Albatross by Martha Loader at Stantonbury PLUS Interview

Albatross by Martha Loader: Touring East Anglia Spring 2026!

What does one generation owe the next?

The question at the heart of this timely new play from award-winning playwright Martha Loader (George Devine Award 2025, Bruntwood Judges Prize 2022).

Albatross encounters mighty questions of motherhood, the explorer’s soul and how to be a hero in today’s world. Its two strong central characters, sharp humour and urgent story make for a unique clash of what it means to care for those closest to us. Martha Loader’s riveting new play dives deep into these family ties and the lengths to which the climate crisis pulls them apart.

The play blends the everyday with the extraordinary, transporting the audience to the frozen planes of the Antarctic without ever leaving the kitchen table.

Alice (Caroline Rippin), a successful Glaciologist, returns 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.

Set across the backdrop of a flood-stained kitchen in the dead of night, Albatross explores themes close to the hearts of people who live and work across East Anglia - who already feel the harsh impacts of the climate crisis.

Patrick Morris, Albatross Director & Menagerie Co-Artistic Director.

“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.”

Simon spoke to Patrick

Martha was commissioned by Menagerie to write Albatross after being on their Young Writers’ Workshop. She began writing it after interviewing female Antarctic researchers. So while it’s fictional, it’s deeply informed by their lived experiences.

Martha Loader, Albatross Writer.

“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.”

As if to underline the East Anglian setting, the whole team behind the play live in our region. The actors, designers, composer and writer - Albatross truly is a celebration of regional talent and world class new writing!

Book tickets https://www.stantonburytheatre.co.uk/whats-on/all-shows/albatross/17664/