You could hear a pin drop in the dress rehearsals of The Island, as two prisoners re-enact the loss, frustrations, boredom, cruelty, hope, humour and everyday domesticity involved in prison life, in this case ‘the prison of all prisons’ Robben Island.

The two man show which tackles apartheid and Antigone in-the-round may sound like a tall order, but it’s one that The Theatre in Chipping Norton is seizing with both hands.

Having watched the performance I can assure you the in-house production is worth the hype, as Mark Springer and Ed Dede prepare to take to the varnished concrete stage to tackle the play by Athol Fugard, John Kani and Winston Ntshona.

With human rights at its heart, the South African tale, written by the three contemporaries of Nelson Mandela, (arrested in South Africa for performing the play in 1976, but released and unable to perform The Island again in South Africa until 1995). It is fundamentally about never losing hope and the strength of the human spirit. It is also painfully timely.

Directed by John Terry, who saw the play in his 20s at The Old Vic, it depicts the prisoners putting on Antigone from memory.

So what inspired John to bring The Island to Chipping Norton, a bastion of middle class sensibility? “It was so powerful and had magic in its veins. It had so much energy and emotion and that’s what we wanted to replicate. And it really inspired me. It proved that good drama doesn’t have to be all bells and whistles to get the message across, to show what these guys are going through - the highs and lows of prison life on Robben Island.

“And while it was a dark and bleak place, there are light hearted moments. And that’s what the play is about; how the prisoners exist, how they survive, what keeps them going.

“So this will resonate with everyone here, because the current political climate makes it more valid,” John says. “It evokes a lot of different things for different people.”

A tough gig though? “It’s certainly a challenge,” Ed says, “because the text strips everything else away so there’s nowhere to hide in the narrative.

“It’s really exciting as well,” Mark adds, “being amongst the audience, and feeling like a goldfish in a bowl as you take the audience with you on this journey.”

And what of the demographic? “What we are dealing with here is human emotions which is something everyone can identify with,” Ed says. “It will help to connect people.”

So how has John updated the iconic play? “It needed to be fresh, new and hard-hitting as well as educational. So the sheer energy invested, combined with the history and relationships between these two, is utterly compelling and illuminates the script, so I am delighted to be bringing this incredible piece of theatre to life and showcase their struggle.”

As a result, it’s a very physical piece of theatre, and Mark and Ed are exhausted by the athletic requirements. And yet there is a flow between them - they are like a married couple in many ways.

“It’s a big juicy piece which we embody and live, and it took me seconds to say yes,” Mark laughs.

Ed agrees: “I was just excited because The Island has this way of hitting you with emotion, and balances it with frustration and humour, as well as a real sense of history, so I was really keen to be involved.

“But yes, it is an exhausting part because you put your whole mental, emotional and physical self into it which means by the time we perform it properly we will be more than ready to put some flesh on its bones.”

The in-house two week production is not only going to be entirely stripped back and devoid of lavish sets, sound and costumes, but is performed surrounded by the audience for the first time at The Theatre Chipping Norton, before it then goes on tour.

Is John concerned then with an entirely new generation growing up largely unaware of Robben Island and it’s dark history? “Yes, the play does come with some responsibility,” John accedes, “which is why young people’s tickets are heavily discounted, and we are opening at Pegasus in East Oxford for one night only on Tuesday because this story shouldn’t be lost.”

he Island, Pegasus, Tues May 9, pegasustheatre.org.uk. May 10-20, chippingnortontheatre. com or 01608 642350