SHOW PROGRAMME - Wickies: The Vanishing Men of Eilean Mor

Programme

“THOUGH THREE MEN

ON

ISLE TO KEEP THE LAMP ALIGHT, AS WE STEERED UNDER THE LEE, WE CAUGHT NO GLIMMER THROUGH THE NIGHT...”

Wilfrid Wilson Gibson Flannan Isle, 1912

© Pamela Raith Photography

Paul Morrissey Ltd, Christopher Wheeler and Molly Morris in association with Park Theatre present

A Beacon of Hope

On 7 December 1899, the Flannan Isle’s lighthouse first shined its 140,000 watts of candlepower 24 nautical miles out into the North Atlantic. It was a beacon to those ships passing through the Outer Hebrides. One year later, the lighthouse would be forever shrouded in tragedy and mystery, as the three lighthouse keepers, or Wickies, simply vanished without a trace.

For over 100 years, the Flannan Isles Lighthouse mystery has continued to enthrall and has been the subject of songs, poems, novels, and even an opera. For those who are fascinated by unsolved mysteries, the fate of the lighthouse keepers provides endless speculation.

The Flannan Isles are a bleak place and off the radar of most tourists. Lying west of the Outer Hebrides, 20 miles from the isle of Lew is, the islands are also known as the ‘Seven Hunters’. Tradition holds that the isles are named after St. Flannan, who preached in the Hebrides in the 7th century. The Flannan Isles lighthouse itself is located on Eilean Mòr, the largest of the Flannan Isles. Besides the lighthouse, the only other structure to be found on the island is a small ruined chapel, located just below the lighthouse, and dedicated to St. Flannan.

The first indication that something was amiss came on 15 December 1900 when the steamer Archtor, on a passage from Philadelphia to Leith, noted in its log that the light was not operational in the poor weather conditions. When the ship docked in Leith on 18 December, the sighting was passed on to the Northern Lighthouse Board

The relief vessel, the lighthouse tender Hesperus, was unable to sail from Breas clete, Lewis, as planned on 20 December due to adverse weather and so it did not reach Eilean Mòr until noon on 26 December. The lighthouse was, at the time, supposed to be manned by three men: James Ducat, Thomas Marshall, and Donald MacArthur, with a rotating fourth man spending time on shore.

On arrival, the crew, led by Captain James Harvie and relief keeper Joseph Moore, found that the flagstaff had no flag, none of the usual provision boxes had been left on the landing stage for re-stocking, and more ominously, none of the lighthouse keepers were there to welcome them ashore.

A boat was launched and Joseph Moore was put ashore alone. It is said he found a baffling scene: three giant black birds perched on the cliffs staring eerily down at him as he climbed the steep steps to the lighthouse, a chair overturned, plates with half-eaten food, an oil skin missing, and the clock stopped. What had happened?

The mystery was catapulted into popular culture in 1912, when Wilfrid Wilson Gibson published his poem Flannan Isle. Whilst not historically accurate, Gibson’s haunting and suspenseful poem inspired both works of music and fiction that depict the disaster. Indeed, the poem is quoted by Tom Baker as the Doctor at the end of the Doctor Who story ‘Horror of Fang Rock’, which was set on a lighthouse and involved an alien expla nation for the tragedy that befell the three keepers!

And so, it turns out, there are a lot of the ories out there as to what happened. Some say it was the world’s largest ever recorded wave that drowned the men as they desperately fought to secure the landing crane. Others hypothesise that one of them went mad, killed the other two and then himself. Or perhaps it was something else. Local legends and superstition claim the island had a long history of being connected to the world of the supernatural.

Although most of these theories are regarded as absurd, The Flannan Isles Lighthouse disaster continues to captivate the imagination of the public.

As much as I love the story, when I first thought about writing it for the stage, I wasn’t actually sure I could see a way in. After all, how do you write a mystery that, so famously, remains unsolved? But then I thought more about the lighthouse itself. Its heroic purpose. Its practical role as a beacon. A tower of light and hope. Protecting seafarers approaching rocky shores. Shining a light that, quite liter ally, guides them home. They are fascinating. Their presence, both obvious and elusive. Their links to the past and to tales of solitary

lives lived within the breath-taking structures are as alluring now as they always were.

On 28 September 1971, the lighthouse was automated. The light is now produced by burning acetylene gas and has a range of 17 nautical miles. In 1900 though, it was operated by James Ducat, Thomas Marshall and Donald McArthur. Three real men who lost their lives whilst trying to protect others.

