A film prologue to Rhiannon Faith's Drowntown, which was set to be on a UK tour now including a visit to the Barbican, will be screened 9 July at 8PM on Facebook followed by the trailer for the stage show and a Q&A discussion with Faith, director Adam Sheldon and some cast members. It will be available to watch on demand on the web sites of the Barbican and Rhiannon Faith.
Drowntown looks at six strangers weighed down by individual darkness in an unnamed, seemingly abandoned, deprived coastal town. Stuck between the remains of a broken community and the vast bleakness of the sea, they struggle with isolation, loneliness, shame and failed support systems.
In Drowntown Lockdown, the cast of Drowntown are in their own homes before they leave for the beach, the setting for the show. Loneliness, involuntary isolation and the difficulty of leaving the house are all explored.
“There was an obvious disappointment that the tour was postponed,” said Faith, “but the themes and issues it explores have such a similarity to those that are affecting so many people during the lockdown that I wanted to get something out there that works in the current context but will remain relevant in the future.”