Reviews

Over the summer and autumn of 2018, Dante or Die toured the UK performing User Not Found. On this page you will find reviews of their initial run. 

User Not Found was the 2018 winner of The Wee Review Fringe Groundbreaker Award

Claire Wood: ‘A site-specific piece in the Jeelie Piece cafe, which made excellent use of sound in combination with technology to pose questions about digital legacy. We all had phones on our laps, with “pictures” synced with the story, as well as live acting. Very smart.’

Szalwinska from The Sunday Times: “Dante or Die’s User not Found (Traverse at Jeelie Piece Cafe ★★★★) is that rare thing, a piece of theatre that knows how to make use of headphones and mobiles. Terry is the unexpected executor of his ex’s online legacy. What to do with 33,000 tweets? Chris Goode’s script handles mourning and technology with fingertip lightness.”

“a beautiful dance of love, death and grief delivered via a single live performer (the phenomenal Terry O’Donovan), headphones and mobile phones.” – The Independent, Lyn Gardner

“There is immersive theater, and then there is theater so immersive that re-entering the world afterward comes as a shock, because you did not realize it had taken you so deep into another reality.” – The New York Times

**** Andrezej Lukowski, Sunday 5 August: Time Out

****Rachel Hickman, Sunday 5 August: The Wee Review

****Tim Bano, Monday 6 August: The Stage

****Kate Wyver, Tuesday 7 August: The Guardian

****Lyn Gardner, Wednesday 8 August: The Independent

****Sarah Crompton, Wednesday 8 August: WhatsOnStage

***** – – – – – Wednesday 8 August: The Reviews Hub

****Emily Jupp, Thursday 9 August: iNews: The Essential Daily Briefing

****David Kettle, Thursday 9 August: TheLIST

****Joseph Winer, Tuesday 14 August: A Younger Theatre

**** Maxie Szalwinska, Sunday 19 August: The Sunday Times

User Not Found can now be experienced as a video podcast. In 2020, Co-Artistic Director Terry O’Donovan reprised his celebrated performance for a new digital adaptation of the critically acclaimed 2018/19 live performance. With support from digital development agency, The Space and Arts Council England, Dante or Die created a virtual site-specific world which explores the ethics of digital ownership, public and private grief and shifting notions of connection and community. The podcast version of User Not Found can be found here.