Islander: A New Musical at Olney Theatre Center

Islander: A New Musical

Olney Theatre Center
2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd. Olney

Winner of Best New Musical at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Islander tells a modern myth featuring two actors who use live mixing and looping technology to create a sonic landscape as dramatic as the Scottish coastline. Eilidh is the only child on Kinnan Island, where most of the dwindling population has moved to the "Big Land." The government has proposed to resettle the rest, and the town must vote soon on whether or not to accept the offer. But the day after a baby whale beaches itself, Eilidh discovers a young girl named Arran along the shore, who seems straight out of Scottish folklore. As the two form a friendship, Islander takes audiences on a magical journey to transcend loss, recover hope, and find community.

Thru - Apr 28, 2024

Click Here For Discounted Tickets

Sun, Apr 28: 1:30pm

Price: $50-$96

Show Type: Musical

Box Office: 301-924-3400

www.olneytheatre.org

Click Here for Discounted Tickets

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Islander: A New Musical Reviews

Average Rating based on 5 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Recommended

"...Its most visible theme — the grim fight to hold on to a thin slice of home on a planet threatened by a changing climate — speaks more forcefully now, perhaps, than when the musical was initially developed. But in a smaller, more specific way, “Islander” is also about the little acts of care and kindness we show each other and a wholehearted belief in the power of community."

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- Sophia Solano

DC Theater Arts - Recommended

"...Stenson and Julia Murray). Their remarkable voices, without instrumentation, carry the entire acoustic landscape of Islander, which was conceived by Amy Draper, with music and lyrics by Finn Anderson. (The simple, evocative set design, recalling shoreline, tidal pool, and perhaps a whale's blowhole, is by Emma Bailey.) In a process called live looping, Islander's actresses record themselves creating various sound effects in front of the audience, then play those back throughout the show, producing a multi-layered soundscape over which they sing. The result is a unique soundtrack of haunting melodies and syncopated interludes mixed with the cries and calls of the sea."

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- Deryl Davis

Washington City Paper - Highly Recommended

"...But Islander is anything but traditional. Audiences will find neither a conductor, nor an orchestra. Rather, they will see a mostly bare stage with a single music stand, two microphones, and a bowl-like platform whose wide lip accommodates the actors as they “travel” across Kinnan, the fictional Scottish island setting. Relying on their bodies and a live-loop device, the performers record and rerecord bits of sound, from sung music to atmospheric effects (including wind, waves, and whales), to perform the show’s entire score."

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- D.R. Lewis

MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended

"...In all of these ways, “Islander” is a truly special thing. In its short runtime, it contains more depth than shows with twice the length and prestige and holds thematic depths rich enough that five years from first viewing it, there is still more to see. Though this show holds a very particular place in my heart, its craft and imagination still pulled tears from me as if I were seeing it with fresh eyes. After all this time, “Islander” remains a theatrical miracle—an impeccable demonstration of the magic of this medium, whose spellbinding charm will mesmerize anyone lucky enough to see it."

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- Miles Hurley

BroadwayWorld - Highly Recommended

"...A bit less of a musical in the traditional sense, Islander is something like a play that tells its story with sound as a medium unto itself. The entire production, with its twenty-something characters, is performed entirely by two actors who not only play their parts but also create and control the show’s soundscapes and musical accompaniments – live. In that way, like the whale songs that feature importantly in its plot, Islander uses singing as a means of communication just as much as artistic expression."

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- Itai Yasur

Islander: A New Musical at Olney Theatre Center