We last chatted as part of the series that Get the Chance ran during the height of the Covid Pandemic in April 2020. During this period many Welsh or Wales based arts graduates were hugely impacted by the Pandemic. Their usual opportunities to meet agents, prepare for final year exhibitions or productions took place in later years or sadly not at all. To raise awareness of the diverse talent graduating during the year GTC offered any Welsh or Wales based graduate the opportunity to be showcased on our website.
So, I guess the big question is what impact did Covid have on your career?
Obviously with there not being any work during Covid, it was kind of a chance for me reflect on what I had learned through my education years and decide where I wanted to go when Covid eventually eased off. At the time, one thing that I wanted to take a step back from was theatrical acting and focus on more on acting for camera, as theatre was something I did so much in my education years. I found that taking that break from working and having time to focus on where I wanted to go, helped me come up with a plan. My plan was simple, get an agent and have more experience in acting for camera at a professional standard. I was very fortunate to get both of these achievements just as we were coming out of the last lockdown which worked out perfectly ready for me to get back out there as the industry started to open back up.
One of the biggest lessons I learned through Covid was maintaining a positive mindset, keeping yourself occupied (even if it’s not related to what you want to do) and not letting rejection get you down. A way I do this now is by having a full time job so that I always have a income coming in, so pressuring myself in getting specifically acting jobs doesn’t really concern me as I always have some kind of money available, so the stress of worrying about bills and car insurance isn’t present, but taking priority to the acting jobs as this is where I’m taking my career.
Did any positives come out of this period that has been helpful for your current work?
Definitely my representation. My agent at Vella Wozniak has been the best thing to happen to me in my professional work. They are constantly submitting me for jobs, having update meetings where we talk about future plans and all the positivity that comes with it. All of the clients have a group chat where we all help each other out with supporting each other, sharing information and just industry related help. Having the representation that I have just makes me feel better about my talent and capability in the industry and I’m very thankful for it.
I believe you are in preproduction for a new YouTube fan series based around Dr Who? With Russell T Davies returning to write for the series and a new Doctor and Assistant announced what changes do you think this might bring to the world of Dr Who?
David Tennant as The Doctor is what inspired me to be a actor in the first place. With Russell T Davies back and David Tennant it’s like my dream come true, especially because we’re getting 3 episodes with him and Catherine Tate back for the 60th anniversary! I have very high hopes when Ncuti Gatwa takes over fully next Christmas too. He’s such a talented actor who I’m sure will bring something unique and new to the role. I think the biggest changes we’ll see are going to be in the production values, going off Bad Wolfs previous production of His Dark Materials and the quality of that show. I’m also expecting there to be more spin off shows, obviously this is just my own prediction, but with the success of other projects like the MCU having its own cinematic universe, I think Doctor Who will go down that route which will make it at the forefront of mainstream television again.
What currently inspires you about the arts in the Wales?
I don’t think a lot of people realise how much there is going on in Wales, especially Cardiff in terms of the filmmaking and acting industry. You have the BBC, Bad Wolf Studios, Sex Education, Doctor Who, Casualty, The Millennium Centre, New Theatre, Chapter Arts Centre, extra work, filmmaking apprenticeships… The list goes on. There’s always been this idea that moving to London or studying in London is the way forward in acting but when you take a step back and look at what we have in Wales, You can actually see that everything you need is on your doorstep and it’s only growing bigger.
What was the last really great thing that you experienced that you would like to share with our readers?
It’s so hard to pick one experience. It’s got to be the support I’ve received from friends, family and my representation, Glynis and all of the team at Vella Wozniak. It’s been nothing but positivity all around and I consider myself very lucky to receive the support that I have. The plans that we have in coming this year fills me with nothing but excitement and I can’t wait to share the hard work we’ve put into it with everyone.
Thank you.
You can follow Lewis and find out more about his work at the links below.
Hi Chris, great to meet you, can you give our readers some background information on yourself please?
Shwmae! I am a writer. I was born in Abergavenny, raised in Ebbw Vale, and then Cwmbrân, and now living in Bridgend with my fiancé. I had a Welsh language education in Pontypool (and now I predominately identify as a Welsh language theatre maker). I studied my BA in Drama at Aberystwyth University, and my MA in International Dramaturgy at the University of Amsterdam. I’ve been writing for theatre for about 10 years now, having had many fantastic opportunities to exercise and explore new work. I’ve been fortunate to work with Theatr Bara Caws, Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, Theatr Iolo, Theatrau Sir Gar, National Theatre Wales, Dutch National Opera, Ensemble Modern, Cwmni Theatr Frân Wen and Cwmni Theatr Arad Goch. I’ve also worked in a pharmacy, as a teaching assistant and a drama club facilitator. It’s all relative!
So, what got you interested in the arts?
I have my parents to thank for that. Neither of them work in the arts, but they regularly took my sister and I to the theatre from a very young age. The stating point was likely seeing ‘Budgie the Little Helicopter’ at the New Theatre, Cardiff. They also took us to Kids Week in London (a brilliant initiative) during the summer, all the way up until we were 16. They always encouraged broad-mindedness in any art form we watched. We went to all sorts of theatre across the country, as well as the cinema, museums, art galleries, as well as the weekly movie nights we would have at home.
Why do you write?
I see the world in a very creative way. Ideas come to me all the time from all corners of life. Human behaviour and experience is theatrical. I have too many ideas. Writing is a method in which to make sense of things. News bulletins and anecdotes and shared-experiences and reading historical documents translate into creative artforms that I visualise. To me, everything has creative potential. I can’t always deal with things ‘just’ as they are, or as matter of fact. I like to imagine and interpret all the time, and ask – ‘why are things like that?’
Can you tell us about your writing process? Where do your ideas come from?
Anywhere. And new ideas usually catch you off-guard! There’s been many a situation where I have had to say: ‘Stop a minute, I have to write this down!’. From there, it’s usually many weeks of toying, thinking, contemplating, researching. If the idea disappears after 6 weeks, then I can’t love it that much to begin immediately. I don’t always start with ‘something to say’. That usually comes later. If I have an idea, and later on it begins to resonate with my own personal opinions, experiences or perspective on things (or challenges them) – and the idea sits with me long enough (I get bored quite easily too) – then I know I may have something. I also thrive on collaboration. I like to work with a director very early on to really uncover a play.
Can you describe your writing day? Do you have a process or a minimum word count?
I personally don’t think there’s such a thing as a writing day because, every time I sit down to ‘write’, I usually scroll on Twitter or stare blankly somewhere. You have to let the ideas come to you. Sometimes they come in chronologically, order sometimes in a random order. The ‘process’ is trusting that it is a process that requires time. I also think it’s healthy to have a different approach and process with each new play. Let the work dictate to you what it needs. I recently completed the first draft of a new play entirely by hand in a notebook because I wanted to try not writing any of it at home and to make the process more mobile. Now I have to find time to type it up . . .
