Review: Sunk Into The Earth

A powerful and compelling piece of theatre making a complex issue accessible and safe

It’s not often a piece of theatre comes along that leaves you feeling, come the end, the need to remain in your seat and reflect upon what you’ve just seen.

Sunk Into The Earth is one of those pieces of theatre. It’s a powerful and compelling piece.

Written by Charlotte Ritter, the play explores themes around domestic violence, intergenerational trauma, family connections, bereavement and queer relationships.

Initially it seemed a slightly uneven start, searching for its pace. In fairness, it was opening night and there are a lot of complex changing dynamics to establish between the relationships of each character.

Sunk Into The Earth explores the themes around domestic violence within gradual reveals. There is no depiction of violence. It’s never a disconcerting watch and remains a safe environment for audience members.

It is Julie’s birthday, for which a group of her friends have gathered. Unbeknownst to the others, Julie has invited Salome. Her arrival is a sudden shock for the rest of the group. They have not seen her in six years because she was serving a prison sentence for murdering her sister’s husband.

There’s a whole heap of tension playing out but it remains tonally rich, finding moments of light and humour.

Interspersed with the party drama are brief scenes emerging from within it between Salome and her sister Tallulah.

Tallulah’s story is mostly saved for the end. A strong monologue belying her earlier quietness.

There are a number of monologues throughout which are all beautifully acted and emotionally connect directly with the audience.

The profession of the friends is within the emergency services. This allows for factual information around domestic violence to flow within the narrative rather than being shoehorned in. Putting the facts into fiction makes it hard hitting.

The writing cleverly connects how people experiencing abuse becomes a pattern repeated through the subsequent generations. The sense of women being trapped in cycles of abuse. The life threatening risks of a woman who may end up dead in an attempt to escape.

One stand out scene juxtaposed violence against women with the rest of the party guests drunkenly singing and dancing along to Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart. It was a heady mix of boozy party fun against drama in the kitchen.

Sunk Into The Earth brings a sense of clarity to a deeply complex issue. It allows people to reflect upon their own experiences and see how it has impacted their own lives, family members’ lives, maybe their friends’ lives.

There will be few people who are not connected in some way with someone who is experiencing abuse. They may not be aware because so much remains behind closed doors.

Bringing all of these issues into the open and into a really accessible piece of theatre makes it a very valuable show.

It may not sound like the entertaining Friday night fringe theatre you want. But with connection and friendship, it does have an uplifting end. And sometimes, theatre can surprise you with what you need to see rather than what you thought you wanted to see.

The company has partnered with Next Link Bristol, a support service to all victims and survivors of domestic violence.

On the Next Link website, the organisation’s annual report for 2024/25 said that the service had supported 8,090 adults and 1,678 children experiencing domestic abuse in Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset.

There were 5773 contacts to the Bristol service alone.

Next Link also say that 62 per cent of children living in domestic abuse households are ‘directly harmed by the perpetrator of the abuse’. That’s in addition to the harm caused by a child witnessing other people being abused.

The childhood experiences of Salome and Tallulah are authentic and speak to the experiences of children and young people who have experienced abuse growing up.

Following the performance on Saturday 12 September, there will be a post-show talkback with Sarah O’Leary from Missing Link/Next Link Bristol.

Sunk Into The Earth is at the Alma Tavern Theatre until 12 September 2026

For more information or to book, visit: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/almatheatrecompany/2270719

Cast and Creatives
Written by Charlotte Ritter
Director – Harper Kathleen Hefferon
Sound Designer – Jillian Osborne
Intimacy Director – Liz Kent

Gwynn – Jo SungJin
Julie – Caro Vinden
Hypatia – Georgie Mabel Clarke
Tallulah – Liz Kent
Lilith – Pia Litzmann
Salome – Isabelle Dickey

Featured Image: Preset of Sunk Into The Earth at the Alma Tavern Theatre September 2026

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