Edinburgh Fringe 2026
Low Down
Just off the coast of New Zealand, there is an island, St John’s, which is still a British Overseas Territory. Cerys has decided to go to visit the island of St. John’s to conduct a scientific study of the coral, however, we discover the real reason why she is there as stories unfold – her trauma is similar to what she believes she will discover on the island. Cerys meets Joe who befriends her and tries his best to be more than just a friend though is respectful enough to keep a distance. He is a believer in The Prophet and introduces her not just to the island but the hold of The Prophet and his Temple. With only 48 people on the island, he reigns supreme.
Review
Jack McGregor, the award-winning writer, has returned to the Fringe with a story of cult and mystery.
The writing here is very smart. It has an episodic run with flashback and real-time conversations between Cerys and boyfriend back home as well showing here trying to find out as much as she could from official channels about St. John’s Island.
Both actors, Rebecca Wilkie as Cerys, Xander Cowan as Joe and various others, are an engaging pair. The central relationship between Cerys and Joe has a real depth that allows you to believe the horror as it unfolds.
Technically hats off to designer, Emma Moran who gives us haps and soil on the floor which really suggests the ruggedness of the island and the bleakness of where Cerys is staying as well as the claustrophobic nature of her quest.
The various use of torches gives an ethereal feel that’s especially effective when we meet the Prophet as he is bathed in red light, form he torch. What we see is Cerys shining that torch for the truth, covered in the blood of the people who have struggled to be part of their own history.
The soundscape was also interesting and along with the lighting made much of this haunting. The enclosed space of the container in which we saw the show was overbearing.
Having listened to The Pitcairn Trials, (BBC Podcast about a true story in a small island under British jurisdiction just off the New Zealand coast) this landed well.
Director Fraser Scott, with an increasingly impressive CV, is adding more and more value to his reputation. Prophets comes as another example of his ability to translate stories onto a stage. The script is such a valuable beginning, but Scott truly delivers the middle and the end. Prophets is a proper play, about proper trauma, which benefits from being in the environment of a Fringe Festival, but screams as much as it hints that the creatives have more to offer.
