NEWS May 5th, 2026
NODA review of Sheila's Island
Story
Please see below the NODA review of Sheila's Island. The review is by Judith Watsham (Regional Representative NODA London District 11 and 11A)
Thank you for inviting me to your Spring production and for your friendly and warm welcome and hospitality. This was definitely the best play I have seen for a while, and my companion agreed with me.
I was delighted to have the chance to talk to Catherine Everitt, your talented Director, who told me a lot about the production. – such as your three-hour rehearsal in the woods, to give the cast the feel of sitting on cold wet ground. That is true dedication to your art!
Catherine directed the play brilliantly and brought out the very different characters, experiences and insecurities of her four protagonists, all of whom (to my southern ear at least) maintained excellent accents – hailing from the Manchester area. I gathered that you did not have a voice coach either so all I can say is that all four of you must have worked hard to research and perfect this vital element.
On the production side I must congratulate Dave Bowden on his set design and Holly Haynes, your SM, for the inventiveness of the small changes which took us from the landing beach further into the island. The trees and foliage all held up well but it was some of the little touches which lifted the set – like the leaf litter on the floor.
Lighting, Gideon Rainey and Calum Wheeler, was exceptional. We had appropriate lighting for different times of day/evening, complete with fog, and then there was the very effective system which enabled the lights of a disco boat to travel around the island’s peninsular. This, along with Peter Humfryes’ sound effects, really gave the audience the impression that the boat was there, so near, yet so far, as it moved away. The lighting also emphasised the cast’s changing expressions of hope and despair too!.
No programme credit that I could spot for costumes and makeup – but all of this element was very well presented and totally appropriate for your well developed characters.
The programme, Peter Humfryes and Diane Wiles with good clear photographs from Peter and Sue Castle, should definitely be entered into next year’s poster and programme awards.
As this play is scripted for just four characters, they have to hold the attention of the audience, and you certainly achieved that as I could feel those around me becoming totally involved in the storytelling. All four of you had to change from damp clothes on the stage too! Quite a challenge but you managed it very well.
Alison Hartnett as the leader of the group, Sheila, gave us a character whose tendency to overthink and over complicate situations was responsible for marooning the hapless quartet in the first place. Excellent facial expressions, especially when struggling with the realisation that she had made disastrous mistakes.
The role of the cynical, worldly-wise Denise was taken by Kate Tysoe. Kate developed her characterisation well as the story proceeded – cynicism, disillusionment – all were expressed, and understood, by your reactions to your companions.
Susan Jakobsen was really excellent, and total believable, as Fay, still grieving, inches from repeating the breakdown that, we learnt, had resulted in an extended period of sick leave. We realised early on that she was of a religious nature and her appeals to her God from the Lookout Tree were intense and believable. We also realised that she still had a rather tenuous hold on reality. Susan used her excellent body language skills well and was able to convey her feelings sensitively. A really top-notch performance!
Julie, a delightful and again believable performance from Lauren Cubitt, was the fourth character – regarded as boring by the rest of the group, the audience found out why – her tendency to be over prepared for a simple excursion resulted in a wide array of kit coming from her bottomless rucksack. A camping stove and a machete for goodness sake!
Four very different characters brought to life expertly by four exceptionally talented actresses; you all showed that you have the innate ability to both dominate the action and retire as the storyline progressed.
This was an absolutely brilliantly performed play featuring four very talented actresses which was expertly directed and supported by all the technical team. Congratulations to you all. Roll on your ‘Noughties but Nice’ show in July!
Thank you for inviting me to your Spring production and for your friendly and warm welcome and hospitality. This was definitely the best play I have seen for a while, and my companion agreed with me.
I was delighted to have the chance to talk to Catherine Everitt, your talented Director, who told me a lot about the production. – such as your three-hour rehearsal in the woods, to give the cast the feel of sitting on cold wet ground. That is true dedication to your art!
Catherine directed the play brilliantly and brought out the very different characters, experiences and insecurities of her four protagonists, all of whom (to my southern ear at least) maintained excellent accents – hailing from the Manchester area. I gathered that you did not have a voice coach either so all I can say is that all four of you must have worked hard to research and perfect this vital element.
On the production side I must congratulate Dave Bowden on his set design and Holly Haynes, your SM, for the inventiveness of the small changes which took us from the landing beach further into the island. The trees and foliage all held up well but it was some of the little touches which lifted the set – like the leaf litter on the floor.
Lighting, Gideon Rainey and Calum Wheeler, was exceptional. We had appropriate lighting for different times of day/evening, complete with fog, and then there was the very effective system which enabled the lights of a disco boat to travel around the island’s peninsular. This, along with Peter Humfryes’ sound effects, really gave the audience the impression that the boat was there, so near, yet so far, as it moved away. The lighting also emphasised the cast’s changing expressions of hope and despair too!.
No programme credit that I could spot for costumes and makeup – but all of this element was very well presented and totally appropriate for your well developed characters.
The programme, Peter Humfryes and Diane Wiles with good clear photographs from Peter and Sue Castle, should definitely be entered into next year’s poster and programme awards.
As this play is scripted for just four characters, they have to hold the attention of the audience, and you certainly achieved that as I could feel those around me becoming totally involved in the storytelling. All four of you had to change from damp clothes on the stage too! Quite a challenge but you managed it very well.
Alison Hartnett as the leader of the group, Sheila, gave us a character whose tendency to overthink and over complicate situations was responsible for marooning the hapless quartet in the first place. Excellent facial expressions, especially when struggling with the realisation that she had made disastrous mistakes.
The role of the cynical, worldly-wise Denise was taken by Kate Tysoe. Kate developed her characterisation well as the story proceeded – cynicism, disillusionment – all were expressed, and understood, by your reactions to your companions.
Susan Jakobsen was really excellent, and total believable, as Fay, still grieving, inches from repeating the breakdown that, we learnt, had resulted in an extended period of sick leave. We realised early on that she was of a religious nature and her appeals to her God from the Lookout Tree were intense and believable. We also realised that she still had a rather tenuous hold on reality. Susan used her excellent body language skills well and was able to convey her feelings sensitively. A really top-notch performance!
Julie, a delightful and again believable performance from Lauren Cubitt, was the fourth character – regarded as boring by the rest of the group, the audience found out why – her tendency to be over prepared for a simple excursion resulted in a wide array of kit coming from her bottomless rucksack. A camping stove and a machete for goodness sake!
Four very different characters brought to life expertly by four exceptionally talented actresses; you all showed that you have the innate ability to both dominate the action and retire as the storyline progressed.
This was an absolutely brilliantly performed play featuring four very talented actresses which was expertly directed and supported by all the technical team. Congratulations to you all. Roll on your ‘Noughties but Nice’ show in July!