Inspired by true stories from South Africa’s notorious Robben Island, The Island tells the story of two prisoners preparing to perform in Antigone.

Directed by Alex Brown, the play follows cellmates John and Winston, one of whom is soon to be released, the other serving a life sentence. As they prepare to present Sophocles’ tragedy to the rest of the prison, the two friends begin to see themselves in character, exposing the tensions in their friendship and the oppression around them.

The apartheid-era drama, which is devised by Athol Fugard, John Kani and Winston Ntshona, is set in an unnamed prison that is largely considered to be based on the one in which Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 27 years.