(5 / 5)

It’s only fair to take the time to look at these pieces as separate entities as, although as with the popular game we may have all played as teenagers, ‘Truth’ and ‘Dare’ go together hand in hand, these performances also offer the audience two different casts, a variety of plays and writers and a change in creative teams, all which must be applauded in their own right.

This concept has been built on Curtain Up, which was performed in September 2021, in response to the Covid pandemic. This production embraced many freelance artists and this time around, Theatr Clwyd has commissioned ten freelance writers to create ten brand new plays on the theme of ‘Truth’ or ‘Dare.’

Each of these brand-new plays is captioned in Welsh and English with the scripts being a mixture of English language, bi-lingual and Welsh language. It is so refreshing to consistently hear our native tongue throughout, yet it is easy to follow even for a non-Welsh speaker- and would be well suited to those learning Welsh.

We’ll begin with ‘Dare’ (mainly due to this being the first treat for audiences on this particular occasion). ‘Dare’ opens with ‘Barbie Butt’ written by Greg Glover and we go on to witness four other plays- ‘Show Us’ by Kallum Weyman, ‘This Time Next Week’ by Natasha Kaeda, ‘Annwn (Mold Gold)’ by Hannah Daniel and ‘And The Crowd Goes Boom’ by Bethan Marlow. It would be easy to give a summary of each play and choose the best bits but I encourage those reading this to go and experience ‘Truth or Dare’ for themselves as it’s clear that no one performance will be exactly the same each evening- not only dependent on the audience and their reactions but also down to the fact that audiences are encouraged to bring props for the actors to use in each play- changing up the delivery and the outcome of each piece every time! This provides a lot of laughter, not only for the audience but often for those on stage! Props during this evening’s ‘Dare’ range from a tin of Heinz baked beans to a fake, rubber poop! All of the performers must be praised, not only for their character work and scripted sections but also for their improvisation skills whilst dealing with an unknown item being inserted into the play with no prior warning!

‘Dare’ offered up so many laugh out loud moments- highlights being Geraint Rhys Edwards’ as ‘salesperson’ (absolutely hilarious and fantastic comic timing!) and Sara Harris-Davies’ poignant speech at the end of ‘This Time Next Week’- perfectly balanced reflection betwixt the brilliant comedy of the the rest of the piece.

After a slightly longer than usual break (which is a welcome change and chance for the audience to discuss what they have already seen as well as an opportunity to spin the ‘Truth or Dare’ wheel and pick the relevant card- my ‘Truth’ card asks ‘what is your guilty pleasure?!’ What a fun way to introduce some conversation starters to the interval!)

‘Truth’ commences with ‘One Stop Short’ by Alexandria Riley, ‘The Wake’ by Ceri Ashe, ‘Maternity Leave’ by Lucie Lovatt, ‘Bwygan’ by Melangell Dolma and ‘Two Parts Madness, One Part Mayhem’ by Christian Patterson. Where ‘Dare’ provides more laugh out loud moments, ‘Truth’ is more of a balance between sadness, darkness and ridiculousness! We move between themes of loss, bereavement, love and loneliness to the grand finale which certainly lives up to its name and is the icing on the cake! Again, there are lots of stand out moments and performances during ‘Truth’- Mirain Roberts and Lisa Jen Brown as feuding sisters who end up having to recapture a childhood performance from their days in the Eisteddfods at their mother’s wake to Francois Pandolfo as the over-the-top (but not TOO over-the-top!) grieving widow alongside Seren Vickers who just screams Rik Mayall! Again, audience props brought a unique flavour to each play- this time a window squeegee and a toilet roll amongst others!

‘Truth or Dare’ is a wonderfully entertaining evening at the theatre. A unique concept, an extremely talented cast and creative team and filled with moments of contemplation and plenty of giggles!

You can find out more information about the productions and book tickets here

‘Dare’

Cast
Ashley Mejri
Laura Dalgleish
Jake Sawyers
Victoria John
Kieran Bailey
Caitlin Drake
Leilah Hughes
Hefin Wyn
Sara Harris-Davies
Geraint Rhys Edwards

Creative Team
Director – Francesca Goodridge
Associate Director – Daniel Lloyd
Company Stage Manager – Cassey Driver
Deputy Stage Manager – Martha Davies
Prologue Writer – Matthew Bulgo
Set & Costume Designer – Millie Lamkin
Lighting Designer – David Powell
Sound Designer – Ben Morgan
Casting Director – Polly Jerrold
Producer – Jenny Pearce
Production Manager – Jim Davis

‘Truth’

Cast
Francois Pandolfo
Mirain Roberts
Gabin Kongolo
Lisa Jen Brown
Betsan Llwyd
Londiwe Mthembu
Elinor Larsson
Catherine Morris
Oliver Morgan Thomas
Seren Vickers

Creative Team
Director – Hannah Noone
Associate Director – Juliette Manon
Company Stage Manager – Alec Reece
Deputy Stage Manager – Amy Wildgoose
Prologue Writer Matthew Bulgo
Set & Costume Designer – Millie Lamkin
Lighting Designer – David Powell
Sound Designer – Ben Morgan
Casting Director – Polly Jerrold
Producer – Jenny Pearce
Production Manager – Jim Davis