Writer: Stephanie Bain and the Almeida Community Company
Directors: Montel Douglas, Jordana Golbourn, Chris Sonnex and Ella Zgorska
1000 (Millennia) is a community production, by and for the local community, examining Islington’s past and its possible future, on a scale of 2000 years, with our present day forming the mid-point. For the first half, the focus is on the birth of the place in Saxon times, the religious significance of lives in the Middle Ages, the importance of the inn in Tudor London, and the social and cultural changes that rapidly took place from the birth of the Industrial Revolution. The stories that 1000 (Millennia) chooses to focus on are the tales of the everyday people of Islington, not the lords of the land, and as such, the community feel is highly present and is rooted in the lives of the audience too.
Along with the community feel of the plot, there is a distinct community feel to the performance. Amateur actors work sometimes with a professional script and sometimes with an amateur one. Audiences should approach 1000(Millennia) with an understanding that the cast are not all professionals, but even so, there is such a wide variance in quality between the amateur members of the cast that some scenes fall utterly flat, whether it is because lines are spoken without clarity, lines and cues utterly missed, or because actors corpse throughout a scene.
1000 (Millennia) is at its best in its first half, with the focus on how and why the place names Islington and Angel came to be, alongside the stories of everyday folk and their connection to the land. While not every scene is strong throughout, and some lose steam, the overall effect is charming, playful, and joyful. Even in dark times, the promise of togetherness and collaboration pulls people through, with people of wildly different backgrounds pulling together to find home.
The latter half of 1000 (Millennia) looks to the future in 200-year intervals. Some of this is joyfully absurd, with children learning at such a rapid pace that they leave school at 14; other parts are absurd without the joy. Indeed, the longer 1000 (Millennia) goes on, the less quality there is in the story and performances.
Despite its flaws in the latter half, 1000 (Millennia) is a hopeful community project with a greatly enjoyable and interesting first half, worthy of an evening for any local resident.
Runs until 11 July 2026
The Reviews Hub Star Rating
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5
1 Comment
Wow, really, two and a half stars! That’s just not what the audience said to me as I finished the show and walked out to be greeted by some who approached me to tell me personally that the whole show was great and even moved them. And to be absolutely straight about it, they did not have friends and family in the cast. They told me that they were just regular theatre goers who took advantage of a great deal in low ticket prices for a spectacular and unique theatre experience. I was part of the second half that this reviewer doesn’t even mention as worthy. Despite a great script that had a strong environmental theme with green issues and the future of this planet (as well as Islington itself ) that was both moving and witty. It is concerning that all of the critics who have reviewed this play so far have not even mentioned this at all despite the fact that it is a highly relevant issue concerning all of us and is rarely if ever explored in the theatre. I worry about the calibre of theatre critic who doesn’t even realise that as relevant enough to mention or praise but perhaps it was not obvious enough and the critic wanted it to be spelled out for them. I want to personally thank all those involved in the play for all the hours of hard work and dedication it took to perform and stage the show. It is worthy of praise and more stars than the paltry ones dished out here and elsewhere.