Neville's Island

by Tim Firth

Neville's Island had 4 performances about 27 years ago (between the 1st of April 1998 and the 4th of April 1998)

Perhaps best known for his work writing Preston Front for TV, Tim Firth wrote this play firstly for production at Alan Ayckbourn's 'home' theatre (the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough) in 1992. Tony Slattery took the role of Gordon at a subsequent production at the Nottingham Playhouse, before it transferred to the Apollo theatre, London, in October 1994. The play was only recently released for amateur production (in 1998) and RDG was one of the first to tackle this challenging technical piece set on a deserted island during a 'team-building weekend'. It has since been adapted for television, starring Martin Clunes as Roy, broadcast by the ITV network in 1998.

There are a number of parallels and reference to William Golding's masterpiece Lord of the Flies, although Neville's Island concerns itself much more with the amusing side of a dysfunctional group thrown together out of their natural habitat. That is not to say that the darker elements are forgotten, and as the author says "what should have been a bonding process for Gordon, Angus, Neville and Roy turns into a bloody fight for survival".

The changing rooms at the Rhoda McGaw theatre have never been the same since ....