The End Of Winter is a beautifully written solo play that weaves together two stories of loss: the unnamed character mourns her mother’s death and the death of the cold winter she loved as a child in England. Noelle Janaczewska’s script contrasts moments of pure poetic beauty with laugh-out-loud humour (weather broadcasters’ micro-aggressions against those who love the cold). There are plenty of facts packed in: it’s described as a performance essay, which is both a strength and a weakness. Sometimes we’re not sure if we’re in a lecture theatre or theatre-theatre, which is compounded by what feels like an under-use of the intriguing set. That said, Jane Phegan’s supple, warm performance is more than capable of connecting every word to her audience. She’s superb, with a steely inner strength, unafraid to break the fourth wall and lock eyes with us, her quiet rage building as she mourns both her individual loss and our collective one. The play references the work of Inuit activist Sheila Watt-Cloutier, who writes about the right to be cold; we are also reminded that we are grieving the loss of something that was not ours to lose. It’s thought-provoking stuff, a fresh way of looking at the damage we’re causing to our planet, and as such a vital piece of work and performance.