THU - SAT DEC 2025 11TH 13TH EMBER DIRECTOR
Director’s Note
Though written over two thousand years ago, we find ourselves exploring timeless themes through a lense that feels current and relevant. Set in a near future steeped in a dystopian focused society, The Trojan War has raged for ten years and after the murder of Agamemnon, Clytemnestra and Aegisthus begin a tyrannical rein, with moral decay, suffering and violence. People cling not to hope but to memory, to the scraps of truth and to what justice they recognise.
We think about the brutal consequences of war, the fragility of family dynamics, sound as a form of protest in the quest for justice.
At the centre of this play we have Electra, uncompromising, unyielding and relentless. In a society that suppresses truth, Electra and the chorus become its resistance. They are not silenced and sound is used as a form of protest and act for justice, the silenced heard and buried remembered. Noise disrupts power and Echo becomes revolt.
In our version we look at how families carry the trauma of war long after fighting ends. The cursed house of Atreus, is built on unhealed wounds, vengeance and where our loyalty lies.
We are presented with uncomfortable questions, who do we love more, our mother or our father, would we kill a parent for justice? Who decides what justice is? Whose law is that?
This is a revenge story for the ages. Enjoy!
Jonathan Woolf
Jonathan trained at Drama Centre London (three year BA Hons), and has worked as an actor, director and practitioner. Work as an actor includes – The Merchant of Venice (Arcola), War and Peace (Shared Experience), Arden of Faversham (Rose Theatre), A Bold Stroke for a Husband (Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds), Travelling Light (National Theatre), The Mousetrap (UK Tour), Darkness Darkness (Nottingham Playhouse), Henry V (The Barn Theatre), Astoria (Young Vic film), The Crown (TV).
Jonathan has taught and directed at the Young Actors Theatre since 2009, from seniors to adults classes and foundation course, also running a production class for seniors and adults and also runs private classes.
Jonathan has also taught with Bigfoot Theatre Company, and works extensively with The Globe Theatre, running Shakespeare workshops and directing projects and delivering lectures.
Work at the Globe Theatre includes – Directing Globe Youth Theatre, Directing Our Theatre, TSTP, Course DirectorNew Zealand Young Company doing King Lear, directing the Jeremy Lemmon project and international work includes directing Hamlet in Italy for International festival.
Most recently Jonathan adapted and directed War of the Roses at The Globe Theatre with the Young Company and directed The Box for London Premiere at The White Bear Theatre and directed The Winter’s Tale for final show at LAMDA.
Jonathan was also chosen as one of the actors to do an extensive two week project at the RSC with Cicely Berry looking at approaches to Shakespeare.
Jonathan has directed at LAMDA, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Manchester Theatre School, Mountview and East 15.
Olivia Carty Electra
Daisy Elizabeth Bates Chorus
Niamh Logue Chorus
Lauren Park Chorus
Bethan Adlam-Howells Chrysothemis
Christine Richards Clytemnestra
Jonah Sheppard Orestes
Nathan Horrocks Servant
Joshua Campbell-Hart Aegisthus
Ethan Rodmell Pylades
Production Department
Production Manager Jacqui Findlay
Scenic Designer Emma Thompson
Lighting Designer Charlie Powell
Sound Designer Danny Warboys
Head of Costume Michelle Shaw
Head of Props Dan Raven
Production Technician Dil Patel
Staff Stage Manager Louise Turner
Stage Manager Zekel Daley***
Deputy Stage Manager Caitlyn Kopera**
Assistant Stage Managers Jozef Ruben*, Cerys Langford*
Technical ASM Lighting Hannah Brown*
Technical ASM Sound Chloe Collett*
Production Assistant Anna Nee
Costume Assistant Sarah Lowes
Scenic Assistant Rosie Lunney
Technical Assistants
Eli White**, Esme McIntyre**, Claire Hyde**
Set Assistant Julia Aldersea Smith**
Costume Assistants Naomi Day**, Audrie Gilliland**
Props Assistant Mollie Jones**
Carpenter The Wood Shop Joinery Ltd
Voice Support Loreto Wright
Fight Support Roger Bartlett
Movement Director Freya Sharp
*1st Year Stage Management Students
**2nd Year Stage Management Students
***3rd Year Stage Management Students
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Association Supporting our Actors and Musicians
The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Association (RBCA) is more than just a membership organisation - it’s a vibrant community of music and drama lovers, patrons, and advocates who are passionate about nurturing the next generation of artists.
As an RBCA Member, you’ll enjoy exclusive benefits, including:
• Invitations to special social gatherings before select RBC events
• Opportunities to meet our talented students and dedicated staff, and hear their inspiring stories firsthand
• A bi-annual newsletter, filled with exciting updates from the Conservatoire and fellow members
But most importantly, your membership directly supports students facing financial challenges — helping them focus on their craft, not their costs.
By joining from just £27 per year, you’ll be making a real difference in the lives of students like Anastasiia Vasyliuk (voice - soprano, pictured right) and Kara Woods (saxophone) - empowering them to pursue their dreams and share their talents with the world.
Become part of something extraordinary. Join the RBCA today and help shape the future of the performing arts.
www.bcu.ac.uk/RBCA