Their last recorded logbook entry was on December 15. It ominously read: “Dec 15. 1pm. Storm ended, sea calm. God is over all”. My way in became one simple question: where was the light that night?

Paul Morrissey, November 2022

Eilean

Mor,

© Pamela Raith Photography

Paul Morrissey Writer / Producer

Paul Morrissey is a Writer and Producer.

Writing includes: Wickies (Park Theatre), When Darkness Falls (Park Theatre, UK Tour 2021 & 2022), Bingo! (Kenneth More Theatre, Ilford).

A new production of When Darkness Falls will open in China in 2023.

Producing includes: Days of Hope, Caroline O’Connor: The Showgirl Within (Garrick Theatre), Jesus Christ Superstar in Concert, Saturday Night Fever, Chess the Musical in Concert, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, CATS, Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story, Les Miserables in Concert, West End Men (Vaudeville Theatre, UK and International Touring), Celtic Diva, Phantom of the Opera in Concert, South Pacific, Brooklyn the Musical (Greenwich Theatre), My Fair Ladies (Park Theatre).

Associate Producer: Islander (Off Broadway).

Shilpa T-Hyland

Director

Training: Royal Conservatoire Scotland.

Shilpa is a Glasgow-based theatre di rector.

Directing includes: The Prognostications of Mikey Noyce (Play, Pie, Pint), Kissing Linford Christie (Catherine Wheels, co-director), Oscar (Play, Pie, Pint), Revolution Days (Bijli), We’ll Meet in Moscow (Traverse Theatre), Roxana (Paisley Book Festival/Renfrewshire Leisure), How to Disappear Completely and Never be Found (Royal Conservatoire Scotland), Listen to Me a Scenes for Survival (National Theatre Scotland), Miss Julie (Horsecross).

As the inaugural winner of the Horsecross Trust Young Director Award: The Dragon and the Whales (Modest Predicament), Atlas (Modest Predicament), Bubble (Royal Conservatoire Scotland), and Erin, Errol and The Earth Creatures (Modest Predicament).

Associate Directing: Burn (National Theatre Scotland), Still (Traverse Thea tre), Pride and Prejudice, Sort Of (Blood of the Young, The Lyceum Theatre & others), and The 306: Dusk (NTS, Hor secross).

Assistant directing: Crocodile Fever (Traverse Theatre, JMK regional bursary, funded by the Leverhulme Trust Arts Scholarships Fund), and The 306: Day (NTS, Horsecross).

Shilpa is an Associate Artist (Director) at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, a board trustee for Tortoise in a Nutshell, and a PhD candidate at the Royal Conservatoire Scotland.

It’s Just an Illusion:

Behind the Magic with Illusion De signer, John Bulleid.

Tell us about Wickies – and how did you become involved in the show?

I worked with Paul and Chris last year on Paul’s first play, the ghost story When Darkness Falls. When they told me about Wickies and the mysterious true story of the Vanishing Men, I knew I had to be a part of it.

What illusions did you provide? And what were the major difficulties you had to overcome?

At the moment the illusions are mainly based around appearances, vanishes and making objects move around the space. We are early in the rehearsal process so I’m sure more will be added as we go through to opening night. The hardest thing about this piece is making sure the methods are bulletproof.

I need to make sure what we create can be picked up post Park Theatre and be easily put into other theatres with minimal set up time. I also need to make sure my effects don’t require a huge amount of space in the trans port for the set – so lots of pack flat/play big, as well as effects being built into the set.

What is the process of designing illusions for a theatre production?

Everything about my approach involves collaboration across all departments. There are moments in the script already described (eg a figure appears) and there will also be moments the director discovers through rehearsal. Alongside this I will also suggest ideas and concepts for effects I have from reading through the script or watching a rehearsal. These can be illusions used to heighten the narrative at a certain moment, or to aid in a scene change using a magic principle. Initially I discuss the script with the director and get a deep understanding of their vision for the piece. I then go about creating methods to help realise their ideas whilst also adding in anything else I have thought of. Once we have agreed on what we want to happen I then begin working with all other departments to bring the illusions to the stage. I also then approach prop builders to create anything we need. The aim is to then have prototypes ready for day one of rehearsals that can then be used in the room and developed for the next stage.

Once you’ve designed the illusions, do you have to be present at every performance?

