Dakota of the White Flats

Red Leap Theatre tours award-winning play

Dakota of the White Flats is an adaptation of the novel by award-winning author Philip Ridley. A high-action pulpy punk noir that snatches the classic coming-of-age adventure story out of the hands of a gang of boys, and passes it to two loud, unapologetic, brave young women.

Dakota Pink is 13-years-old and afraid of nothing. She lives in a bleak housing complex on the edge of a polluted canal. Abandoned supermarket trolleys litter the streets and the oil slick water is filled with monstrous mutant eels. Dakota and her best friend Treacle discover a secret that propels them across the water to the Broken Glass Fortress on Dog Island.

Delivered in electronica inflected neon and grime, Dakota of the White Flats is a finely crafted narrative shot through with comedy, horror, immersive soundscape and live music. Directed by Ella Becroft, with set design by John Verryt, lighting by Rachel Marlow and composition by Eden Mulholland, this fast-paced and electrifying show celebrates the resilience, bravery and hope of young people in a changing world.

Dakota of the White Flats was the winner of the 2022 PAYPA Award for Most Original Production.