Moving new play about grief and nature heads to Sherman Theatre

Two of Wales’ finest actors are set to star in a powerful new play which explores the impending loss of a mother through the eyes of her daughter and husband.

Splinter by Gemma Prangle, which is staged by Red Oak Theatre, will be its first as Company In Residence at Sherman Theatre.

The play stars celebrated actors, Nia Gandhi and Rhys Parry Jones, and will be co-directed by Matthew Holmquist and Nerida Bradley. It comes to the Sherman Studio from Saturday 14 to Saturday 21 September 2024.

Restlessness

In the forest, Mali and David navigate the impending death of their mother and spouse, which creates chasms in their already delicate relationship.

Splinter beautifully unearths the restlessness of grief and how nature manages to hold us in those moments where holding ourselves feels impossible.

Already an established and award-nominated dancer and movement director, Gemma Prangle is making her playwriting debut with Splinter.

Reflecting on her first play, Gemma commented: “Splinter is one of those projects that sort of spilled out over time, often quite unexpectedly. I didn’t set out to write a play about grief, but I think sometimes our personal experiences sit so strongly in our bodies that those stories find a way to be told.

“So it’s ended up being a deeply personal work, and I just hope it resonates with others like it resonated for me In the process of writing it.  I’m still being surprised by it and there has been so much joy in seeing the play grow and come to life through the brilliant creative team, mentors and organisations who have supported the work so far.”

Loss

Red Oak Theatre is a design-led company, a collaboration between director Matthew Holmquist and designer April Dalton, with work that has spanned from devised movement, contemporary dramas and new writing.

It became Sherman Theatre’s Company In Residence in 2021 and, under the venue’s guidance, the company is making their most ambitious project to date.

On Splinter they commented: “Our focus for our residency at the Sherman was in producing emotionally rich and multidisciplinary work while weaving wellbeing practises and sustainability into the process of creation.

“For Splinter we are responding to eco-therapy practises and drama therapy practises to ensure that the subject matter of grief and parental loss, a theme that lots of the team have faced in their own lives, is handled sensitively and to ensure that emotions provoked by the work can be held safely.”

Splinter Co-Director worked with Gemma at the very early stages of the script, and had this to say: “I’m so excited to be a part of bringing Splinter to life, having witnessed its development from the very beginning of the writing process.

“Part of loving is unfortunately, accepting that something we love will inevitably be lost, or at least be out of our reach. Gemma has so beautifully captured the nuances of a father/daughter relationship where both are coming to terms with this fact. The text brims with both sharpness and tenderness and is an incredible writer’s debut.”

Tickets for Splinter are available now from https://www.shermantheatre.co.uk/event/splinter/. To keep updated on Red Oak Theatre, you can follow the team on Instagram (www.instagram.com/redoaktheatre), Facebook and Twitter @ROTheatre.