PLAY! Festival 2026

Presented by director and writer Kaia Gifford, TIDAL is an exciting and engaging short play that blends spoken word poetry with traditional theatrical storytelling. Filled with rich debate and conflict, the narrative follows Grace, who discovers a shocking poem written by her partner Harper. The poem dissects the racial inequalities woven into their relationship, throwing their world into sudden turmoil as they confront their racial and cultural differences head on.

Grappling with race, sexuality and cancel culture, TIDAL aims to lay a foundation for vital conversations among young people. The short play was originally adapted from an excerpt submitted as part of Gifford's creative writing portfolio, which received a first class mark and was urged to be developed further. Now brought to the stage, this is a sharp, thought-provoking piece that invites audiences to lean into the difficult questions.

Content warning

Please note that this event features the following content, which some viewers may find distressing: Homophobia, Racism, Strong language, Sexual references  

It is advised that audience members should be 18+ to view this performance. 

Car parking

When you arrive for a College event at our Egham campus, please park in car parks 12 or 4.

Car park 12 can be accessed by turning right as you enter the main College gates and is located next to the tennis courts. If this car park is full, please drive further onto our campus to car park 4, which can be accessed by turning left at the mini-roundabout behind the Students’ Union. We would advise that you bring the College map to campus with you and give yourself plenty of time to park.

Blue Badge holders can find designated parking spaces in Car park 1W, as well as between Gardeners Lodge and the Williams Annexe. You can find these locations by looking at our campus map opposite. If you require any assistance on arrival, please contact our premises team in advance of your visit by emailing: premisesadmin@royalholloway.ac.uk and they will be happy to help.

Please note that we operate an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system on certain parts of our campus, however if you are here for an organised event, parking is unrestricted for event guests in car parks 12, 4 or 14 (or display your blue badge permit if parking in a disabled bay). If you have any questions about parking, please email: premisesadmin@royalholloway.ac.uk