On the cusp of independence in colonial Trinidad, Driftwood follows Diamond (Martins Imhangbe) as he travels from Mahadeo to Alma in search of his estranged mother, Pearl (Ellen Thomas). 

We learn in the first act that Pearl has worked at Alma for most of her life despite the house being officially owned by Mansion (Roger Ringrose), a British settler who believes that Trinidad ‘is not ready to self-rule’. His view, a privileged sentiment later reaffirmed by American sailor Tom (Ziggy Heath) and whose presence alludes to a wider military occupation, brings attention to the racial power imbalance between white and Black communities at the time. The socio-political climate is made a focal point by subtle references to the uprising following Eric Williams’s push for self-determination in Trinidad and Tobago, through Pearl’s discovery of his work Capitalism and Slavery (1944) while studying at university. 

The vibrant production is Martina Laird’s debut, which effectively employs Trinidadian Picong speech to break the separation between the audience and the slow crescendo of a tragic sequence of events experienced by the characters throughout Driftwood. This dialectal choice allows for a raw and immersive tension to develop between Diamond, Ruby (Cat White), and Pearl in what could confidently be called a magnetic family drama.

Alma, the house, presents a loosely personified motif holding a gravitational pull to each character. For Diamond, Alma provides a sanctuary within which he hopes to regain a sense of belonging and security he had never felt before due to his mother, Pearl, unwillingly abandoning him soon after his birth. While for Ruby, Pearl’s younger child, Alma symbolises a culture she ultimately feels ashamed of and, in turn, a desire to be attached instead to Western Hollywood culture. This will later culminate in her climactic betrayal against her family in the final scenes of the production.

Driftwood then shifts towards the quiet sculpture, ever-present in the centre of the low-lit set. The sculpture is revealed to be Pearl’s representation of a maternal protection she did not experience in her youth, similarly to Diamond, which was carved from the driftwood of mainland Africa by an unknown man. The anonymous artist told her earnestly, ‘ ‘Dis here is [your] mudder, straight from de mudderland.’ It could be said that Laird’s intention here is to connect diasporic experiences of trauma across African and Caribbean lands to unify both communities as one. 

While Driftwood’s pacing is at odds with the subject matter from time to time, Laird overall gives audiences a powerful glimpse into life pre-independence in Trinidad and exposes the lack of agency afforded to our Caribbean elders. This is a bittersweet remembrance of the sacrifices made in the final years of colonial rule. 

‘We are who we know ourselves to be.’

Driftwood by Martina Laird – playing until 4th July 2026 at Kiln Theatre.

Creative Team

Writer: Martina Laird

Director: Justin Audibert

Set and Costume Designer: Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey

Lighting Designer: Simon Spencer

Composer: Christella Litras

Sound Designer: Tony Gayle

Movement Director: Kloe Dean

Fight and Intimacy Director: Bethan Clark

Dramaturg: Sebastian Born

Casting Director: Matthew Dewsbury CDG

Voice and Dialect: Aundrea Fudge

Dramatherapist: Wabriya King

Assistant Director: Sapphire Joy

Associate Set Designer: Delyth Evans

Associate Costume Designer: Zoe Thomas-Webb

Casting Assistant: Charlie Metcalf

Production Manager: Kurt Moores

Props Supervisor: Penny Lane

Company Stage Manager: Annette Waldie

Deputy Stage Manager: Klare Roger

Assistant Stage Manager: Faith To

Producer: Jade Parkin

Cast:

Seldom: Shane David-Joseph

Tom: Ziggy Heath

Diamond: Martins Imhangbe

Mansion: Roger Ringrose

Pearl: Ellen Thomas

Ruby: Cat White

Musicians

Banjo, Keyboard and Shaker: Leroy Johnson

Piano and Saxophone: Todd Brand

Engineer: Henry Hacket