I normally aim to be there through the previews to ‘show lock’ – and this means creatively we can’t add anymore to the show. It allows me to listen to audience reactions to the effects and tweak them as necessary. I am also then around to rehearse the cast including the understudies to make sure they are all up to show standard with the effects. Once we get past press night I like to pop in to see the show throughout the run – and I am also ‘on call’ for the resident director if they feel an illusion isn’t quite landing an ymore. We also get show reports after every show and if an effect is repeatedly misbehaving (eg a line snapping) I will go in to fix it.

When did you start your career in magic

and illusions?

Like most magicians I started learning when I was a boy – and was given my first magic set when I was seven. My folks said that I was always doing puppet shows, or making up stories for them when I was younger so they wanted to give me something to perform with.

As I got older and got really in to acting the magic kept growing alongside. I find it fascinating as a performer I can delight an audience as much with a deck of cards as I with a speech by Shakespeare. Then jump forward to my final years at school I had de cided I wanted to head to an acting college to train as a professional actor. Again my folks stepped in and pointed out how hard a career in acting can be, and suggested I also started doing magic professionally. When I was 17 I worked in a local restaurant every Monday table hopping, and then got my first professional magic resi dency at 18 in my home town of Watford. As I went through acting college my close-up career developed to include corporate func tions as well as weddings and private par ties. I quickly realised the understanding of the performance side of magic I gained from my knowledge of acting helped me stand out from other magicians. I fully embraced this and it allowed me to start creating effects for companies at trade shows that were tied to their key messages or ideas.

It sounds like a great combination for a career, but is there’s one specific area you’d like to focus on?

I have a burning desire to embed magic into narrative so it becomes more than just a ‘trick’ – it is the only way to express that moment of a story. So the area I really want to do more of is creating shows for myself to perform – taking the knowledge I have gained and developed as an illusion design er and truly combining it with my love for acting. The In and Of Itself piece by Derek DelGuadio was stunning – and highlight ed the strength of storytelling. It would be thrilling to develop something similar in the UK.

John is currently working on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (West End), Piaf, andThe Ocean at the End of the Lane (UK Tour).

action takes place in and around Eilean Mor in the Outer Hebrides, 1900, and at the inquest, Jan 1901.

CAST

Donald MacArthur, Superintendent Robert Muirhead, Seaman Lamont Graeme Dalling

Thomas Marshall, Joseph Moore Jamie Quinn James Ducat, Captain Harvie, Seaman MacDonald Ewan Stewart

around the Lighthouse on Hebrides, between Dec 7 and Dec 26 1901.

Graeme Dalling

Donald MacArthur

Training: Guildford School of Acting

Theatre includes: The Secret Garden (Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds), Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (Rose Theatre Kingston, Birmingham Rep, Harold Pinter Theatre), In and Out of Chekhov’s Shorts (Dragonboy, National tour), Measure for Measure (Guildford Shakespeare Company), Let The Right One In (Royal Court/ Apollo Theatre/St Ann’s Warehouse NYC/U.S tour), Elsie Thatchwick (Edinburgh Fringe/Theatre 503), Rope (Brighton Fringe), Much Ado About Nothing (Iris Theatre, Covent Garden), Macbeth (Trafalgar Studios), Der Ring Des Nibelungen (Royal Opera House), On Golden Pond (Middle Ground, National tour), To Kill A Mockingbird (York Theatre Royal, National tour), The Snow Queen (Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough), Old Vic 24 Hour Plays (Old Vic), Huck (Chipping Norton, Southwark Playhouse), Treasure Island (Northern Broadsides), Treasure Island (Birmingham Stage Company) and Oliver! (New Vic, Newcastle-Under-Lyme).

Film includes: The Great Escaper, Home for Christmas

Television includes: Doctors, Hollyoaks

Jamie Quinn

Thomas Marshall

Training: Drama Centre London

Theatre includes: Petrification (Newcastle Live Theatre), J M Barrie’s Peter Pan (Poole Lighthouse Theatre), The Slab Boys (Citizen’s Theatre), Still Game Live (OVO Hydro), The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh), The Marriage of Figaro (Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh), Black Watch (National Theatre of Scotland), Any Given Day (Traverse Theatre), Theatre Uncut (Traverse Theatre), Tattoo (Tristan Bates Theatre), Macbeth (Iris Theatre).

