Blood: terror, farce and a UK premiere

A kidnapped woman waits in a room with a guard. Sergi Belbel’s Blood begins in confinement, then pulls its characters between fear and farce.

BSA’s graduating Acting for Stage & Screen students performed the play at Tobacco Factory Theatres from 6–8 July 2023. Bristol24/7 identified the production as the script’s UK premiere.

Kyran Wood’s review followed the changes of tone in the Catalan playwright’s work, from the threat of violence to the absurd practicalities of captivity. He described the production as “a gripping watch”.

Blood was part of a summer programme that also included Jonathan Harvey’s Beautiful Thing and Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. Together, those choices asked the company to work across markedly different dramatic worlds.

Read in full: Bristol24/7.