You can try to ignore it, or pretend you don’t know it, but sooner or later grief shows up on your doorstep, bags packed and intending on staying a while.
Drift is the story of a group of young 20-somethings navigating the tumult of early adulthood while at the same time dealing with the grief of losing one of their own.
Co-written by Tara Clark and Sutherland Shire resident Kieran Foster, Drift stars an exciting cast of six fresh young actors and opens on July 22 and runs to July 30.
Clark says the only solution to grief is to grieve – it’s as simple as that.
‘‘You just have to grit your teeth and go through it. You can try to bury it; to stow it away in the darkest cavities inside you, but grief grows thick and wet like moss in the dark,’’ Clark said.
‘‘We tend to look at our teen years as our most formative and our most turbulent, but I think it’s later — our twenties — when we really start to solidify who we are and where we fit into it all.
‘‘We’re now defined less and less by the values of our families and institutions, and forced to make decisions about our own sense of values and the direction our lives will take.’’
Foster says so much of who we grow into is defined by the people we choose to surround ourselves with, our tribe.
‘‘Who we see ourselves to be is seen reflected in those we choose to have in our lives, and the loss of a close friend can bring not only devastating grief, but also crushing confusion,’’ Foster says.
‘‘We wanted to explore this very delicate period of a person’s life, where they’re just starting to figure out who they are and where they fit into it all, compounded with the confusion of losing someone close, and someone just as young.
‘‘Drift is an homage to young adulthood in all its guts as well as its glory.’’
Drift is the follow up to Clark’s critically acclaimed Jennifer Forever and is the play writing debut for Foster.
Drift will premiere at ATYP’s Studio, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay.
- Bookings: thetwopeas.com