‘dis is my home. De only home I have. My whole life. My history here. And de only future I go have is here.’
September, 1956. As colonial Trinidad marches towards independence, a gentleman’s club in downtown Port of Spain is entangled in a different kind of custody battle.
Owned by Englishman Mansion, it promises its guests a comfortable environment in which to relax and indulge. But when the impetuous Diamond drifts in, cutting deals and putting lives at risk, the temperature begins to soar: one wrong move and everything could shatter.
Martina Laird’s debut play Driftwood is a deeply evocative story of self-determination and the search for family and belonging. It was runner-up for the 2024 Verity Bargate Award, and was first performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company at The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon, in 2026, before transferring to Kiln Theatre, London, directed by Justin Audibert.
‘A bold and blistering exploration of colonialism and capitalism – it’s funny, provocative and simply impossible to forget’ Anupama Chandrasekhar, Verity Bargate Award judge
‘So vivid you can smell the heat and taste the sweat… rich, human and full of vigour… Driftwood is a play that captures the imagination and uncovers the past’ Anthony Lau, Verity Bargate Award judge
‘Martina Laird’s debut play simmers with political change and family tension… captures a country on the febrile brink of change… vivid and steeped in atmosphere’
— Guardian
‘Vivid and atmospheric’
— The Times
‘Riveting… a taught family drama, brimming with the heat, patois and Afro-Caribbean-influenced songs passed down through generations… There are shades of Tennessee Williams in femme fatale Ruby and the cocoon of ravaged, jaded characters… an often fascinating and a legitimate take on Trinidad’s colonial past’
— WhatsOnStage
‘Glimpses of tenderness and beauty in the darkness… built on a significant body of research which gives the text plenty of depth and texture… powerfully affecting’
— The Stage
‘A play with atmosphere to spare… steeped in the textures of 1950s Trinidad and framed by the slow unravelling of empire… evocative, thoughtful and brimming with potential… Laird is a remarkable new talent’
— West End Best Friend
‘Sizzles with dark gothic secrets and broiling desires… There’s plenty of bite in the writing’
— Stratford Herald