This spring you have two new Welsh Language productions on tour, Cariad yn Oes y Gin produced by Theatr Bara Caws which is described as “A dark comedy about the experiences of a young, bohemian and rebellious couple as they seek a new, adventurous life.” And Golygfeydd o’r Pla Du, a Theatrau Sir Gâr Production, supported by Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru which is described as “A mischievous, black (death) comedy about crisis and corruption, packed with scandal, songs, singing goats and horse sh*t. Welcome to the Black Death – there’s nothing funnier.”
There is clearly a theme of dark comedy in your work! What inspired both productions and what are your ambitions for the tours?
‘Cariad yn Oes y Gin’ was inspired by asking how something so destructive, like gin, was discovered for the first time. I was interested in how, in 1736, it affected people on a societal level, and how a bridge once build between the lower and upper classes was suddenly eradicated because of gentrification. I also wanted to see it through the lens of a young, care-free (and rather naive couple) who get a big slice of reality when paving their own way through life.
Mali O’Donnell and Sion Emyr in ‘Cariad yn Oes y Gin’ – Kristina Banholzer
I’ve thought a lot about the nature of love and relationships over the past couple of years, and how one must adapt and, sometimes, compromise in a true relationship, whilst also holding on to their very true selves. Gin, a new and destructive drink in society, becomes a symbol of freedom and power for this young, rabble-rousing couple.
‘Golygfeydd o’r Pla Du’ R&D – Ray’s Photographs
‘Golygfeydd o’r Pla Du’ began life as wanting to be popcorn-theatre for Welsh language audiences in the vain of some of my heroes: Mel Brooks, Monty Python and The League of Gentleman. It’s written for 4 actors sharing around 35 characters. It’s fast, it’s polymathic and outrageous. Of course, like all theatre work, it quickly evolved into something more than just a satirical comedy, and I began to see how crisis, such as a pandemic, brings out the true nature of people. It seems there are many out there who benefited from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the play aims to make an acknowledgment of that through satire.
Both productions take place in an historical context. Do you think the plays period and themes will resonate with contemporary audiences?
I think so. I find it easier to contemplate what is going around us in the present through a historical lens. There’s a sense that enough time has settled for us to learn from history and to see things exactly as they are through the ‘then’. The ‘Gin Craze’ saw many people’s freedoms being curbed, not just on the basis that the drink was doing so much harm to people, but the working classes were entirely to blame for the increase in violence. You’d be surprised at how much corruption and scandal became evident as a result of the Black Death. People began to see the cracks in their leadership and in the feudal system. The ‘Peasant’s Revolt’ came shortly after that. It wasn’t all ‘Partygate’ or how much of public funding was spent on a private jet flight of 30 minutes, but the gesture of abuses of power was very much the same. Through history, we see lessons that have never been learnt.
There are a range of organisations supporting Wales based writers. I wonder if you feel the current support network and career opportunities feel ‘healthy’ to you? Is it possible to sustain a career as a writer in Wales and if not, what would help?
Yes, it certainly feels healthy. I was very fortunate to be invited to a few of those schemes myself (particularly the Sherman Theatre’s schemes in 2016 – 2018 curated by Philip and Christine Carne, Brad Birch, Gethin Evans and David Mercatali). My worry is that there still aren’t schemes to commit to writers long-term – to take risks. Theatr Bara Caws, Theatrau Sir Gar, Theatr Iolo, Blackwood Miners Institute . . . they’ve all taken a risk on me by following through. It takes time, but I don’t know a single aspiring/emerging writer who wouldn’t want to take that time if it meant the end-goal was getting their work seen and discussed by a paying audience.
Is it sustainable being a writer? No, not really. But I recommend training and taking work in other aspects of the arts, if possible: box office, outreach, education, administration, technical . . . whatever. It all feeds into your understanding of the working mechanism that makes up an arts organisation and gives you a greater appreciation of it. However, never work for free.
If you were able to fund an area of the arts what would this be and why?
Access. It’s a financial barrier for many companies, and the costs are increasing for everything. A ‘Dream Scheme’ would be to see core arts organisations given additional resources and funding to ensure that all aspects of access can be addressed: in-house software for captioning, cheaper/free hire of captioning software (Theatr Gen’s access app Sibrwd is super-easy, for example)
More funding to ensure BSL interpreters/Audio describers are given more performances and more preparation time, access costs being subsidies by larger funding bodies (but not necessarily included in core production budgets) and that wide-spread training is free, accessible and continuous.
What currently inspires you about the arts in Wales?
An identity that has shifted from that of coal miners and choirs and drowned villages to telling the real, contemporary stories of the diverse people of Wales. Also, our awakened sense of nationhood sat in the context of the British Empire. I’ve seen a lot of Welsh language work in the past few years that touches on this in an exciting way. To put all that into context, I went to see ‘The Corn is Green’ by Emlyn Williams at the National Theatre last year. Without going on about it, there’s a reason why that play ISN’T being performed in Wales and HASN’T for a very long time.
What was the last really great thing that you experienced that you would like to share with our readers?
Oh, I went to see Damien Chazelle’s new film ‘Babylon’ recently!
In it, I saw two of my favourite films slammed together in an orgiastic, unapologetic party: ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ meeting ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’. It actually made me think a little about ‘Cariad yn Oes y Gin’ (I love it when that happens – you’re nervous about an idea you’ve thought of, and then see someone else execute it in a different context, making you confident that your idea will work!). For all the drug-fuelled, addicted splendour that ‘Wolf’ and ‘Babylon’ brought, the party has to die down eventually, because people get hurt. That’s what we see in Dylan and Nansi’s journey in ‘Gin’.
If there’s anyone we should thank for the music, it’s ABBA. One of the best-selling bands of all time, this iconic Swedish quartet made a grand Arrival on the scene in 1974 with the Eurovision-winning Waterloo and went on to dominate pop music for the next decade. Disbanding in ’82 with a smorgasbord of songs (and many millions of dollars) under their belt, their star has never dimmed. (Songwriters Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus even went on to write original musical Chess). Forty years on, they embarked on a new Voyage, with a chart-topping comeback album and a virtual arena residency featuring concerts performed by their holographic ‘ABBAtars’.
So, who better to form the basis of a jukebox musical? Produced by Judy Craymer, Mamma Mia! premiered in London in 1999 and went on to become the sixth longest-running show in West End history. Its movie adaptation, directed by Phyllida Lloyd and starring Meryl Streep, smashed box office records and, for a decade, was the highest grossing film to be directed by a woman. Now, this beloved show is taking off on a massive UK and International Tour to remind us all why we should Take a Chance and Have a Dream.
Written by Catherine Johnson, and helmed by Lloyd, Mamma Mia! is set on the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi. 20-year-old Sophie (Jess Michelmore) is soon to marry fiancée Sky (Christopher Foley). She is determined to have her dad walk her down the aisle, but her fiercely independent mother Donna (Sara Poyzer) has never revealed his identity. So Sophie does some snooping, whittles the potential candidates down to three, and invites them to the island in secret. The players in this particular paternity lottery are Harry Bright (Neal Craig), Bill Austin (Phil Corbitt) and Sam Carmichael (Richard Standing), who each captured Donna’s heart one Last Summer many years before.
