The Flannan Island Mystery
Written by Amie Petricca-Lear and Tommy Newall
December 1900. The Flannan Isles. Three lighthouse keepers are discovered missing. Everything at their post seems to be in order, their beds are made, the kitchen is clean and the lighthouse lamp is polished, fuelled and ready to be lit. But the lamp had not been lit for several days. The relieving keeper finds an overturned chair, a half-eaten supper, and a half-starved canary still in its cage. Two out of three of the keeper’s oil skin jackets were gone, one remained. It was forbidden that all three keepers left their post at any one time, and yet they were all gone, never to be found again.
What makes this disappearance a mystery is the circumstances in which the three men vanished. The clocks throughout the lighthouse had stopped at the same time, and uncharacteristic diary entries from the keepers suggested they were experiences something out of the ordinary in the lead up to their disappearance. This evidence, fuelled by the island’s ancient folklore and apparent extra-terrestrial hot spots have encouraged a multitude of conspiracies, all of which have still never been proven.
Now 78 years later, three girls, inspired by the mysterious tales that surround Eilean Mor, set to capture on film the conspiracies that have plagued the Flannan Isles. Written by Amie Petricca-Lear, in this mystery thriller, Jen, Izzy and Rosie, an unlikely trio, find themselves trapped within the lighthouse, face to face with what appears to be the eerie residences of the island but are left fighting between what is reality and what could just be sheer paranoia.
About the Authors
Amie Petricca-Lear
Amie is currently studying a MA in Directing and has also had recent success with her first original writing Dahmer which was chosen to be showcased at the National Student Drama Festival 2016. Before completing her degree, she had established her own production company, HeadsUp, with co-founder Tommy Newall and they enjoyed further success producing a macabre audio tour of Carlisle. She is currently working on creating more original productions as a writer and director.
Tommy Newall
After studying his degree in Performing Arts at the University of Cumbria, Tommy began focusing on directing and teamed up with playwright Amie Petricca-Lear to create their first collaborative production Dahmer which was taken to the NSDF in 2016. Shortly after the two established their production company HeadsUp and began a second project #Auditour. Tommy then went on to direct The Sugar Syndrome, a poignant dark comedy written by acclaimed playwright Lucy Prebble. At present Tommy is studying for an MA in Directing and is continuing with various projects.