ISLANDS to Premiere Next Month at Bush Theatre

ISLANDS by Caroline Horton will receive its world premiere at the Bush Theatre in January 2015. It is a dark comedy exploring the impact of tax havens, avoidance and evasion around the world.

Directed by Omar Elerian, Associate Director at the Bush, Islands mixes sharp, angry satire with grotesque physical humour to create a unique and unsettling black comedy.

Instrumental in the show's creation have been Horton's conversations with economist John Christensen of the Tax Justice Network, as well as her experiences at École Philippe Gaulier in Paris.

Caroline Horton and Omar Elerian previously collaborated on the hit Olivier Award-nominated show You're Not Like The Other Girls Chrissy. Horton's most recent show was the award-winning Mess.

Islands will be the opening show of Artistic Director Madani Younis' 2015 season at the Bush theatre.

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 artist 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 that we ignore the tax practices of wealthy individuals and multinational companies at our peril.

Oxfam estimates 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.

Caroline Horton (writer and performer) 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. 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 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 Birmingham Rep and former Associate at the Bush Theatre, and recently completed a year's residency at the Oxford Playhouse on their Evolve programme.

Omar Elerian is Associate Director of the Bush Theatre. His latest directing credits include the acclaimed site-specific production The Mill - City of Dreams(Bradford, Yorkshire); You're Not Like The Other Girls Chrissy (The Stage Best Solo Performance Award winner), (Pleasance Attic, Edinburgh); Testa di Rame (Teatro Fortezza Vecchia, Italy); Les P'tites Grandes Choses (Maison de Arts du Cirque et du Clown, France) and L'Envers du Décor (Théâtre Les Enfants Terribles, France). He was also Associate Director on Jericho House's The Tempest (part of the Barbican's BITE '11 season in St Giles Cripplegate).

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 Oxford Playhouse and South Street Arts Centre. Developed through Fuel's Jerwood Residencies at Cove Park, which are supported by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation.

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