A SHOW created by acclaimed physical theatre company Angel Exit Theatre will be performed at Bridport Arts Centre on Saturday.

The Drive recounts an unexpected Nordic road trip which sees two estranged friends thrown together on a tense journey from London to Oslo. The further Becky and Nat get from home the closer they come to confronting the demons of their shared past.

Spliced through with humour, slick physicality, an original contemporary soundtrack and video projection, The Drive is a show about friendship, grief, the fragility of memory, turning 40 and coming of age in the 1990s. It also looks at who owns the truth when something can’t be proven.

Nat’s life hasn’t turned out quite how she expected it to. She doesn’t do ‘packing light’ but she enjoys a bit of hot yoga. Becky seems to have it all. She shops in Reiss and snacks on rocket instead of crisps. They were best friends. They haven’t talked for over 15 years. Now they’re going to be stuck in a car together for 48 hours.

Created after two periods of research and development, firstly at the Marine Theatre (Lyme Regis) R&D By the Sea in spring 2016 and then at Lighthouse in spring 2017, The Drive is a contemporary story which represents an exciting new direction and challenge for Angel Exit Theatre.

Coartistic directors Lynne Forbes and Tamsin Fessey said: “We felt there was a need to create a piece of work with two women at its centre. A show in which female friendship was at the foreground of the storytelling.

"We were also interested in the reconstructive nature of memory and how in the process of remembering we create our own versions of the stories which shape us.

"The use of video projection reflects the content stylistically and adds to the idea that our personal narratives are constructed in the same way that a film is edited and framed; a notion that the writing also explores, ”“Guilt and grief has created fissures in the characters’ friendship and this has seen them fall out of touch with each other.

"The drive across Europe at their dead friend’s behest provides an intense and sometimes comical setting for the show to look at the complexities of female friendship, how we deal with guilt and grief and ultimately forces Becky and Nat to deal with an event in their shared past that neither has really come to terms with.”

The Drive is jointly written by Tamsin Fessey and Lynne Forbes, with dramaturgical support from acclaimed writer Nell Leyshon (Bedlam, Glass Eels, Comfort Me with Apples).

The original electronic music is written by regular collaborator Tom Ball. The costumes and set are designed by international designer Yoon Bae, who also worked with design students from Arts University, Bournemouth. Projection design is by video artist Elliot Manches and lighting design by Zoe Spurr. The show is performed by Tamsin Fessey and Lynne Forbes.

The Drive is produced in association with Lighthouse, Poole’s Centre for the Arts. The production has received funding from Arts Council England, Borough of Poole Culture Fund, West Dorset District Council, Activate and Lighthouse, Poole’s Centre for the Arts.

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