Stephen Hawking's dead. Martin's having a breakdown. And Ellie? She's feeding the fish...

When Martin hears that the world's greatest scientist has died, he falls over the edge. With Hawking gone, who's going to work out who we are, where we come from and why we're here? Luckily for him, chance – or destiny? – has thrown him into an aquarium with Ellie, a PhD student specialising in astrophysics. As the fish swim in circles, so the two run the course of science, philosophy and theology as they search for the meaning of life – if such a thing exists at all.

The Reviews Hub: “Charming, slickly paced… the exploration of big ideas – much like this play – is worthwhile in itself.”
https://www.thereviewshub.com/existential-fish-dread-cockpit-theatre-london/

London Pub Theatres: “Clever, moving and well-performed… Reed explains complex particle physics, through Ellie, in a way that makes the facts both understandable and sufficiently bewildering. Forty-five minutes seems to be a great length for a play designed to inspire audience discussion and exploration.”

Dress Circle Reviews: “Well-written funny and moving… The audience were captivated throughout. The storytelling from writer Martha Reed is what makes it so strong. It’s a great play that deserves a wide audience.”

Talwyn Evans has worked his whole life to protect his Valley. By building a small empire of coal-burning factories, he’s centralised and stabilised the industry in his community, creating an infrastructure strong enough to sustain the town. His workers are paid fairly, and he’s instilled in his family the importance of being the hand that provides.

But when Talwyn pulls his son out of school to build a third and final factory, the heirloom that will secure his legacy, things start to go wrong. The sky grows thick with smoke and the rain becomes relentless. Insistent that he’s offsetting the emissions, Talwyn denies any responsibility for the changing climate. But when his elderly father becomes convinced that God has instructed him to build an ark to protect the righteous from an imminent flood, his family begin to doubt him. Is this just normal Valley rain? Or are they being punished for their pursuit of wealth?

Donna Joseph is on a mission. Just 24 hours after she buried her husband and childhood sweetheart, he’s back with a ghostly request. John’s asked Donna to find their daughter Jayne, who they gave up for adoption when they were unmarried teenagers back in the early 1960s. But this is no ordinary quest for redemption. Full of family secrets, unlikely friendships and interfering neighbours, Donna’s journey is complicated by advancing Alzheimer’s disease. What do you do when you’re trying to recover your past, but you can barely remember your name?