Theatre / Bristol old vic
‘I like the epic nature of writing about a relationship in its entirety’: acclaimed playwright Anna Jordan discusses ‘Lost Atoms’
Opening its 2026 season in the main house, Bristol Old Vic will be welcoming a new Frantic Assembly play from the acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Anna Jordan (Yen, Succession, One Day).
An evocative, moving, relatable and nostalgia-inflected chronicle of love and loss, Lost Atoms is the ideal foil for a dark and moody January evening.
The play is a two-hander that charts the entirety of a formative relationship, through the memories – be they trustworthy or not – of its key protagonists.
It stars Joe Layton as Robbie, and Hannah Sinclair Robinson as Jess – both of whom have divergent recollections of the love story they have shared.
Jordan spoke to Bristol24/7 about the origins of Lost Atoms, the process of writing and developing it, and her own creative preoccupation with the slipperiness of memory.
Lost Atoms writer Anna Jordan with director Scott Graham in the rehearsal room – photo: Ben Hewis
How are you feeling in the run-up to Lost Atoms at Bristol Old Vic?
“I’m really looking forward to it. I love Bristol and I love The Old Vic, so I’m really thrilled that Lost Atoms is coming there. I’ve got a lot of close friends in Wales and Bristol is the closest Lost Atoms is coming, so we’ll be having a group outing!”
Can you introduce us to the characters of Jess and Robbie, and what they see in one another?
“Jess is full of energy, a bit wild, hugely creative but also unfulfilled. Robbie is more thoughtful, sometimes a little withdrawn, with a quiet energy. Because of his past experiences he doesn’t ask much from life so he can’t be disappointed. Jess, on the other hand, wants everything the world has to give her. Some people have described them as opposites but I don’t really think they are – there’s lots they share, like their sense of humour and the way they see the world.
“Jess is really projecting a version of herself to the world but Robbie can see past that. Robbie falls in love with the beauty of Jess’s spirit, her warmth and vivacity and kindness. Robbie offers Jess space to be herself – her true self – not wild and loud but vulnerable and soft sometimes. Robbie makes Jess laugh and she is drawn to his honesty and openness. They both provide things that each of them are missing. They both want to look after each other; make life easier for each other. Neither ever imagined they would find a love like this.”
Lost Atoms – photo: Tristram Kenton and Scott Graham
What excited you about the idea of exploring different recollections of the entire lifecycle of a relationship?
“I’m obsessed with writing about memory and have been doing it in different ways for the last few years (with varying levels of success!). As a writer I’m always keen to find words for things that are hard to put words to – and I think the way we experience memory is one of those things.
“It’s probably me getting older but I love writing about nostalgia and how we remember things. Apparently every time we remember something we’re not remembering the event itself but the last memory of it. This fascinated me; how memories change incrementally and the fact that ultimately, the event can become something else. I like the epic nature of writing about a relationship in its entirety – from the first meeting to the last goodbye.”
To what degree did you pour your own experiences of love throughout your life, into this work? Was it ever challenging, painful or cathartic to write?
“A lot of this play is drawn on my own experience. None of it is directly autobiographical but lots of the play was inspired by poetry I wrote when I was falling in love with my partner. It’s been amazing to be able to reflect that incredible experience back on stage.
“There’s also some quite traumatic stuff in the play which is inspired by my own experience. I’ve wanted to write about it for a while but it seems only now, nearly a decade later, I’ve been ready to. Two of my oldest friends came to see the show and said they could see all of my relationships in it – even my teenage ones – which I was surprised to hear! I thought that stuff was well out of my system, but I guess we carry this stuff around with us for life.
“Also this show is very much a collaborative project. Scott Graham (the director) and I made the show over a series of R&D sessions and we’ve worked with Hannah Sinclair-Robinson and Joe Layton since day one. They’ve built the characters of Jess and Robbie and are just as brilliant creatives and makers as they are actors.
“During the development of the play, Scott, Hannah, Joe, me and the producer Kerry Whelan shared many of our own experiences of romantic love – some sad, some hilarious, some cringeworthy! The play is inspired and powered by those experiences.”
How did you feel when first sitting down to watch your play on stage?
“Sick. Anxious. Worried I haven’t done enough. Self conscious. It’s always the same. It’s worse now I’m sober; at least before I could drink my way through it. But it’s a part you’ve just got to get over. But also – thrilling. Lost Atoms is the result of the work of so many incredibly talented creatives and I love that.”
When writing a play, how much are you conscious of the journey you want to take your audience on as they watch?
“I have a theory on this. I believe there are US writers and there are THEM writers. The US writers spend time with the audience, seeing exactly what they see, as they are writing. THEM writers are in the scene, with the characters, seeing through their eyes. Of course this isn’t an absolute – there are writers that will be slap bang in-between (jealous). I, however, am most definitely a THEM writer so I tend to be guided by the characters.
“A lot of my writing is very instinctual – particularly with this play. This means I have to regularly take steps back and look at the story and journey I am taking the audience on. It also means collaborating is really important – so my working relationship with Scott was key. Luckily we get on brilliantly and he’s a fantastic director and collaborator – so he could help me stay on top of the audience’s perspective.”
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Lost Atoms is at Bristol Old Vic on January 13-24 at 7.30pm, with additional 2.30pm matinee shows on Thursday and Saturday (no shows Sunday). Tickets are available at www.bristololdvic.org.uk.
The play was commissioned and produced by Frantic Assembly in a co-production with Curve, Mayflower Southampton and Lyric Hammersmith Theatre.
All photos (unless stated): Tristram Kenton and Scott Graham
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