REIVER – TALES FROM THE BORDERS – Elysium Theatre Company

Reiver – Tales From The Borders

by Steve Byron

"Karen Traynor simmers as the wrathful widow.... Micky Cochrane, as the blackmailed farmer, brings a host of characters to life in the course of his narrative with a clever turn of dialect and tonal registers... Steven Stobbs invests Ronald with all the gentleness and lack of guile that define his character. Director Jake Murray has made rich use of their combined talents..."

“This is an excellent play. It is currently touring across the North East and if you have a chance to see it I highly recommend doing so.”

"Playwright Steve Byron has created three gripping stories... simple yet effective staging... the stand-out performance came in the third and final tale from Karen Traynor... was compelling in her spiral from a loving wife to a woman hell-bent on revenge and consumed with anger."

"An intense and thought-provoking piece of theatre... Each character allowed the audience to truly understand the atrocities committed by the Reivers, delivering their tales with great honesty... Not to be missed!

"One thing is clear, above all else - this play is a tremendous success. It is truly excellent. It is a drama and a work of history, shining in both regards."

"The best, most powerful production I have seen here in more than thirty years as a regular audience member and Theatre Friend."

"Wow - that was amazing: we'd have paid twice as much. Three compelling stories & with incredible acting - thank you so much."

"Outstanding performances by the actors. Highly recommended."

"Absolutely brilliant show, beautifully written, directed and performed. A historical masterclass - will be thinking about this one for a while."

THE REIVERS RIDE!

After a sell-out tour across the North East in November 2022 & October 2023, Reiver – Tales From The Borders

is preparing to ride again. Watch this space for news:

with Matthew Howden, Elaine MacNicol and Steven Stobbs

originally performed by Micky Cochrane, Steven Stobbs and Karen Traynor

Directed by Jake Murray

Designed by Caitlin Mills, Lee Ward and Anna Hayward

Lighting by Andy Hunt

Sound by Andrew Mounsey

Music by Wilf Stone

Choreography by Lucy Marie Curry

The Reivers: lawless families who terrorised the Anglo-Scottish border for 400 years from Northumberland to Edinburgh, Carlisle to Dumfries, until King James 1st broke their power.

Steve Byron weaves three unforgettable stories together to paint a portrait of a world of violence and injustice in which law and order do battle with corruption and greed. Will good triumph over evil, or will evil be victorious?

Blackmail: an innocent farmer is forced to take a stand against the bullying threats of a powerful Reiver family.
Godforsaken Place: a southern lawman exiled to the North by the corrupt London authorities tries to save a Reiver child from a terrible fate.
The Widow’s Path: a Scots woman sold into servitude as a child pursues the murderers of her husband, and will not rest until she has overturned the Reiver order to get her revenge.

Reiver is an evening of theatre like no other, steeped in the folklore and history of the Anglo-Scottish borders.

Reiver – Tales From The Borders has played at:

Alnwick Playhouse

The Assembly Rooms, Durham

Bishop Auckland Town Hall

The Dovecote Centre, Amble

The Exchange, North Shields

The Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond

Hatfield College Chapel, Durham

Highlights Rural Touring

The Maltings, Berwick

Newcastle Castle

Queen’s Hall Arts Centre,Hexham

Rural Arts Touring

Theatre 41, York

Ushaw Historic House, Durham County.