The plot is as light and frothy as the waves lapping the island shore, and the lead-ins to each ditty tenuous at best – “I’m old enough to be your mother!” Tanya (Sarah Earnshaw) says to lovestruck Pepper (Jaden Osheneye): cue Does Your Mother Know – but who cares? Benny and Björn’s songs are so iconic that they’re ironclad – and all you need to do is sing along. And I defy you not to start doing just that when the title track’s opening marimba kicks in, and the show really kicks off.
Fun is the Name of the Game here, and there’s more than enough to go round: Rosie (Nicky Swift) and Tanya cheering up bestie Donna with a one-two punch of Chiquitita and Dancing Queen; Sky and his mates’ laddish rendition of Lay All Your Love On Me; a rowdy reception that culminates in a plea to Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight). It also makes time for the smaller moments between characters: Donna singing The Winner Takes It All to Sam, the one that got away (Poyzer and Standing, a couple offstage as well as on, bring a genuine chemistry to their interactions). And rhe way Poyzer performs Slipping Through My Fingers as she tearfully does her daughter’s hair one last time brought a tear to mine.
The show’s celebration of love beyond the heteronormative was progressive for its time – though it would benefit from some updating (it’s 2023, yet Harry’s husband remains resolutely offstage). Even so, the musical is defiantly inclusive and crafts a world for itself that – save for the need to scrape for Money Money Money – is positively utopian. In Mamma Mia!, anything is possible: old flames reignite, new love blooms, and the only obstacles to ever after are just a song away from solving. For all its fluff and fabulousness, its subversive quality is perhaps its most enduring: giving its older women characters focus and agency, and the space to be sexy, messy, and fun.
Mamma Mia – you’ll want to go again! This is a show for every Dancing Queen and Chiquitita who ever had a dream. If you’re thinking ‘Gimme Gimme Gimme a ticket’, you might want to act soon – because they’re selling out faster than you can say Voulez-Vous! It might not be the most polished gem in the West End’s crown – but when it’s good, it’s gold.
Directed by Bill Buckhurst, book by Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner, additional book material, Douglas Carter Beane
Produced by Jamie Wilson productions, Kevin McCollum, Gavin Kalin, Robbie Wilson and Curve
Music by Alan Mencken, Lyrics, Glenn Slater
(4 / 5)
“This is a house of worship” “But this could be bigger than Broadway! Bigger than Vegas!”
The premise behind Sister Act is great: a nightclub singer and gangsters moll on the run after witnessing a murder finds sanctuary in a convent and turns good while transforming their choir from a discordant mess to angelic sweetness. There is plenty of room for farce and slapstick in here and a thrilling ending to go with it.
There are some excellent parts to this production, especially the singing, as you may expect from Sandra Marvin as Deloris, Lizzie Bea as Sister Mary Robert and more surprisingly from Clive Rowe as Steady Eddy who stole the show a couple of times. There is a nice line in humour and some great costuming and choreography. The set is imaginative and the change from nightclub to convent to police station and back again is slick. Leslie Joseph is both assertive as she dictates what she expects of the order yet vulnerable as she sees firstly her church community and then the sacred traditions threatened by modernity and the whirlwind that is Deloris.
As this play is based on the 1992 film of the same name, there are some tough acts to follow. Does this play manage to recapture the appeal of the film? I have heard some people bemoan the fact that the music is totally different, but this underestimates the quality of the songfest here.
However, from memory, one thing the film did well was get a good balance between respect and parody. Like all institutions, the church should be open to being satirised but they are entitled to be represented fairly as well. I am not sure the play does this as successfully as the film. I was not convinced with a lyric from the mother superior that questioned whether God existed. In addition, the lyric where the young novice expressed the desire to choose rather than to obey misses the point which is that the monastic life is one where you chose to obey. In both these examples the musical seems to underestimate the power and depth of personal devotion.
The limited scope of the stage compared to the film set also precluded the emphasis on service to the community which was a major feature in the original and is something that any faith community should seek to do. However, there was a willingness to debate the relative merits of a materialistic and spiritual lifestyle and plenty of respect was paid to those who have taken the vows of a nun. Whenever a play has some gentle moralising, it is important to get these social issues comments correct.
However, such criticism is perhaps unfair on a production that is primarily a musical show with a happy ending. In this light, the play is highly successful. All in all, this was a good nights entertainment and was warmly appreciated by the sell out crowd.
In our latest Playwright interview the Director of Get the Chance, Guy O’Donnell meets Actor and Playwright Richard Mylan, They discuss his career to date, his first play Sorted for Grand Ambition, the companies focus on creativity in Swansea and Richards personal approach to creativity and sharing his life experiences with the wider world.
Hi Richard, great to meet you, many audiences in Wales know you from Theatre or TV, can you tell us how you got started in the arts? I originally trained as a dancer, got into a Lloyd Webber musical where I spent 4 years (which was very much my schooling). Started dipping my toe into acting, loved it- I’ve been an actor over 25 years. Now I co-run the resident theatre production company Grand Ambition at the Grand Theatre, Swansea along with fellow creatives: Michelle McTernan, Steve Balsamo and Christian Patterson.
Richard Mylan, Christian Patterson, Michelle McTernan and Steve Balsamo.
We’ve had an incredible first year, we produced a Gala performance to celebrate 125 years of the theatre and ‘A Number’ by Caryl Churchill.
As well as many community outreach projects and the formation of TAG (The ActorsGroup). We’re currently in rehearsals for my debut play Sorter our first original production.
So, what got you interested in the arts?
Rubbish in school- got positive attention for dancing so went with it… It was the gateway really, once I discovered the different forms of dance, choreography- I was hooked. It was my first glimpse of creativity as apposed to learning.
Why do you write?
Sorter is my first attempt at writing. I wrote it to make sense of 20 years of my life as a heroin addict. I was originally going to write it in diary form- just to get it documented & out of my head. But I struggled to write in the first person. Probably because I felt disconnected from it all… or in denial. So I went to a very familiar place as an actor – play form, my lived experience through two characters and when I did that, 20 years flew out of me in three weeks. It was a very cathartic experience.
Can you tell us about your writing process? Where do your ideas come from?
For me it came from real life. Before I began writing I knew the basic structure. I also did A LOT of research. Before I attempted to write real life vicariously, I made sure I was heavily informed. That way, I could deviate from the structure if I wanted to…go with it to a certain extent. Sometimes it was a blind alley, sometimes it was a welcome discovery.
Can you describe your writing day? Do you have a process or a minimum word count?
It’s just structured writing time, but I don’t really have a process as such- or a word count. I’m far more productive if I don’t put pressure on myself.
Do you have a specific place that you work from?
Not really. I can work anywhere as long as it’s an environment where I can focus, but that could be at home with the TV on in the background or a busy cafe. Sometimes life going on around me can put me into a rhythm.
You first play Sorter will premier at Swansea Grand this March. The marketing information for the production states that you wrote Sorter, to “come to terms with your battle with heroin addiction & hope it can lead to a bigger conversation with addictions treated with empathy, dignity & understanding.” has it been difficult for you to share so much of your own personal journey on the page and stage?
