Splinter • Jack Studio Theatre

Splinter

by Martha Loader
directed by Amy Wyllie
presented by Play Nicely Theatre

Maggie is an impulsive free spirit and would like to stay that way. But when her life collides with Jac’s, a whole world of new possibilities opens and she finds a stability she didn’t know she needed.

But life takes a different turn when Maggie and Jac are forced to face the fact that an early onset Dementia diagnosis is going to change the shape of their lives forever. Maggie has never needed anybody before and the relationship starts to fracture as both try to hold on.

From Play Nicely Theatre and written by Martha Loader, Splinter is about love and memory and what happens when you start to lose both.

“That’s what I’m doing. Consolidating. Every memory with you that I can grasp. Repeat repeat repeat.”

Martha Loader. This is the latest play from award-winning writer Martha Loader, who was awarded the Judges Prize at the 2022 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting for her play Bindweed.

Play Nicely Theatre Company was founded in 2019 to tell stories: new stories and old stories. Based in rural Cambridgeshire, we want to tell stories to both captivate and entertain our audiences.

Supported by The Seagull Theatre and Arts Council England.

Press for this production

‘this is a hauntingly heartbreaking ode to love and memory, and it will certainly stick in mine for a very long time.’ ★★★★★ London Pub Theatres
‘A bold and intriguing production that tackles a topic still quite rarely seen on stage… The play portrays both the pleasure and the pain of living with dementia – an educational experience for those who haven’t encountered it full-on before, and an affirming one for those who have.’ ★★★★ London Theatre 1

‘it is a very human story of two people who meet, fall in love, and go through a truly horrible event together, and it’s lovely… All the actors are first rate and they make Maggie and Jac both very human and believable… Maggie’s descent from a free-wheeling radical feminist to someone whose cognitive abilities have deserted her is beautifully played out and heartbreaking to watch. Splinter is a well-researched and extremely well-written play that takes the audience into an uncomfortable place from which happy endings rarely if ever occur. But, thanks to the quality of the writing and the cast, Maggie and Jac’s story was something I will remember for a very long time.’ ★★★★ Lastminute Theatre Tickets
‘Martha Loader’s new play tackles a devastating topic with sensitivity and at times brutal honesty… Henri Merriam is on stage throughout and is mesmerising as Maggie in both eras; “before” Maggie is full of an infectious energy, passion and mischief, which we see drain away over the course of the play, leaving “after” Maggie lost and bewildered… this is a well-crafted and powerfully performed story that really draws us in’ Theatre Things UK