Bringing the Sad Little Island to life

An illustration of Old Iron Woman, a robotic character with a metal face resembling a crow. She has green eyes, and a missile pointing out of her throat.
An illustration of the robotic General, with a skull-like face, wearing an ornate, golden military hat and coat.
Group of people holding hands in a circle performing a dance in a dark indoor space with stage lights.
A woman singing into a microphone on a stage with colorful lights and decorations.
Three women are standing and interacting in a dark indoor space, possibly a rehearsal or performance setting. One woman with red hair and glasses is laughing, the woman with a bun and a pink flower in hair appears to be observing, and a third woman w
Two singers performing with microphones on stage, one man with curly hair in the foreground and a woman with straight hair and plaid shirt in the background, with colorful string lights behind them.
A woman and a man standing near microphones in an indoor setting, with the woman facing away from the camera and the man holding a water bottle, engaging in conversation.
A man with a beard and wearing a black T-shirt is giving a presentation or speech, using hand gestures.
Male performer holding a microphone on stage with colorful lights and a shiny background.
Four people sitting in red theater seats laughing and talking, with black walls and a small white fan in the background.
A man wearing a gray hoodie and headphones playing an acoustic guitar, surrounded by music equipment in a cozy, cluttered room.
A man with long hair and a beard laughing and touching his ear.
A group of women dancing and enjoying themselves in a room with a black floor and white walls.
A bald man in a black shirt is standing on stage speaking into a microphone with a dark background and colorful string lights.
Two men sitting side by side at an event, smiling and looking towards the stage or screen.
Group of women in a theater or rehearsal space, with one woman in foreground performing gesturing with her arms, wearing a navy blue top and a red skirt, others watching or waiting in the background.
Two men sitting on red theater seats in a conversation, one with a notebook, the other gesturing with his hands.
A woman with short blonde hair and earrings, holding a microphone, appears to be singing or speaking passionately on stage with a disco ball and colorful stage lights in the background.
A person sitting on a red theater seat, smiling with their head resting on their hand, dressed in black, against a black background.
Three people standing together indoors, with two males and one female. The female is in the foreground, smiling with her eyes closed and wearing a sleeveless top and sports pants. The two males are in the background, with one wearing a baseball cap a
Two men having an interview in an auditorium with red seats. One man is dressed in black with a notebook, the other in a light gray shirt. A camera is filming them.
Three people dancing on a stage with black curtains in the background.
Four people standing on a stage, posing with playful gestures, in a room with black curtains and overhead lighting.
A man with a bald head and light gray polo shirt smiling while sitting on a red theater seat.
Two women dancing on stage, one laughing with her eyes closed, the other leaning back, holding hands.
Five women standing on a stage or rehearsal space, holding scripts and singing. A music keyboard and a monitor are in the foreground. Stage lighting and equipment are visible overhead.

What is Sad Little Island?

Written by Chris Adshead, Sad Little Island was inspired by the events of the Falklands War. Our main character, Tommy, is visiting the island and trying to explain the war to his young child. He creates heightened, cartoon characters to explain the conflict and his part in it.

Through the songs we learn about the despotic leaders instigating the conflict, about the soldiers that paid a huge price and the loved ones they left behind.

Sad Little Island seeks to leave it’s audience with a series of questions:

What is worth fighting for?

Why do leaders never fight their own wars?

What is the true price of war?

Sad Little Island is coming to Cambridge, January 2026

Scroll down to meet the cast and crew or click here to get involved

Meet the Cast

  • A young man with short brown hair, blue eyes, and light skin smiling outdoors in a casual environment.

    Jacob Wood

    STEFAN

  • A young man with curly hair singing into a microphone on stage, with colorful string lights in the background.

    Alisdair Buck

    TOMMY

  • A woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a friendly smile standing outdoors with green trees in the background.

    Hannah Woodruffe

    SUSIE

  • A young woman with long, wavy, reddish-brown hair takes a selfie in front of a plain, light-colored wall. She has blue eyes, fair skin, and wears a light-colored T-shirt and a silver necklace.

    Isabel Webster-Spriggs

    TERESA

  • Black and white portrait of a smiling woman with long hair, wearing a patterned top.

