Sheila's Island

Having had the pleasure of reporting on Attfield Theatre Company productions on two previous occasions, I was greatly looking forward to my latest trip to The Guildhall at Bailey Head in Oswestry to see how they would stage Tim Firth’s latest challenging masterpiece, ‘Sheila’s Island’.

First aired at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, in February 2022 followed by a highly successful national tour, the play is set on a remote and uninhabited island in the Lake District where four female colleagues from the Pennine Mineral Water Company have become unwittingly stranded during an outward-bound team-building weekend. Having put their faith in team leader Sheila whose ability to solve cryptic crossword clues is apparently legendary, their rowing boat has hit the rocks as a result of some bad navigation and in the dead of night, all four of our friends have found themselves in the water, thankfully shallow, not injured, but freezing cold just the same. It is after all November 5th, Bonfire Night, and even in the middle of Summer, the water in British lakes is not renowned for its warmth!

As they each drag themselves onto dry land from the shoreline, they wring out their soaking clothes and change into something dry and warmer from their kitbags as the debate begins on how they have managed to get into such a mess. Questions are asked, truths are told and dirty washing is aired - thankfully not literally -  and why are they on a teambuilding exercise when there was an alternative opportunity to sample the luxury and comfort of a local spa? They have little food and the minimum amount of equipment but put on a brave face as they eventually get a fire lit and amongst other things create a rescue flag from plastic plates and a toasting fork. But where can they find shelter for the night? The scene was now set for the fun and games to begin!

Before we get down to the fine detail of this adventure and the brilliance of the four actors in it, I have to say that the set that had been created for this production was unbelievably brilliant! We are well accustomed to the usual excellence of the sets Attfield design and construct to grace their productions, but this one was a further step towards absolute perfection.

The main theatre house tabs had been abandoned to allow more depth to an incredibly detailed woodland scene which we were able to enjoy on the open stage before the play began. Not only painted in great detail onto the cyclorama and side flats, actual tree trunks, branches and dense foliage had been cleverly added to create an almost three-dimensional aspect to the stage and the perfect setting for our intrepid heroes to tell their story. A higher ‘rocky’ level had been incorporated upstage and also a treehouse platform in the left-hand corner. There was even a pool of water on the right-hand side of the stage and the use of dry ice to create an eerie mist did much to enhance the overall atmosphere especially with the added genius of sound effects and the almost spooky bluey-green lighting.

So how will our intrepid castaways survive, (perhaps a little over dramatic), stuck together in what would appear to be complete isolation with no means of communication to the outside world except for the distress flare Julie had packed, but would have very little impact on the night sky which was already ablaze with fireworks! They had already overcome the discomfort of dragging themselves through the icy standing water and successfully managed to change into dry clothes which clearly displayed an initial determination. And as the hours ticked by, their individual characterisations began to develop, much to our interest and enjoyment, as we learned a whole lot more about each of them and their interactions through the various scenes of hope, despair and sheer exhaustion.

As Sheila, the ‘captain’ of the group, Lisa Van Der Horst was quite splendid and even though she had totally misinterpreted the cryptic clues provided and was largely responsible for their current predicament, she was determined to put things right and tactfully involve her other three shipmates in doing so. Sheila’s lack of day-to-day practical skills was well known, but her grit and determination certainly made up for it.

In another fine performance, Kath Evans as Denise wasn’t so forgiving and blamed everyone but herself for their current dilemma. Sarcastic, unpleasant and clearly the outspoken member of the team, she was always quick to give her opinion and crack jokes at their expense. Right from the start she had taken the view that the whole team building exercise was a ‘crap idea’ especially as they had been given the option to spend the weekend in the luxury of a local spa on dry land which now only seemed like a pipe dream and distant memory.

As Julie, the Human Resources Manager of the Pennine Mineral Water Company, Liz Franks was the most level-headed and down-to-earth member of the group and gave a highly comical performance. Having packed just about everything but the kitchen sink into her bulging rucksack, she was well prepared for any eventuality and kept us amused all evening as the most bizarre of items kept appearing just like rabbits out of a magician’s hat!

In one of the funniest moments from the play, and with all our friends desperate for something to eat, Julie also produced a small sausage from the rucksack which she had sneaked away from the hotel breakfast buffet before they set out. If that wasn’t enough, out followed a camping stove, frying pan and massive carving knife to divide the sausage equally into four! How we laughed!

Another fine performance came from Suzannah Smith as Fay, the fourth and least able member of the group who had previously suffered from mental health issues. A dedicated Christian and seemingly unflappable, she gave a tender and contrasting performance to her fellow castaways. Her birdwatching activities were highly amusing especially having been amazed and delighted to catch sight of an exceedingly rare Gyrfalcon. Fay obviously also had a liking for Rogers and Hammerstein’s ‘Oklahoma’ as she treated us to several short bursts of ‘Oh What A Beautiful Morning’ in an endeavour to keep the team’s spirits up.

As we’ve come to expect from Attfield, this was another exceptional production with the characterisation of the four castaways honed to perfection by the inspired direction of Debbie Jones who also doubled as stage manager. I’ve already commented on the outstanding set design for which a large and obviously highly talented group of Attfield scenic artists was responsible. It really was quite exceptional. The lighting design (Rosie Druce), Sound Recording (Malcolm Congreve) and Voice Overs (Malcolm Lord) were all of a high standard as was the production management headed by Debs Watson.

I also must make mention of the unique and colourful programme, French-folded from an A3 sheet into an A5 format – very clever and a wonderful souvenir.

Thank you as always for your warm welcome and hospitality and, again many congratulations on another superb production.

Chris C Bell
Regional Representative
NODA West Midlands District 2

In my role as Regional Councillor for NODA West Midlands, it is always a pleasure to be invited to productions across the region. An invitation to Attfield Theatre is particularly welcome, not only because of the warm hospitality extended to everyone—not just NODA representatives—but also because of the expectation of a superb production, outstanding sets, and excellent performances.

Chris has, without doubt, covered every aspect that I would have highlighted in my own report, and I wholeheartedly agree with his comments. However, I must reiterate just how remarkable the set was. The attention to detail was exceptional and provided the perfect backdrop for the action on stage.

The four actors gave their all throughout the production, from crawling through the water to delivering both tense and light-hearted moments with equal conviction. Their commitment and energy ensured that the audience was fully engaged from start to finish.

Congratulations once again to everyone involved in this excellent production. I look forward to seeing you all again very soon.

Andy Brown
Regional Councillor
NODA West Midlands.

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