Apples in Winter
by Jennifer Fawcett
One Mother’s Love. One Last Request. One Apple Pie.
Miriam's son has been on death row for 22 years. At midnight the state will execute him. His last request: his mother's apple pie. As Miriam bakes the perfect pie, this extraordinarily powerful and deeply compassionate one-woman play invites us to reflect on the impact of violent crime on its hidden victims, providing a rare opportunity to hear the often-silenced, vilified and ostracised voice: that of the mother of a perpetrator. It both questions how we live with the incomprehensible and offers a cathartic journey into the heart of barely resolvable questions about justice, forgiveness and love.
“Writing and performance electrifyingly…put this among my all-time Edinburgh highlights”
Mark Lawson, The Tablet
“a haunting, profound examination of maternal love”
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Read About Stuff
“Beautifully crafted…a heart-breaking tale…Wonderful theatre.”
★ ★★ ★ ★ UK Theatre Web
“Beautifully written, superbly acted and quietly devastating…Campbell is phenomenal”
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Under the Stars
“a riveting, emotional, elegantly written and truly honest play”
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ The Real Chrisparkle
“A beautifully crafted exploration of grief [and] guilt”
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Musical Theatre Musings
“an incredible script and excellent direction”
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ North West End UK
“gut-wrenching…powerful, heart-rending and haunting”
★ ★★ ★ ★ Edinburgh Guide
“Jennifer Fawcett’s writing captivates…in this hard-hitting one-woman play”
★ ★ ★ ★ ½ The Student
“stares grief, guilt and loss unflinchingly in the face”
★ ★ ★ ★ The Scotsman
“Harrowing. Brilliantly so”
★ ★ ★ ★ Jamais Vu
“moving and complicatedly human”
★ ★ ★ ★ The Herald
“A must-see: a stunning performance in a powerful, unflinching play.”
MUST SEE SHOW FringeReview
Directed by Claire Parker
Performed by Edie Campbell
Lighting Design - Elisabeth Tooms | Set Design - Andrew Hodson | Voice & Dialect Coach - Suzanne Parke
Gold Festival Fringe Theatre Award 2026
Off West End Award Finalist Solo Performance 2023
Winner of theNational New Play Network Smith Prize for Political Theatre and the Susan Glaspell Award
Nominated for the Susan Smith Blackburn prize
“Jennifer Fawcett’s play is hard-hitting enough, but in the right hands it becomes absolutely devastating – and it’s hard to imagine hands more right than those of actor Edie Campbell” The Blog of Theatre Things
“A beautifully written single-hander and Campbell gives an astonishing performance...Directed brilliantly by Claire Parker…with Elisabeth Tooms’ lighting and Andrew Hodson’s bleak set design really enhancing the emotional impact”
The Family Stage“an immensely powerful one-woman performance from Edie Campbell that will leave you feeling shaken and devastated and furious. An absolute must-see” The Blog of Theatre Things
“a moving and delicately crafted piece on the part of the actor, the writer and director Claire Parker…features a beautifully nuanced performance from Edie Campbell” 2nd from bottom
“It is a gentle domestic scene agonizingly held-fast against a backdrop of violence” Surrey Advertiser
“a transfixing solo performance from Campbell and crystal clear direction from Parker which exudes humanity in every moment and builds beautifully to a heartbreaking climax” Yorkshire Bylines
“compelling…spectacular to watch” ★ ★ ★ ★ Theatre and Tonic
Production photos by Harry Elletson Photography, The Playground Theatre London, October 2022
‘Mesmerising one-woman performance by Edie Campbell of Jennifer Fawcett’s superb play Apples in Winter, moving, nuanced, intelligent theatre.’ Andy Keen-Downs, CEO Prison Advice and Care Trust
‘Audiences can’t heap enough praise on actor Edie Campbell.’ My Theatre Mates
‘Went to see this a couple of days ago. Cycled in the pouring rain from East London. Google maps had me going all over the houses. But it was worth it. Catch it if you can.’ Errol McGlashan, performance poet
’Remarkable play and performance.’
Dr Alison Frater, Chair National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance 2015-2021; Co-chair Clean Break Theatre Company
‘powerfully gives voice to mothers of offenders…’ Prison chaplain
‘This play has the potential to be a catalyst for change.’ Sycamore Tree Prison Fellowship volunteer
‘vividly illustrates the ripple effect of crime beyond the immediate “victim”.’ Prison programme volunteer
Playwright Jennifer Fawcett came from New York for the UK premiere at The Playground Theatre London, October 2022, joining our stellar line-up of post-show discussion participants including those with lived experience of both the justice and the prison system.
PERFORMANCES
2026
Godalming Unitarian Hall Meadrow, July 18
Petersfield Museum & Art Gallery, July 30
Edinburgh Fringe, Paradise in the Vault , 8-30 August
2025
The Manor Pavilion, Sidmouth
2024
The Mill Studio, Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford
The Old Town Hall, Hemel Hempstead
South Hill Park, Bracknell
Caux Palace, Caux, Switzerland
Greenbelt Festival, Kettering
The Studio, Derby Theatre, Derby
The Cube at Corby Cube, Corby
Cranleigh Arts Centre, Surrey
2023
Sheffield Hallam University
Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery, Hampshire
Caux Palace, Caux, Switzerland
The Mill Studio, Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford
2022
The Playground Theatre, London
