Unearthed/The Gift

A New Vic production

Unearthed written and directed by Theresa Heskins

The Gift by Jemma Kennedy, directed by Gemma Fairlie

Unearthed is an archaeological ‘whodunnit’ by New Vic Artistic Director, Theresa Heskins. Fresh from the critically-acclaimed Around the World in Eighty Days and The Borrowers, her latest play tells the story of the Staffordshire Hoard since its discovery in 2009.

A documentary-drama in the New Vic tradition, we hear the words of the metal detectorist who found an astonishing hoard of gold in a Staffordshire field, of the archaeologists who excavated it, the historians, conservationists and experts who try to unravel its meanings.

How was the Hoard hidden? Who by? And why? It’s a historical thriller, a crime-scene looking for a solution. We know how it ends. Now we must piece together the beginning.

The Gift is an epic of romance and adventure from playwright and novelist Jemma Kennedy. In the Angle-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, a kingly gift sparks a deadly struggle for the future.

When the warriors return victorious from battle, they bring with them a great gift – gold, stripped from the weapons of their defeated enemies. They plan to use the treasure to build a new way of life and to gain the favour of their king.

But the women thing the price is too high, and are determined to hold on to the world they know. And, when the argument turns murderous, each must choose their own fate, risking all they have for freedom and for love.