DRIFTWOOD Will Embark on Major 2025 UK Tour

ThickSkin and rural touring company Pentabus will team up to remount their 2023 co-production, Driftwood by Tim Foley. Originally conceived and produced for rural touring, Driftwood will be scaled up for a national  tour in 2025. This striking new play perfectly balances a moving and at times funny story in a distinctive physical and cinematic production.

Driftwood follows two brothers from a northern seaside town.. Mark and Tiny go for walks along the shore. Their Dad is dying, and their town is crumbling. Family rifts and political divides try to pull them apart, while a figure made of driftwood stalks the shore at night… Driftwood is an inspiring, expansive story about hope, love, belonging and the tides within us.

Playwright Tim Foley is a bright talent and former winner of the prestigious Bruntwood Prize and was previously Pentabus' Channel 4 Writer-in-Residence in 2016. The production also see's ThickSkin reunite with regular collaborators including Lighting Designer, Charly Dunford (Peak Stuff, Blood Harmony). Charly was awarded the 2022 ALPD Michael Northern Award and is one of the most exciting young lighting designers in the UK right now. Equally, Sound Designer, Lee Affen has collaborated on ThickSkin's award-nominated Walk This Way series of immersive audio plays. Lee has created a beautifully cinematic music score for Driftwood. The show includes an expansive video design by Sarah Readman, which integrates creative captions, making Driftwood a fully accessible production for those benefiting from captions/subtitles. 

When first approached to write this new play, Tim knew what he wanted to write… 

“I'm delighted to be heading home with my new play Driftwood. North East England has coastlines that get under your skin, and I wanted to write the kind of story that lets you taste the salt in the air and gets sand between your toes. This tale, with its bickering brothers and ancient myths and bags full of chips, is as wild and varied as the landscape that bore it - so join us in celebrating an area and confronting the forces that are working against it.”

ThickSkin's Artistic Director, Neil Bettles said: “It's great to be reuniting with Tim and the Pentabus team to develop Driftwood for mid-scale venues around the country. After the warm response from audiences for the 2023 tour, we wanted to share the production more widely. It's a show that we are very proud of. Pentabus are well-known for their craft in developing new-writing and it includes all the hallmarks of a ThickSkin show - fast-paced, cinematic, dynamic quality that we hope will have broad appeal.”

Pentabus' Artistic Director Elle While said: “It's a pleasure to be working alongside ThickSkin again to bring Driftwood to a broader audience. This partnership allows us to take Tim's incredible story and elevate it to new heights, keeping the heart and authenticity of the piece intact while expanding its reach. ThickSkin brings such a unique energy to the production with their cinematic and physical  approach, which perfectly complements the craft of new writing that we're known for at Pentabus. Upscaling Driftwood together with this team feels like a natural step forward, and we're excited to share this evocative, deeply-rooted story with even more audiences.”  

Tour Dates

The Mill at the Pier

Heritage Way, Wigan, WN3 4EF

Friday 31 January – Saturday 1 February 2025

1.30pm (Fri 31 only) and 7.30pm | £5 (£1) 

Box office: 01942 410 410 | ticketsource.co.uk/thickskin

Theatre Severn (Walker Theatre)

Frankwell, Shrewsbury, SY3 8FT

Wednesday 5 February 2025

7.30pm | £16

Box office: 01743 281281 | theatresevern.co.uk

COMING SOON

Unity Theatre

1 Hope Place, Liverpool L1 9BG

Thursday 6 February 2025

TIME TBC | £TBC

Box office: 0151 709 4988 | unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk

Sheffield Theatre (Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse)

55 Norfolk St, Sheffield, S1 1DA

Friday 7 – Saturday 8 February 2025

7pm | £14 (£12)

Box office: 0114 249 6000 | sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

The Arc, Stockton Arts Centre

Dovecot Street, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 1LL

Wednesday 19 – Thursday 20 February 2025

7pm | Pay What You Decide

Box office: 01642 525199 | arconline.co.uk

The Dukes (The Rake)

Moor Lane, Lancaster, LA1 1QE

Saturday 22 February 2024

7:30pm | £12

Box office: 01524 598500 | dukeslancaster.org

Chichester Festival Theatre (Minerva Theatre)

Oaklands Way, Chichester, PO19 6AP

Tuesday 25 - Saturday 1 March 2025

2:15pm (Thurs 27 & Sat 1 only) and 7:15pm | £22-28 (£5 tickets for 16-30s)

Box office: 01243 781312 | cft.org.uk

Belgrade Theatre

Belgrade Square, Coventry, West Midlands, CV1 1GS

Tuesday 11 – Wednesday 12 March 2025

1pm (12 March only) and 7:45pm | £26 (£12)

Box office: 024 7655 3055 | belgrade.co.uk

New Wolsey

Civic Drive, Ipswich, IP1 2AS

Thursday 13 – Saturday 15 March 2025

2.30pm (Sat 15 only) and 7pm | £15-26

Box office: 01473 295900 | wolseytheatre.co.uk

Leeds Playhouse (Courtyard) ON SALE 20 NOVEMBER

Playhouse Square, Leeds, LS2 7UP

Tuesday 18 – Wednesday 19 March 2025

7.45pm | From £15

Box office: 0113 213 7700 | leedsplayhouse.org.uk

The Lowry, Salford (Studio)

The Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ

Thursday 20 – Friday 21 March 2025

8pm | £14

Box office: 0161 876 2000 | thelowry.com

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