Sheila's Island

SHEILA’S ISLAND by Tim Firth is a comedy, a reimagination of Neville’s Island for an all-female cast. This four-hander shows us what happened when the women, with their team leader Sheila, on a team building weekend, are stranded on an island, when their small boat capsizes.   On the surface, the women are prepared to tough it out until help arrives but things go downhill when they realise their food was in a rucksack that went down with their vessel!

The costumes were very good and were in keeping with the theme of the story; hiking gear and boots.  Fay’s ‘Angel’ outfit deserves special mention for its construction and impact.   

The single setting, part of the island, was very effective and a good representation of the ‘great outdoors’.    The set was decorated with real foliage, large rocks (used as seats) and a large tree branch was perfectly placed for Fay to perch on while birdwatching.    At the front left of the stage was a small pool of water giving the impression of the edge of the island.   The props were numerous ranging from camping equipment to a ‘camping fire’ and a piece of soggy pizza!   

The sound was good and lighting was excellent, with a lovely sunset greeting the audience. Other special lighting and sound effects were used to create the passing party boat.

Although listed as a comedy, Sheila’s Island had sharp undercurrents of jealously and some other not very attractive traits.   Each of the women’s characters were well defined and emphasised: Denise, was the snarky mean spirited of the four while Julie was rather dim and worried about the faithfulness of her husband. Julie was often on the receiving end of Denise’s jibes concerning her inability to tell jokes. She was also very well equipped with an almost unending rucksack of surprises, rather like Mary Poppins’s carpet bag!  Fay, as the quiet one, had recently found faith and was the keen birdwatcher. Sheila, the team leader and navigator, struggled to maintain control as the time passed with no sign of help. There were some strong moral messages and thought-provoking moments of self-examination as well as plenty of laughs along the way. There was good chemistry between the four actresses who were totally engrossed in their roles and were engaging throughout. Congratulations to the strong cast for believable and entertaining performances, Director Stevie Parker for solid direction and the rest of the creative team for providing the support that ensured the success of this production.  

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