The poetic, gut-wrenching, and electric debut play by Chris Pitman, Shore Break, is a meditative solo theatre work about an isolated man looking to the ocean for answers. 

The waves are about to break. A man sits with his surfboard, observing the water. He remembers moments shared with people. Laughs. But is alone. Just him, the surf, and memories of a distant time, giving comfort, causing pain. A patch work of story-telling, poetry, and haunting performance, this new monodrama from one of Adelaide’s most esteemed performers is a touching theatrical experience.

Simple and raw, addressing the search for human connection and meaning, in a life filled with rejection and regret, Shore Break elegantly depicts the vulnerability of masculinity through a tour de force performance, sharp writing, and an emotional sucker-punch you won’t see coming.

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Presented by Brink Productions in association with Adelaide Festival Centre and State Theatre Company South Australia.

Supported By:

CREATIVES

Writer Chris Pitman
Director Chelsea Griffith with Chris Drummond
Lighting Susan Grey – Gardener
Stage Manager Nam Nguyen

CAST
Chris Pitman

‘There are echoes of Tim Winton in Shore Break’s troubled, reminiscing narrator, the descriptions of the wild beauty of the Australian coastal landscape and the rhythms of a colourful Aussie vernacular.’ ArtsHub

‘The performance and script by Chris Pitman are a tour de force, and the standing ovation well-deserved after this marathon of a monologue. The direction by Chelsea Griffith is subtle and uncluttered. A compelling and quintessentially Australian theatre piece with universal appeal, this powerful play is an important addition to our understanding of ourselves and our own contribution to this world.’  The Clothesline

‘…an exquisite work of theatre written and performed by Chris Pitman, an actor who is utterly spellbinding…’ STAGE WHISPERS

‘He had us all by both the jugular and heart strings.’ Lia Loves

‘With a resume bristling with major theatre credits, Chris Pitman has a solid and well-deserved reputation as one of Australia’s finest actors. To that he now adds playwright, with his excellent one-hander Shore Break. For a first go, Shore Break is exhilaratingly successful.

A man is sitting on his deck chair on the beach. He can wander down for a surf, or simply sit and “be”. He talks about life and love, his and others, but he’s no armchair philosopher, for he speaks from lived experience, and from the heart.

There’s a distant father, a good man, but remote. A no-nonsense mother, loyal, tough-loving. A childhood and adolescence that’s detached, if not isolated. He flirts with the need to be something, someone, not always in the most sensible or admirable of ways. Likewise the need to be loved by another. A lifetime later, on the beach, with himself for company, he might have just found his calling.

Shore Break is authentic and genuine. Pitman and director Chelsea Griffith have crafted a really persuasive piece. And it’s not just the words, poetically rich and beautiful though they are. It’s the silence in between, one of the most difficult things in theatre. And so successful it is, that this audience member, for one, could have done with even more.

Shore Break is great new theatre.’ The Advertiser

For information about touring Shore Break, please email John Glenn.