‘I should’ve seen him. Felt him. Walking across the sand. His antlers, twisting, reaching up to the moon. But the Mariner didn’t come. The Mariner didn’t come.’
Mark and Tiny go for walks along the beach at Seaton Carew, County Durham. Their dad is dying, and their town is crumbling. Family rifts and political divides try to pull them apart, and a figure made of driftwood stalks the shore at night.
Tim Foley’s Driftwood is an intoxicating and mystical play about love, belonging and the tides within us. It was premiered in 2023 by Pentabus and ThickSkin on a tour of the UK, co-directed by Neil Bettles and Elle While.
‘A mystical examination of the costs and benefits of deception and belief’
— British Theatre Guide
‘Thoroughly absorbing… Foley weaves it all together quite seamlessly to create a meditative eighty minutes which is nicely resolved with a late twist… a fine and resonating piece of work’
— 2nd From Bottom
‘A two-handed conversation steeped in mysticism and the force of the natural world… an off-kilter, reflective play [with] something hidden deep inside’
— LouReviews
