Shifters landed on my doorstep following high praise. Written by Benedict Lombe an award-winning Congolese playwright based in London, this play debuted at the Bush Theatre in 2024, before transferring to The Duke of York's Theatre in the West End, making Lombe the third black British female playwright to have a play staged in the West End. The playtext did not disappoint. The two characters jump straight out of the page; they're witty, complex and the chemistry they share is palpable. Their relationship is relatable but not cliched, and we really experience the depth of their connection. We're rooting for them both right until the end. It reminded me of the A24 film Past Lives, which also accurately explores the persistent pull of first love.
From an educational standpoint, this play has plenty of scope for students. It's the perfect text if you're looking for contemporary duologues that show good range, with two strong, nuanced black characters. The scenes leap between past and present, but how they do that is left very much open to interpretation, with the stage directions only signifying that the scene transforms into the next fluidly, like memories, sometimes with the dialogue overlapping from one scene into the next. This leaves plenty of space for students to play with how they stage it, and opens up the opportunity to have multiple actors perform the two roles, or to have an ensemble who assist with creating interesting transitions. One suggestion could be to incorporate physical theatre into the transitions, increasing the need for an ensemble and reducing the amount of set required. In fact, I’d say it's a play that requires little to no set, and as a result your students could experiment with staging it in the round or traverse.
It is important to note there are themes of sexual abuse and suicide referenced in the play, but they are offered up subtly as part of the characters back-stories, resulting in an intricate story where trauma is not its defining feature. Finally, the play is currently being turned into a feature film – this opens up a lesson idea where you could ask your students to explore the differences between stage and screen, and they could even attempt to adapt a scene for the screen themselves.