THIS ISLAND’S MINE
by Philip Osment
Director/Designer Philip Wilson
Lighting Designer Rachel E Cleary | Sound Designer Dinah Mullen
1988. Thatcher’s Britain.
Seventeen-year-old Luke runs away to London – away from homophobic playground slurs, headlines that scream ‘Don’t Teach Our Children To Be Gay’ and a family who wouldn’t understand him – to Uncle Martin, who he once saw with his arms around another man at a march.
In the capital, Mark is sacked because of fears about colleagues working with ‘someone like him’. His boyfriend, Selwyn, faces being beaten up both by the police and at home by his own stepbrother. Meanwhile, Debbie battles with her son, who doesn’t want to live with her and her girlfriend.
And retired piano teacher Miss Rosenblum – who once found refuge in this country from a terror that swept away half her family in 1930s Vienna – has seen this sort of hatred and fear before.
Soon, these individual stories – of first loves and old flames, alliances and abandonment, missed opportunities and new chances – intertwine to paint a vivid picture of Eighties Britain.
This Island’s Mine was originally performed by Gay Sweatshop in 1988. Now, three decades after the introduction of Section 28 banning positive representations of homosexuality, Philip Osment’s passionate and lyrical play, of outsiders, exiles and refugees, is all too resonant.
PERFORMANCE DATES:
Wed 15 May - Sat 8 June 2019 - KING’S HEAD THEATRE, ISLINGTON
CAST
Martin/Stephen/Prospero Theo Fraser Steele
Selwyn/Dave Corey Montague-Sholay
Jody/Mme Irina/Debbie/Wayne Rachel Summers
Marianne/Maggie/Miranda Rebecca Todd
Miss Rosenblum/Vladimir Jane Bertish
Mark/The Director/Frank Tom Ross-Williams
Luke Connor Bannister
PRODUCTION
Writer Philip Osment
Director/Designer Philip Wilson
Lighting Design Rachel E Cleary
Sound Design Dinah Mullen
Costume Supervisor Bronya Arciszewska
Assistant Director Alexandria Anfield
Production Manager Toby Burbidge
Stage Manager Stevie Wren
Assistant Stage Manager Chloe Brown
Assistant Sound Design Sepy Baghaei
Assistant Costume Supervisor Line Jia
Press & Public Relations Kate Morley PR
Publicity Image Curtis Holder
REVIEWS
★★★★★ “It’s a masterpiece of writing actually, as the audience is swept up in the frenetic movement from scene to scene, many actually leaning forward in their seats to drink in these bite-size pieces of ordinary lives in extraordinary times….Philip Osment’s hugely compelling writing paired with Philip Wilson’s flawless direction makes this a defining portrayal of gay life, which is fast becoming gay history.” Theatre Weekly
★★★★★ “A heartwarming, poetic drama…a triumph. See it if you can.” The Spy in the Stalls
★★★★ “Philip Wilson's generous-hearted production gives full weight to all of the characters who are played by an excellent ensemble.” Sunday Express
★★★★ "Blended together like a Love Actually tapestry of interweaving narrative threads, this medley of queer stories presents a sweeping portrait of gay life in Thatcher’s Britain." QX Magazine
★★★★ "fun and illuminating...PHILIP OSMENT’s play is once again unbelievably and depressingly topical" Queerguru
★★★★ “myriad storylines of chaotic lives are compressed into a dizzyingly compact odyssey that conjures up a heady hit of London life.” Ham & High
"A well-deserved and much overdue revival... it speaks to us now as much as it did in 1988" British Theatre Guide
“The rich themes of lives and loves, family and community, make for captivating stories…the cast all impress by taking on multiple roles, swooping ages, nationalities and genders, often with wit. This Island’s Mine has both tragedy and comedy to recognize and inspire an audience; the play’s success boils down to superb storytelling, excellently delivered.” Once a Week Theatre
“after it finishes, for a few moments it follows you out on to a multicultural street in Islington, with a feeling of optimism and unity, thinking that, just maybe, things will get better.” Upper Circle
Photos: Mark Douet
FUNDERS
This production has been made possible thanks to:
Ian McKellen, Richard O’Brien, Gary Donaldson, Juan Carlos Vieira De Gouveia, Philip Hedley, John Causebrook, Jim McCarthy, David George and Rebecca Hunt.
