Written for an ensemble cast of seven (but suitable for a cast of dozens), it will appeal to amateur drama groups as a glorious celebration of one of the nation's most beloved books, and a brilliant dissection of the enduring quirks of our small island. Tim Whitnall's hilarious stage adaptation was first produced at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury, in 2023. Can it be true? Is he really starting to feel at home?īill Bryson's smash-hit memoir Notes from a Small Island spent three years in The Sunday Times bestseller list, sold over two million copies, and was voted the book which best represents the UK. Righting that error, he spent 20 years in.

Overview edit Bryson wrote Notes from a Small Island when he decided to move back to his native United States, but wanted to take one final trip around Great Britain, which had been his home for over twenty years. As Bill travels the length and breadth of Britain, through villages with names like Titsey and Little Dribbling, something strange starts to happen. Bill Bryson is an unabashed Anglophile who, through a mistake of history, happened to be born and bred in Iowa. In a world premiere, The Watermill Theatre brings Olivier and BAFTA award-winning playwright Tim Whitnalls adaptation of Bill. Notes from a Small Island is a humorous travel book on Great Britain by American author Bill Bryson, first published in 1995. He intends to conquer the whole of the island, like Caesar attempted before him.īut Caesar didn't have to deal with counterpanes, kippers, Cadbury's Curly Wurlies, or Mrs Smegma the landlady's eccentric house rules. It's 1973, and a young man from Des Moines, Iowa, has arrived on the ferry at Dover. 'So, if you Americans already have cornflakes and Woolworths, what brings you to England?'

Notes from a small island play