Film includes: The Party’s Just Beginning (Synchronicity Films), On The Road (Revolution Films), Wild Country (Gabriel Films), At The End Of The Sentence (BBC), Wise Guys (BBC), Lord of the Fleas (Tern Television).

Television includes: Two Doors Down (BBC), Queen of the New Year (BBC), Origin (Left Bank Pictures), Nutritiously Nicola (Double Yay Productions), Still Game (BBC), Bluestone 42 (BBC), Casualty (BBC), Taggart (ITV), Coming Up (Channel 4), River City (BBC), Butterfingers (CITV), High Times (ITV).

Ewan Stewart James Ducat

Ewan Stewart James Ducat

Theatre includes: Phoenix, The Royale (Bush Theatre), A Working Woman (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Green Field, Lucy’s Play, The Orphan’s Comedy (Traverse Theatre), The Duchess Of Malfi ( Bristol Old Vic), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Scottish Opera), Our Late Night, Thyestes, At the Table, Almost Nothing, Bluebird, Trade, Flying Blind, Road, Jumpy (Royal Court Theatre), A Month In The Country, Don Juan, Sgt Musgrave’s Dance, Major Barbara, In The Blue, Murderers, As I Lay Dying, The Pillowman, Racing Demon, Playing With Fire, When We Were Women (Royal National Theatre), Dunsinane (RSC), Beautiful Burnout, Things I Know To Be True (Frantic Assembly), Let The Right One In, In Time O’ Strife (National Theatre Of Scotland), Witness For The Prosecution (London County Hall), Oh Go My Man! (Out Of Joint).

Television includes: Crime, Pure, Vera, The Interceptor, The Escape Artist, River City, Taggart, Rebus, The Time Of Your Life, P.O.W, The Key, Real Men, In Deep, Silent Witness, Conspiracy, The Bill, Touch and Go, Spender, Advocates, Dream Baby, Boon, Biting The Hand, The Shutter Falls, The Professionals, The Quiet Days Of Mrs Stafford, Barriers, Shadows On Our Skin, Rain On The Roof, Eurocops, The Camerons, Only Fools And Horses, A Woman Calling, Radical Chambers, Down Among The Big Boys, Nervous Energy, Malice Aforethought, Looking After Jojo, Witchcraze, Paradise Postponed, Resurrected, Remembrance, A Mug’s Game.

Films includes: Florence Foster Jenkins, Victor, Titanic, Eliminate Archie Cookson, Valhalla Rising, Alpha Male,Young Adam, The Last Great Wilderness, The Big Brass Ring, Stella does Tricks, Rob Roy, Kafka, The Cook The Thief His Wife And Her Lover, Not Quite Paradise, All Quiet On The Western Front, Who Dares Wins, Flight To Berlin.

Audiobooks includes: Knots And Crosses, Hide And Seek, The Testament Of Gideon Mack, The Crow Road, Body Politic, The Bullet Trick.

Maggie Bain Movement Director

Maggie is an actor, movement director and immersive XR practitioner. They are currently the performance consultant to the RSC’s Digital Department exploring the integration of performance capture and XR technologies into live theatre and the changing landscape of collaboration between technologists and creatives. Maggie is also a practitioner for the Internationally renowned Frantic Assembly recently Co-directed the company’s Ignition production.

Theatre includes: Clutch (Bush Theatre), Heartstrings (The Cusc Company), The Veterans Project (Lyric Theatre Belfast), The Pepys Project (Outside Eye), Ignition Films 2021: Belfast, Edinburgh & London (Frantic Assembly), Women of Troy (LAMDA), Queen Margaret (Mountview), Fatherland (Frantic Assem bly – Movement Associate), By Design (Theatre Royal Stratford East & Frantic Assembly). Maggie is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns.

Zoë Hurwitz Set and Costume Designer

Training: BA in Fine Art from Chelsea School of Art, MFA in Set Design from NYU

Theatre includes: Connections/New Views Festival 2022 (The National Theatre), The Orange Tree (Queens Theatre Hornchurch), and the Director’s Programme (Young Vic). Other venues include: Jermyn Street

Diorama, Shoreditch Town Hall and The Royal Court. US venues include Here Arts Centre, AntFest (Ars Nova), The Wild Project, The Sheen Center and Brown/Trinity Rep.

