Thorneland

Thorneland is a play about re-finding simplicity in the echoes of grief and loss.

In Northallerton, Yorkshire, working on Thorne Farm is Saf, sensitive and excitable, her older brother Luke, who keeps the farm and family upright, and Jasmine, their loyally honest close friend. Their humble arrangements are disrupted however when Saf and Luke’s brother, Nick, returns after four years.

Nick is ridden with guilt and shame after leaving the family home directly after the death of the sibling’s younger brother, Ben, cutting ties with them entirely. When he finally returns to make amends, he finds that his role in the family has been filled by Jasmine, who has dealt with similar experiences in her own family, eventually leading her to Thorne Farm. Together, the four of them try to find the right words to empathise with each other’s quiet devastation.

Told over the space of a week, will they be able to confront their distress after years of suppression? Or will Nick run away again, leaving his family with only the reminder of what they lost years ago?

This is a distinctly Northern English play that explores how we mediate and reconcile through grief, and whether said grief can give space for forgiveness and understanding, all told through backdrops of folk music, custard creams, and a joint or two.

Venue: Upstairs at the Gatehouse, 1 North Road, Highgate Village, London, N6 4BD