ISLANDER Australian Adaptation to Debut with Sydney's ATYP
Georgia Laga'aia and Rebecca Ordiz star in the loop-pedal driven production at The Popsy, ATYP.
Australian Theatre for Young People Will Close out their 2026 season with Islander, an innovative music theatre spectacular, from Tuesday 6 October to Saturday 17 October 2026, at The Popsy, ATYP.
A celebrated musical created by Amy Draper, with a book by Stewart Melton and music and lyrics by Finn Anderson, Islander was originally produced in the UK in 2018, before enjoying a critically acclaimed off-Broadway season and touring internationally across the US and UK.
Islander will now make its Sydney debut, with ATYP presenting an all-new Australian version, recontextualizing the story to explore Australian-Pacific identity and the impact of climate change.
In a genre-bending production, Islander follows Arran and Eilidh as they confront ancient fractures, their ever-changing communities and the mystical powers of the land and sea, brought to life with loop-pedal technology in ATYP's new theatre, The Popsy.
Eilidh lives on an island, adrift and with one eye on the horizon — it seems every day someone is leaving for the mainland, even her own mother. Then a whale washes ashore, followed soon after by a mysterious young girl.
Set on a backdrop of Kinnan, a sleepy ocean-side town with a population slowly disappearing for the 'Mainland', these two new friends must grapple with coming-of-age in a world they don't understand.
Islander will showcase the musical prowess of two brilliant young performers, Rebecca Ordiz (Michael Cassell Group's Beetlejuice the Musical) and Georgia Laga'aia (Michael Cassell Group's Dear Evan Hansen), as they use loop-pedal technology to bring an entire town to life, with direction from ATYP's Artistic Director Hayden Tonazzi (Saplings) and emerging artist Aden Abeleda as Associate Director and Producer, and guidance from Gabriel Faatau'uu-Satiu as Creative Cultural Consultant.
Hayden Tonazzi said: 'When we shared the Islander script with our Youth Advisory Board, they had one question: 'Why is it Scottish?' Retold in Australian and Pasifika voices, the same powerful questions about who leaves, who stays and what the sea is telling us, land much closer to home, particularly for young Australians.'
True to ATYP form, this production features a stellar cast and crew of rising young talent sharing the spotlight with industry greats to create this Australian adaptation of a timeless story.
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