Sheila's Island

Shelia’s Island ... a play performed by Wigan Little Theatre at Wigan Little Theatre on Friday, 19th April 2024

Penned by the ever so talented Tim Firth (Writer of Calendar Girls, Kinky Boots, Our House, Flint Street Nativity and many more) this comedy, from the thick fog, is genuinely funny at times but with its dark comedy ending is enticingly thought-provoking!  What is interesting about this play is that it was adapted from Firth’s first major theatre commission, Nevilles Island that put four middle aged male managers in the spotlight. Shelia’s Island is set on Bonfire Night 2019….  Shelia, Denise, Julie, and Fay are ‘Team C’ in Pennine Mineral Water Ltd.'s annual outward-bound, team-building weekend. Somehow, Sheila has been nominated team leader, and, using her ‘cryptic crossword solving skills’, has unwittingly misinterpreted the first set of clues which has left them stranded on an island in the Lake District. Our intrepid hero ines find themselves manufacturing weapons from bra’s, cable ties, and spatulas... they create a rescue flag made from plastic plates and a toasting fork. Questions are asked; truths are told; dirty laundry is aired. Is it possible to build an adequate night shelter with a prom dress?  What is Julie’s husband really up to in Aldi? Why are they on this bloody team building exercise when they could be at a spa?

Production Team ... John Churnside (Director) was the one chosen to guide us through the ‘thick fog’!  What was obvious from the opening scene to the final curtain, was that John had gathered an enthusiastic cast who knew exactly what John wanted from them and how to make this play work.  It’s essential for a small cast (4 characters) to be able to work together, bounce off each other and that was achieved with effortless ease… so with all the boxes ticked, we sat back and waited for the ‘fog’ to disperse!  PS… OMG what an opening we had.... just loved the direction for the opening scene… I can only envisage that WLT had set up some sort of ‘water feature’ that allowed all four characters to crawl through and to arrive on stage ‘literally dripping wet through, from head to foot’... they were pouring water from their hiking boots... it really did look like they’d swam to shore after their boat had sunk... it was hilarious, authentic and the reaction from the packed house at Wigan just said it all...  what an impressive way to open the play!

The Cast.... as previously stated, we had a cast of four... who gave their all to this production!   The success was down to all four working together, giving us their all and leaving nothing on that stage only ‘puddles of water’... so to start selecting an individual as a ‘showstealer’ would be wrong in my opinion... the success of this play was, without doubt, ‘our cast of four’.  Leading our intrepid cast of adventurers from the front was Helen Grey who took on the role of ‘team leader’ ... ‘Shelia’... the ‘cryptic crossword puzzler’, who despite everything, attempts to stay positive and keep her group together. I suppose you could describe Helen’s character as the ‘straight role’, a role that Helen just made her own.  Good stage presence, cool, calm, great character created, looked totally comfortable throughout… congrats Helen, great job!  If I was to have had a ‘favourite’ … I think I would have probably ‘plumped’ for Tara Heywood who took on the role of ‘Denise’… the sarcastic, outspoken, unpleasant woman, who just says what she thinks! Constantly cracking jokes at the expense of others…  Tara provided us with another great character, loved the way the character became larger/nastier as the production progressed … another with stage presence aplenty… thought the characterisation was ‘pitched’ just right … you really did loathe her by the end!  Great job Tara be proud!  ‘Polar opposite’ of ‘Denise’ and one that would have run Tara close for favourite… which was Beth Garner and her take on ‘Faye’… the slightly vulnerable, slightly unbalanced, born-again Christian, who loves nothing better than a spot of ‘birdwatching’ … her sighting of a ‘gyrfalcon’ had her in ecstasy!  Beth provided the emotional side to this story. Faye is dealing with a lot, personal loss and bereavement, she’s such an easy and obvious target for ‘Denise’.  Beth was a perfect fit for this part and brought the character to life!  Great stage presence, great characterisation, really showed us, with ease, the vulnerable side of the character…her entrance toward the end, (you’ll need to see it to understand) with the ‘wings’ was hilarious, yet it could have meant so many different things… great job Beth, be ever so proud! This is why I didn’t select a favourite because Erinna Delaney’s portrayal of ‘Julie’ was up there as well! The ‘ultra organised’, ‘prepared for anything’ type of person, who was probably responsible for the survival of the group… her ‘rucksack’ was like a Mary Poppins bag, but who’s home life seemed a little ‘fraught’!  Perfectly cast for the role, Erinna was assured, confident, great stage presence, just loved the way she captured the character…. be super proud Erinna! 

Staging/Tech... John Dudley (Stage Manager), John Churnside (Set Design) Brian Heap, John Gostelow, Dave Flannagan, Kevin Fairhurst, Phil Wood, Gary Hill and John Churnside (Set Constriction) ... Christine Armstrong, Maureen Schofield, Maggie Hall, Pat Ashurst, Ellen Fitton, Veronica Teesdale, Val Miller and Mary B Hill (Set Painters) along with Chris Boyle (Visual and Sound Effects Consultant) and Rachel Ariel Taylor, Darren Little, Will Mulhearn, Kim Brown, Andy Brown and Brian Kenrick (Lights and Sound) should all be congratulated on what they all helped to achieve! The amazing set that worked ever so well allowed and afforded the cast to do ‘their thing’ extremely well.  I’ve mentioned it before... the opening scene with the water (still not sure how it was achieved – but it worked a treat) as did the entire set, as did the amazing visuals and sound effects ... all of which helped enhance this production ever so much.... be proud everyone, great job!

Props… were first class, used really well and enhanced the production… (especially the contents of ‘Julie’s rucksack) … under the watchful eye of Elaine Delaney, Katie Davies, Jess Sinclair, Anne Martin, Patricia Ashurst, Zak Tanfield and Jess O’Neil.

Wardrobe… apt and again enhancing the production… under the watchful eye of Stacey Vernon and Cast

From the laughter and the applause throughout and at the finale…. I would suggest that this was a ‘play’ that everyone present that evening enjoyed! 

Thank you so much for inviting Susan and I, we really did enjoy the production and look forward to seeing you all again soon!

‘Stay Safe, Keep well’
‘Stronger Together’

Jim Briscoe,
NODA NW
District 6 Rep

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