Zoë was a winner of the 2019 Linbury Prize for Stage Design and won the 2022 JMK development award with Emerald Crankson. She has twice been a finalist in the Off West End Awards for Best Set Design and two of her designs represented the UK at World Stage Design 2022 in Calgary, one of which taking first place in the Emerging Set Design category.

Bethany Gupwell Lighting Designer

Previously for PML: When Darkness Falls (Park Theatre & UK Tour)

Theatre includes: Brown Girls Do It Too: Mama Told Me Not To Come (Soho Theatre/ UK Tour); Here, The Woods (Southwark Playhouse); Ignition (Frantic Assembly, Brixton House); Talking About a Revolution (The Pump House/Studio Lyric, Hammersmith); A-Typical Rainbow (Turbine Theatre); The Pirate, The Princess and The Platypus (Polka Theatre); We Started To Sing (Arcola Theatre); Wolf Cub, Little Scratch (Hampstead Theatre); Rice, Little Baby Jesus (Orange Tree Theatre); You Heard Me (ARC Stockton and Tour); Interruptions (Jackson’s Lane Theatre) Albatross (The Playground); Fitter, Wonder Winterland (Soho Theatre); Talking Heads (Watford Palace); Tipping the Velvet (Mountview); Queen of

the Mist Zorba, Chess (Electric Theatre); I’d Rather Go Blind (Omnibus Theatre); Dracula (Leicester Curve); Sweet Like Chocolate Boy (Brockley Jack); Madrigal, The Plaza, The Caucasian Chalk Circle.

Nik Paget-Tomlinson Sound Designer

Nik Paget-Tomlinson is a musician, composer and sound designer, creating work for theatre, dance and film. Nik has worked with a range of theatre and dance companies including Grid Iron, National Theatre of Scotland, Royal Lyceum, Curious Seed, Imaginate, Starcatchers and TAG Citizens Theatre. He is an associate artist with Platform Theatre and a regular live accompanist at Dancebase, Scotland’s National Centre for Dance.

Theatre includes: Rocket Post (Constallation Points) Doppler (Grid Iron Theatre Company) Niqabi Ninja (Independent Arts Projects) Revolution Days (Bijli Productions), Mixed Up (Imaginate and Starcatchers) Vent (SYT National Ensemble) Chronicles (National Theatre of Scotland/Project X/Thulani Rachia) Drift (Vision Mechanics)

Niall Bailey Composer & Musical Supervisor

Niall is a musician, composer and educator working in theatre.

Theatre includes: Daisy Pulls It Off, Anne Boleyn, The Diary of Anne Frank, Richard III, and Tipping The Velvet.

John Bulleid Illusion Designer

Training: The Webber Doug las Academy of Dramatic Art

John is an illusion designer, actor and magician with work behind multiple Olivier Award-winning productions. He holds the title of Associate of the Inner Magic Circle with Silver Star.

Theatre includes: Into the Woods (Theatre Royal Bath), Ride (Charing Cross Theatre) The Magician’s Elephant (RSC), A Christmas Carol starring Mark Gatiss (Nottingham Playhouse & Alexandra Palace), The Worst Witch (Northampton/UK Tour/Vaudeville TheatreOlivier winner, Best Family Show); Death of a Salesman (Piccadilly Theatre - Olivier nomination, Best Play Revival); Oi Frog! (Lyric Theatre - Olivier nomination, Best Family Show); Our Lady of Kibeho (Northampton/ Stratford East - Olivier nomination, Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate The atre); Dick Whittington (Theatre Royal Stratford East); The Canterville Ghost (Unicorn Theatre); Witches of Eastwick (Cirkus, Stockholm); When Darkness Falls (Park Theatre & UK Tour); Doctor Who: Time Fracture (Immersive London); #WeAreArrested (RSC/ Arcola Theatre); Sherlock Holmes: The Final Curtain (Theatre Royal Bath); The Invisible Man, Partners in Crime (Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch); Beauty And The Beast (Watford Palace); The Star (Liverpool Everyman); The Inn At Lydda

Shakespeare’s Globe); Dirty Dancing (Secret Cinema); Dracula (Thailand); The Gypsy Thread (National Theatre Studio); The Ladykillers, The Secret Ad versary (Watermill Theatre); Thark (Park Theatre); Alice In Wonderland (Brewhouse Theatre, Taunton); Murder Most Fowl (Quay Arts Centre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Theatre in the Forest).

Credits as magic associate include: The Ocean at the End of the Lane (National Theatre); Prince of Egypt (Dominion Theatre); White Christmas (Curve, Leicester), A Very Very Dark Matter (Bridge Theatre).

