GUTS: A Fresh Look at Old Myths
GUTS’ production “Where the Sun Slumbers” brings us to a long-running cycle of power, anger, love and parenthood.

Leon Pierik and Jelke Ludolphij grasped Groningers’ attention between the 6th and 8th of June at USVA’s theater hall by retelling the stories of Icarus, Daedalus and the Minotaur.
Entering the USVA cultural center, many people can be spotted with flowers in their hands, in a lively conversation, or grabbing a drink from the bar. GUTS traditionally has been presenting two to three plays yearly, starting all the way back in the -60’s. The success carries on this year, as all three evenings were sold out before the premiere night.
Based on the myths of the minotaur, Icarus and Daedalus, the director and producer - Leon Pierik and Jelke Ludolphij, took the audience on an unpredictable journey within the souls and sufferings of their characters.
In this adaptation, the people of Crete depend on a machine created by Daedalus’ forefathers. The machine represents the labyrinth from the original version of the myth. When something breaks, Daedalus ventures into the heart of the machine, followed by his daughter Icarus, Princess Ariadne, Theseus and the gentle minotaur, Asterion. Each character carries their own troubled thoughts, revealing that it is not the machine’s heart that is broken, but their own.
The Performance
Entering the theater, the room is dimly lit and intimate. The faint rustle of the play programs and the gentle chatting of the waiting audience creates a feeling of excitement in the room. Looking at the audience, people of all ages have come to see the show, from friends and family members to folk interested in local arts and culture. The theater stage looms barely a few feet from the front row, drawing everyone closer to the heart of action. It’s a setting where every glance and gesture of the cast can be closely observed and felt. The minimalistic sets of the play, all designed and made by the GUTS crew, give off a feeling of an industrial, cyberpunk-ish aesthetic.
Soon enough the lights close, and the audience quiets down.
From its first moments, “Where The Sun Slumbers” captivated its watchers with powerful displays of emotion and catchy effects - the three fates playing with neon-colored strings of life in the dark. They remind the audience of the fragility of life and the never ending cycle throughout the play. The immersive use of voice, gestures and mannerisms ensured every word resonated with the audience. The cast and crew included both members with multiple previous GUTS productions under their belt as well as members involved for the first time.
The play’s theme revolved a lot around the concept of cycles, delving into the issues of dysfunctional families and exploring how parents often fail to see their children for who they truly are, instead imposing their own expectations, desires and mistakes on them.
The play broke off many narratives and stereotypes of the timeless myth.
Instead of Minotaur being a monster feasting on human flesh, Asterion was a gentle giant taking care of his own little garden, hidden away in the heart of the machine. Theseus and Ariadne held guns toward each other, indicating separate plotlines instead of those of lovers.
Icarus and Theseus were written to be women, breaking away from the typical male-dominated hero’s journey.
King Minos (Voke Akati-Udi) was perhaps a character most true to his original portrayal - a powerful, authoritative ruler whose actions tend to lead to godly interference and personal tragedy. He is both master and slave to the life-sustaining machine and his story has themes of power, moral decay and most of all, authority gone unchecked.
The play also reflected on the cyclical nature of life and fate. The three fates (Emily Michail, Jana Riederer, Victoria Smirni) would playfully wander around the characters in the play by either inviting the audience to dance to loud music or giving the rest of the characters wisdom and advice. Atropos, the fate of death, often made comments like “I'm bored! It’s all been repeated again and again!”, drawing attention to the cyclical pattern in the parents’ way of treating their children.
The play came to its end with long, rowdy applause from the audience. It was a definite success. To quote Leon Pierik and Jelke Ludophij, “This production was ultimately a love letter to the dedicated cast and crew”, whose passion and commitment brought these characters to life in a truly unforgettable theater experience.
The Creators
On the last night of Jekyll and Hyde, a year and a half ago, Leon Pierik and Jelke Ludophij met. One of them dragged the other to the GUTS afterparty. Accompanied by a few bottles of wine, the creators started to discuss and one of them said: “We should write a play together!”. They held meetings every week for a year. When asked why they wanted to continue the cycle of retelling the story, they replied “It’s always fun to investigate the cycle itself, myths were not told only in modern times but they are fluid and grounded in every different culture.” Pierik and Ludolphij gave a lot of freedom to the actors on building the characters as well as helpful guidance, Izzy Smit (Asterion) and Voke Akati-Udi (King Minos) agreed.
“This is a love letter to GUTS.”, Leon Pierik & Jelke Ludolphij