The Mill at Sonning to stage the world premiere of Victoria Hislop's The Island
by Best of Theatre Staff on Wednesday 12 August 2026, 1:59 pm in Upcoming and New Shows
The Island, a brand-new actor-musician musical adaptation of Victoria Hislop's international bestseller, will receive its world premiere at The Mill at Sonning next summer, leading the theatre's newly announced 2027 season.
The Mill at Sonning has announced its 2027 season, led by the world premiere of The Island, a brand-new actor-musician musical adaptation of Victoria Hislop's international bestselling novel.
Running from 10 June to 15 August 2027, the production will be staged as a summer actor-musician musical directed by Joseph Pitcher, who was also at the helm of The Mill's award-winning Gypsy — winner of the 2023 UK Theatre Award for Best Musical Production — and the recent acclaimed production of My Fair Lady. Set against the backdrop of Crete, The Island is a story of love, family, resilience and hope, created by the award-winning team behind My Fair Lady.
The announcement was made at The Mill's Season Launch, where audiences were introduced to the new season through a live event featuring a recorded message from Victoria Hislop and a performance of End of the World from The Island, sung by Gabriella Garcia with live piano accompaniment.
Co-Artistic Director Sally Hughes said: “The 2027 season reflects everything we want The Mill to be: warm, entertaining, ambitious and full of exceptional storytelling. We are especially proud to be announcing two musicals next year, including The Island, which represents a major step forward for The Mill as a producer.”
Co-Artistic Director Adam Rolston said: “The Island is not a project we see stopping at The Mill. We believe this piece has the potential to travel far beyond Sonning, and our ambition is a UK tour in 2028. It is a bold aim, but The Mill's first successful touring experience with Death Comes to Pemberley in 2025 showed us what is possible. A year ago we were talking about survival. Now we are talking about growth, national reach and long-term ambition. That is a remarkable shift, and it has only been possible because of the loyalty of our members, audiences and supporters.”
The rest of the 2027 season opens with Jeeves and Wooster: Perfect Nonsense (4 February to 21 March), an inventive comedy adapted from the stories of P.G. Wodehouse and directed by Sally Hughes. It is followed by Neil Simon's I Ought To Be In Pictures (8 April to 23 May), starring real-life father-and-daughter acting duo Bob Barrett — best known as Sacha Levy in the BBC One medical drama Holby City — and Francesca Barrett.
Peter Colley's suspense thriller I'll Be Back Before Midnight runs from 9 September to 31 October, with Cole Porter's musical comedy Kiss Me, Kate closing the season from 19 November 2027 to 19 January 2028. Inspired by Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, it features songs including Another Op'nin', Another Show, Too Darn Hot and Brush Up Your Shakespeare.
Mill regulars are being invited to register their interest in becoming a Founders Club member for The Island, with a special event to follow at which the theatre will share more about the project and the opportunity to invest in the show.
Alongside the 2027 programme, The Mill has announced changes to its ticketing structure, including reduced preview pricing for the first week of each production, a new Mill Saver rate for selected midweek performances, expanded group discounts of 15% for parties of 20 or more, and the continuation of existing Angels, Friends and Supporter discounts. Tickets for the 2027 season, with the exception of Kiss Me, Kate, are on priority sale to members and launch-event attendees until 17 August 2026.
The Mill at Sonning is one of the only dinner theatres in the United Kingdom, and remains a family enterprise, co-managed by Sally Hughes alongside her son, film producer Adam Rolston.