Islands Press Night ©Helen Murray
The rules are important.
Our job is to maximize the size of the “cherry” pie.
Yours is to be quiet. Shhh. DON’T SCRATCH.
Islands is an ink black comedy about tax havens, enormous greed, and the few who have it all. Join Olivier Award-nominated Caroline Horton and her filthy ensemble on Haven, a bizarre and monstrous world where no-one has to pay… for anything.
Devised in consultation with experts on offshore finance, Islands sounds a warning siren—we ignore the tax practices of wealthy individuals and multinational companies at our peril.
Oxfam estimate that there is $18.5 trillion siphoned out of the world economy into tax havens by wealthy individuals alone. Christian Aid has calculated that 1,000 children die every day as a result of tax evasion. This is not just a political or social challenge; this is a matter of human rights.
“As you know, I have made fighting the scourge of tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance a priority…”
David Cameron
We thought Dave might need a hand.
Islands sees multi award-winning and Olivier nominated Caroline Horton (Mess, You’re Not Like The Other Girls Chrissy) re-united with Bush Theatre Associate Director, Omar Elerian (The Mill – City of Dreams, Bradford, Yorkshire; You’re Not Like The Other Girls Chrissy).
Presented by the Bush Theatre and Caroline Horton & Co with China Plate. Commissioned by Warwick Arts Centre and Harlow Playhouse.
Islands has been developed in consultation with specialist economic advisers including John Christensen of The Tax Justice Network. Funded by Arts Council England and kindly supported by the Unity Theatre Trust and developed with the support of Oxford Playhouse, the Peggy Ramsey Foundation, National Theatre Studio and South Street Arts Centre.
Developed through Fuel’s Jerwood Residencies at Cove Park which are supported by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation.
Teachers! Coming to see Islands with your students?
Check out our Education Pack, packed full of context, photos and classroom exercises.
Caroline Horton is a theatre maker, performer, writer and director based in Birmingham.
She was nominated for a 2013 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre for You’re Not Like The Other Girls Chrissy, which also won Best Solo Performer at the 2010 Stage Awards and was nominated for Best Theatre Performer 2011 at Adelaide fringe. Chrissy was shortlisted for the Holden Street Theatres Award 2010 and New Writing South Best New Play Award 2011.
Caroline’s second show Mess continues to tour after opening at The Traverse in August 2012, where it won Best Ensemble at The Stage Awards. Mess also won an Argus Angel award and was nominated for an Offie for Best New Play.
This year Caroline created and performed Penelope Retold for Derby Theatre (The Guardian ★★★★) and her first radio play for BBC Radio 4, Paris, Nana & Me.
Current projects include directing Ishbel & I for Julia Voce and creating a new show about The Staffordshire Hoard with the New Vic.
She’s an associate artist at The Bush and has just finished a year’s residency at the Oxford Playhouse on their Evolve programme. In August, she starts a year’s associate-ship at Birmingham Rep.
Caroline directed/co-adapted Grisly Tales from Tumblewater for Teasel. She has also collaborated with Shams, MAKE/SHIFT and The Plasticine Men and on Hetty Feather directed by Sally Cookson. In 2013, she made a podcast for Fuel’s series While We Wait. Recent acting credits include: Heidi at the egg, Bath, directed by Lee Lyford; the White Witch in The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe at The Brewhouse; Olga in Heldenplatz at the Arcola directed by Annie Castledine and Annabel Arden and performed as Cinderella in the version by Melly Still and Ben Power at Warwick Arts Centre. Caroline performed Almost 10 for Tangram at the Edinburgh Festival in 2009 and was nominated in The Stage Awards for Best Solo Performer. Caroline adapted and performed I’ll Show You Mine (TimeOut Critics’ Choice, August 2011).
Oliver Townsend trained at RWCMD. He is an associate artist of the Gate Theatre, Notting Hill.
Set and costume designs include Incognito (nabokov, Live Theatre Newcastle, HighTide Festival Theatre, The North Wall, Bush Theatre), The Blackest Black (Hampstead Theatre), Jack and The Beanstalk (Lyric Hammersmith), No Place To Go (Gate Theatre), Rodelinda (Scottish Opera), Grounded (Notting Hill Gate/Edinburgh Traverse), Macbeth (Blackheath Halls Opera), Hitchcock Blonde (Hull Truck), Blood Wedding (Royal and Derngate), Gods are Fallen and All Safety Gone (Greyscale/ Almeida Festival), Wittenberg (The Gate), Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be (Union), INTRIGUE/LOVE (Southwark Playhouse), Narcissus (The Roundhouse), The Grimm Bros’ Circus (Bath Theatre Royal, En Masse Theatre), For All Time, The Memory of Water, Blackbird (Theatre by the Lake).
Costume Designs include The Measures Taken (Alexander Whitley Dance Company/ROH Linbury), Wozzeck (English National Opera), The Lighthouse (English Touring Opera/ROH Linbury), Big Maggie (Druid Theatre).
