Drama Society’s latest Weekend production in the Drama Barn was an adaption of Nick Payne’s ‘Electra’ based on the Greek Tragedy by Sophocles, in a directorial debut for George Robertson, and produced by Tony Bruton. In the play, the titular character, Electra (played magnificently by Amber Wright), goes through trauma, grief and revenge in the wake of her father’s death by the hands of her mother, played by Gwen Davies.
Set in thrust theatre, the play never allows the audience to take their eyes off the action before them, with harrowing sound, captivating ‘movement’ choreographed by Nimi Spiff, and a simply incredible performance by the all-female-presenting cast. ‘Electra’ is intense throughout, juxtaposed by moments of eery quiet and the occasional dark comedic relief, meaning the balance of intensity was never too much and thus the meanings and impacts of every action and speech by the actors were maintained.
The co-ordination of both movement and the collective speaking in unison of the actors were succinct and mostly consistent, meaning its effects on the audience was impactful. Furthermore, the ability of the all the actors to retain reasonable diction and clarity in long, emotional and loud speeches was extremely commendable and it meant the very little got lost for me when conveying the play’s multi-layered themes of female rage and grief.
Whilst perhaps the play had too much of the characters simply narrating at each other (a criticism of Nick Payne’s original writings more than the production), it was an all-round brilliant performance that was brutal but crucially not to the point of overkill, and whilst it certainly would not be everyone’s cup of tea, is a great example of the talent that the University theatre societies possess and I would recommend checking the Drama Society’s social media for their upcoming shows for the Drama Barn!