Nursing a hangover: Martha Godber’s Jesse North in her new play Jesse North Is Broken
MARTHA Godber will perform the world premiere of Jesse North Is Broken, her solo theatre piece on the theme of working-class survival in Britain, at York Theatre Royal Studio from May 11 to 14.
Actress-writer Martha, Hull-born daughter of playwright John Godber and fellow writer-director Jane Thornton, will be directed by Millie Gaston in the John Godber Company production.
Jesse, 25, from Hull, is a carer on minimum wage, keeping the elderly alive while trying to live her own messy, chaotic life. Told over one night, Jesse North Is Broken follows her from care shift to the dance floor, from the late-night kebab to an early-morning call-out as she battles the system that undervalues her and the city that shapes her, all while her ADHD-fuelled thoughts and anxious mind crave order in the chaos.
“Both political and personal, the show shines a light on working-class survival in Britain today – where carers are underpaid, the care system is crumbling, and young women are left to piece themselves together in a society that keeps breaking them,” says Martha.
LIPA-trained Martha last appeared on the York Theatre Royal stage in June 2025 in the John Godber Company’s tour of John Godber’s hymn to the abiding power of Northern Soul, Do I Love You?.
Martha Godber: Hull-born actress and writer
“I’m thrilled to be bringing Jesse North Is Broken to York Theatre Royal; it feels like the perfect venue to premiere the show,” she says. “As someone from Hull, I’ve always been drawn to telling northern stories, and this piece does exactly that.
“I’m passionate about creating female characters who are unapologetic, bold and command the stage, celebrating the northern female voice in all its complexity.
“At its heart, the show explores connection, pain, love and loss, set against the realities of government policy, the care system and the social pressures of a working-class town. It’s a fearless piece of new writing and I hope it resonates deeply with contemporary audiences.”
Jesse North Is Broken emerged from Martha “always thinking about different ideas for writing about”. “I was also a bit fed up of the type of roles I was going for as a female and especially as a northern female,” she says. “I wanted to do something that was visceral, female, brash, on stage.
Martha Godber, right, and Chloe McDonald in John Godber’s hymn to Northern Soul, Do I Love You?
“I originally wrote it on the train from London to Hull, when I was feeling, ‘I need to get something written down’, as I was interested in doing a spoken-word piece – and it just fell out of me, the first draft.”
She was drawn to the subject of care work from her family experiences at the time. “My grandparents were having carers coming in, and I thought maybe I could draw these two things together as originally it was about a young Hull woman’s night out,” says Martha.
“Then I interwove the care worker and the subject of people at work into the story: that thing of working in a pressured environment, where there’s a lot of end-of-life care. That experience of going out at night as a young vibrant woman and yet dealing with people in need of that care.
“I was also interested in the theme of connection: how she goes from having a one-night stand to going back to the woman she’s caring for, who’s 93.”
Martha has written four drafts of her play. “Especially when it’s a new show, you are always adding new elements, particularly once we started rehearsals, but also to reflect how things have changed since meeting up with one of the care workers I spoke with,” she says.
John Godber Company’s poster artwork for Jesse North Is Broken, premiering at York Theatre Royal Studio
“I really want the play to be relevant and current, putting that on stage to make sure the subject resonates with the people watching it.”
Martha draws on her own experiences, not least in Jesse’s “ADHD-fuelled” thoughts and anxiety. “The way it comes out of my head, it makes sense to lace it into her character as it leads to spontaneous decisions within the complexity of a female character, making these decisions through the night that maybe she should not have made,” she says. “I wrote from my own experiences, as I can’t not do that, because it creates relatability.
“That’s also why I wanted to create a solo space to perform in because often there isn’t that space for women to take up, one that’s visceral and overt.”
As for the impact of her father, John Godber, on her work, Martha says: “He’s my biggest inspiration.”
John Godber Company presents Martha Godber’s Jesse North Is Broken, York Theatre Royal Studio, May 11 to 14, 7.45pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Age guidance: 15 plus. Content guidance: Strong language and sexual references. Post-show discussion: May 13. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.