I’ve been in recovery for over 10 years so I feel safe enough to explore it all. I’m also incredibly supported by the Grand Ambition team, the staff at the theatre and Swansea Council.
As well as your professional writing debut, Sorter marks the premier production for Grand Ambition a new and exciting creative collective based at Swansea Grand Theatre focusing on a new perspective to capture the arts through the Swansea lens. It’s a collaboration with Swansea Council and Swansea based professional artists – Richard Mylan, Steve Balsamo, Michelle McTernan and Christian Patterson.Why did you and the other creatives involved decide to launch this new company now and what has been the reaction?
We felt that Swansea people should see themselves on stage at the Grand Theatre, their lives and communities reflected in quality work. We also felt very strongly that we could help to create opportunities for those living in/from Swansea. Historically we’ve haemorrhaged creative talent as a city and when you look at our incredible cultural heritage that doesn’t make sense. So we want to add to the brilliant work from theatres & companies like Volcano, Lighthouse, Fluellen etc. We want to bring our collective experience and help to enrich the ecology of venues and output.
What are your future plans for this new company?
To tell Swansea stories, bring new footfall into the theatre, build opportunities for Swansea talent and inspire the next generation of theatre goers and theatre makers.
As well as being a Writer and Actor the public also know you through your documentary Richard and Jaco: Life with Autism. The documentary provided a fascinating insight into your and Jaco’s relationship and the form of autism Jaco lives with known as Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) Both the documentary and Sorter share aspects of your personal life with the wider world, beyond your professional work. Why is it important for you to work in this way and have there ever been times when it’s caused you any doubt?
I’ve always had doubts about sharing my personal life. But its always come from a genuine desire to change the common narrative. It was a joint decision to share Jaco with the world and he’s very glad that we did. But ultimately it was because our experience with Jaco is one of joy, hope and personal learning and growth. I’d not seen any documentaries that reflected that autistic experience.
With my addiction issues it was different because I was carrying it around with me. A huge negative weight that was affecting my mental health. So going public was really about unburdening that weight. But also it was because professional addicts are not generally known about because stigma and the fear surrounding it stops anyone sharing their experiences.
You can listen to Richard sharing his personal journey in the Podcast below from the Stop and Search series. He shares his battle with addiction in hopes that he can raise awareness for other people who may be struggling, and to wipe away the stigma that can often come with addiction. In this special episode we have a very intimate conversation with Richard about his heroin use which lasted twenty years – how and why he got to that place of addiction, and his advocacy for a change of attitudes.
There are a range of organisations supporting Wales based writers. I wonder if you feel the current support network and career opportunities feel ‘healthy’ to you? Is it possible to sustain a career as a writer in Wales and if not, what would help?
It could and should be better. It’s healthy in terms of output but not so healthy in terms of support. Output- because freelance writers are resourceful, determined, used to fighting to support their own ambition by any means. But that’s not sustainable. I think organisations realise this in general terms, but more needs to be done to support our network of writers, from budding to established. I learned a lot from my time with Swansea & District Writers Circle. We can all learn from support networks such as these.
If you were able to fund an area of the arts what would this be and why?
There are many areas of the arts that need funding but In Swansea right now and in Wales, there is a real shortage of technical talent, designers, set builders, stage managers, lighting designers and stage technicians. The infrastructure to nurture talent is there so I would fund grassroots and pathway opportunities.
What currently inspires you about the arts in Wales?
The quality of work currently being made in Wales is a huge inspiration to me. Companies like Theatr na nÓg, Leeway Productions, Sherman, Clywd and then creatives like Hannah McPake, Seiriol Davies, Tracy Harris, Dan Lloyd, Francesca Goodridge, Sophie Melville- the list is long!… they’re all smashing it and inspire me.
What was the last really great thing that you experienced that you would like to share with our readers?
Yesterday during rehearsals. The process of bringing Sorter to the stage is blowing my tiny mind! Every day is a great experience at the moment & I can’t wait to share it with our audiences.
Three theatres removed from Theatres at Risk Register but tough times still ahead, warns Theatres Trust
Theatres Trust, the charity that campaigns to protect the UK’s theatres, has published its annual Theatres at Risk Register, which highlights theatres across the UK under threat of closure, redevelopment or severe decay, but which all have the potential to be revived for their local communities. Theatres Trust has removed three theatres from the list, which are no longer considered at risk due to advocacy, planning and viability advice from Theatres Trust, along with the vital support of their respective local authorities, theatre operators and community groups.
Century Theatre, a unique travelling theatre that toured the country in the post-war years, is now looking more secure in its permanent home in Coalville Leicestershire. It had been threatened by the redevelopment of its site and had been added to the Theatres at Risk Register in 2014, but it is now better integrated into the local area and able to serve the local community with improved facilities.
Walthamstow Granada, a Grade II* listed ciné-variety theatre, had been empty and deteriorating until it was bought by Waltham Forest Council in 2019, with Soho Theatre Company on board as the operator. Having undergone a major refurbishment programme, it will reopen later this year as Soho Theatre Walthamstow, an exciting new London venue offering a mix of comedy, theatre, music and community activities.
The third building to be removed, Swansea Palace Theatre, is a distinctive Victorian music hall that has been on the Theatres at Risk list since it started in 2006. The building will not be reopening as a theatre but as office space, with the ability to accommodate small-scale performances and events. It was evident that there was not the demand in the city to make another theatre viable, so this sensitive scheme by Swansea Council (funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Welsh Government, via its Transforming Towns programme), protects the building’s historic features and could easily be reversed in the future, making it the best outcome in this situation.
Theatres Trust is advocated for by high profile supporters including Gary Kemp and David Morrissey. Musician, actor and Theatres Trust board member Gary Kemp says, It is fantastic to see three significant theatres being removed from the Theatres at Risk list, as a result of campaigning and advice from Theatres Trust as well as the dedication of councils and local communities. The Theatres at Risk list is about finding the best use for buildings within their communities, so they can be enjoyed for many years to come, and these three theatres are shining examples of that.
Now in its 17th year, the Theatres at Risk Register calls the public’s attention to these important buildings, their challenges, and the significant cultural opportunities they can bring to local communities. Since the list began in 2006, more than 80 theatres have been restored, revived or had a suitable replacement built. This year’s list comprises 38 buildings, which all have strong architectural merit, cultural heritage or value to the local community as a performance venue.
Although they remain on the list, there has been good news for Spilsby’s Sessions House, which is a key project in a successful Levelling Up bid, and for Morecambe Winter Gardens, which will benefit from the same fund in the go-ahead to the neighbouring Eden Project North. Steady progress is also being made at other theatres remaining on the list, including Burnley Empire, Leith Theatre and Theatre Royal Margate, but these theatres face the same challenges as the wider sector, particularly escalating construction work costs and scarcity of funding amidst the fallout of the pandemic, cost-of-living crisis and the energy crisis.
