Islands have often figured as places of transformation since Shakespeare wrote ‘The Tempest’. In ‘Lord of the Flies’ it is the death of ‘Piggy’ that triggers crisis and resolution. In “Hope Springs” it is the suicide of a bulimic girl.

‘Hope Springs’ is the name of a privately-run reformatory for delinquent teenagers, which uses management-speak and a soothing video to promote a relentlessly punitive regime. We join it when the teenagers are on the point of revolt.

This is an original and very interesting play - partly because it is a young theme acted by young people, many of whom are strong performers. It looks good too, with its blunt pier-end stage, and the Hope Springs video that threads through the action, works well.

What emerges is the need for honesty on all sides: from the parents who foist off responsibility to care for their children; the state that farms out custody of trouble-makers to private firms; and the teenage delinquents who are locked into martyr ‘me-me’ mode.

But there is hope ….which, as we know, always springs eternal.

Kirby Grip