Two touring theatre companies start UK stretch in Wigan
- Helen Clarke
- Jan 7
- 2 min read
MCRJourno
Two of the UK’s most prominent theatre companies are joining forces for the UK Tour of Driftwood.
Award-winning physical theatre company ThickSkin and rural touring company Pentabus have teamed up to remount their 2023 co-production written by Tim Foley.
Performed by James Westphal and Jerome Yates and directed by Neil Bettles (ThickSkin) and Elle While (Pentabus), the show will be touring the UK from Friday 31st January to 21st March with the tour kicking off in Wigan.
Neil Bettles, ThickSkin’s Artistic Director said: "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."
Driftwood follows two brothers from a northern seaside town Mark and Tiny, 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.
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.
Playwright Tim Foley is a former winner of the Bruntwood Prize and was previously Pentabus’ Channel 4 Writer-in-Residence.
When first approached to write this new play Tim knew what he wanted to write, he said: "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."
Elle While, Pentabus’ Artistic Director said: "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."
Greater Manchester dates
Friday 31st January - Saturday 1st February
1.30pm (Fri 31 only) and 7.30pm
The Mill at the Pier, Heritage Way, Wigan, WN3 4EF
Thursday 20th - Friday 21st March - 8pm
The Lowry, Salford (Studio)
The Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