grave gifts 2000

Grave Gifts 2000 adapted and directed by David Stuttard

The story is told with utter conviction by the five strong Actors of Dionysus. They make the characters human beings with understandable emotions, not just remote cyphers. The atmospheric lighting, background sounds and music heighten the dramatic intensity, perfectly matching the mood of the action. This is a gripping, stylish production that leaves you wanting to see the third part of the trilogy! Bath Chronicle

A splendid production, scarily lit and shrouded in stage mist by designer Duncan Woodward-Hay. Daily Post

The Actors of Dionysus really brought the blood drenched tale to life using exciting visual effects, allembracing sound, skillfully choreographed dance and above all strongly defined performances by all five members whose versatility was well illustrated by their ability to move seamlessly from role to role..a thrilling theatrical experience. Observer, Slough & Windsor

Grave Gifts finds this ever intelligent company moving on in threefold ways. First, there is the spidery application of spectral sound – sampling comes to Greek drama! – to compliment haunting music. Second all manner of senses are stirred, heart, mind and nose too. Nose? In the manner of the three witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth here three slave women perform a voodoo ritual casting fragrant and pungent powders into flames to set demons dancing. Thirdly, Stuttard’s adaptation provides depiction rather than mere description of the bloody events as the restless Orestes goes about his matricide mission, under thunder the burden of Zeus’ command. Significantly Stuttard’s script cracks on apace, matching the breathless torment of Orestes but his writing peaks in the climactic confrontation between mother and son, a drawn out battle of minds before physical conflagration. From design to dialogue from desire to dress Grave Gifts is a thrilling ride to Greek hell. Charles Hutchinson, Yorkshire Evening Press

Director, David Stuttard, succeeds in treating the audience to a highly visual production in his own translation of this tense and gripping version of the Electra story..the staging is quite brilliant…pulsating music and truly wonderful gyrating movements, particularly by Tamsin Shasha whose garments are stripped off to reveal a skimpy red dress with thigh high splits, allowing her great flexibility in her dancing. Cork Examiner

Bold and innovative new production..and what we notice here in David Stuttard’s production is both the richness and performative power of the odes as well – especially the Lemnian women ode, magnificently rendered here with inventively choreographed movement. JACT

A bold and emotive brand of stage cast that has the potential to take any play of their choosing to Olympian heights. Glasgow Herald

Every sense is stimulated…on a purely visual level, the transformation of a hooded, haggard slave woman to the sexy, scheming Clytemnestra is even more impressive – a perfect blend of movement, music, costume and performance, quite cinematic and highly dramatic. Edinburgh Evening News