Elsewhere on the list, the situation is looking bleak for Dudley Hippodrome and the Intimate Theatre in Enfield, where redevelopment plans that will lead to their demolition look certain to go ahead despite strong opposition by Theatres Trust and their local communities. Dudley Hippodrome, the only remaining lyric theatre in the town, is on a site approved for a new university centre. The Intimate Theatre, where a number of stars including Richard Attenborough and David Bowie performed early in their careers, will be redeveloped to build a new parish hall and residential accommodation.
No additional theatres were added to the Theatres at Risk Register this year, despite the challenging environment faced by theatres due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and funding cuts and shortfalls. Theatres Trust continues to provide free advice and support with the aim of preventing more theatres from reaching the critical stage of being added to the At Risk list, particularly taking into account the difficult challenges facing theatres this year and the resulting pressures being put on theatre buildings.
Theatres Trust Director Jon Morgan says, As the true impact of rising construction and energy costs, cost-of-living crisis and squeezed council budgets becomes known, the challenge to secure the futures of Theatres at Risk will be more difficult than ever and there is a real fear that more operational theatres may become ‘at risk’. However, despite the difficulties, local support and collaborative working still pays off and the opportunities these buildings offer their communities are immense.
Theatres Trust has recently launched Resilient Theatres: Resilient Communities, a new support and training programme aimed at helping Theatres at Risk and theatres in danger of becoming at risk. This is a three-year project made possible by a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, and funding from the Pilgrim Trust and Swire Charitable Trust. The programme aims to reduce the threat to At Risk theatres and strengthen the sector’s resilience, by supporting communities operating theatre buildings, and communities considering taking over a theatre building.
The theatres appearing on the 2023 register are as follows:
2022 was a fantastic year of queer representation in the media. We saw the iconic Ru Paul’s Drag Race gain mainstream attention; the world became obsessed with the Netflix original series Heartstopper and the Lightyear movie turned heads after including a same-sex couple! It is obviously a fantastic thing that as a global community we are seeing more and more queer representation in the media. While these ground-breaking queer moments are so vital for the global LGBT+ community, it’s also important that we take time to celebrate local queer stories/moments and events. I was personally most excited about the return of Pride Cymru after two years of the entire world standing still, especially when it was announced that this year Pride Cymru will be returning but this time it will take place in June (Pride month) and inside Cardiff Castle! While this is a fantastic announcement, I am slightly concerned however that people will get into the mindset that this is Cardiff Pride instead of the actual title of Wales’ Pride festival. As someone who has grown up in Cardiff for my entire life, it’s so easy to fall into that awful trap of thinking Cardiff is the centre of the world but it’s not just Cardiff that makes up Wales!
Queerway is a brand new song cycle musical that celebrates and shares the true stories of queer people and those connected to them growing up in the South Wales valleys coming from the incredible minds of Geraint Owen who I was first introduced to during his run-in XXXmas Carol at the Wales Millennium Centre last year with my review available here and Luke Hereford (who is currently touring fabulously fun show Grandmothers Closet.)
The cabaret-style musical sees a compact cast explore the trials and tribulations of coming out, finding true love and a mum’s love for their trans child in an very raw and emotional show. What is unique about this show is despite the actors changing (literally and figuratively) into different characters on stage, the set itself does not change ensuring the focus stays on the emotional underpinning of these real and local stories.
In his debut to the musical theatre world, this brand new song cycle stars Welsh Drag King superstar Justin Drag (Ren Simons) who spearheads the transition events (which you can learn more about here , which for the first time will be hosted in Wales Millennium Centre in two weeks!
Considering this was the first time he had taken to the stage, Justin was completely comfortable in front of the audience even socialising with the audience before the show! My favourite number in this entire show would have to be the track “Not that Type of Gay” which was a hilarious duet between Justin (Ren) and Harrison Smith. The song discusses how the two opposing queers (one being extremely masculine and the other hyper-feminine) who are falling in love with one each other despite being polar opposites. This number highlights the important discussions about what things “gay” which is an issue that many people still fight with when considering sexuality even today. I also really enjoyed the fact that this song gave a nod to the Kings which is the local gay bar that I have frequented on many an evening!
The most powerful song throughout this show however would have to be “I Love you Anyway” which was an incredible song performed by the immensely talented Kate Griffiths.
https://youtu.be/ghsH7ja3F5M
The number is told from the perspective of a mother who has discovered her child is transgender and how this has affected her family. The honest and real look into the range of emotions a parent experiences when there child is going through this transition was so insightful and by the end of the song, where the mum reaches a point of unmatched love and support, every person in the audience (my self-included) was in tears! The combination of insane vocals and moving lyrics worked beautifully together to create a very moving performance that everyone seemed to really enjoy! From a song that tugged on every heart strong to a song that made everyone want to jump up and dance along. Towards the middle of this show, there was a fabulous queer medley of iconic songs that was gave full on energy and fun. The performers donned headphones to explain the electric and club-style tracks which was a wonderful inclusion and when they busted out some wonderful fan-ography (dancing with fans) was just so incredibly flamboyant which is something I personally love!
Overall, Queerway shines a light on not just queer stories but from the perspective of those who are just a short drive away. The stripped-back nature of both the prop and set means that the audience can really submerge themselves into the emotional and powerful yet honest and real undertones of the show!
In what might prove to be a testing trip to London, amid strikes and cold streaks, any fears or doubts floated away on opening night, an hour in the company of Bill for this 44th birthday.
This work of Dorothy James and Andy Manjuck is what could only be described as the the creation of an apparition, or more specially Bill. He is brought to life with such conviction, a mere pot-bellied torso, arms and eyeless head. The fun and bravado of Bill prepping for his big night, is gradually met with disappointment and the awful feeling of loneliness, something we can easily relate to, the past few years considered.
Thanks to the easy appeal of the show and witty, British like humour this will go down very easy. Dorothy and Andy have a kinetic energy, each sharing one of Bill’s arms, the former also accommodating his torso, the latter his head. There is Mr Bean and Wallace and Gromit in some of the flamboyant mannerisms and weird dance moves, Andy’s legs are also Bill’s legs. It held up as rather touching as well, Bill later watches a VHS seeing his life go by from cradle to current day, a smaller wooden puppet used to astounding effect. Surreal, drunken episodes feature party crashing balloons and a giant version of Cary the carrot, a crudités that no one ate.
Photo Credit: Richard Termine
This is a piece which has seen some delays in getting out there, this being Bill’s first London adventure and we simply cannot believe his luck. Also, shoutout to Jon Riddleberger who dealt with a lot of the prop side of things and was an extra injection of humour, amid the sad revelations. Music by Eamon Fogarty was also noteworthy for each vibe and tone change. We are all essentially Bill, finding our way in this post-pandemic world, seeking friends to define and make us, to aid in the blandest of life and also reflect upon the pang of memories filled with regrets and of course, happiness.
In short, London loves Bill!
Bill’s 44th continues at The Pit, Barbican Centre till 4 Feb 2023.
In this interview Mehdi gives an overview of his career to date and shares his experience as part of Fio’s Arise Wales Creatives programme for Emerging Directors at RWCMD.
