Shifters: NHB Modern Plays

Dre and Des. Dream and Destiny.
Young. Gifted. Black.
He stayed. She left.

Years later, Des and Dre come crashing back into each other's lives, carrying new secrets and old scars. Caught in the space between memory and reality, they struggle to navigate the shifting borders that threaten to rewrite their past and reshape their future.

Shifters is a fierce, funny and intoxicating romance about the enduring power of first love. Benedict Lombe's play premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2024 to enormous critical acclaim.

This edition, with a text revised by the author, was published alongside the play's North American premiere at New York's Cherry Lane Theatre in 2026, directed by Lynette Linton and starring Heather Agyepong and Daniel Ezra.