Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru is pleased to announce the full cast for the production Merched Caerdydd / Nos Sadwrn o Hyd which will tour Wales between 13 March and 13 April. Merched Caerdydd is a new work by Catrin Dafydd which was presented as a rehearsed reading of a work-in-progress to large audiences at the Cardiff National Eisteddfod in 2018, and Nos Sadwrn o Hyd is an adaptation by Roger Williams of his own popular play Saturday Night Forever. Two contemporary plays based in the capital city, by two of Wales’s most distinct voices.

The cast are Emmy Stonelake, Gwenllian Higginson and Hanna Jarman (Merched Caerdydd) and Sion Ifan (Nos Sadwrn o Hyd).

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Joining Emmy Stonelake, who took part in the rehearsed readings of Merched Caerdydd (Theatr Gen Creu yn y Steddfod), will be Gwenllian Higginson and Hanna Jarman. Gwenllian Higginson returns to Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru following previous appearances in Macbeth (2017), Yr Hwyaden Fach Hyll/The Ugly Duckling (in co-production with Sherman Theatre, 2014/15) and Dyled Eileen (2014). Gwenllian also appeared recently in Exodus (Motherlode Theatre). Hanna Jarman joins the company for the first time. Her recent theatre credits include Hud y Crochan Uwd/The Magic Porridge Pot by Sherman Theatre and she’ll be appearing soon in Merched Parchus on S4C which she co-wrote with Mari Beard.

Sion Ifan returns to play Lee in Nos Sadwrn o Hyd, following his widely acclaimed performance when the adaptation was first staged at the 2018 Cardiff National Eisteddfod. Sion has appeared on S4C in programmes including Byw Celwydd, Y Streic a Fi, Tir and Teulu and has performed with Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru in Pan Oedd y Byd yn Fach, Y Fenyw Ddaeth o’r Môr, and Tir Sir Gâr.

Mared Swain, Neontopia’s Artistic Director, directs Merched Caerdydd. Her recent directing credits include Tuck, A Good Clean Heart and Lovecraft (Not the Sex Shop in Cardiff). Her television credits include Storyline ProducerforGwaith Cartref. Aled Pedrick directs Nos Sadwrn o Hyd. Aled is best known as an actor on the popular series 35 Awr and Parch and he recently appeared in Sherman Theatre’s acclaimed production, Woof.Aled has also directed for Theatr Clwyd and Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru (Pan Oedd y Byd yn Fach, 2016).

These two one-hour-long plays will be presented as a double bill with a 20-minute interval. The production opens in Theatr Clwyd before touring throughout Wales, and the tour comes to an end in Cardiff with a series of performances at the Weston Studio as part of the Wales Millennium Centre’s Performances for the Curious season.

Tour details:

Theatr Clwyd, Mold: 13–15 March

Pontio, Bangor: 19 + 20 March

Canolfan Garth Olwg, Church Village: 22 March

Borough Theatre, Abergavenny: 25 March

Pontardawe Arts Centre: 26 March

Theatr Mwldan, Cardigan: 28 March

Aberystwyth Arts Centre: 29 + 30 March

Canolfan S4C Yr Egin, Carmarthen: 1 + 2 April

Galeri, Caernarfon: 4 + 5 April

Ffwrnes, Llanelli: 8 + 9 April

Weston Studio, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff: 10–13 April

Age guidance: 14+. Includes strong language

This is a Welsh language production. The Sibrwd app provides English-language access.

Details of the production

Two contemporary plays based in the capital city, by two of Wales’s most distinct voices.

Merched Caerdydd (Cardiff Girls) by Catrin Dafydd

Cardiff is home to Cariad, Liberty and Awen. Whilst they each tread a very different path in life, they have more in common than their city alone. Here are three young, bright, and perhaps unexpected women from contemporary Wales, each trying to make sense of their messy lives. They are women trying to come to terms with their pasts whilst navigating their futures. But will change be possible? Or has their fate already been sealed?

Nos Sadwrn o Hyd (Saturday Night Forever)by Roger Williams

Following a messy break-up, sound-tracked by Take That in a city centre nightclub, Lee goes looking for love and finds it. For a short while life is sweet, but after every Saturday night dawns the harsh reality of Sunday morning and, as Lee discovers, nothing lasts forever.

2018 was a very special year for Catrin Dafydd, who is a novelist, poet, radio presenter and a script writer for Pobol y Cwm (BBC Cymru Wales). She won the Crown at the Cardiff National Eisteddfod, very soon after winning the Fiction category in the Welsh Book of the Year Awards 2018 for her experimental novel Gwales. Merched Caerdydd was originally commissioned by the Literature and Drama Committee of the Cardiff National Eisteddfod and was developed and presented for the first time by Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru as a work-in-progress as part of the Theatr Gen Creu yn y Steddfod programme.

Nos Sadwrn o Hyd is a Welsh language adaptation by the playwright Roger Williams of his own popular play Saturday Night Forever. The original English version was well-received by audiences and reviewers alike. This adaptation was commissioned by the National Eisteddfod and Stonewall Cymru and was presented for the first time at this year’s Cardiff National Eisteddfod by OOMFF as part of the Mas ar y Maes programme – a new project arranged jointly between the Eisteddfod, Stonewall Cymru and the LGBTQ+ community. Roger Williams is an established writer in the world of Welsh drama, particularly for his popular television series such as Caerdydd andBang. Bang has won a number of notable awards, including the Bronze Medal at the New York International Television and Film Awards 2018 – Best Entertainment Programme (Crime Play). It also won the BAFTA Cymru/Wales Award 2018 for a Television Play. Roger’s work for the stage includes Tir Sir Gâr(Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, 2013).

A Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru production in association with the National Eisteddfod of Wales, Mas ar y Maes, Stonewall Cymru and OOMFF, supported by Theatr Clwyd.

Director:

Mared Swain (Merched Caerdydd)

Aled Pedrick (Nos Sadwrn o Hyd)

Set and Costume Designer:

Heledd Rees

Lighting Designer:

Elanor Higgins

Sound Designer and Composer:

Dyfan Jones

(Sound design of Nos Sadwrn o Hyd based on an original design by Heddwyn Davies)Cast:

Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru is the Welsh-language national theatre of Wales. We create bold, ambitious, inclusive and memorable theatre experiences in the heart of our communities, at traditional theatre venues and unexpected locations across Wales and beyond.

Please note this is a paid for article