Director Mehdi Razi in front of the model box and designs by Kathryn Brown of Brown Boys Swim by Karim Khan
Hi I am originally from a Shiraz in Iran I first came to Wales in 2015 for a Masters in Product Design at Cardiff Met. During my time as a student I found Cardiff to be a very welcoming city. After completing the Masters I worked for two years in the Design Industry, based in Splott.
I was always interested in the performing arts and after moving to Wales a few things changed in my life, offering the opportunity to focus on the performing arts as a career. Initially I started ushering and volunteering through Sherman 5 at the Sherman Theatre and National Dance Company Wales on the Dance for Parkinson’s programme
Volunteering helped give me an insight into the possibilities of different areas I could work in the arts. This alongside shadowing and then later assisting on performances gave me an option to see things in detail and how I could invest in these areas as a career.
I developed my experience as a Producer about 5 years ago with WNO on a placement and shadowing on productions. I produced an R and D project called Beyond the Rainbow with Oasis (who support Refugees and Asylum Seekers) and the Refugee Council for Wales, this resulted in an informal sharing at the Wales Millennium Centre.
I then started on small assisting roles with the company and also enjoyed working as an emerging producer for Theatr Clwyd. During lockdown I worked on some projects of my own with support from ACW
Thankfully as Lockdown eased, work opportunities opened up and I assisted Joe Murphy as trainee Assistant Director on Christmas Carol in 2021 at The Sherman Theatre, Cardiff.
The Design for Contemporary Drama Exhibtion at RWCMD
We were then put in pairs and given some plays to work on in order to help develop our working relationship. I was partnered with a RWCMD Design Student called Kathryn Brown.
Kathryn created a mood board and we discussed the different elements of the production. We worked on the core idea of movement and cubic elements, The play interrogates feelings of oppression and the individuals place in society. Kathryn found that the traditional changing cubicle in the swimming pool would be great metaphor for the boys lives, sharing and then isolation so we played with this element.
Kathryn’s designs
We then worked on choreographic elements for the space. We had a few creative meetings, and considered what the change of position of the cubicles in the work would this mean to the audience and storyboarded the development of the play together.
A rough design was presented to me and we then looked at the blocking and the choreography was clear, we focused on the visual details, lighting, colour and transitions in the space. We focused on design details and construction, how scenery might be moved around the space and considerations of construction. A more detailed version of the model box was presented to me, we then finalised the design details and the practicalities of the sightlines for the audience.
Kathryn’s costume designs
Our brief was based on a specific space called The Studio at Chapter Arts Centre so we went on a site visit to the venue.
Kathryn’s finished model box
This was my first project at College I really enjoyed going into the design studio as I have a design background myself. Everyone involved was very inclusive, it was very collaborative. The RWCMD Tutors would often come in to chat, it was great to see such a high level of support.
I enjoyed being around the students, RWCMD is comfortable and homely, its a welcoming campus you can have lunch and work its such a pleasant environment.
The exhibition at RWCMD runs until the 10 Feb you can find more information below with a selection of images from other RWCMD Designers.
In this latest in the series of Playwright interviews Peter Cox gives an overview of his career to date, his time working for National Institutions, access to the arts for all and his hopes for the future. Interview by Director of Get the Chance, Guy O’Donnell.
Hi Peter great to meet you, can you give our readers some background information on yourself please?
I began my writing career at the Royal Court Theatre in London where I won the George Devine Award for most promising new playwright in 1983. My stage plays have since been commissioned and performed by companies throughout Britain – including 7:84 Theatre Company, the Royal National Theatre, Belfast Opera House, the Wales Millennium Centre and National Theatre Wales.
I’ve written and developed film and television drama for the BBC and various independent companies. My radio drama has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 & 4 but I’m maybe best known as the writer of 227 episodes of the acclaimed Channel 4 drama serial, Brookside, between 1986 and 2003. During this time, I was a lead member of the writing team that created multiple-strand stories for more than 2,400 episodes.
Throughout my career writing drama for theatre and television I’ve been privileged to work alongside, and with, masters of these forms including Samuel Beckett, Edward Bond, Billie Whitelaw, Michael Bogdanov, Danny Boyle, and Sir Phil Redmond CBE. The experience of learning alongside people who are working at the top of their profession is unbeatable and led me, in turn, to a commitment to mentoring theatre makers and writers.
Peter (left) working as Assistant Director with Edward Bond on the play The Worlds, performed by the Royal Court Young Peoples Theatre (AKA The Activists) in the Theatre Upstatirs.
Alongside my writing work I’ve been very active in the Creative Industries sector in Wales including creative leadership and advocacy in community arts, cultural policy making, economic and cultural regeneration, broadcast radio and television drama production, professional theatre, youth theatre, live music promotion, carnival, and cultural tourism.
I’m a founder trustee and ex-Chair of CARAD(Community Arts Rhayader and District), a Registered Charity that has developed a regionally significant Rural Community Arts and Heritage resource that’s brought more than £5 million of inward investment into Mid-Wales. During my leadership term CARAD facilitated the active engagement of more than 118,000 members of the community and helped to inspire and deliver over 650,000 hours of community participation and engagement in arts, heritage, and media projects.
In the 2010 New Year’s Honours list I was awarded an MBE for services to community arts – in essence, an acknowledgement of the amazing vision and hard work of many local people.
So, what got you interested in the arts?
My earliest theatre-going experiences fuelled my desire to pursue a career in the performing arts. My first, on a teenage school-trip, was watching Peter Brook’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, with its rock-circus staging and Bottom being given a clown nose rather than an ass’s head. A few years later, as a drama student, I was awestruck watching the fabulous giant puppetry of Swiss theatre troupe Mummenschanz. Soon after I was deeply moved and inspired by Lindsay’s Kemp’s extraordinary, ‘Butoh’ influenced, movement-theatre production of ‘Flowers’ at Sadler’s Wells. There are visual stage images from all three productions seared into my memory to this day.
Peter Brook’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’,Mummenschanz‘Flowers’ at Sadler’s Wells.
In each of these shows, the non-traditional theatre techniques and visual language used were incredibly powerful and profoundly enhanced the storytelling. Primarily though, I was conscious of the way my emotions, imagination and creativity were provoked by these vividly effective, stylised, and subversive theatrical approaches. I was hooked.
Why do you write?
I write to try and harness the vast numbers of ideas that just keep bursting out of my sub-conscious mind. I write to try to capture and express moments of extreme crisis, of powerful emotions, from rage and hate to love and grief. I write to make an actor’s blood run faster and to make audiences laugh and cry.
As both a playwright and screenwriter, I’ve researched in, and written about, many socially and politically challenging environments, including: the Bogside in Derry in 1982/3 just after the Hunger Strikes, across British coalfields during the 1984/5 Miners Strike, in Southern Sudan – a war and famine zone, during the Troubles in the Falls Road Belfast 1988/89, and so on. At the heart of all this work there are real people facing very real, and serious, crisis points in their personal and community lives.
Those are stories that need to be told.
Can you tell us about your writing process? Where do your ideas come from?
