Stage Notes: Driftwood, Kiln Theatre

A story about survival and what it costs, set in 1956 Trinidad on the cusp of independence: Driftwood unfolds in ALMA, a gentlemen’s club in downtown Port of Spain. Here ambition, history and the weight of impossible choices all collide.

Now playing at Kilburn’s Kiln Theatre, Cat White, who plays Ruby – a fiery, self-invented woman dreaming of transforming her world – takes us behind the curtain.

Driftwood At The Kiln Theatre: What To Expect

C&TH sits down with Cat White.

What’s The Plot?

ALMA is run by Pearl and coveted by her ambitious daughter Ruby, who dreams of transforming it into something far grander. When Diamond arrives from the countryside carrying both a personal quest and a dangerous deal with a corrupt US Marine, the entire world of ALMA and its inhabitants begins to unravel. ‘It’s about family, belonging, identity, resilience and hope,’ Cat explains. ‘It asks these profound questions: who are you, where are you from, what do you carry with you, and what do you pass on?’

Written by Martina Laird, the play captures history through individual lives rather than abstraction. ‘Her characters are gloriously complicated and rooted in history and ancestry, but it’s never in a didactic way. You’re always experiencing the world through people rather than ideas,’ Cat says. ‘The politics are there, but they arrive through the heart. Martina trusts audiences to sit with complexity and invites us to meet her characters with curiosity rather than judgement. That’s a rare gift, I think.’

The costumes are equally powerful. ‘Ruby sees herself as something of a Trinidadian Rita Hayworth, so she models herself on the great Hollywood stars of the era – women like Rita Hayworth and Dorothy Dandridge and all of that golden-age glamour,’ Cat says. She wears a ruby-red top and floaty skirt, a baby pink and blue halter-neck dress, plus custom-made pieces in ruby-red and electric-blue. ‘The costumes tell you so much about Ruby’s aspirations and the image she wants to project to the world.’

There’s one scene that captures the essence of Ruby – and the entire play. ‘There is an early moment where Ruby is dancing and dreaming herself into the life she wants. I love it because it captures something essential about her. It’s joyful, romantic and full of possibility, but it also reveals the longing underneath. She’s dancing to American jazz, imagining a different future, performing glamour in a room that is literally falling apart around her,’ Cat describes. ‘Every time we rehearsed it I was reminded of how beautifully Martina captures the gap between who we are and who we long to become.’

The Cast

Cat plays Ruby, a character she describes as a dream role: ‘It’s a gift. She’s fiery, funny, glamorous, infuriating, intelligent, terrified, vulnerable and endlessly surprising. One moment she’s performing confidence and the next you glimpse the fear underneath it. Martina has written somebody who contains multitudes, and discovering all those contradictions has been a joy.’

What makes Ruby particularly fascinating is her complete self-invention. ‘She’s created herself from nothing,’ Cat explains. ‘She’s grown up with very little, and she’s constructed this glamorous, almost cinematic version of who she wants to be. She feels like a modern woman, even by today’s standards.’

But beneath the glamour and ambition sits a woman shaped by vulnerability and survival. ‘Every choice she makes comes from that tension between ambition and survival,’ Cat says. ‘She’s had a really hard and traumatic life but has refused to be defined by that. So it’s that tension between strength and fragility. She’s a survivor, and that’s what drew me to her.’

Elsewhere on stage, ALMA is governed by Pearl (Ellen Thomas), while Diamond (Bridgerton‘s Martins Imhangbe) is the unexpected arrival. The full cast is as follows:

• Ellen Thomas as Pearl
• Cat White as Ruby
• Martins Imhangbe as Diamond
• Shane David-Joseph as Seldom
• Ziggy Heath as Tom
• Roger Ringrose as Mansion

According to Ruby, Driftwood‘s director Justin Audibert has created an environment where the cast can truly flourish. ‘Justin is incredibly collaborative. Every idea is welcomed, every question is considered and there is a genuine sense that everyone is contributing to the storytelling. He creates a rehearsal room where you feel safe enough to take risks, which is such a gift as an actor,’ Cat reflects.

The Venue

The Kiln Theatre is an intimate space that intensifies the experience. ‘This is my first time performing at the Kiln, and I’ve completely fallen in love with it,’ Cat says. ‘One of the things I love most is how close the audience feels. There’s nowhere to hide in a play like Driftwood and in a space like the Kiln you can literally feel the audience breathing with you. It creates an incredible sense of connection and immediacy.’

The theatre’s reputation makes it the perfect home for this play. ‘The Kiln has such a wonderful history of presenting bold, ambitious work, so it’s a real honour to bring Driftwood to its stage,’ Cat says.

The Takeaway

What will linger as you leave the theatre? Cat hopes audiences leave with questions rather than answers. ‘I hope people leave talking about the characters and debating their choices. The play doesn’t offer easy answers, and I love that. I also hope they leave with questions about history and legacy, that they can ask themselves: “What am I carrying that isn’t mine? And what can I do to move forward differently?” But also, I hope they leave with a feeling of hope that things can change.’

As for the experience itself: ‘Come ready to be taken somewhere. Driftwood is funny, sensual, heartbreaking, tense and unexpectedly tender. There are moments where you can feel the entire audience holding its breath. I think people become invested in these characters very quickly and once you’re in their world it’s hard not to be swept along by it. It’s the sort of theatre experience that asks you to surrender to the journey. And, if you do, I think you’ll find yourself deeply moved.’

Eat & Drink Nearby

For a post-show debrief, Cat has two recommendations. ‘For a drink, I’d head straight to The Black Lion. It’s one of London’s great old gin palaces and is full of character! It’s absolutely stunning and is the perfect place to sit with friends and unpack everything you’ve just seen.’

For dinner, she suggests Ariana II, a wonderful independent Afghan restaurant nearby. ‘It’s family-owned and has amazing veggie options. The food is absolutely delicious and it’s exactly the sort of local gem I love discovering when I’m working in a new neighbourhood.’

Tickets

Driftwood runs 4 June–4 July 2026 at the Kiln Theatre (Ealing Green, London W5 5EP).

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