John is illusions & magic assistant on Harry Potter & The Cursed Child (Palace Theatre), and associate on the National Theatre’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane (UK Tour).

TV and Film includes: You and Universe (Short film); Loo (Short film).

Ryan Day Associate Lighting Designer/Programmer

Training: The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Recent Credits Include: Local Hero (Co-Lighting Designer with Paule Constable, Chichester), Wild Onion (Norwich Theatre Royal & UK Tour) Lizard Boy (Hope Mill), Mission (The Big House), Christie Done It (Cockpit The atre), Rabbit Hole (Union Theatre), I Know I Know I Know (Southwark Playhouse), A Merchant of Venice (Playground Theatre),

The Ballad of Corona V (The Big House), Ghost House (The Pit at The Vaults), Urinetown (Embassy Theatre), Dr Faustess (The Cockpit Theatre), Darknet (Union Theatre), Attempts on Her Life (Drayton Arms Theatre), The Bexliest Day of our Lives (The Exchange Erith), Primary Steps Recital (Linden Studio at The Royal Ballet School), Anatomy of a Suicide (Webber Douglas Stu dio).

Associate/Assistant Credits Include: The Lemon Table (Salisbury Playhouse & UK Tour), Les Misérables (Sondheim Theatre), Palmer Harding Fashion Show (Goodenough College).

Paul Morrissey Ltd

Producer & General Management

Paul Morrissey Ltd is a commercial Theatre Production and General Management company based in London.

They are currently producing the world premiere of Wickies: The Vanishing Men of Eilean Mor at Park Theatre, and in 2023 will produce the third UK Tour of When Darkness Falls. They are also developing a brand new dance musical for 2023 and will be creating the immersive theatre / dance production Mumbai Nights at the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi.

About Park Theatre

Park Theatre was founded by Artistic Director, Jez Bond and Creative Director Emeritus, Melli Marie. The building opened in May 2013 and, with four West End transfers, two National Theatre transfers and 13 national tours in its first nine years, quickly garnered a reputation as a key player in the London theatrical scene. Park Theatre has received six Olivier nominations, won numerous Off West End Offie Awards, and won The Stage’s Fringe Theatre of the Year and Accessible Theatre Award.

Park Theatre is an inviting and accessible venue, delivering work of exceptional calibre in the heart of Finsbury Park. We work with writers, directors and designers of the highest quality to present compelling, ex citing and beautifully told stories across our two intimate spaces.

Our programme encompasses a broad range of work from classics to revivals with a healthy dose of new writing, producing in-house as well as working in partnership with emerging and established producers. We strive to play our part within the UK’s theatre ecology by offering men toring, support and opportunities to artists and producers within a professional theatre-making environment.

Our Creative Learning strategy seeks to widen the number and range of people who participate in theatre, and provides opportunities for those with little or no prior contact with the arts.

In everything we do we aim to be warm and inclusive; a safe, welcoming and wonderful space in which to work, create and visit.

★★★★★ “Afive-starneighbourhoodtheatre.”

Independent

As a registered charity [number 1137223] with no public subsidy, we rely on the kind support of our donors and volunteers. To find out how you can get involved visit parktheatre.co.uk

Staff

For Park Theatre

Artistic Director

Jez Bond Executive Director

Vicky Hawkins

Creative Learning Community Engagement Manager

Nina Graveney-Edwards

Creative Learning Leaders

Amy Allen, Josh Picton, Kieran Rose, Vanessa Sampson

Development Development Director

Tania Dunn

Development & Producing Assistant

Ellen Harris Finance

Finance Director Elaine Lavelle

Finance & Administration Officer

Nicola Brown General Management General Manager

Rosie Preston

Producer Programmer Daniel Cooper Administrator

Mariah Sayer Access Coordinator David Deacon

Duty Venue Managers

Leiran Gibson, Gareth Hackney, Zara Naeem, Laura Riseborough, Natasha Green, David Hunter, Shaun Joynson, Leena Makoff

Park Pizza Head of Hospitality

Leon Scott Supervisors

George Gehm, Daisy Bates

Park Pizza & Bar Team

John Burman, Ewan Brand, Alex Kristoffy, Isabella Meyersohn, Maddie Stoneman

Sales & Marketing

Interim Sales & Marketing Director

Sammie Squire Head of Ticketing

Matthew Barker Marketing Manager

Zoë Jackson Marketing Intern Lilli Lehmann

Senior Box Office Supervisor

Natasha Green Box Office Supervisors

Jacquie Cassidy, Natalie Elliott, Gareth Hackney, Genevieve Sabherwal, Maddie Stoneman

