SUTCo’s Peace Circle – 23 June 2025, The Foundry Studio, Sheffield Students Union
Review by Claire Taranaski.
With the Edinburgh Fringe just over a month away it was an honour to be invited to review the premier of the new play Sheffield University Theatre Company will be taking up to festival this August, which is based on the procedure designed to help victims and offenders reach a pint of acceptance.
However their is much more to this play than that, which examines family dynamics, friendship, addiction, chemistry, connection, acceptance and forgiveness through what feels genuine intimate snippets of the meetings, which make you feel as an audience member that you are a fly on the wall to something so personal but important that you can’t turn away from it. There is a reason peace circles take place behind closed doors.
Student writer and director Lucy Singer is extremely talented for her age and destined to go far based on this powerful production and this is an opportunity to see her work before if all was right with the world the National Theatre snaps her future plays up. Her writing and directing is intense yet realistic, shows an interest and knowledge beyond her years and brings a difficult subject and situation thoughtfully and without judgement to the stage.
On an simple set of six chairs and interchanging positions, the six cast members gave intimate and believable performances beyond their life experience. Ella Hulford and Matthew Heppell as Wendy and Leon, the parents of the victim Jonah whose case is at the centre of the play, perfectly capture the grief and anger of a situation that no parent ever wants to be in or admit to whilst playing characters way beyond their age; Alicia Fitzwilliams as their daughter Becky has the look of a young British Sarah Michelle Geller and cleverly captured the need to protect your love ones, chemistry with others and the need to move on with your own life. John Wood as Elliott caught the almost rabbit in headlights of someone for whom a moment in life and one small mistake changed it forever, helping the audience move away from any stereotypes we have of someone in his situation; and Roberto Rowinski as Elliott mate Callum may at first have been the quiet member with attitude of the group but as we were drawn in brought to life the balance of wanting to protect his friend with his real feelings about the situation. Last but not least was Emilia Lodge as the circle facilitator Natalia, who if she doesn’t decide to continue down the acting route, has a successful career in facilitating peace circles and support groups ahead of her.
Behind the scenes special mention must go to the the lighting designer and operator Autumn Ten Dam for not only cleverly breaking up the glimpses into the peace circle, moving the story forward, but the at first elephant in the room of a flickering light that before the characters mentioned it is presumed just to be an issue in the venue but by the end becomes a powerful metaphor (along with the group’s mantra “if love is lost we will find it again”). I personally will never love at a flickering bulb in the same way again.
Peace Circle is a play not to miss at the Edinburgh Fringe, not only by audiences who want to support student theatre but those looking for superb, powerful and intimate theatre by a writer and director at the start of her incredible career. We have been honoured to preview SUTCo shows heading to the Fringe previously but this is the one that will stay with us.
To book, and if you are going to the Fringe between the 18th and 23rd August you should, visit Peace Circle | Edinburgh Festival Fringe.