I watch the world – politics, journalism, human behaviour and frailty, social trends etc… and generate ideas on a daily, if not hourly, basis. I never block any of my own ideas – I note them down, then they either get used or not. Sometimes they might resurface years later in an entirely new context.
I use a diverse range of process techniques, like T Cards and colour coding for structure, but my approach to storytelling is always the same, whatever the form… find a compelling character, or group of characters, and put them into a story that pushes them up against and beyond their own boundaries. The challenges they face, both mirror and echo the challenges that audiences face every day.
Can you describe your writing day? Do you have a process or a minimum word count?
Getting into my ‘writing zone’ is crucial. Blanking out all the extraneous noise from life and the world around me. Once there I honestly can’t say how the magic happens – when the words flow it’s an alchemical process. Researching and note-gathering are replaced by something akin to ‘channelling’ as characters, action, dialogue and images form in a kaleidoscopic visualisation.
I never judge or edit as I go – that comes later. I’m completely committed to revising and re-writing and I’m not afraid to write twenty or thirty drafts or more. I’m a strong advocate of the strength and power in a good relationship between writers, directors, and dramaturgs. I work on the understanding that writing is a form of improvisation on the page. I never ask, ‘Do you like what I’ve written?’ Always just, ‘How can it be better?’
Do you have a specific place that you work from?
When I worked as Writer in Residence with No Fit State Circus – on three site specific shows -my ‘standing-desk’ was a wheelie bin, out in the open air, with my writing files and laptop perched on top of it. I wouldn’t swap that experience for the world, but when it comes to writing every day, often for very long hours, I prefer my desk in my office space at home.
You began your writing career at the Royal Court Theatre and won the George Devine Award for most promising new playwright. We recently interviewed playwright Diana Nneka Atuona about her play Trouble in Butetown. Her script was recipient of the 2019 George Devine Award for her play then titled, ‘The Boy from Tiger Bay’. What role do awards and prizes play in a writer’s career and what difference, if any did it make to yours?
Huge congratulations to Diana. Winning the George Devine Award opened many professional doors for me, and I still place it high on my CV. Just as important though – was that it gave me a huge confidence boost and a validation of my writer’s voice.
I think it’s important that all ‘competitions’ should take the process very seriously. They need to be run with integrity and with good, sensitive communications. Giving thoughtful, considered, and professional feedback should be at the heart of the process – that way, everyone who enters is a winner.
I was fascinated with some Tweets you shared recently on a commission from The Royal National Theatre touring Welsh Miner’s Welfare Halls, where you also worked with 7:84 Theatre Company. How do you come to be involved in this project?
Just after winning the George Devine Award, I was commissioned by Peter Gill, Associate Director at the Royal National Theatre, to go into the Kent Coalfield to live with a militant striking miner – and then to create a verbatim play taken from interviews with miners for the duration of the strike. I travelled to every coalfield across the rest of the country, interviewing and researching on picket lines, mass demos, in soup kitchens etc.
After the first version of the play was done at the National, (The Garden of England, directed by Peter Gill), I was asked to write a touring show with songs – inspired by that verbatim research – for 7:84 Theatre Company (England). We played some amazing huge venues to thousands of striking miners and their families – with the buses that brought the audiences being sponsored by other trade unions and using volunteer drivers. (Opening night in front of 2,500 in Sheffield City Hall, second night another massive audience in Newcastle City Hall, then Manchester Town Hall.) Our Wales venue was the Parc and Dare and it was an extraordinary night, as was the rest of the tour!
Peter outside of the Parc and Dare 1985.During the tour of Garden of England.
Then, in a strange turn of events, once the strike was over, Peter Gill commissioned me to go back to Kent to conduct another whole sequence of interviews in the defeated mining community. Once again I created a powerful piece of verbatim theatre, but one which was very different in tone to the first two. The two verbatim pieces played in the Cottesloe Theatre at the National Theatre.
My connection with 7:84 was a big influence on me. I was very lucky to get picked up as a young playwright by such a theatre visionary as the late John McGrath who founded the company. John was extremely encouraging to me and gave me various opportunities. He enabled me to go on the road with the company in both England and Scotland, as a form of apprenticeship. He commissioned me and I wrote several plays for 7:84. He put me on the 7:84 management committee. I owe him a lot. He had a fierce intellect and was extremely shrewd and analytical – always pushing societal boundaries and hierarchical cultural constructs. Working so closely with him inspired me to do the same – something I try to do with every new project I undertake.
What role do you think National Theatres and Playwrights have in telling the narratives of the citizens of their respective nations?
To be a good playwright you must care in equal measure about your characters’ and your audience’s lives. You need to be adaptable and flexible to create a wide range of characters and stories. You need serious commitment, stamina and staying power. You need to be ready to shed tears as you dig into the depths of your own life experience to bring those emotions to life in your characters. You need to love drama, and the power it has, to affect people’s lives. All these things apply to being a good National Theatre as well.
A large part of your career was spent writing episodes of the Channel 4 drama serial, Brookside, between 1986 and 2003. During that time, you were a member of the writers’ team that created multiple-strand stories for more than 2,400 episodes. You have said about your work on Brookside that “As you might guess I love story and the power of story metaphor in people’s lives.” We often see the term, “Writing Team” on long running serial dramas, can you share how this process works for the writers involved?
A Writers Room, or being on a Writing Team, is most commonly associated with American TV Drama Series & Serials. Breaking Bad for example, has a formidable reputation for the strength of its Writers Room – one of the reasons it has been so globally successful. Brookside story-lined with the Writers Room model – right from the day it started in 1982.
During my time on Brookside there would be twelve to fourteen writers on the team at any one time. We’d meet with the producers every six months to determine long-term story potential for all core characters. Then we’d meet for two days every month, in storyline sessions led by the Producer and / or the Exec Producer, where we’d intensively thrash out a block of twelve episode outlines at a time. We’d then go on to be commissioned individually to write single episode scripts – or possibly two or three for more experienced writers. While in the Writers Room we’d fight for stories, find twists and turns, generate the drama, seek out the humour and push the political and social boundaries as far as we could. We’d argue fiercely about politics, sex, religion etc… to the extent that, on one occasion, Security was called to attend as someone had reported a fight was taking place!
Writers Rooms don’t suit all writers, and they can be quite attritional places. Often there’s a high fall-out rate, and on shows like Friends they’ve been identified as being brutal and unforgiving. All of that said, when they work well, and when they suit you, it can be a fantastic system to work within. I had the great fortune to write for Brookside for eighteen years and my time in the Writer’s Room was like a monthly injection of the best drug going – intensely focused and collaborative creativity. I developed huge respect for my colleagues and for their commitment to driving our series to be the best that it could be. The fact that people still stop me, and talk about stories from over twenty years ago, is a great tribute to the effort we made at the time to tell the best stories we could that viewers would identify with.
Peter with the cast and creatives from Brookside
In news just announced this week I’m very pleased to see that all episodes of Brookside have been digitally remastered and are due to be shown on STV – a free to air streaming service. I’ve no doubt that many of the stories that we told across the 80s and 90s will still resonate in the viewer’s lives.