Public Relations

Mobius Industries

Technical & Building Buildings & Technical Manager

Gianluca Zona

Venue Technician

Teddy Nash Trustees

Ibukun Alamutu Kurt Barling

Hedda Beeby

Anthony Clare - Chair

Andrew Cleland-Bogle

Jonathan Edwards Bharat Mehta Rufus Olins

Victoria Phillips

Joe Smith

Julia Tyrrell

Associate Artist I Mark Cameron Creative Director Emeritus I Melli Marie Founding President | Jeremy Bond † (1939–2020)

With thanks to all of our supporters, donors and volunteers.

Flannan Isle

THOUGH three men dwell on Flannan Isle

To keep the lamp alight, As we steered under the lee, we caught No glimmer through the night.

A passing ship at dawn had brought The news; and quickly we set sail, To find out what strange thing might ail The keepers of the deep-sea light.

The Winter day broke blue and bright, With glancing sun and glancing spray, As o’er the swell our boat made way, As gallant as a gull in flight.

But, as we neared the lonely Isle; And looked up at the naked height; And saw the lighthouse towering white, With blinded lantern, that all night Had never shot a spark Of comfort through the dark, So ghostly in the cold sunlight It seemed, that we were struck the while With wonder all too dread for words. And, as into the tiny creek We stole beneath the hanging crag, We saw three queer, black, ugly birds— Too big, by far, in my belief, For guillemot or shag— Like seamen sitting bolt-upright

Upon a half-tide reef: But, as we neared, they plunged from sight, Without a sound, or spurt of white.

And still to mazed to speak, We landed; and made fast the boat; And climbed the track in single file, Each wishing he was safe afloat, On any sea, however far, So it be far from Flannan Isle: And still we seemed to climb, and climb, As though we’d lost all count of time, And so must climb for evermore. Yet, all too soon, we reached the door— The black, sun-blistered lighthouse-door, That gaped for us ajar.

As, on the threshold, for a spell, We paused, we seemed to breathe the smell Of limewash and of tar, Familiar as our daily breath, As though ‘t were some strange scent of death: And so, yet wondering, side by side,

We stood a moment, still tongue-tied: And each with black foreboding eyed The door, ere we should fling it wide, To leave the sunlight for the gloom: Till, plucking courage up, at last, Hard on each other’s heels we passed, Into the living-room.

Yet, as we crowded through the door, We only saw a table, spread For dinner, meat and cheese and bread; But, all untouched; and no one there: As though, when they sat down to eat, Ere they could even taste, Alarm had come; and they in haste Had risen and left the bread and meat: For at the table-head a chair Lay tumbled on the floor.

We listened; but we only heard The feeble cheeping of a bird That starved upon its perch: And, listening still, without a word, We set about our hopeless search.

We hunted high, we hunted low; And soon ransacked the empty house; Then o’er the Island, to and fro, We ranged, to listen and to look In every cranny, cleft or nook That might have hid a bird or mouse: But, though we searched from shore to shore, We found no sign in any place: And soon again stood face to face Before the gaping door: And stole into the room once more As frightened children steal.

Aye: though we hunted high and low, And hunted everywhere, Of the three men’s fate we found no trace Of any kind in any place, But a door ajar, and an untouched meal, And an overtoppled chair.

And, as we listened in the gloom Of that forsaken living-room— A chill clutch on our breath— We thought how ill-chance came to all Who kept the Flannan Light: And how the rock had been the death Of many a likely lad: How six had come to a sudden end, And three had gone stark mad: And one whom we’d all known as friend Had leapt from the lantern one still night, And fallen dead by the lighthouse wall: And long we thought On the three we sought, And of what might yet befall.

Like curs, a glance has brought to heel, We listened, flinching there: And looked, and looked, on the untouched meal, And the overtoppled chair.

We seemed to stand for an endless while, Though still no word was said, Three men alive on Flannan Isle, Who thought, on three men dead.

Wilfrid Wilson Gibson

Wickie. n. (job-specific jargon) Lighthouse keepers, whose responsibilities typically included the tending and trimming of wicks for the light.