerie Theatre embarks on UK tour with Albatross

Menagerie Theatre Company has announced the national tour of Albatross, a new play by George Devine and Bruntwood Prize winner Martha Loader. Opening at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester on 28 April, the production is the result of two years of research and interviews with researchers from the British Antarctic Survey.

The drama centres on the relationship between Alice, a glaciologist, and her mother, Eve. The plot is set against the dual backdrop of the global climate emergency and a local domestic crisis. When Alice returns from a mission in Antarctica, she discovers her home has been affected by catastrophic flooding while her mother has been caring for her daughter, Alba. The narrative examines the micro and macro" scales of care, exploring the unspoken tensions and secrets that emerge when professional environmental activism intersects with intergenerational family responsibilities.

Playwright Martha Loader developed the script following extensive interviews with female scientists and mothers to document their specific experiences working in the Antarctic. "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," Loader stated. 

Directed by Patrick Morris, the 80-minute play is commissioned by Menagerie Theatre, a company based at Cambridge Junction with a 20-year history of producing new writing. The production features Caroline Rippin as Alice and Agnes Lillis as Eve.

The tour visits several venues across the East of England and the South East, including stops in Milton Keynes, Norwich, Cambridge, and Ipswich, before concluding with a residency at the Omnibus Theatre in London from 26 to 30 May. The project is supported by Arts Council England, the Sylvia Waddilove Foundation UK, and the Unity Theatre Trust. Full listings and tickets are available via the Menagerie Theatre website - https://www.menagerie.uk.com/current-productions