Are there any particular storylines that you are most proud of during your time on Brookside?
Tough question. I was part of the Writers Room Team that generated storylines that ran through more than 2,400 episodes. I wrote 227 episodes which is a huge amount of broadcast television drama. To give you some idea of scale… just writing my episodes alone would be around three million words. By the time the team has story-lined and scripted over 2,400 episodes you are well into the tens of millions of words!
Brookside was conceived to bring real issues and real lives to the British television screen, through an ongoing drama serial. It was brave and ground-breaking. We prided ourselves on being ahead of social, political and legal issues and trends. Our audience looked to us to be challenging the boundaries of British politics through the eyes of ordinary people. We gave a voice to the genuine concerns, fears, and aspirations of our viewers – people with little or no power over their lives and their futures. Brookside was recognised from its first episode as ‘gritty social realism’, but we weren’t afraid to make people laugh along the way.
It was very important to us that we moved with the times. In the 1980s there had been a major national focus on Trade Union politics, and this was reflected in the programme. As we moved into the 1990s other social issues began to dominate, including LGBT+ issues, drug misuse, rise of feminist politics etc. Brookside further explored all these issues and many more.
So, having created hundreds of Brookside stories, it’s very hard to pick out a favourite – although the three-year-long ‘Body Under the Patio / Jordache’ story of domestic violence and child abuse is high on my list.
The Jordache Family
Maybe an easier way to frame it is to recognise that I have four favourite Brookside characters who were iconic soap characters played by outstanding actors who were great to write for: Sheila Grant, Jimmy Corkhill, Sinbad the Window Cleaner, and Mick Johnson. (Sue Johnstone, Dean Sullivan, Michael Starke, and Louis Emerick).
Sheila GrantJimmy Corkhill,Sinbad the Window Cleaner,Mick Johnson
Each of them was a working-class character who grew in strength and influence over many years from essentially the same starting point – as one of life’s underdogs – people with no power or agency in wider society. Each of them showed great resilience, courage, and human spirit to overcome all the adversities they faced, and a political system heavily weighted against them.
Throughout your career you have often worked with the general public and young people in particular devising work together, how does this process differ from being commissioned to write a script by yourself? Can you make any suggestions for good practice in terms of this method of creativity and writing?
I’ve had extensive experience creating drama with communities including large-scale community plays in Wales and London, youth theatre in Belfast, youth and community film for the Rural Media Company and the BBC Wales Millennium Film, ‘A Light on The Hill’, commissioned and directed by Michael Bogdanov.
In all instances I aim to balance the process and the product equally. I always set the bar as high as possible, and ensure the whole project is delivered to the highest professional standards. This has an immense impact on the participant’s self-esteem and sense of achievement and can have a profound effect on people’s lives, including those in the audience. Best practice includes providing good access that removes barriers of all kinds, good listening and learning skills, honesty, respect, and integrity. With those basic principles in place everything else is about creating supportive systems and logistics that give people the best chance to grow in confidence and deliver at a level that they never thought they would be able to achieve.
Peter (centre) working in 1989 with with a group of young women from the Falls Road in West Belfast on his play Ma Hat Ma Coat and The Ghandi Girls
There are a range of organisations supporting Wales based writers. I wonder if you feel the current support network and career opportunities feel ‘healthy’ to you? Is it possible to sustain a career as a writer in Wales and if not, what would help?
It’s difficult to envisage a time when it will be genuinely ‘healthy’ as demand far outstrips supply. For example, the National Theatre Wales Community has four hundred and eighty-two members in its Writers Group. Let’s say half of them are active and wanting to write plays and get them performed. That’s over two hundred writers, while the number of commissions via companies like Theatr Clwyd, NTW, Sherman etc, will come nowhere near that in any one year.
This makes sustaining a career through theatre writing extremely difficult, except perhaps for a handful of playwrights. I’ve always thought of myself as a dramatist, not just a theatre playwright. This means in practice that I’ve gone out of my way across my career to find opportunities to deploy my core skills in a wide range of performance settings – radio, TV, film, circus etc. I would estimate that probably over 90% of my career earnings have come from working outside Wales.
If you were able to fund an area of the arts what would this be and why?
My ‘wish list’ would include: a Rural Region of Culture, youth theatre, touring theatre, new writing by writers of all ages, opportunities for women playwrights, mentoring… it could go on to be a very long list!
What currently inspires you about the arts in the Wales?
I’m hugely inspired by the number of young people coming through high-quality training and their determination to find all kinds of opportunities to tell diverse stories through drama. Their belief in what they do, and their love of it clearly transcends all else. But it’s very clear that, although financial remuneration doesn’t drive theatre makers on – poor financial rewards work against theatre makers from poorer backgrounds, so we risk those voices not being heard.
What was the last really great thing that you experienced that you would like to share with our readers?
Just before COVID, I worked with Sue Parrish, Artistic Director of Sphinx Theatre Company, a long-standing collaborator. The project we created was Words as Weapons – in partnership with Tom Kuhn of the Writing Brecht Project at Oxford University, Rowan Padmore from Arts at the Old Fire Station with CRISIS, the homeless charity, in Oxford and a group of participants with lived, often current, experience of homelessness.
As part of my preparation to run a sequence of writing workshops I read nearly one thousand Brecht poems, newly translated into English by David Constantine and Professor Tom Kuhn. It was a great privilege to be given access to this work, pre-publication, and what a journey of discovery it proved to be – page after page of surprising subjects and diverse styles. I’ve always believed Brecht had a voice that speaks to our lives today, but the more poems I read the stronger this conviction became.
Our writing group would meet every Monday afternoon and I’d use some of these Brecht poems as triggers for creating new work – in whatever form each group-member wished to try; poem, lyric / song, monologue, scene etc. When we read the Brecht poems aloud and discussed them, we found that their contemporary resonance and relevance was often quite extraordinary. He wrote some of these poems one hundred years ago, but he could easily have been writing directly about today.
Brecht’s words, his weapons, proved to be a fantastic catalyst for generating some exceptional new writing. Our workshop approach encouraged and nurtured each writer’s own voice. As each member of the group grew in confidence, they found themselves liberated and they pursued their own new writing with real energy and purpose. Each of their voices became clearer and stronger. I’ve no doubt Brecht would have genuinely celebrated this spate of creativity and commentary. As they created each new piece their hunger to express themselves matured, their words demanded to be shared and their voices demanded to be heard.
When we all stepped out onstage, in our live Words as Weapons performances, the packed houses listened intently and were moved and entertained as well as intellectually stimulated and politically provoked. But at the same time, these audiences were struggling to get their bearings.
This was two worlds colliding: 1920s Berlin v Oxford 2018.
They understood that they were listening to new writing – but they also knew we were sharing some Brecht poems – and at times they found it impossible to work out who had written what and when! That was a great project on so many levels.
Thanks for your time Peter
Creating opportunities for a diverse range of people to experience and respond to sport, arts, culture and live events. / Lleisiau amrywiol o Gymru yn ymateb i'r celfyddydau a digwyddiadau byw
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