Notes From A Small Island Playtext

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by Tim Whitnall

'So, if you Americans already have cornflakes and Woolworths, what brings you to England?'

It’s 1973, and a young man from Des Moines, Iowa, has arrived on the ferry at Dover. He intends to conquer the whole of the island, like Caesar attempted before him.

But Caesar didn’t have to deal with counterpanes, kippers, Cadbury’s Curly Wurlies, or Mrs Smegma the landlady’s eccentric house rules. As Bill travels the length and breadth of Britain, through villages with names like Titsey and Little Dribbling, something strange starts to happen. Can it be true? Is he really starting to feel at home?

Bill 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.

Tim Whitnall’s hilarious stage adaptation was first produced at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury, in 2023. 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.