HighTide’s Ditch Washes into Old Vic Tunnels

The play, one of three world premieres taking place in the Suffolk town of Halesworth during this year’s HighTide, is a distopian drama set in the Britain of the near future: much of the country is underwater and the government has turned to totalitarianism in an effort to control the populace. It will run for seven performances only during the festival, from 30 April to 3 May.

Ditch is directed by Richard Twyman, who has performed and directed with the RSC, and designed by takis, whose work includes installation art as well as theatre and opera design. takis’s design takes its inspiration from Hieronymus Bosch, Francis Bacon and Pina Bausch. The experienced cast are Gethin Anthony, seen recently in What Fatima Did… at Hampstead Theatre last October, Craig Conway, who starred as Sol in the 2008 film Doomsday, Matti Houghton, the well known Irish actress, Dearblha Molloy, Paul Rattray from the 2008 National Theatre of Scotland hit, Blackwatch, and Danny Webb.

HighTide made its mark on the London theatre scene last year with its transfer of the highly-acclaimed Stovepipe to West 12 in Shepherd’s Bush. HighTide is the world’s first producing festival of new plays, with the production team working year-round to develop work for the annual four-day event in Suffolk.