Soapsud Island was the first play to emerge from PlayBack, The Questors Reminiscence project. This is a special community initiative whose aim is to collect the living memories of local people and present them in theatrical form. The original production was two years in the making, from the initial research, recording and transcribing reminiscences, through to workshops, writing, rehearsing and performing.

Since its Questors premiere in April 1990 much has happened. PlayBack has presented five more original reminiscence plays based on the living memories of local people. Each has been a success in its own right. However, Soapsud Island in particular has captured the hearts and the imagination of audiences far beyond the boundaries of Ealing and Acton. There's no denying it has that "special something" that makes theatre magic. Much of the credit goes to the PlayBack team, the original cast and its director Kevin Madley and, of course, the contributors who shared their colourful recollections of laundry life. An integral part of PlayBack's work is to take performances into the community, to venues and audiences not normally served by live theatre. This production will also tour.Enjoy the show! It's a double celebration. It remembers a unique industrial community that has now vanished, and acknowledges the success of The Questors and PlayBack in creating original and memorable theatre.

Laundry terms: two used during the play are "calender" and "diamonds".

A calender is a large rotary press used to iron sheets. Diamonds are the shapes made when sheets have been poorly folded. As well as a sign of shoddy workmanship, there are also laundry superstitions associated with the coffin-like appearance of diamonds.

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LOVE, WAR AND DIRTY LAUNDRY
Soapsud Island returns to The Questors

Ten years ago a new type of play arrived at The Questors Studio: Soapsud Island was PlayBack's first reminiscence production and the result of 18 months of exploratory work by a team of Questors members. Since then PlayBack has produced 5 more plays, toured to venues all over the borough, taken Soapsud to the Edinburgh fringe, run school workshops, and learnt a lot about collecting memories and turning them into plays.

Soapsud Island is a great example of just how entertaining reminiscence theatre can be. Music, dance, mime, monologue and music hall patter are all used to great effect in telling the story of 7 members of staff in an Acton laundry during the 1930s, 40s and 50s. And it's not just about dirty washing! There's love and war: it's 1939-45 with ITMA on the radio, bombs falling and sons never coming home again. There's an elopement, confrontation over wages, the "diddle 'em" club, and a works outing to Southend-on-Sea.

Three of the original cast (Anne Neville, Carla Field and Lisa Day) are joined by some familiar faces, including James Goodden and Anthony Curran. The play is directed by its author, Philip Sheahan, and Stage Manager Jennifer Reid is in charge of the laundry baskets!