Shifters Playtext

by Benedict Lombe

‘Something is shifting between you – again.

Something terrifying and comforting.’

Dre and Des. Young. Gifted. Black. He stayed. She left.

Years later, Des and Dre come crashing back into each other’s lives, carrying new secrets and old scars. With the clock counting down until Des has to leave again, memories of their past collide with their present and they’re forced to question if destiny has brought them back together for a reason.

Shifters is a fierce, funny and beautifully intoxicating celebration of the enduring power of memory and first love. It was performed at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2024, directed by Artistic Director Lynette Linton, before transferring to the Duke of York’s Theatre in London’s West End.

Benedict Lombe’s other plays include Lava, also for the Bush Theatre, which won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for Playwriting.