History unwrapped in 1000 (Millennia) [Mark Dawson]

FOLLOWING 24 (Day) in 2023 and 81 (Life) in 2025, 1000 (Millennia) is a fitting finale to the Almeida’s Islington Trilogy featuring performers from All Change, Arsenal in the Community, Cardboard Citizens and Islington Community Group.

From a half-remembered past to a fantastical future, this 80-strong company creates an epic myth of Islington, written by Stephanie Bain (The Years), with creative direction by Dani Parr. The piece explores how places and people shape one another across millennia.

It’s an expansive, life-affirming project about what community means in north London, celebrating solidarity, resilience and resistance.

In Saxon times, people fleeing violence settle in what will become Islington. We move to a 1537 monastery where the novice Michael awaits a divine vision, and the brutal dissolution looms on the horizon.

In 1670, at the Angel Inn, the female publican competes with a punter to tell the best story, ending in a joyous dance.

Next is 1862 and the Islington Literary and Scientific Society visits Madame Delamont’s séance, with the puffed-up men providing welcome comedy. Each era is haunted by a ghost from the past.

1940 unfolds in Angel Underground station during the Blitz, where a frightened crowd escapes via the tracks after a wall collapses. Again, communal bonds are central.

The first half closes on millennium eve at the Almeida, during a play reading, where various characters debate what 2000 might bring. The second half propels us into a future with the earth under water and the colonisation of the moon.

1000 (Millennia) is a surprisingly tender look at both past and future, much of it beautifully acted by the amateur cast, although there are occasional issues with audibility. Simply but effectively staged on Kate Bunce’s unfussy set it’s an exhilarating end to this ambitious trilogy.

almeida.co.uk/