    Emma Harpley

    THE OLD IRON WOMAN

  • A man with short brown hair and a beard, wearing a black shirt, looking at the camera with a neutral expression, standing against a plain beige wall.

    Ben Pierson

    THE GENERAL

Meet the Ensemble

  • A smiling young woman with long, wavy blonde hair in a ponytail, wearing a denim jacket and white knit top, seated indoors with wooden furniture and large windows in the background.

    Carla Rose

  • A young man with short, styled brown hair and light skin, wearing a pink shirt with a tropical pattern, leaning against a white wall.

    Alfie Tonge

  • A young woman with short brown hair, blue eyes, and light skin, smiling at the camera, wearing a black top and layered silver necklaces.

    Charlotte Cook

  • A woman with brown hair and glasses smiling at the camera with a body of water and sky in the background.

    Issy Baker

  • Close-up portrait of a woman with short blonde hair wearing black-rimmed glasses, red lipstick, a black top, and a yellow statement necklace, against a plain white background.

    Sarah Black

  • Portrait of a smiling woman with short wavy brown hair, wearing a green shirt, against a black background.

    Amelia Bass

Meet the Team

  • A smiling man sitting on a red theater seat in a dark room.

    Chris Adshead

    Writer

  • Portrait of a woman with short wavy brown hair wearing a green T-shirt against a black background.

    Amelia Bass

    Director & Choreographer

  • A smiling man with long hair, wearing a black shirt, sitting in a red auditorium seat, with a black background.

    Liam Taylor

    Music Producer & Marketing

  • Emma Hewer

    Accounts Manager

  • A man with brown hair, wearing a brown jacket and light-colored pants, playing a keyboard or piano in a room with a black wall.

    Jamie Layfield

    Musical Director

  • A man with a beard and long hair tied back, wearing a black T-shirt, speaking or making a point with his right hand raised and index finger extended.

    Tom Heald

    Co-Director

  • A person with short red hair, fair skin, and light-colored eyes wearing a mustard yellow turtleneck sweater, smiling softly at the camera against a plain mauve background.

    Laura Louise Sanders

    Co-Choreographer

  • A group of women on stage; one woman in the foreground with long dark hair, glasses, navy top, and red skirt is giving a thumbs-up, while other women stand behind her, one in a white crop top and pants and another in a white sweatshirt with 'WEEK' printed on the sleeve, in a theater or rehearsal space.

    Shanta Sabnis Thomas

    Asst Choreographer

Thanks

Sad Little Island is a huge project and has involved many people beyond the cast and crew. We’d like to take a moment to thank the following people:

Will Kevans. A veteran of the Falklands War, Will is an amazing songwriter and illustrator. The song Believe was written by Will, and he also created the show’s original artwork. Will’s experiences on the Falklands Islands have helped shape the story of Sad Little Island.

Paul Alborough. Otherwise known as Professor Elemental, Paul lends his voice to Sad Little Island as the News Just In reporter.

Daisy Bates. Originally cast in the role of Teresa, Daisy is an incredibly skilled performer and singer. She lent her voice to the commercially released version of Apart.

Laura Elmer, who helped produce the interview with Chris, and who is always happy to lend a hand.

Assem Nugumanova, for taking excellent photos of Chris & Liam while filming the interview.

Finally, we’d like to thank Trey, Lanny, Ollie, Chloe and Toby who have all been part of Sad Little Island over the years.

Get Involved

  • Newsletter

    Sign-up to our newsletter to stay up-to-date on Sad Little Island. Includes future show dates, news, casting calls and more ways to get involved.

    Sign-Up

  • Buy Tickets

    Tickets for our January 2026 show are available through the ADC Theatre’s website, just click below.

    Show dates are January 8-10th 2026, at the Corpus Playroom (off King’s Parade), and cost £4-8

    Buy Tickets

  • Contribute

    Through Ko-Fi, you can sign-up to contribute to the development of Sad Little Island. You can make a one-off or recurring, monthly contribution.

    Visit Ko-Fi

  • Listen

    Music from Sad Little Island is available to stream on all good music apps. Click the link below to see the available platforms

    Listen

Social Media

Naturally, we’re on several of the social media platforms. If you’d like to see (and hear) more from Sad Little Island, please follow along on your platform of choice:

Facebook, Instagram, YouTube